Summer Olympics in Beijing. The scope and scale of the Winter Olympics is much smaller. For example, Turin, Italy hosted 2,508 athletes from 80 countries competing in 84 events during the 2006 Winter Olympics. As participation in the Olympics has grown, so has its profile in the international media. At the Sydney Games in 2000, an estimated 3.7 billion viewers watched the games on television, and the official website of the Sydney Olympics generated over 11.3 billion hits.
The number of participating countries is noticeably higher than the 193 countries that currently belong to the United Nations. The International Olympic Committee allows nations to compete that do not meet the strict requirements for political sovereignty that other international organizations demand. As a result, colonies and dependencies are permitted to host their own Olympic teams and athletes even if such competitors also hold citizenship in another member nation. Examples of this include territories such as Puerto Rico, Bermuda, and Hong Kong; all of which compete as separate nations despite being legally a part of another country. Since 1980, Taiwan has competed under the name Chinese Taipei, and under a flag specially prepared by the IOC. Prior to that year the People's Republic of China refused to participate in the Games because Taiwan had been competing under the name Republic of China.
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Sunday, December 21, 2008
Youth Games
The Youth Olympic Games (YOG), were conceived by IOC president Jacques Rogge in 2001,and approved by the IOC at the 119th IOC session in Guatemala City in July 2007.The Youth Games will be shorter: the summer version will last at most twelve days; the winter version will last a maximum of nine days. The IOC will allow no more than 3,500 athletes and 875 officials to participate at the summer games, and 970 athletes and 580 official at the winter games. The sports contested at these games will be the same as those scheduled for the traditional Games, but with a limited number of disciplines and events. The estimated cost for the games is $30 million for the summer and $15–$20 million for the winter games.The first host city will be Singapore in 2010; the bidding for the first winter edition in 2012 is underway....
Winter Games
While figure skating had been an Olympic event at both the London Games and the Antwerp Games, and ice hockey had also been held at the Antwerp Games, the IOC wanted equity between the winter and summer sports. At the 1921 Congress in Lausanne, the IOC decided to hold a winter version of the Olympic games. The first Winter Olympics were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France. The IOC made the Winter Games a permanent fixture in the Olympic Movement in 1925, and mandated that they be celebrated every 4 years on the same year as their Summer counterpart. This tradition held until the 1992 Games in Albertville, France. Beginning in 1994 the Olympic games have alternated on different 4–year cycles. Hence the most recent Winter Games were held in 2006, while 2008 marked the latest celebration of the Summer Games.
Revival of the Modern Games
Although the revival of the Olympic Games began in the mid–19th Century; multi–sport events with titles such as "Olympick" or "Olympian" Games had been held as far back as the 16th Century. These events included an "Olympick Games" that convened for several years at Chipping Campden in the English Cotswolds. The present day Cotswold Games trace their origin to this festival.Another example of European attempts to emulate the Olympic Games was a European Olympic Festival held annually from 1796–1798, L'Olympiade de la République was held in France. The competition included several disciplines from the ancient Greek Olympics. The 1796 Games marked an introduction of the metric system into sport.
An "Olympian Class" was begun at Much Wenlock in Shropshire, England in 1850, which was renamed "Wenlock Olympian Games" in 1859 and continues to this day as the Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games. A national Olympic Games in Great Britain was organized by, Dr William Penny Brookes, at Crystal Palace in London, in 1866.
Greek interest in reviving the Olympic Games, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, was documented by poet and newspaper editor Panagiotis Soutsos (see Alexandros Soutsos) in his poem "Dialogue of the Dead", published in 1833. Meanwhile Evangelis Zappas, a wealthy Greek philanthropist, sponsored the modern revival of the ancient Olympic Games. The first modern international Olympic Games was held in an Athens city square in 1859 with participants from Greece and the Ottoman Empire. Later Zappas paid for the refurbishment of the ancient Panathenian Stadium. The first modern international to be hosted in a stadium was held there in 1870, followed by a third in 1875.
