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[[Image:1920 olympics poster.jpg|thumb|240px|Poster for the [[1920 Summer Olympics]] in [[Antwerp]].]] |
[[Image:1920 olympics poster.jpg|thumb|240px|Poster for the [[1920 Summer Olympics]] in [[Antwerp]].]] |
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The '''Summer Olympic Games''' or the '''Games of the Olympiad''' are an international [[multi-sport event]] held every four years, |
The '''Summer Olympic Games''' or the '''Games of the Olympiad''' are an international [[multi-sport event]] held every four years, organized by the [[International Olympic Committee]]. The Olympics are the most prestigious of such events in the world. Olympic victory is widely considered to be the most prestigious achievement in sports. Medals are awarded in each event, with [[gold medal]]s for first place, [[silver medal|silver]] for second and [[bronze medal|bronze]] for third, a tradition which started in 1904. |
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The Games have expanded from a 43-event competition with fewer than 250 men competing to including over 10,000 competitors of both genders from 202 nations. Organizers for the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] in [[Beijing]] expect approximately 10,500 athletes to take part in the 302 events on the programme for the Games.<ref name=2008programme>{{cite news |url = http://olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_news/full_story_uk.asp?id=1797 |title = Beijing 2008: Games Programme Finalised |publisher = International Olympic Committee |date = [[2006-04-27]] |accessdate = 2006-05-10}}</ref> The [[2004 Summer Olympics]], for which organizers had also expected 10,500 competitors, drew a total of 11,099 in the 301 events offered. |
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Competitors are entered by a [[National Olympic Committee]] ([[NOC]]) to represent their [[country]] of citizenship. [[National anthem]]s and [[flag]]s accompany the medal ceremonies, and tables showing the number of medals won by each country are widely used. In general only recognised nations are represented, but a few non-sovereign countries are allowed to take part. The special case of [[Taiwan]] has been handled by having it compete as [[Chinese Taipei at the 2004 Summer Olympics|Chinese Taipei]], to avoid the issue of Taiwanese independence. |
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Competitors are entered by a [[National Olympic Committee]] ([[NOC]]) to represent their [[country]] of citizenship. [[National anthem]]s and [[flag]]s accompany the medal ceremonies, and tables showing the number of medals won by each country are widely used. In general only recognised nations are represented, but a few non-sovereign countries are allowed to take part. The special case of [[Taiwan]] has been handled by having it compete as [[Chinese Taipei]], to avoid the issue of Taiwanese independence. |
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Though the most diverse sporting event in the world, the Olympics are perhaps not the most popular. The [[FIFA World Cup]] in [[football (soccer)]] attracts more global interest, as measured by the larger television audience. |
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Though the most diverse sporting event in the world, the Olympics are perhaps not the most popular. The [[FIFA World Cup]] in [[football (soccer)]] attracts more global interest, as measured by the larger television audience.<ref>[http://www.fifa.com/en/marketing/newmedia/index/0,3509,10,00.html 2002 FIFA World Cup TV Coverage], FIFA official website. Retrieved on [[March 24]], [[2006]].</ref> |
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==The early years== |
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The modern [[Olympic Games]] were founded in 1894 when [[Pierre de Coubertin|Pierre Fredi, Baron de Coubertin]] sought to promote international understanding through sporting competition. The first games, held in [[1896 Summer Olympics|Athens in 1896]], attracted just 245 competitors, of whom more than 200 were Greek, and only 14 countries were represented. Nevertheless, no international events of this magnitude had been organised before. |
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==Qualification== |
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Four years later (in 1900) the [[1900 Summer Olympics|Paris games]] attracted more than four times as many athletes, including 11 women, who were allowed to compete for the first time, in [[croquet]] and [[tennis]]. The Games were integrated with the Paris [[World's fair]] and lasted over 5 months. It is still disputed which events exactly were ''Olympic'', since few or maybe even none of the events were advertised as such at the time. |
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Qualification rules for each of the Olympic sports is set by the [[sport governing body|International Federation]] (IF) that governs that sport's international competition. |
