THE OLYMPIC LADMARK OF NICOLÁS MASSÚ AND THE CHILEAN TENNIS IN THE 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES IN ATHENS: ITS IMPACT ON CHILEAN NATIONAL IDENTITY

Abstract

This article offers the result of the historical research work carried out around the participation of the Chilean men's tennis team at the Olympic Games in Athens 2004. It reconstructs as background, the many circumstances and sport evolution of Nicolás Massú carrying out a Sporting Life History until it reached the level that allowed him his Olympic participation. At the Games tennis days, the development and evolution of the matches played by the Chilean men's tennis team during the days that the matches were held, as well as the facts of the circumstances and the historical milestones that represented the gold medal obtained by Nicolás Massú in the individual tournament and the second medal he won along with his teammate Fernando González. Likewise, the historical memory of the perception and influence that those events had on Chilean citizens is recovered through the testimony of contemporary Chilean oral sources of those sporting events. Their stories have been contrasted with the information offered by the Chilean press, in order to analyse the influence, meaning and orientation of the impact achieved by those sporting successes in aspects related to unity, identity and national self-esteem.

Key words: Olympic Game, Tennis, Chilean Olympic team, Nicolás Massú, Fernando González.