Why olympics are important

The ideology of nationalism, which swept the world during the early 20th century, left its mark on the Olympics. Athletic nationalism was brought to a peak by Nazi Germany, which staged the Games in Berlin and used the Olympics to propagandize its cause. The Germans built a powerful team through nationalized training and scientific advances and dominated the Games in terms of medals won. The political overtones of the Olympics did not lessen with the fall of Nazi Germany.

In the Munich Olympics in , 11 Israeli athletes were massacred by Palestinian terrorists. And in in Montreal, 33 African nations, to be represented by about athletes, boycotted the Games to protest South Africa's apartheid policies.

The most serious disruptions to the modern Olympics, however, occurred in and In , under strong pressure from the Carter administration, the U. About 40 nations followed suit, including West Germany, China, and Japan, depriving the Soviets of their chief athletic competition and raising doubts about the future of the Olympic movement.

Fear of an openly hostile environment in Los Angeles was cited by the Soviet Olympic Committee as the reason for nonparticipation, but most commentators believed the reasons to be political: the poor state of recent U.

The popularity and financial success of the Los Angeles Games were, however, greater than anticipated. The Summer Games, in Atlanta, Ga.

The and Winter Games transpired without incident. The Summer Games were held in Sydney, Australia, to great acclaim. In Sydney, politics took a back seat to the competition, although North and South Korea were temporarily reunited as their athletes marched as one country in the opening ceremonies.

Athens, Greece — site of the first modern Olympics — was the site of the Summer Games in Though it has potential for political controversies due to its rapid modernization and its communist state-Beijing, China was selected for the Summer Games. The biggest influence on the modern Olympic Games is money. Commercialism exists side by side with the outstanding athleticism and the spirit of friendship imbuing competitors from around the world.

Since the Games in Los Angeles, it has become clear that a city hosting the Games can anticipate a financial windfall, as spectators and sponsors converge for the event. Because of the tremendous potential for profit, the process of selecting host cities has become politicized, and there is a large potential for corruption. In fact, a scandal erupted in late , when it was found that promoters involved with Salt Lake City's winning bid for the Winter Games had bribed IOC members, who were forced to resign; the Nagano and Sydney bids were also under suspicion of bribery.

Athletes, too, especially in the "glamour sports" such as gymnastics, ice skating, or track and field, can reap tremendous financial gains for winning performances, through product endorsements and personal appearances. Originally, Olympic athletes were expected to remain strictly amateurs and not earn money even for endorsing products. However, by the last decades of the 20th century, professionalism among competitors received official acceptance, as the IOC finally recognized that many world-class athletes were already functioning as professionals.

At the elite level of competition in many Olympic sports, the athlete must devote him- or herself entirely to the sport, all but precluding the holding of a full-time job. The end of amateurism began in s in the Communist countries, where top athletes were supported by the state, but were officially considered amateurs.

To counter this, in the s and s athletes in non-Communist countries sought out corporate sponsors, in effect becoming "employees" of the sponsor. By the late s, restrictions were eased on athletes earning prize money at their sports, and professional athletes were permitted to represent their countries at the Olympics.

This now includes the star athletes who play in the American professional leagues, such as the U. In addition, with IOC rules concerning amateurism vacated, many medal-winning contestants have cashed in on their Olympic fame with product endorsements or performance tours. Winning medals at the Olympic Games has always been considered the most prestigious mark of an athlete, and a source of glory for the athlete's country. This has led to the use of performance-enhancing drugs by athletes, intentionally or otherwise, despite the health risks to the athlete and IOC rules prohibiting the use of these substances.

The types of drugs banned include stimulants which can be found in common cold and cough medications; caffeine is also banned , narcotics, anabolic steroids, diuretics, certain hormones such as human growth hormone , and in some sports, beta blockers.

The testing of athletes for drug use began for the Olympics in , at the Mexico City Games, but did not become widespread until the Games. Over the years, as drugs such as human growth hormone have been developed, tests have been added for newer drugs. With such great rewards at stake, there are athletes and even national sports programs willing to use performance-enhancing drugs despite the risks to future health and the disgrace of getting caught. The best-known example of drug use is the East German sports federation, which had a systematic program for giving its athletes steroids from to During that time East German women suddenly dominated events such as swimming, winning medals in 11 of 13 events both in and These five rings represent the five parts of the world which now are won over to Olympism and willing to accept healthy competition.