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Numbers declined again for the [[1904 Summer Olympics|1904 Games]] in [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]], [[Missouri]], [[United States|USA]], due in part to the lengthy transatlantic boat trip required of the European competitors, and the integration with the [[Louisiana Purchase Exposition]] [[World's fair]], which again spread the event out over an extended period. In contrast with Paris 1900, the word Olympic was abused for many contests, such as those for school boys or for Irish-Americans. |
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For individual sports, competitors typically qualify through attaining a certain place in a major international event or on the IF's ranking list. National Olympic Committees may enter a limited number of qualified competitors in each event (3 is a common number), and the NOC decides which qualified competitors to select as representatives in each event if more have attained the benchmark than can be entered. Many events provide for a certain number of wildcard entries, given to athletes from developing nations. |
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Nations qualify teams for team sports through continental qualifying tournaments, in which each continental association is given a certain number of spots in the Olympic tournament. The host nation is generally given an automatic qualification. |
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==History== |
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===The early years=== |
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[[Image:1896 Olympic opening ceremony.jpg|thumb|The opening ceremony of the first Olympic Games in the [[Panathenaic Stadium]].]] |
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The modern [[Olympic Games]] were founded in 1894 when [[Pierre de Coubertin|Pierre Fredi, Baron de Coubertin]] sought to promote international understanding through sporting competition. He based his Olympics on the [[Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games]], which had been contested in [[Much Wenlock]] since 1850<ref name=Wenlock>{{cite news |first=Ben |last=Jeffrey |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/features/2004/08/william_penny_brookes.shtml |title=Father of the modern Olympics |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |accessdate=2006-05-06}}</ref>. The first edition of de Coubertin's games, held in [[1896 Summer Olympics|Athens in 1896]], attracted just 245 competitors, of whom more than 200 were Greek, and only 14 countries were represented. Nevertheless, no international events of this magnitude had been organised before. Female athletes were not allowed to compete, though one woman, [[Stamata Revithi]], ran the marathon course on her own, saying "[i]f the committee doesn’t let me compete I will go after them regardless" <ref name=Revithi>{{cite journal | author = Tarasouleas, Athanasios | year = 1993 | month = Summer | title = The Female Spiridon Loues | journal = Citius, Altius, Fortius | volume = 1 | issue = 3 | pages = 11-12 | url = http://www.aafla.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv1n3/JOHv1n3e.pdf}}</ref>. |
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Four years later the [[1900 Summer Olympics]] attracted more than four times as many athletes, including 11 women, who were allowed to officially compete for the first time, in [[croquet]], [[golf]], [[sailing]], and [[tennis]]. The Games were integrated with the Paris [[World's Fair]] and lasted over 5 months. It is still disputed which events exactly were ''Olympic'', since few or maybe even none of the events were advertised as such at the time. |
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Numbers declined again for the [[1904 Summer Olympics|1904 Games]] in [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]], [[Missouri]], [[United States|USA]], due in part to the lengthy transatlantic boat trip required of the European competitors, and the integration with the [[Louisiana Purchase Exposition]] [[World's Fair]], which again spread the event out over an extended period. In contrast with Paris 1900, the word Olympic was used for practically every contest, including those exclusively for school boys or for Irish-Americans. |
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A series of smaller games were held in [[1906 Summer Olympics|Athens in 1906]]. These were to be the first of an alternating series of games to be held in Athens, but the series failed to materialise. The games were held in 1906 to celebrate the "tenth birthday" of the games. The IOC does not currently recognise these games as being official Olympic Games, although many historians do. The 1906 Athens games were more successful than the 1900 and 1904 games and contributed postively to the success of future games. |
A series of smaller games were held in [[1906 Summer Olympics|Athens in 1906]]. These were to be the first of an alternating series of games to be held in Athens, but the series failed to materialise. The games were held in 1906 to celebrate the "tenth birthday" of the games. The IOC does not currently recognise these games as being official Olympic Games, although many historians do. The 1906 Athens games were more successful than the 1900 and 1904 games and contributed postively to the success of future games. |
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[[Image:Dorando Pietri.jpg|left|thumb|Dorando Pietri finishes the first modern marathon.]] |
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The [[1908 Summer Olympics|1908 London Games]] saw numbers rise again, as well as the first running of the [[marathon (sport)|marathon]] over its now-standard distance of 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards). This distance was chosen to ensure that the race finished in front of the box occupied by the British royal family. The marathon had been 40 km for the first games in 1896, but was subsequently varied by up to 2 km due to local conditions such as street and stadium layout. At the six Olympic games between 1900 and 1920, the marathon was raced over six different distances. |
The [[1908 Summer Olympics|1908 London Games]] saw numbers rise again, as well as the first running of the [[marathon (sport)|marathon]] over its now-standard distance of 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards). This distance was chosen to ensure that the race finished in front of the box occupied by the British royal family. The marathon had been 40 km for the first games in 1896, but was subsequently varied by up to 2 km due to local conditions such as street and stadium layout. At the six Olympic games between 1900 and 1920, the marathon was raced over six different distances. |
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The scheduled [[Berlin]] Games of 1916 were cancelled following the onset of [[World War I]]. |
The scheduled [[Berlin]] Games of 1916 were cancelled following the onset of [[World War I]]. |
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==The interwar era== |
===The interwar era=== |
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[[Image:Prinshitler210.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The Swedish Prince [[Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten|Gustaf Adolf]] together with [[Adolf Hitler]] at the Olympic Games in [[Berlin]], 1936]] |
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The 1920 [[Antwerp]] games in war-ravaged [[Belgium]] were a subdued affair, but again drew a record number of competitors. This record only stood until 1924, when the [[Paris]] Games would involve 3,000 competitors, the greatest of whom was Finnish runner [[Paavo Nurmi]]. "The Flying Finn", won three team gold medals and the individual 1,500 and 5,000 metre runs, the latter two on the same day. |
The 1920 [[Antwerp]] games in war-ravaged [[Belgium]] were a subdued affair, but again drew a record number of competitors. This record only stood until 1924, when the [[Paris]] Games would involve 3,000 competitors, the greatest of whom was Finnish runner [[Paavo Nurmi]]. "The Flying Finn", won three team gold medals and the individual 1,500 and 5,000 metre runs, the latter two on the same day. |
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The 1928 [[Amsterdam]] games were notable for being the first games which allowed females to compete at track & field athletics, and benefitted greatly from the general prosperity of the times alongside the first appearance of [[sponsor]]ship of the games, from [[Coca-Cola]]. This was in stark contrast to 1932 when the [[Los Angeles]] games were affected by the [[Great Depression]], which contributed to the fewest competitors since the St. Louis games. |
The 1928 [[Amsterdam]] games were notable for being the first games which allowed females to compete at track & field athletics, and benefitted greatly from the general prosperity of the times alongside the first appearance of [[sponsor]]ship of the games, from [[Coca-Cola]]. This was in stark contrast to 1932 when the [[Los Angeles]] games were affected by the [[Great Depression]], which contributed to the fewest competitors since the St. Louis games. |
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The [[1936 Berlin Games]] were seen by the German government as a golden opportunity to promote their ideology. The ruling [[Nazism|Nazi]] Party commissioned film-maker [[Leni Riefenstahl]] to film the games. The result, ''[[Olympia (film)|Olympia]]'', was a masterpiece, despite [[Hitler]]'s theories of Aryan racial superiority being repeatedly shown up by non-Aryan athletes. In particular, the black sprinter and long jumper [[Jesse Owens]] won 4 gold medals. The tale of Hitler snubbing Owens at the ensuing medal ceremony is a fabrication. |
The [[1936 Berlin Games]] were seen by the German government as a golden opportunity to promote their ideology. The ruling [[Nazism|Nazi]] Party commissioned film-maker [[Leni Riefenstahl]] to film the games. The result, ''[[Olympia (film)|Olympia]]'', was a masterpiece, despite [[Hitler]]'s theories of Aryan racial superiority being repeatedly shown up by non-Aryan athletes. In particular, the black sprinter and long jumper [[Jesse Owens]] won 4 gold medals. The tale of Hitler snubbing Owens at the ensuing medal ceremony is a fabrication.<ref>[http://german.about.com/library/blgermyth10.htm German Myth: Hitler and Jesse Owens], about.com. Retrieved on [[May 6]], [[2006]].</ref> |
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Due to [[World War II]], the Games of 1940 (due to be held in [[Tokyo]] and temporarily relocated to [[Helsinki]] upon the outbreak of war) were cancelled; no Games were planned for 1944. |
Due to [[World War II]], the Games of 1940 (due to be held in [[Tokyo]] and temporarily relocated to [[Helsinki]] upon the outbreak of war) were cancelled; no Games were planned for 1944. |
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==After WWII== |
===After WWII=== |
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The first post-war Games were held in 1948 in [[London]], with both [[Germany]] and [[Japan]] excluded. [[Netherlands|Dutch]] sprinter [[Fanny Blankers-Koen]] won four gold medals on the track, emulating Owens' achievement in Berlin. |
The first post-war Games were held in 1948 in [[London]], with both [[Germany]] and [[Japan]] excluded. [[Netherlands|Dutch]] sprinter [[Fanny Blankers-Koen]] won four gold medals on the track, emulating Owens' achievement in Berlin. |
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At the 1952 Games in [[Helsinki]] |
At the 1952 Games in [[Helsinki]] the [[USSR at the Summer Olympics|USSR team]] competed for the first time and at once became one of the dominant teams. Finland made a legend of an amiable Czech army lieutenant named [[Emil Zátopek]], who was intent on improving on his single gold and silver medals from 1948. Having first won both the 10,000 and 5,000 metre races, he also entered the marathon, despite having never previously raced at that distance. Pacing himself by chatting with the other leaders, Zátopek led from about half way, slowly dropping the remaining contenders to win by two and a half minutes, and completed a trio of wins. |
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The 1956 [[Melbourne]] Games were largely successful, barring a [[water polo]] match between [[Hungary]] and the |
The 1956 [[Melbourne]] Games were largely successful, barring a [[water polo]] match between [[Hungary]] and the Soviet Union, which political tensions caused to end as a pitched battle between the teams. |
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The 1960 [[Rome]] Games saw the arrival on the world scene of a young light-heavyweight boxer named Cassius Clay, later known |
The 1960 [[Rome]] Games saw the arrival on the world scene of a young light-heavyweight boxer named Cassius Clay, later known as [[Muhammad Ali]], who would later throw his gold medal away in disgust after being refused service in a [[Jim Crow laws|whites-only]] restaurant in his home town{{citation needed}}. Soviet women's [[artistic gymnastics]] team members won 15 of 16 possible medals. Other performers of note in 1960 included [[Wilma Rudolph]], a gold medallist in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4x100 metre relay events. |
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The 1964 Games held in [[Tokyo]] are notable for heralding the modern age of telecommunications. These games were the first to be broadcast worldwide on television, enabled by the recent advent of communication satellites. The 1964 Games were thus a turning point in the global visibility and popularity of the Olympics. |
The 1964 Games held in [[Tokyo]] are notable for heralding the modern age of telecommunications. These games were the first to be broadcast worldwide on television, enabled by the recent advent of communication satellites. The 1964 Games were thus a turning point in the global visibility and popularity of the Olympics. |
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Performances at the 1968 [[Mexico City]] games were affected by the altitude of the host city. No event was affected more than the long jump. |
Performances at the 1968 [[Mexico City]] games were affected by the altitude of the host city<ref>[http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1968 Games of the XIX Olympiad], International Olympic Committee. Retrieved on [[May 6]], [[2006]].</ref>. No event was affected more than the long jump. [[United States|American]] athlete [[Bob Beamon]] jumped 8.90 metres, setting a new world record and, in the words of fellow competitor and then-reigning champion [[Lynn Davies]], "making the rest of us look silly{{citation needed}}." Beamon's world record would stand for 23 years. The 1968 Games also saw the introduction of the now-universal [[Fosbury flop]], a technique which won American high jumper [[Dick Fosbury]] the gold medal. Politics took centre stage in the medal ceremony for the men's 200 metre dash, where [[Tommie C. Smith|Tommie Smith]] and [[John Carlos]] made a protest gesture on the podium against the segregation in the United States; their political act was condemned within the Olympic Movement, but was praised in the [[American Civil Rights Movement]]. |
