Rio De Janeiro Olympics Controversy

Before the 1968 Olympics, the world was in chaos. Countries had internal and external problems that were carried on to the Olympic stage. Issues like the Cold War, South Africa apartheid, and the Civil Rights movement took part in forming the games and taking the stage. However, the host of the Olympics, Mexico, was in for a rude awakening. First, they had to prove to the world that they were capable of hosting the games. Second, they had to handle the worlds issues and their own too. Mexico’s problems consisted of the effect of high altitude on athlete’s performance and student protests. These concerns are all discussed in Kevin Witherspoon’s book, Before the Eyes of the World: Mexico and the 1968 Olympic Games. Witherspoon argues how global and internal disputes were able to impact Mexico in how they handled the most watched event.

The modern Olympic movement has been shaped by many differentiating factors over the years. It has been altered by social, political, and economic factors. More specifically, warring times, changes to social structures, and economic activity that varies by country have been the overall leading factors that have shaped the Olympics over the years.

The video on “the Hidden History of the Olympic Games” provides intriguing revelations that the Olympic Games are driven by astonishing propaganda associated with international rivalry and social struggles (Poulton, 2012). The video clarifies that Olympic Games have preserved the colonial strategies and operations in most host nations and cities by the organizing bodies (Poulton, 2012). This has caused the production of unique ceremonies and symbolisms while supporting the encroachment of thieving indigenous lands in host colonies. For instance, Germany used the event to advocate the myth of Aryan racial dominance and physical prowess in the 1936 Berlin games. The German artists emerged to idealize athletes through sculptures and significant forms with muscle tones and physically fit features (Mason, 2012). The significance of the Munich massacre is that retribution is harshly critical in political agendas. This caused a loss of potential athlete skills where about 11 athletes were demised. A rivalry was triggered from the occasion even though the authorities were informed of terror attacks (Mason, 2012).

Ever since its inception in 1896, the Modern Olympics has hosted an invisible sport: politics. The Olympics calls for “a halt to all conflicts … [and to] strive towards a more peaceful world,” but politics soon spoiled its biennial message. “As the Olympics continue to dissolve into … a political competition … they no longer … justify the time and trouble,” Dave Anderson, Pulitzer Prize winner for his sports column, wrote in the New York Times in 1984. The Olympic spirit has routinely been used as an outlet for political agendas. With political and Olympic ambitions intersected, the great international sports festivity negatively affects all nations involved.

The 1972 Olympics basketball finals in Munich remains one of the most controversial Olympic games in history. Controversies of this match took both a sporting and political angle at the time because the two finalists, team USA and team USSR, came from a background of political competitions by virtue of them being the two most powerful nations on earth. The controversy happened in three “final three seconds.” Whatever happened to the medals remain equally controversial.

In a nutshell, the Olympics have been massively affected over the time span from 1892 to 2002. Factors that enabled this metamorphosis to take place include: political tensions between countries, economic opportunities that arose, and the social impact through the endorsement of Women’s

There are quite a few factors that shaped the modern-day Olympics from 1892 to 2002. Pierre de Coubertin states that he wanted to create the Olympics to spread world peace. He does this by substituting war for friendly sports competitions (doc 1). Of course, there were some bumps in the road while trying to achieve this utopia. Some factors that have changed the Olympics are the allowing of women being able to compete in the Olympics, women’s suffrage, nationalism, wars, and economic conditions (doc 2-7).

Although the Salt Lake City Olympics are remembered as one of the greatest in history, there were a few ethical and moral issues that surrounded the Olympic Games in 2002. When looking back at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, two incidents stand out as being the worst ethical offenses related to the Games. First, there was the problem leading up to the Olympics involving former members of the Salt Lake City Olympic Committee bribing the International Olympic Committee with gifts to win the vote as the host city for the 2002 Games. The second moral and ethical problem arose at the judges table during one of the figure skating events. Salt Lake City continues to pride itself on its Olympic success, and it is well deserved, but when analyzing the hidden affairs associated with the Games that year a couple problems are evident.

The Olympic Games are recognized globally by billions of people. This event is the biggest sporting event not only because it comes once every four years, but also because the world’s best athletes come together to compete for world fame and glory. Hosting the games seems like an honor for most people, however there is numerous risks involved

Former IOC president Avery Brundage aimed to “separate sport from politics”. Sadly it seems that countries will aim to use their teams as a tool, rather than an example of what they can achieve. This inability to separate sports from politics can be traced back over almost the entire history of the Olympic Games. However, this may be true, but there is a good side to this as well, mainly the countries involved can get lots of support from political and none political sources.

Typically, with a high tourist rates come with the risk of injuries or infection. The Zika virus was one that many was not sure how to control and keep the safety of everyone first. The Zika virus is spread through infected mosquitos, pregnant mothers which can cause defects on certain births. Zika virus is related to yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and West Nile. With much of humanities safety as state the Olympic committee were up to a challenge. Despite the problem at the games, this virus has taken the lives of many and many are very vulnerable due to lack of knowledge and resources. India, Indoneisa and Nigeria are high risked countries as their resources are limited, “The research team, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Oxford University and the University of Toronto, Canada, said "vast numbers" of people were living in environments where it would be hard to prevent, detect and respond to the virus.” The Zika virus is taking over North and South America, and with the Olympic games being in Rio De Janiero the awareness there may help other countries who are at lost on what to do with the virus. More than eighty-two cases of measles happened in 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. Two visitors attending the games spread the virus at one or more venues. Finding early symptoms is very critical in

Are the Olympic Games a waste of money? The Olympic Games are an international event where athletes from every country come together to compete. Many fans and spectators attend this event to cheer for their country. The number of spectators keeps on increasing every four years as the event gets more popular. As this is an international event the cost of hosting it is huge. The total output of the 1976 Montreal Games was $1.48 billion whilst the 2012 London Games was a total of $14.6 billion. Stadiums are built for different disciplines, national representatives are invited to perform in the opening and closing ceremony, as a result the stadiums need a high level of security. Where the hosting country receives the money from, whom it will benefit and what it does to the country, will be the three main points I will be covering in this essay.

Despite many incidents of the athletes and the corporate sponsors infringing the core values of the Olympics, the IOC claims that they are working on their part to enforce more significance on the Olympics moral standards. The IOC is the main organizer of the Olympics Games, who is responsible for the total construction of the event, from the venue, athletes, to the judging system; thus, it should be safe to assume that once the IOC determines to put effort into reviving the true spirits of the Olympics, the moral codes of the Games should gradually restore. During the Sochi Olympics event, where five athletes were sent home after being tested positive from the use of performance-boosting drugs, Thomas Bach, an IOC president, commented that

The Olympic Games are a set of friendly competitions that bring countries from all around the world together, but many social, political, and economic problems in the past and present including racial and sexual discrimination and apartheid have prevented the Olympic Games from fulfilling their promise to bring countries together.

The 2016 Rio Summer Games are expected to be a huge event, with athletes from all over the world to gather to compete for gold. There has been plenty of drama and excitement leading up to the games, so in order to prepare for them, this guide will help you through who is competing and what events are to be taking place. It should add up for enough emotion to make it one of the best Summer Games that has been held in recent memory. You’ll be able to find who 's participating and have a look back at some of the most memorable events that have happened in previous Summer Games. Enjoy the guide and get ready to cheer for your home country, as the athletes prepare for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio!