Description
THE USSR'S LAST VICTORY
Book summary
In The USSR's Last Victory, journalist Manel Alías unveils the keys to Soviet power in global sports through the testimonies of great Olympic medalists. The reader will discover how children trained from childhood for excellence became pieces of a massive sports machinery, and how their legacy still weighs on Vladimir Putin's Russia. A work that combines investigative journalism, history, and human emotions.
What is it about?
Manel Alías, TV3 correspondent in Moscow, interviews Olympic medalists from the Soviet era to reconstruct the workings of a relentless training system. The book follows the trajectories of men and women who were trained from childhood for sporting glory, becoming symbols of a regime that used sports as a propaganda tool. From the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, considered the USSR's last great victory, to present-day Russia, the work explores how this machinery created legends and how its shadow persists today.
Main themes
- Sport as a tool of political propaganda during the Cold War.
- The Soviet training system: early selection, extreme discipline, and human sacrifices.
- The transition from Soviet sport to modern-day Russia and the influence of Vladimir Putin.
- Intimate and unpublished testimonies of Olympic medalists who experienced the system firsthand.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is ideal for readers interested in 20th-century political history, sports fans who want to understand its geopolitical role, and followers of investigative journalism narrated with a direct and human style.
What this book offers
- A unique and well-documented look at the Soviet sports system through direct oral sources.
- Keys to understanding the relationship between sports, power, and propaganda in the context of the Cold War.
- Reflection on the legacy of the USSR in sports and current Russian politics.
- Compelling human stories that go beyond medals and records.
Technical specifications
- Author: ALIAS I TORT, MANEL
- Publisher: ARA LLIBRES,SCCL
- Language: cat
- Subject: POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT, SPORTS AND OUTDOOR RECREATION
- Collection: ARA PAUSA
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication date: October 2022
- Number of pages: 288
- Weight: 513 g
Editorial review
A work of narrative journalism that connects sporting history with politics and individual lives. Manel Alías succeeds in giving a voice to the protagonists of a disappeared but not forgotten system, offering an absorbing read for both sports lovers and those who want to better understand Soviet power. Recommended for its ability to humanize a topic often treated with the coldness of archives.