Many years after Zappas revived the Olympic Games in Greece. The French historian Baron Pierre de Coubertin, was searching for a reason for the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871). He theorized that the French soldiers had not received proper physical education. In 1890 he attended the "Olympian Games" of the Wenlock Olympian Society, and decided that a large–scale revival of the Olympic Games was achievable. To date attempts to revive a modern version of the Olympic games had met with various amounts of success at the local (one or at most two participating nations) level.
Coubertin built on the ideas of Brookes and the foundations of Zappas. His aim was to internationalize the Olympic Games (one of Brookes' ideas). He presented these ideas at a congress at the Sorbonne University, in Paris, France, held from June 16 to June 23, 1894. On the last day of the congress, it was decided that the first multinational Olympic Games would take place in 1896 in Athens. To organize the Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was established, with the Greek writer, Demetrius Vikelas, as its first president. The IOC's modern Olympic Movement was established, and a Games were to be held in the nation of their origin in 1896.
An "Olympian Class" was begun at Much Wenlock in Shropshire, England in 1850, which was renamed "Wenlock Olympian Games" in 1859 and continues to this day as the Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games. A national Olympic Games in Great Britain was organized by, Dr William Penny Brookes, at Crystal Palace in London, in 1866.
Greek interest in reviving the Olympic Games, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, was documented by poet and newspaper editor Panagiotis Soutsos (see Alexandros Soutsos) in his poem "Dialogue of the Dead", published in 1833. Meanwhile Evangelis Zappas, a wealthy Greek philanthropist, sponsored the modern revival of the ancient Olympic Games. The first modern international Olympic Games was held in an Athens city square in 1859 with participants from Greece and the Ottoman Empire. Later Zappas paid for the refurbishment of the ancient Panathenian Stadium. The first modern international to be hosted in a stadium was held there in 1870, followed by a third in 1875.
Many years after Zappas revived the Olympic Games in Greece. The French historian Baron Pierre de Coubertin, was searching for a reason for the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871). He theorized that the French soldiers had not received proper physical education. In 1890 he attended the "Olympian Games" of the Wenlock Olympian Society, and decided that a large–scale revival of the Olympic Games was achievable. To date attempts to revive a modern version of the Olympic games had met with various amounts of success at the local (one or at most two participating nations) level.
Coubertin built on the ideas of Brookes and the foundations of Zappas. His aim was to internationalize the Olympic Games (one of Brookes' ideas). He presented these ideas at a congress at the Sorbonne University, in Paris, France, held from June 16 to June 23, 1894. On the last day of the congress, it was decided that the first multinational Olympic Games would take place in 1896 in Athens. To organize the Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was established, with the Greek writer, Demetrius Vikelas, as its first president. The IOC's modern Olympic Movement was established, and a Games were to be held in the nation of their origin in 1896.
Ancient Olympics
There are many myths surrounding the origin of the ancient Olympic Games; the most popular of which identifies Heracles and his father Zeus as the progenitors of the Games. According to the legend, Zeus held sporting events in honor of his defeat of Cronus, and succession to the throne of heaven. Heracles, being his eldest son, defeated his brothers in a running race and was crowned with a wreath of wild olive branches. It is Heracles who first called the games Olympic, and established the custom of holding them every 4 years. The legend diverges at this point. One popular story claims that after Heracles completed his 12 labors, he went on to build the Olympic stadium and surrounding buildings as an honor to Zeus. After the stadium was complete, he walked in a straight line for 200 strides and called this distance a "stadion" (Greek: στάδιον, Latin: stadium, "stage"), which later also became a unit of distance. Another myth associates the first Games with the ancient Greek concept of Olympic truce (ἐκεχειρία, ekecheiria). The most widely held estimate for the inception of the Ancient Olympics is 776 BC.
From then on, the Olympic Games quickly became very important throughout ancient Greece. They reached their zenith in the 6th and 5th centuries BC. The Olympics were of fundamental religious importance. They featured sport events and ritual sacrifices honoring both Zeus (whose colossal statue stood at Olympia), and Pelops, divine hero and mythical king of Olympia. Pelops was famous for his legendary chariot races with King Oenomaus of Pisatis.The number of events increased to twenty and the celebration spanned several days. Winners of the events were admired and immortalized in poems and statues. The Games were held every four years, known as an Olympiad. The Greeks used Olympiads as one of their units of time measurement.
