...The modern Olympic Games (French: Jeux olympiques[1]) are the leading international sporting event featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered to be the world's foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating.[2] The Olympic Games are held every four years, with theSummer and Winter Games alternating by occurring every four years but two years apart. Their creation was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority. The evolution of the Olympic Movement during the 20th and 21st centuries has resulted in several changes to the Olympic Games. Some of these adjustments include the creation of the Winter Olympic Games for ice and winter sports, the Paralympic Games for athletes with a disability, and the Youth Olympic Games for teenage athletes. The IOC has had to adapt to a variety of economic, political, and technological advancements. As a result, the Olympics has shifted away from pure amateurism, as envisioned by Coubertin, to allowing participation ofprofessional athletes. The growing importance of mass media created the issue of corporate sponsorship...
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...Some of the measures LOCOG has taken to make the London Olympics sustainable include the creation of the Olympic Park on once-contaminated industrial land in east London's Lea Valley, the recycling of over 98 percent of waste during construction and the commitment to do the same in the demolition phase. Steiner listed LOCOG's accomplishments on a walk through Olympic Park. "London's clean-up of an old industrial site; the restoration of flows and habitat on the River Lea; the greening of supply chains; the low energy linked with the design and construction of the stadium, including utilizing old gas pipes for the facility's Olympic ring; and the use of temporary structures to reduce emissions are among the actions that can assist in inspiring the organizers of the Rio 2016 games and beyond," he said. This is the first time that a host city has committed to measure its carbon footprint over the entire term of the Olympic Games from construction to the finish line. UK Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Caroline Spelman said, "We are committed to building a future for everyone where the natural environment is not just protected, but valued as a national asset." "We are delighted to have set new standards in sustainable development, and to showcase the expertise and ingenuity of British companies in delivering a green Olympics so warmly welcomed by Mr. Steiner," she said. | Secretary Caroline Spelman, left, and other dignitaries introduce the One Planet...
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...and Oceania. In the Olympic Charter it says, the five-ringed symbol "represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic games." The colors of the rings signify the flags of the countries that participate in the Olympics. Every flag of a country participating in the Olympics includes at least one of the following colors: blue, black, red, yellow, and green. The first country to hold the modern olympic games was Athens in Greece in 1896.These games were hosted in the panathenean stadium that hosted over 30,000 people. Some games were wrestling, swimming, gymnastics, cycling, weightlifting, track and field and rifle and pistol shooting. London has hosted the Olympic games previously on two occasions: 1908 and 1948 soon to be 2012 aswell. The olympic flame is lit at the throughout the whole of the Olympic games and put out when the games have ended. The flame was first lit at a ceremony of the Olympic games in 1928 in Armsterdam, Netherlands. Ten sports which feature in the Olympics are: swimming, athletics, badminton, basketball, equestrian, gymnastics, boxing, diving, archery, cycling. Mary Denise Rand, (born 10 February 1940) won the gold medal in the long jump at the Summer Olympics in 1964 by breaking the world record, becoming the first-ever British female to win an Olympic gold medal in a track and field event. A Palestinian terrorist group called "Black September" broke into the Olympic Village and took 11...
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...Special Olympic Swimming Specific Purpose: To inform the audience about Special Olympic Swimming Thesis/Central Idea: Special Olympic swimming is something that people with intellectual disabilities can learn, love, and benefit from participating in with instruction and support. Organizational Pattern: Topical I. Introduction A.Attention Getter: Imagine yourself in an arena, surrounded by encouraging team mates, supportive coaches, and thousands of fans screaming your name. Imagine all stereotypes being broken down, and competing for the pure love of the sport. B.Relevance: Swimming is one of 32 sports offered in the Special Olympics, and one of the most popular sports in the world. From 1968 to today, the Special Olympics have provided a place for people with disabilities to thrive and compete in fairly. As stated in the article, Changing Attitudes, on the Special Olympics website, “They are often ignored, neglected and excluded from schools and society. Special Olympics may be the only place where people with intellectual disabilities get the chance to become part of their communities and develop belief in themselves.” From our high school sports and activities, to watching the Olympics on T.V., the Special Olympics is a unifying activity that we can all relate to in one way or another. C.Credibility: I myself am a swimmer, and have been competitively swimming for twelve years. I have also been teaching a recreational swim team for people with disabilities...