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Politics again intervened at [[Munich]] in 1972, with lethal consequences. A Palestinian terrorist group named [[Black September]] invaded the Olympic village and broke into the apartment of the Israeli delegation. They killed two Israelis and held 9 others as hostages. The terrorists demanded that Israel release numerous terrorists from prison. When the Israeli government refused their demand, a tense stand-off ensued while negotiations continued. Eventually the captors, still holding their hostages, were offered safe passage and taken to an airport, where they were ambushed by German security forces. In the firefight that followed, 15 people, including the nine Israeli athletes and five of the terrorists, were killed. After much debate, it was decided that the Games would continue, but proceedings were obviously dominated by these events. Some memorable athletic achievements did occur during these Games, notably the winning of a record seven gold medals by [[United States]] swimmer [[Mark Spitz]], and the winning of three gold medals by 16-year-old Soviet gymnast [[Olga Korbut]]. |
Politics again intervened at [[Munich]] in 1972, with lethal consequences. A Palestinian terrorist group named [[Black September (group)|Black September]] invaded the Olympic village and broke into the apartment of the Israeli delegation. They killed two Israelis and held 9 others as hostages. The terrorists demanded that Israel release numerous terrorists from prison. When the Israeli government refused their demand, a tense stand-off ensued while negotiations continued. Eventually the captors, still holding their hostages, were offered safe passage and taken to an airport, where they were ambushed by German security forces. In the firefight that followed, 15 people, including the nine Israeli athletes and five of the terrorists, were killed. After much debate, it was decided that the Games would continue, but proceedings were obviously dominated by these events<ref>[http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1972 Games of the XX Olympiad], International Olympic Committee. Retrieved on [[May 6]], [[2006]].</ref>. Some memorable athletic achievements did occur during these Games, notably the winning of a record seven gold medals by [[United States]] swimmer [[Mark Spitz]], and the winning of three gold medals by 16-year-old Soviet gymnast [[Olga Korbut]], who, however failed to win the all-around to her teammate Ludmilla Tourischeva. |
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There was no such tragedy in [[Montreal]] in 1976, but bad planning led to the Games' cost far exceeding the budget. The Montreal Games are the most expensive in Olympic history, costing over $5 billion (equivalent to $20 billion in 2006). For a time, it seemed that the Olympics might no longer be a viable financial proposition. There was also a boycott by African nations to protest against a recent tour of [[apartheid]]-run [[South Africa]] by a [[New Zealand]] rugby side. The Romanian gymnast [[Nadia Comaneci]] won the women's individual all around gold medal with |
There was no such tragedy in [[Montreal]] in 1976, but bad planning led to the Games' cost far exceeding the budget. The Montreal Games are the most expensive in Olympic history, costing over $5 billion (equivalent to $20 billion in 2006). For a time, it seemed that the Olympics might no longer be a viable financial proposition. There was also a boycott by African nations to protest against a recent tour of [[apartheid]]-run [[South Africa]] by a [[New Zealand]] rugby side. The Romanian gymnast [[Nadia Comaneci]] won the women's individual all around gold medal with two of four possible perfect scores, thus giving birth to a gymnastics dynasty in Romania. Another female gymnast to earn the perfect score and three gold medals there was [[Nellie Kim]] of the USSR. |
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=== 1980s and beyond === |
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[[Image:1980 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony.jpg|thumb|179px|right|Closing Ceremony of the [[1980 Summer Olympics]]. Bear Cub [[Misha]], the mascot, flying into the sky.]] |
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== 1980s and beyond == |
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Following the [[Soviet Union]]'s invasion of [[Afghanistan]], 66 nations, including the United States, Canada, West Germany and Japan, boycotted the 1980 games held in [[Moscow]]. Notably, Greece, Great Britain and Australia did not withdraw, and remain the only nations to have competed in all summer games. The boycott contributed to the 1980 Games being a less publicised and less competitive affair, which was dominated by the host country. |
Following the [[Soviet Union]]'s invasion of [[Afghanistan]], 66 nations, including the United States, Canada, West Germany and Japan, boycotted the 1980 games held in [[Moscow]]. Notably, Greece, Great Britain and Australia did not withdraw, and remain the only nations to have competed in all summer games. The boycott contributed to the 1980 Games being a less publicised and less competitive affair, which was dominated by the host country. |
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In 1984 the Soviet Union, and 14 [[Eastern Bloc]] countries, reciprocated by boycotting the [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] games. These games were perhaps the first games of a new era. The games were again viable, but had become more commercial. Again, the games lost a measure of their appeal by the absence of one of the superpowers. |
In 1984 the Soviet Union, and 14 [[Eastern Bloc]] countries, reciprocated by boycotting the [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] games. These games were perhaps the first games of a new era. The games were again viable, but had become more commercial. Again, the games lost a measure of their appeal by the absence of one of the superpowers. |
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The 1988 [[Seoul]] games were sadly tainted when many of the athletes failed mandatory [[drug test]]s. Despite splendid drug-free performances by many individuals, the number of people who failed screenings for performance-enhancing chemicals overshadowed the games. The outcry reached its zenith when [[Ben Johnson (athlete)|Ben Johnson]], the [[Canada|Canadian]] winner of the men's 100 |
The 1988 [[Seoul]] games were sadly tainted when many of the athletes failed mandatory [[drug test]]s. Despite splendid drug-free performances by many individuals, the number of people who failed screenings for performance-enhancing chemicals overshadowed the games. The outcry reached its zenith when [[Ben Johnson (athlete)|Ben Johnson]], the [[Canada|Canadian]] winner of the men's 100 metre sprint, was discovered to be a steroid user and disqualified. There was an additional scandal in the [[boxing]] ring, where [[Korea]]n fighters were awarded dubious decisions by the judges. This culminated in local light-middleweight [[Park Si-hun]] being awarded the gold medal despite being conclusively outboxed in the final by American [[Roy Jones, Jr.]] This decision in particular would lead to a total overhaul of the judging process before the next games{{citation needed}}. |
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On the bright side, drug testing and regulation authorities were catching up with the cheating that had been endemic in athletics for some years. The 1992 [[Barcelona]] Games were cleaner, although not without incident. In evidence there was increased professionalism amongst Olympic athletes, exemplified by U.S. basketball's "[[Dream Team (basketball)|Dream Team]]." 1992 also saw the reintroduction to the Games of several smaller European states which had been incorporated into the [[Soviet Union |
On the bright side, drug testing and regulation authorities were catching up with the cheating that had been endemic in athletics for some years. The 1992 [[Barcelona]] Games were cleaner, although not without incident. In evidence there was increased professionalism amongst Olympic athletes, exemplified by U.S. basketball's "[[Dream Team (basketball)|Dream Team]]." 1992 also saw the reintroduction to the Games of several smaller European states which had been incorporated into the [[Soviet Union]] since World War II. |
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By then the process of choosing a location for the Games had itself become a commercial concern; allegations of corruption rocked the International Olympic Committee, in particular with reference to [[Salt Lake City]]'s bid to host the [[ |
By then the process of choosing a location for the Games had itself become a commercial concern; allegations of corruption rocked the International Olympic Committee, in particular with reference to [[Salt Lake City]]'s bid to host the [[2002 Winter Olympics]]. It was also widely rumoured that the [[Coca-Cola]] company was highly influential in the 1996 Games being hosted by their home city of [[Atlanta, Georgia]]{{citation needed}}. In the stadium in 1996, the highlight was [[Sprint (race)|200 metres]] runner [[Michael Johnson (athlete)|Michael Johnson]] annihilating the world record in front of a home crowd. [[Canada|Canadians]] savoured [[Donovan Bailey]]'s record-breaking gold medal run in the 100-metre dash. This was popularly felt to be an appropriate recompense for the previous national disgrace involving Ben Johnson. There were also emotional scenes, such as when [[Muhammad Ali]], clearly affected by [[Parkinson's disease]], lit the Olympic torch and received a replacement medal for the one he had discarded in 1960. The latter event took place not at the boxing ring but in the basketball arena, at the demand of U.S. television. The atmosphere at the Games was marred however when a [[Centennial Olympic Park bombing|bomb exploded]] during the celebration in Centennial Park. In June 2003, the principal suspect in this bombing, [[Eric Robert Rudolph]], was captured. |
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==A new millennium== |
===A new millennium=== |
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The 2000 Games were held in [[Sydney]], [[Australia]], and showcased individual performances by local favourite [[Ian Thorpe]] in the pool, Briton [[Steve Redgrave]] who won a rowing |
The 2000 Games were held in [[Sydney]], [[Australia]], and showcased individual performances by local favourite [[Ian Thorpe]] in the pool, Briton [[Steve Redgrave]] who won a rowing gold medal in an unprecedented fifth consecutive Olympics, and [[Cathy Freeman]], whose triumph in the [[Sprint (race)|400 metres]] united a packed stadium and provided a bridge between white and aboriginal Australians. [[Eric Moussambani|Eric "the Eel" Moussambani]], a swimmer from [[Equatorial Guinea]], had a memorably slow 100 metre freestyle swim that showed that, even in the commercial world of the twentieth century, some of de Coubertin's original vision still remained{{citation needed}}. |
