The Olympic Games Tradition By Fiona Beal So

The Olympic Games Tradition By Fiona Beal

So you want to know whether the Olympic Game tradition has contributed to unifying our world? Well, let’s begin by looking at the Ancient Olympics and look at some of the questions you are probably asking.

Who could compete in the Olympics? What was the penalty for cheating? How did they determine whether a sport could be included? Why were they held at Olympia? Were women allowed at the Olympics? Were there other contests like the Olympics? How were the athletes trained Questions to consider about the Ancient Olympic Games…. What prizes did the Olympic victors get? What were the Ancient Olympic games? Who were the Olympic judges?

WHAT WERE THE ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES? The first Olympic Games at Olympia were held in 776 BC. • Religious festival • Held every four years • Held in Olympia. • Held in honour of the Greek god Zeus • The only event was a short sprint

WHY WERE THEY HELD AT OLYMPIA? • Olympia was a sacred valley to the Greeks. • The Ancient Olympics were a religious festival. • It was a local affair where men could forget they were fighting each other.

WHO COULD COMPETE IN THE ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES? • Only free men who spoke Greek could compete. • Only men, boys and unmarried girls could attend the Olympic Games • Women had their own festival at Olympia once every four years.

WHICH SPORTS WERE EVENTUALLY OFFERED? Boxing Pankration Running Equestrian events Pentathlon Wrestling Chariot racing riding Discus Javelin Jump

THE UNIT QUESTION AGAIN John, do you think the Ancient Olympics contributed to unifying the world? No Ma’am. . . . well, maybe the Greek world was unified because they stopped fighting for a while but not the rest of the world.

THE MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES • The modern Olympics resulted from the efforts of a Frenchman Pierre de Courbette in 1896. • He believed that international competitions between athletes would help promote friendly relationships between countries. • The first modern Olympics was held in in Athens in 1898 offering 9 sports.

ATHENS 2004 • Since then the Olympics have grown and grown. • The 2004 Olympics in Greece are open to all races and both sexes. • Athletes from all over the world can take part. • Women are allowed to enter and visit. • The 2004 summer Olympics in Athens will involve 10, 500 athletes in twenty-eight sports and a variety of individual events.

CONTRIBUTION OF THE GAMES • They turn our world into a global village every four years. • Women are also allowed to compete • Ceremonies like the torch relay give the Games an international flavour • Countries forget their grievances against one another. • The Olympic flag consists of five rings representing the five continents Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and America.

MORE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES • The Paralympics which is an Olympic games for disabled people have resulted. • An organising committee from different countries organises the Games. • They promote peace among countries and athletes. • Ordinary people get a chance to become heroes.

CONCLUSION So what is your conclusion, John? I think the revival of the Modern Olympics has definitely contributed to unifying our world.