The Games enjoyed immense success. Victors were treated as conquering heroes, their statues adorned Athens and their home towns. Gradually though, the Games began to declined in importance as the Romans gained power and influence in Greece. In 393 AD Emperor Theodosius I proclaimed Christianity the religion of the Empire. After over 1000 years in existence, the Olympic Games were banned due to their roots in paganism. The Olympics were not seen again until their rebirth 1,500 years later.
From then on, the Olympic Games quickly became very important throughout ancient Greece. They reached their zenith in the 6th and 5th centuries BC. The Olympics were of fundamental religious importance. They featured sport events and ritual sacrifices honoring both Zeus (whose colossal statue stood at Olympia), and Pelops, divine hero and mythical king of Olympia. Pelops was famous for his legendary chariot races with King Oenomaus of Pisatis.The number of events increased to twenty and the celebration spanned several days. Winners of the events were admired and immortalized in poems and statues. The Games were held every four years, known as an Olympiad. The Greeks used Olympiads as one of their units of time measurement.
The Games enjoyed immense success. Victors were treated as conquering heroes, their statues adorned Athens and their home towns. Gradually though, the Games began to declined in importance as the Romans gained power and influence in Greece. In 393 AD Emperor Theodosius I proclaimed Christianity the religion of the Empire. After over 1000 years in existence, the Olympic Games were banned due to their roots in paganism. The Olympics were not seen again until their rebirth 1,500 years later.
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is an international multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games. There have been two generations of the Olympic Games; the first were the Ancient Olympic Games (Greek: Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες; [Olympiakoi Agones] (help·info)) held at Olympia, Greece. The second, known as the Modern Olympic Games, were first revived with a modern international Olympic Games held in 1859 in Athens, Greece. The first modern international was sponsored by the Greek philanthropist Evangelis Zappas and pre-dates the foundation of the International Olympic Committee. The modern Olympics feature the Summer Games and Winter Games. The Paralympic and Youth Olympic Games are variations on the Modern Olympic Movement.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded in 1894 on the initiative of a French nobleman, Pierre Frédy, Baron de Coubertin. His vision was to bring together amateur athletes from around the world to compete in a variety of events. The IOC has become the governing body of the "Olympic Movement," a conglomeration of sporting federations that are responsible for the organization of the Games. The evolution of the Olympic Movement has forced the IOC to change Coubertin's time–honored ideals. The original vision of the pure amateur athlete had to change under the pressure of corporate sponsorships and political regimes intent on the creation of sports "dynasties".
Participation in the Games has increased to the point that nearly every nation on earth is represented. This growth has created numerous challenges; including political boycotts, the use of performance enhancing drugs, bribery of officials, and terrorism. While the Olympic Movement is forced to address issues never before conceived by Coubertin, the Olympics continue to grow in the face of these challenges. The Games encompass many rituals and symbols that were established during their infancy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Most of these traditions are displayed in the opening and closing ceremonies, and the medal presentations. Despite the complexity of the current modern Games, the focus remains on the Olympic motto: Citius Altius Fortius - Faster, Higher, Stronger.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded in 1894 on the initiative of a French nobleman, Pierre Frédy, Baron de Coubertin. His vision was to bring together amateur athletes from around the world to compete in a variety of events. The IOC has become the governing body of the "Olympic Movement," a conglomeration of sporting federations that are responsible for the organization of the Games. The evolution of the Olympic Movement has forced the IOC to change Coubertin's time–honored ideals. The original vision of the pure amateur athlete had to change under the pressure of corporate sponsorships and political regimes intent on the creation of sports "dynasties".
Participation in the Games has increased to the point that nearly every nation on earth is represented. This growth has created numerous challenges; including political boycotts, the use of performance enhancing drugs, bribery of officials, and terrorism. While the Olympic Movement is forced to address issues never before conceived by Coubertin, the Olympics continue to grow in the face of these challenges. The Games encompass many rituals and symbols that were established during their infancy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Most of these traditions are displayed in the opening and closing ceremonies, and the medal presentations. Despite the complexity of the current modern Games, the focus remains on the Olympic motto: Citius Altius Fortius - Faster, Higher, Stronger.
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