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...History of the Olympics It is very hard to try and see anything negative about the history of the Olympics. I personally have not seen the negative things in it. I really tried my hardest in to trying to find something that might be able to help with the negative part of the history of Olympics but I couldn’t find anything. Especially towards teaching I honestly read and researched nothing but positive things when it came to the Olympic history and my profession. So unfortunately I will only be writing about why the history of the Olympics is positive and beneficial to teaching physical education. The history of the Olympics has helped me realize just how important it is towards physical education. Of course now of days I think that people just watch for mere entertainment. But when the Olympics first began in 1796 a lot of people didn’t now a lot about it. As it got around the event began to evolve more and more. The Olympics really helped bring a lot of people and things together. It allowed for people all over the world to be able to not only show case there talent to the world but it was also a gate opener to new sports. As the Olympics evolved a lot of different sports began to evolve also. Which is great for my profession because it gave my profession a breath of fresh air? It allowed physical education teachers a chance to talk about different sports and for students to play, learn and experience different things. The games and...
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...would be absolutely devastated. Every year hundreds of thousands of kids are born with some kind of disability. In the early 1960s, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of the Special Olympics, “saw how unjustly and unfairly people with disabilities were treated. She also saw that many children with special needs didn’t even have a place to play” (specialolympics.org). Soon, her vision became a reality. Eunice held a summer day camp for young people with intellectual disabilities in her own backyard. Her goal was to “learn what these children could do in sports and other activities and not dwell on what they could not do” (specialolympics.org). Her vision eventually turned into the global Special Olympics movement. The Special Olympics’ Athlete oath, “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt” (specialolympics.org). During the early 1960s, Eunice Kennedy Shriver noticed how unjustly people with disabilities were treated. These poor people were unable to participate in team sports let alone be able to contribute in individual sports all because they were born with a disability. However, thanks to the generosity of one by stander, she changed many lives forever. Eunice began a camp in her own backyard and eventually turned into a worldwide organization. The Special Olympics have been around since mid-1968. It is absolutely mind boggling how one person touched the hearts of thousands of disabled children and adults by giving them the opportunity to participate...
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...The preparation of the ancient Olympics varies in many ways to that of the modern Olympics. What we have to understand is that nowadays-modern athletes are considered professional and this is their job. Whereas during the ancient era athletes would use athletics as a chance to gain respect and to be fit for war which was ongoing in all of ancient Greece. A modern athlete would find strange that the ancient games where held for Greeks only and that no person outside of Greece was allowed to compete. Athletics were a key part of education in ancient Greece. Many Greeks believed that developing the body was equally important as improving the mind for overall health. Also, regular exercise was important in a society where men were always needed for military service. Javelins would be used in warfare as well, so for many men the use of the javelin would provide experience for use when it comes to war. The modern athletes would see that when using the javelin they would use a leather thong that they would tie around their hand, to what they believed to propel the javelin even further. Ancient athletes were required to arrive at Olympia at least a month before the games were due to start in order to train in front of the hellanodikai who were local judges and they would judge the competitors fitness during that month. During this month athletes would compete in heats, against other competitors from Greece. We know that athletes would compete in heats from the accounts of Diagoras...
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...1.0 Introduction 1.1 History The Olympic Games was the first held on April 6, 1896 and acquired in Athens, Greece with athletes from 14 countries participating. The events included in the first Olympic Games were exact traditional and also built-in running, boxing, wrestling and javelin throwing. The participant is for men and the games held for every four years only. Women could not participate in games or even watch the men playing the games because the athletes didn’t attire any clothes. The prizes were crowns and made by olive leaves, there were no medals or trophies for the champions. On April 15, 1896 the first Olympiad closed. Moreover, Olympics in Greece were called Olympiad. Furthermore, on May 14, 1900 is the second Olympiad and held at Paris with 997 athletes included 22 of them are women from 24 countries challenging in 95 events. In St. Louis, 1904 was the first time Olympics host by U.S. Moving on with the third Olympiad, the first, second and third finishers were given out the gold, silvers and bronze medals. The summer and winter games starting in 1992 will be having the same year every four years which take the place in two years apart. In 2004, the summer games has return to Athens with 6,296 men and 4,329 women total are 10,625 athletes from the 201 nations join in the 301 events. The Olympic Charter, recognized by Pierre de Coubertin said that the purpose of having Olympics is to build a peaceful and healthier world by educating youth over and done with...