The first modern Olympics were much changed from their original conception in ancient Greece, and the Olympics as we know them today have also changed considerably since the first modern Olympics. There has been a core of five sports that have remained in every summer Olympics programme since their conception, namely; athletics, cycling, fencing, gymnastics and swimming.

The number of sports involved has seen a steady increase and in the IOC decided to impose a cap of 28 sports in the summer Olympics. The first modern Olympics had 22 sports, in comparison to the original 9 in the games in Athens. The London Olympics has 26 sports and the Olympics to be held in Rio sees the addition of rugby 7s and golf.

A complete timeline of the changes in Olympic sports can be seen here. The number of countries taking part in the Olympics has seen a considerable increase over the years. The Olympics in Paris saw a slight increase of 24 countries represented. The greatest increase was seen in the summer Olympics held in Paris with 44 countries being represented.

The last games before the outbreak of the Second World War saw 49 countries represented with a twelve year break before the next Olympics, held in These games, held in London saw an increase to 59 countries, including 14 making their Olympic debut. Numbers gradually increased by around 20 countries a year, excluding the boycott of some events around the s and s. The last Olympic Games held in in Beijing saw countries represented.

The official statistics for the Olympics are as follows. From the 27 th July countries will send more than 10, athletes to compete in events. Rough visitor numbers, measured by ticket sales and numbers at official viewing areas can be found for the last 3 Olympics and are shown below, along with predictions for Whilst the visitor numbers are likely to be affected by the location of the games for travel reasons , these numbers show a considerable increase in interest over the last 12 years.

A number of conclusions could be drawn from this, with a possible one being that people are becoming more interested in sports, the athletes and the Olympic games themselves. In , Kantar OnlineBus surveyed people aged across Great Britain to gauge public perception about the forthcoming Olympics and their interest.

If this data were extrapolated to cover the whole of Great Britain it would equate to roughly 38 million people having some form of interest in the games! The government clearly acknowledge this as they are taking measures to ensure there are sufficient staff at airline customs desks for example. Take the coastal town of Weymouth for example, hosts of the Olympic sailing events.

This summer will see visitors, athletes and support teams from around the world descending on Weymouth, all needing somewhere to stay and somewhere to eat although some will be provided by the athletes village.

The Olympic torch route also follows a similar trend, attracting people out onto the streets and into parks to celebrate the passing of the torch. Many of these people will be drawn to local restaurants, pubs and shops, improving the economy of the towns involved. All of this increase in business and jobs results in an improved economy and an increase in taxes payable to the government. With this in mind, Britain should benefit financially from the increase in visitors. Putting it all together.

Putting it all together poses some interesting questions which must first be answered before we answer the question, how important is the Olympics? So, why do we need it in London? These athletes train and compete all year right…..

Going back to history, the ancient Greeks justified the need as it was a religious celebration and a way of timekeeping. I doubt that this increase in revenue will meet all the necessary costs and will improve the economy by a great amount, but as the effects are likely to be long term they are incredibly hard to measure. For example, visitors to the Olympic Games may opt to stay in Britain for an extended holiday or may decide to return in the future.

Factors such as these all go to help the British economy but are virtually impossible to measure. Every year the IOC encourages everyone — regardless of age, gender or athletic ability — to get active on 23 June.

The IOC was founded in on the belief that sport can contribute to peace and to the harmonious development of humankind.

The Olympic Movement continues to work on a daily basis to use sport to promote peace and the Olympic principles around the world. Beyond the Games. Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.

Olympic Solidarity redistributes the share of the broadcast rights from the Olympic Games through programmes offered to all National Olympic Committees. At the UN General Assembly in October , confronted with the global refugee crisis that has seen an estimated Ten months on from the announcement, the 10 athletes, who originally hailed from Ethiopia, South Sudan, Syria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, were competing alongside 11, fellow athletes in Brazil, sending a message of hope and inclusion to millions of refugees around the world and inspiring the world with the strength of their human spirit.

In September , during its Session in Lima, the IOC launched the Olympic Refuge Foundation to support the protection, development and empowerment of children and young people in vulnerable situations through sport.