The+Modern+Olympic+Games

**The Modern Olympic Games by: Camille** The Olympics are very important. The purpose of the Olympics is to bring people together through sports. The Olympics consist of the Winter Games and the Summer Games. The Opening and Closing Ceremonies are very symbolic and may be the most memorable part of the entire program. Being the host city for the Olympics is also a great honor. [|Women] have not always participated in the Olympic Games. In the early 20th century women were not thought to be feminine if they were overly muscular. There was also a fear of becoming sterile. Women were encouraged not to, or were afraid to participate in such vigorous sports. The first Games women were permitted to play in were the 1900 Olympics in France. The only sports they were allowed to participate in were golf and tennis. Twelve years later, in the Summer Games, women swimmers appeared. Women were not allowed to participate in the 800 meter race because it was thought to be too challenging for women until 1960. From 1964 to 2004, volleyball, cycling, rowing, football and women’s wrestling were added to the list. Synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics are the two sports that //only //women are allowed to participate in. Boxing and baseball are the two sports they are not. The [|winter games] are held every four years. They consist of snow, ice, indoor and outdoor sports. The three major sports played are skiing, ice hockey and skating. There are two different types of skating; figure skating and speed skating. Figure skating was originally held outdoors until 1956. Speed skating was another sport that women were not initially allowed to participate in until 1960. Skiing has five different disciplines, the most of any sport; cross-country skiing, snowboarding, alpine skiing, giant slalom, and the super-G. Ice hockey is known for attracting large audiences. The [|Summer Games]consist of more sports than the winter games. Rowing, badminton, baseball, boxing, canoe/kayaking, equestrian sports, football, handball, hockey, judo, modern pentathlon, softball, taekwondo, table tennis, archery, triathlon, sailing and volleyball have been added to the small list consisting of only nine sports that were played in the 1896 Athens Games. Some sports were discontinued, like golf and polo. Swimming, being one of the most widely followed sports in the world, has four disciplines; swimming (backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle and butterfly), diving, synchronized swimming, and water polo. Athletics is the other extremely popular category. Jumping, throwing and sprinting, both mid-distance and long-distance, make up the category. The Olympics are based off of the very important [|Olympic Movement]. The Olympic Movement has three main purposes; “to link sports with culture and education, to promote the practice of sport and the joy found in effort, and to help build a better world through sport practiced in a spirit of peace, excellence, friendship and respect.” There are two Games in the Olympics. They are usually referred to as the Summer and Winter Games. The official title for the Summer Games is Games of the Olympiad. The Winter Games are referred to as the Olympic Winter Games. The creator of the modern Olympics was a Frenchman, Pierre de Coubertin. Coubertin founded the IOC, International Olympic Committee, in 1894. Only two years later, the first modern Olympic Games were held in their homeland in Athens, Greece. The people wanted all the Games to be hosted in Athens, but their requests were turned down in honor of the Olympic Movement. Every year the games take place in a different city and country. [The Olympic Museum] [|Criteria] for a sport to be included in the program for the Games of the Olympiad (Summer Games) is that is must be “widely practiced by men in 75 countries of four continents, by women, in 40 countries and on three continents.” The criteria for winter sports to be included on the program is a little more lenient; “it must be widely practiced in 25 countries and on three continents…there is no distinction between men’s and women’s events.” In all the Games the World Anti-Doping Code applies. For team sports, drug tests are preformed throughout the entire duration of the Games. Individuals must also undergo testing but only on the top five athletes in each individual event. Two other individuals in the same category are picked randomly. [The Olympic Museum] The [|Opening Ceremony]and the [|Closing Ceremony]are very much alike in spirit. There is much music, singing, dancing, and fireworks. There is also a speech preformed by the president of the IOC at both events. Both ceremonies have similar duties that must be carried out. In the Opening Ceremony all the athletes make their entrance. It’s tradition for Greece to lead the parade and for the country hosting the Olympics to be last. The Olympic Flag is brought into the stadium, the Olympic Anthem is sung (usually by a star of the host country), doves are released as a symbol of peace, and lastly is the entrance of the flame. In the Closing Ceremony, the Olympic Flag is passed on to the next country to host the Olympics, once again the athletes come together to symbolize friendship, and the flame is extinguished. A large behind the scenes part of the Olympics is the [|Olympic Village]. This is the designated living environment created for all of the athletes and officials. An Olympics Village is known to accommodate over 16,000 people! All sorts of facilities are included, such as a 24 hour restaurant, hairdressers, spas, movie theaters, internet connection and “discos” are held after some competitions! This is all a part of trying to connect others through the Olympic Movement. After the Games have ended and all the athletes have gone home, “the Olympic Village is generally turned into a new residential area for the city, and the housing is sold or rented to the local population.” In conclusion, the Olympics are very important because they play a huge part in bringing people together in a healthy way. “In these Olympics, the important thing is not winning but taking part … What counts in life is not the victory but the struggle; the essential thing is not to conquer but to fight well.” [|Pierre de Coubertin.]

Wikispaces -The Ancient Olymic Games BBC - Instone, Stephen. “The Olympics: Ancient versus Modern”. BBC. 3 Dec., 2009 []. Crystalinks – Crystal, Ellie. “Greek Olympics”. Crystalinks. 3 Dec., 2009 []. Olympic Museum – The Olympic Museum. The Modern Olympic Games. 2nd ED. 2007. 3 Dec., 2009 []. Infoplease – Gettings, John. “The First Modern Olympics: Athens, 1896″. Infoplease. 3 Dec., 2009 [].
 * Works Cited:**