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...global reach of the Olympic Movement following the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, which was the first time that athletes had come from all five continents to compete. One year later, the five rings first appeared at the top of a letter written by Coubertin. “These five rings represent the five parts of the world now won over to Olympism and ready to accept its fruitful rivalries,” wrote Coubertin in a 1913 edition of Olympic Review. “In addition, the six colours combined in this way represent the colours of every country, without exception. This is a real international emblem.” The Olympic rings made their official debut at the IOC Congress in Paris in 1914 and were seen at the Olympic Games for the first time in 1920, when the Olympic flag was first raised in Antwerp. Since then, the rings have gone on to become one of the world’s most recognised symbols, seen by billions of people during each edition of the Games and spread throughout the world as the official symbol of the Olympic Movement. The global recognition of the Olympic rings is down to the uniqueness of the symbol and the meaning each one of us attaches to it. For some, they simply represent the Olympic Games and the pinnacle of sporting achievement, while one of the meanings Coubertin conferred upon the rings was the union of the five continents of the world. They are interlaced to show the universality of Olympism and the meeting of the athletes of the world during each edition of the Olympic Games. But, above...
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...as tools of capitalism were disavowed, this included competitive games. Therefore, the Soviet Union denied to take an interest in the international Olympic Games. However, by the 1930s the Soviet Union started to take an alternate position concerning competitive game. The USSR saw the Olympics as a way to show the Soviet power. The Games gave a chance to demonstrate the predominance of the Soviet Union to the world, and to their own kin. Because of World War II. The Soviet Union did not join the Olympic Games until 1952.The Olympic Games are not only a progression of rivalries that bring the countries of the world together, there is more goes into the Games. For instance, legislative and political issues play a persuasive factor with regards to the Olympics. Subsequently, the developing political scene in the Soviet Union from the 1950s to the fall of the USSR can be followed through the Olympics. The Olympics not just show the political setting inside the Soviet Union, additionally how foreign relations developed between the USSR and other countries of the world. The Russians entered the Olympics without precedent for 1952 . In 1972,...
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...The Role of Technology in the Olympics When the modern Olympics began in 1896, Thomas Burke, an American athlete, wore a cotton shirt and cotton shorts and ended up winning gold in the 100-meter sprint. Fast-forward to the 2012 London Olympics. In August, American athletes in track events competed in Nike’s Pro TurboSpeed suits. The tight-fitted apparel was made from recycled polyester fabric, designed to limit aerodynamic drag and boost athletic performance. Today, it’s hard to imagine any sport that hasn’t been touched by technology. From the synthetic material swimmers wear to the carbon-fiber frames in cycling, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and other international sporting federations have welcomed most technological innovations that have arguably improved the games. While there are many variables that are associated with athletic performance, one of the contributing factors for breaking world records has been technological innovation in design and equipment. With every passing Olympics, technology is shrouded with controversy, with many spectators claiming that the spirit of sport is being hindered by the use of technology. While this is an adamant concern, recent studies have shown that athletic performance has reached its physiological limit. In order to keep audiences engaged in the modern Olympics, technological innovation is needed to help assist athletes in achieving world records. From tracksuits to running shoes, innovation in clothing design garners...
