Saturday, April 7, 2012

Olympic Games- the Premier Sporting Event in the World

By Owen Jones


The Olympic Games are a sporting event played every two years at international level. A number of competitions are organized where thousands of athletes from around the world take part. The history of this fantastic sporting competition dates back to the 5th Century AD.

The Olympic Movement classified the Olympic Games into the Winter Olympic Games, the Summer Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games during the 20th and 21st Century.

The Paralympic Games are organized for after the Olympic Games and these are for disabled athletes. The Youth Olympic Games are for teenagers and were first held in 2010. The Olympic Charter defines the organization of the International Olympic Committee i.e. the governing body of the Olympic Games.

The Olympic flag carries five interlocking circles of red, blue, yellow, green and black and was introduced in 1920. The Olympic motto says ?Swifter, Higher, and Stronger?.

Some of the sports events played in the Summer Olympics are baseball, badminton, basketball, cycling, boxing, diving, soccer, sailing, rowing, hockey, water polo, wrestling, swimming, weightlifting, tennis etc.

Games played during the Winter Olympics are skiing, ice hockey, skating, ski jumping, curling, free style skiing, cross country skiing, down hill skiing,

A gold medal is presented to every first winner while silver and bronze medals are presented to the second and third winners respectively. Victory Diplomas are the certificates which are given to some top winners of every sport. The Olympic Flame is lit according to a custom associated with these games.

A new flame is lit for each Olympics in the Ancient Olympic Stadium in Olympia, Greece. This flame is taken to the host country where the games are to be held.

The flame is carried over the whole host country by individuals walking, running, scuba diving, riding, and using other types of transport. Actually, a number of torches are carried around the country where the games are held.

The large Olympic torch is lit by the last runner carrying the torch. This large torch keeps burning throughout the games. The flame is extinguished at the end of the games during the closing ceremony. A new torch is designed for every Olympics.

Nearly all the nations of the world are present at these games. National and international media coverage provides a opportunity to unknown athletes to become famous. The host city and country gets a chance to showcase their country to the world.

The host country organizes and finances the whole event. More than 13,000 athletes compete in the Summer and Winter Olympics in more than 400 events.

Many challenges are faced when organizing this mega event. Some of the major challenges are terrorism, bribery of officials, boycotts and doping. The host city is usually chosen seven years ahead of the Olympic Games.

The United States has had the chance to host four Summer and four Winter Olympics. No other nation has hosted as many Olympic games.

The next Summer Olympics are scheduled to be held in London in 2012. Women are being especially promoted to participate in these games. Female athletes will be able to take part in all the men?s sports in the coming Olympics for the first time. Women?s boxing has also been introduced thereby ending gender discrimination.




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