Colonialism and the Olympic Games founder of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin, sport and colonialism were logical companions. He called sports "a vigorous instrument of the disciplining" of colonized people, and viewed it as a calming force in the colonies. O'Bonsawin writes that Olympism, as a "philosophy", speaks "in truisms of equity, anti-discrimination, mutual recognition and respect, tolerance and solidarity." But she and other critics argue that in reality Olympism serves as an "apologetic" for a movement that is actually "deeply politicized and xenophobic." O'Bonsawin also argues that in encouraging Olympic participants to "cast aside everyday lived experiences...shaped by such factors as race,
Colonialism and the Olympic Games made the connection between cultural appropriation and commodificaton, "arguing that it dishonoured the traditional functions of inuksuk and risked turning them into commodities that could be sold for tourist consumption." Though the 2010 Winter Olympic Games did consult with indigenous people more than in past Canadian Olympic Games, that collaboration does not seem to have extended to resolving outstanding land treaties nor addressing the marginalization of indigenous people in Canada. Circassian organisations have also spoken out against the 2014 Olympics, arguing that the Games will take place on land that had been inhabited by them since the beginning of recorded