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...Hosting sports extravaganzas – A boost to the economy or the boost is just a myth. Brazil, a nation which is the fifth largest – both by area and population, co-incidentally has five stars on its national football kit, each for every world cup they have won. The game of football has found numerous admirers, fans and players in this Latin American nation, and each time the game was played on its soil, Brazilians have never disappointed. They have turned up in huge numbers and have unanimously supported and loved the game. Therefore, it was no surprise that Brazil would paint itself yellow and green all over again in June-July 2014, when the world’s greatest sporting extravaganza was about to reach the shores of Sao Paulo. However, the world looked on with utter disbelief when the whole country went into a denial; according to a survey around 60% Brazilians opposed their nation’s decision to host the World Cup. Recently, Vietnam backed out from hosting the Asian Games citing the reason that holding the multi-sport event would not be financially feasible for the nation. In a country where inflation has hit the poor badly, where the infrastructure is ridiculous at places, economy is growing at less than 2% - hosting the World Cup was supposed to burn a hole into Brazil’s already tottered pockets, a hole as big as $15 billion. Vietnam’s $155 billion economy is recovering slowly and its annual growth is expected to be more than five percent in the next few years, the nation faces...
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...Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will host the 2016 Olympics, a first for any South American country. Commitment to this mega-event mean that both the country and city of Rio de Janeiro have a lot of work to do before they are prepared and meet the International Olympic Committee standards. A mega-event is a large-scale cultural event that holds significant international importance and attracts tourism. This events has the potential to encourage growth of the country if structured properly and finances are appropriately managed; mega-events can also have negatively effects in a number of ways. Brazil is unique in having the opportunity of hosting this event.The hope is that this event will contribute to Brazil’s growth as an emerging economy and significant financial investments will continue to benefit the country post-Olympics. While the citizens are excited about the Olympics, there are concerns about the large number of expenses required in Rio. This explains Brazil’s current situation, details financing for the 2016 games, analyzes past financial issues with Olympics, and evaluates the socio-economic impact on citizens from an ethical viewpoint. The funds and resources for such improvements can be controversial. For violent crime and the unsightly poverty of the sprawling favelas, or shantytown slums, it may be one of the most challenging Games in the history of the rings. That the International Olympic Committee on Friday decided on the Brazilian city for the 2016...
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...Challenge: The challenge for the London Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) is to create a ticket pricing strategy for the various events that meets our multiple objectives. Ticket Pricing Recommendation: We recommend a tiered pricing strategy that considers our three objectives: 1) revenue maximization, 2) accessibility, and 3) attendance. To meet these objectives we divided the potential consumers into segments (see Exhibit 1) based on the product features that each segment values. We then adjusted ticket prices relative to the segment's price sensitivity, willingness to pay, and utility derived from the Olympic events. The methodology we applied to our model was focused on indirect pricing discrimination primarily allowing for self-selection based on different tiers of events (based on projected popularity), event round (preliminaries v. finals), and seat location. We complemented this methodology with several targeted strategies aimed at increasing both attendance and accessibility. The model we recommend (see Exhibit 2 for full list of prices for various events) balances revenue generation with accessibility. We project revenues of approximately $653M, but preserve relatively low price points on millions of tickets, making the games accessible to the masses. Our prices were set with the strategy outlined in Exhibit 3. We divided events into two categories: events that sought to maximize revenue or accessibility and aligned them with the appropriate...
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...The Big Business of the Olympics and Bribery Unit 2 IP- International Legal and Ethical Issues in Business Rachel Davis American Intercontinental University The Big Business of the Olympics and Bribery Since the winter of November 1998, there have been serious allegations made regarding the involvement of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee and the questionable lobbying methods which were used to entice the International Olympics Committee to select Salt Lake City as the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics. There can be a very fine line between what is considered lobbying and bribery, and this situation walks this line narrowly. There are few differences between the acts of bribery and lobbying, but the few details are enough to separate one from legal implications. Lobbying is typically described as giving money as contribution to political groups in exchange for hoped-for favorable treatment when certain legislative and political decisions are made (Lobbying vs. Bribery,2010). When a business, corporation, or individual gives property or money in exchange for a specific return, it is considered bribery (Lobbying vs. Bribery, 2010). It can also be said that lobbying is, in many cases, looked at as an attempt to change existing rules or policies, while bribery is usually an attempt to get around these rules or policies (Bribe or Lobby?(it's a matter of development), 2005). Any argument that could be made by the SLOC defending their payments as justified lobbying would...
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