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2004 saw the |
2004 saw the Games return to their birthplace in [[Athens]], [[Greece]]. Many doubted the city would be ready to host the games in time. Greece spent at least $7.2 billion on the Games, including $1.5 billion on security alone—an enormous sum that will take many years, if not decades, to pay off. Yet, none of those fears became a reality. The games, though lacking the excitement normally associated with Olympic Games, were appreciated for their better than expected quality, from the point of view of their organisation, hospitality, the excellence of the competition, and the image transmitted worldwide. However, due to terrorism concerns, this became the lowest attended Olympics in the modern era.{{citation needed}} |
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The [[2008 Summer Olympics]] are to be held in [[Beijing]], [[China]]. Several new events, including the new discipline of BMX for both men and women, are to be held. For the first time, women will compete in the [[steeplechase (athletics)|steeplechase]]. The Fencing programme will be expanded to include all six events for both men and women, the latter of which had not previously been able to compete in team foil or sabre events. Marathon swimming events, over the distance of 10 kilometres, will be added. In addition, the doubles events in table tennis will be replaced by team events.<ref name=2008programme/> |
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==The future== |
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The [[2008 Summer Olympics]] are to be held in [[Beijing]], [[China]]. |
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[[London]], [[United Kingdom]] will hold the [[2012 Summer Olympics|2012 Games]], making London the first city to hold the Olympics three times. The International Olympic Committee has removed [[baseball]] and [[softball]] from the programme, effective beginning with the 2012 Olympic Games. |
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The [[2012 Summer Olympics]] are to be held in [[London]], [[United Kingdom]]. |
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==List of Olympic sports== |
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The [[2016 Summer Olympics]] are to-be-determined. |
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42 different sports, spanning 56 different disciplines, have been part of the Olympic programme at one point or another. 28 sports have comprised the schedule for the [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000]], [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004]], and [[2008 Summer Olympics]], though baseball and softball have been removed to give a list of 26 for the [[2012 Summer Olympics|2012 Games]]<ref name=26sports>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/4658925.stm | title = Fewer sports for London Olympics | work = BBC Sport |publisher = British Broadcasting Corporation | date = [[2005-07-08]] | accessdate = 2006-05-05}}</ref>. |
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The [[2020 Summer Olympics]] and subsequent games are to-be-determined. |
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{| class=wikitable |
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==List of Olympic sports== |
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! Sport || Years ||bgcolor=lightgray| || Sport || Years |
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*[[Aquatics]] - since [[1896 Summer Olympics|1896]] |
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|- |
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** Includes [[swimming]], [[diving]], [[synchronised swimming]], [[water polo]], and [[open water swimming]] (from 2008) |
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| [[Archery at the Summer Olympics|Archery]] || 1900-1912, since 1972 ||rowspan=22 bgcolor=lightgray| || [[Modern Pentathlon at the Summer Olympics|Modern Pentathlon]] || since 1912 |
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|- |
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*[[Athletics]] - since [[1896 Summer Olympics|1896]] |
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| [[Athletics at the Summer Olympics|Athletics]] || all || [[Polo at the Summer Olympics|Polo]] || 1900, 1908, 1920-1924, 1936 |
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** Includes track & field events - running, throwing, jumping, and composites such as [[decathlon]] |
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|- |
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*[[Badminton]] - since [[1992 Summer Olympics|1992]] |
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| [[Badminton at the Summer Olympics|Badminton]] || since 1992 || [[Rackets at the Summer Olympics|Rackets]] || 1908 |
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|- |
