The Olympic Games : A Unique Sporting Event

London was not the only option when it came to the 2012 summer Olympics. France was also in the running and was actually pretty close to getting the gig. London won the bidding race with 54-50 votes from the International Olympic Committee. The need of some economic spark for London’s economy may have been the reason why the vote went their way. London’s economy had been stuck in a recession for almost a nine-month period. The question was: “Are the Olympics going to provide a positive benefit for London’s economy?”

London is currently hosting the Olympics this year and in preparation back in 2009 the event was predicted to “provide economic gold at a time of economic need,” however hosting the Olympics is an extremely costly business with the upgrades, new sports facilities, and security that it will cost much, much more than expected.

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).

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).

Throughout the history of the Olympic games, there has been many changes on how the Olympic Games has come to be interpreted and how they are generally viewed in our modern era. These views range from, Nationalism fueled by the Olympic Games, Women trying to create equality through the Olympic Games, Economic supremacy shown by the Olympic games and the responsibilities held by countries and the self-preservation of a country when presenting the Olympic games. Each view states an interpretation of the Olympic games through the years of 1892-2002 showing a distinct view on the Olympic games depending on the times they were hosted at such as when the Olympic Games were hosted when women weren’t equal to men or who the Games were hosted

In 1896, the Olympic Games were officially reborn into the modern era thanks to a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin (Lewis, 1992). In 1904, the Games of the III Olympiad arrived in the United States, marking itself as the first Olympics to be held in said country as well as the first hosted outside of Europe. Often forgotten, this specific Olympics also signifies the beginning of the horrible luck Chicago, Illinois, has had regarding the hosting rights. With four losses under its belt and a history of bad news, Chicago is frequently told—to no one’s surprise—that it should simply give up on its dream and focus on improving itself. However, who’s to say that the Jewel of the Midwest can’t do both? By incorporating a well-thought-out narrative of what the city has gone through into their appeal process, Chicago could very well win the bid next time around—whenever that might be. The city boasts an efficiently compact setting; a history and love of sports that entices amiable relations between residents; and an enthralling tale to tell. Overall, Chicago can use its need for a strong community to reach the top of the podium in the rigorous battle for host city status. A point often overlooked, the city technically won the hosting rights once.

Although the original ancient Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 B.C, Homer’s Iliad indicates they may have existed as early as the twelfth century BC. The Games were then continued for twelve centuries and were devoted to Olympian deities. Olympia turned into the site of these memorable ancient Olympic games that scattered the seeds for the largest global sporting events of current times, the Modern Olympics. The location of the Ancient Olympics is situated in the western part of Peloponnese. The Ancient Olympic Games continued until 393 A.D when Emperor Theodosius I of Rome discontinued them. There were not any more Olympic games for fifteen hundred years before they were resurrected in 1896 in the city of Athens. The man in charge of the recreation of the Olympic games was a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who introduced the thought in 1894. He proposed to stage the games in Paris in 1900 but representatives, from thirty-four nations were so captivated with the idea that they persuaded him to move the Games up to 1896 and have Athens serve as the host.

"The Olympics are a wonderful metaphor for world cooperation, the kind of international competition that's wholesome and healthy, an interplay between countries that represents the best in all of us,” said John Williams, the composer for theme music for the Olympics (8). The Olympic Games are international sports festivals that began in ancient Greece. The first ancient Olympics can be traced back to 776 BC when people held this religious festival to honour Zeus, the father of all the Greek gods and goddesses. The participants were male citizens from Greece, and these athletes participated in only one event — foot race. Unfortunately, this ancient Olympics did not last forever. The first olympic in 776 BC in Olympia was an significant event

A powerful roar of excitement only adds to the already excentric level of thrill. An energy driven by the athletes pushing their physical and mental strength to glorify the Gods fills the stadium. The crowd filling the stands radiate with delight as heat after heat of men race down the two stade sprint (Ancient Olympic Games). The authors at Olympics.org have traced the start of the Olympics all the way back to 776 BC. The catalyst for the modern day Olympics that started in 1896, many of the sports and ceremonial things that take place today are nearly the same as in ancient times. The same as today, they were the ultimate stage of modern sports. However, the motivations, cultural effects, and history are nearly completely different from today.

While there are clear contrasts between the ancient and the modern Olympics there is still the respect for the athlete striving to perform at the highest level. Today, the Olympic Games are the world's largest carnival of athletic skill and competitive spirit. They are displays of nationalism, commerce, and politics. These important elements of the Olympics are not a modern invention, as the first Olympics was in 776 BC in Ancient Greece. After 1503 years, in 1896 the Olympic Games were recreated as what we know today. The Ancient Games were once dedicated to the Olympian God, Zeus Olympios and were staged on the ancient plains of Olympia, which is also how the word ‘Olympics’ originated from. The modern Olympics is the largest international sporting event, which feature both summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of respectable athletes from over 200 different nations compete against one another. There are clear contrast between the modern and ancient forms of the Olympic Games regarding uniforms, participants, religion, events, politics and the concept of amateurism. However both the Ancient Greeks and the people in the modern world still respect and admire the athletics achievements of the participants making the Olympics the most highly regarded contest in sport.

The negative impact of recent Olympic Games on the host country has caused controversy on whether this event is sustainable. The Olympics have a huge impact on the economic, social, and environmental aspects of the country, but the multiple viewpoints show that everyone perceives these impacts differently. Furthermore, assuming that one aspect brings positive impacts to the country, there is always a chance that another aspect is influenced differently. The cost of the Games is one of the largest impacts on the country, and the Olympic Games in 2008 cost $42 billion alone (aperianglobal.com). Additional factors, such as the pollution caused or the drawbacks of tourism, have also led the media to question whether the Olympics are worth the

Hosting the Olympics can be a very lucrative and smart investment for a city, as well as a very stressful event that can turn out to be more than you may have bargained for. The London Olympics had over 10,000 athletes in attendance and generate over 14 billion dollars. But London didn’t simply make 14 billion dollars, have a fun historic event and walk away. They spent practically the same amount and only came out with about $18.2 million in surplus. Considering the experience the city had and the history it brings to London, it seems that in 2012 it was an excellent

After the 1984 Los Angeles Games showed for the first time that mega-events could produce an economic surplus, mega-sport events, particularly the Olympic Games, acquired central status for city and national government development agendas (Andranovich, Burbank and Heying, 2001). And the appeal of hosting a mega-event, or more specifically a mega-sport event, has grown significantly over the

First of all, the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. The man responsible for its rebirth was a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin. Today, the Olympic Games are the world's largest pageant of athletic skill and competitive spirit.

The Olympics have come up with a problem and need a solution fast. The problem is whether the Olympics should have a permanent home or even multiple homes. Or should they stay the same where any country can host the Olympics? Before answering the question think of where and why the Olympics started. Ancient Greece is the birthplace of Olympics about 800 BC and they were later revived in the late 19th century. The first modern Olympics were in 1896 in Athen with 280 participants from 13 nations in 43 events. “The purpose of the modern Olympic Games is to promote peace and unity within the international community through the medium of sports”(reference.com). This quote is exactly right, permanent home deprives countries the chance to show national pride. There are other bonuses to not having permanent homes. It can help a failing country's economy become better and allows them to make history beyond sports. However permanent homes reduce cost of new facilities and it will reduce facilities being abandoned after the games.But in the end hosting the Olympics in different countries allows them to show pride, make history and boost economies, even with the expensive cost.