An aspect of controversial animal tourism that has received little attention is its relationship with cultural tourism. The article presents a categorization of cultural tourism, and sports attractions and events related to the abuse of animals. It shows how tourists, driven by cultural omnivorousness and the wish to stand out from the crowd, eagerly enjoy controversial forms of animal tourism on their travel. In order to avoid the pitfall of western ethnocentrism ending in accusations of barbarism, the issue is also reflected on from an intercultural point of view, which helps to understand that local communities have different attitudes to animals and their wellbeing. In addition, a historical overview shows that ‘animal friendliness’ does not have a long tradition in western thinking about the human-animal relationship and is only of recent date. Sustainable solutions for controversial animal tourism have to be found by raising tourists’ awareness by means of information and education.

This paper examines the image of American poverty, rejection and social engagement in a recent sports biopic inspired by the story of American skater Tonya Harding, Craig Gillespie’s I, Tonya (2017). It draws on data presented in recent poverty studies to determine the extent of deprivation and attend to its representation in American cinema. In the light of the above, I closely analyze the biopic, focusing on its depiction of professional figure skating, expectations of female athletes, and most importantly, the figure of Tonya Harding. I argue that the protagonist’s social background dominates her portrayal, which also challenges the common conception of a sports biopic; Harding’s narrative is defined by her mismatch with ice skating’s normative expectations and, most importantly, by her social standing.

Nieomówionym dotychczas aspektem kontrowersyjnej turystyki z wykorzystaniem zwierząt jest jej związek z turysty­ką kulturową. Artykuł ma na celu przedstawienie kategoryzacji atrakcji oraz wydarzeń kulturowych i turystycznych, które są związane ze złym traktowaniem zwierząt. W tekście opisano, w jaki sposób turyści, kierowani kulturowym omniworyzmem i chęcią wyróżnienia się z tłumu, korzystają z kontrowersyjnych form tego rodzaju turystyki podczas międzykontynentalnych podróży. By uniknąć pułapki zachodniego etnocentryzmu, który prowadzi do oskarżeń o barbarzyństwo, autorzy przedstawili problem z różnych, międzykulturowych punktów widzenia, co pozwala na zrozumienie nastawienia lokalnych społeczności do zwierząt i ich dobrostanu. Co więcej, historia pokazuje, że troska o los zwierząt nie jest głęboko zakorzeniona w tradycji Zachodu. Zrównoważone rozwiązania w sektorze turystyki związanej ze zwierzętami muszą stać się elementem świadomości turystów, do której należy dążyć poprzez należytą edukację.

The present article strives to analyze a sporting war short story The Boxer and The Death by Józef Hen as an exemplary piece of sports writing immersed in a historical context. Although there is no entrenched tradition of sports writing in the Polish literary expression, the story offers a very classic sports narrative anchored in the Holocaust reality. Following the presentation of the figure of Hen and providing historical background for sport in concentration camps, the author analyzes the story, focusing on its two main characters: Janusz Kominek and Walter Kraft, as well as the values and symbols they represent. It is also argued that The Boxer and The Death fulfills the criteria of a traditional western, melodramatic narrative, and conforms to Robert J. Higgs’s Adonic model of an athlete in literature.

The modern Olympic Games are a highly interdisciplinary phenomenon. The current literature abounds with examples of eff ects of this socio-cultural event: long-term, short-term, direct, indirect, expected, unexpected, desirable, and undesirable. Olympic Games result in, among others, economical, ecological, social, cultural, psychological, institutional, political, and logistical eff ects. Top-class sporting events are also infl uential in terms of the development of tourism. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the concept of Olympic legacy in the past years and to show potential results of hosting Olympic Games in a particular country in the opinion of students of the International Olympic Academy.