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*[[Basketball]] - since [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936]] |
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| [[Baseball at the Summer Olympics|Baseball]] || since 1992 || [[Roque at the Summer Olympics|Roque]] || 1904 |
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|- |
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*[[Boxing]] - since [[1904 Summer Olympics|1904]] excluding [[1912 Summer Olympics|1912]]. Women's boxing could be introduced in 2012. |
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| [[Basketball at the Summer Olympics|Basketball]] || since 1936 || [[Rowing at the Summer Olympics|Rowing]] || since 1900 |
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|- |
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** Includes [[flatwater racing]] and [[slalom canoeing]] |
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| [[Basque Pelota at the Summer Olympics|Basque Pelota]] || 1900 || [[Rugby union at the Summer Olympics|Rugby union]] || 1900, 1908, 1920-1924 |
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*[[Cricket]] - [[1900 Summer Olympics|1900]] only |
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|- |
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*[[Croquet]] - [[1900 Summer Olympics|1900]] only |
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| [[Boxing at the Summer Olympics|Boxing]] || 1904-1908, since 1920 || [[Sailing at the Summer Olympics|Sailing]] || 1900, since 1908 |
|||
|- |
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** Includes [[road cycling]], [[track cycling]], [[mountain biking]], and [[BMX racing]] |
|||
| [[Canoeing at the Summer Olympics|Canoeing]] || since 1936 || [[Shooting at the Summer Olympics|Shooting]] || 1896-1900, 1908-1924, since 1932 |
|||
|- |
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*[[Fencing]] - since [[1896 Summer Olympics|1896]] |
|||
| [[Cricket at the Summer Olympics|Cricket]] || 1900 || [[Softball at the Summer Olympics|Softball]] || since 1996 |
|||
|- |
|||
*[[Golf]] - [[1900 Summer Olympics|1900]] and [[1904 Summer Olympics|1904]] |
|||
| [[Croquet at the Summer Olympics|Croquet]] || 1900 || [[Swimming at the Summer Olympics|Swimming]] || all |
|||
|- |
|||
** Includes [[artistic gymnastics]], [[rhythmic gymnastics]], and [[trampolining]] |
|||
| [[Cycling at the Summer Olympics|Cycling]] || all || [[Synchronized swimming at the Summer Olympics|Synchronized swimming]] || since 1984 |
|||
|- |
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*[[Jeu de paume]] - [[1920 Summer Olympics|1920]] only |
|||
| [[Diving at the Summer Olympics|Diving]] || since 1908 || [[Table tennis at the Summer Olympics|Table tennis]] || since 1988 |
|||
|- |
|||
*[[Lacrosse]] - [[1904 Summer Olympics|1904]] and [[1908 Summer Olympics|1908]] |
|||
| [[Equestrian at the Summer Olympics|Equestrian]] || 1900, since 1912 || [[Taekwondo at the Summer Olympics|Taekwondo]] || since 2000 |
|||
|- |
|||
*[[Polo]] - [[1900 Summer Olympics|1900]], [[1908 Summer Olympics|1908]], [[1920 Summer Olympics|1920]], [[1924 Summer Olympics|1924]], and [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936]] |
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| [[Fencing at the Summer Olympics|Fencing]] || all || [[Tennis at the Summer Olympics|Tennis]] || 1896-1924, since 1988 |
|||
|- |
|||
*[[Roque]] - [[1904 Summer Olympics|1904]] only |
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| [[Football at the Summer Olympics|Football]] || 1900-1928, since 1936 || [[Triathlon at the Summer Olympics|Triathlon]] || since 2000 |
|||
|- |
|||
*[[Rugby football|Rugby]] - [[1900 Summer Olympics|1900]], [[1908 Summer Olympics|1908]], [[1920 Summer Olympics|1920]], and [[1924 Summer Olympics|1924]] |
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| [[Golf at the Summer Olympics|Golf]] || 1900-1904 || [[Tug of war at the Summer Olympics|Tug of war]] || 1900-1920 |
|||
|- |
|||
*[[Shooting]] - every edition except [[1904 Summer Olympics|1904]] and [[1928 Summer Olympics|1928]] |
|||
| [[Gymnastics at the Summer Olympics|Gymnastics]] || all || [[Volleyball at the Summer Olympics|Volleyball]] || since 1964 |
|||
|- |
|||
*[[Softball]] - since [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996]], removed from programme after [[2008 Summer Olympics|2008]] |
|||
| [[Handball at the Summer Olympics|Handball]] || 1936, since 1972 || [[Water motorsports at the Summer Olympics|Water motorsports]] || 1908 |
|||
|- |
|||
*[[Taekwondo]] - since [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000]] |
|||
| [[Hockey at the Summer Olympics|Hockey]] (field) || 1908, 1920, since 1928 || [[Water polo at the Summer Olympics|Water polo]] || 1900, since 1908 |
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|- |
|||
*[[Triathlon]] - since [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000]] |
|||
| [[Jeu de paume at the Summer Olympics|Jeu de paume]] || 1920 || [[Weightlifting at the Summer Olympics|Weightlifting]] || 1896, 1904, since 1920 |
|||
|- |
|||
*[[Volleyball]] - since [[1964 Summer Olympics|1964]] |
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| [[Judo at the Summer Olympics|Judo]] || 1964, since 1972 || [[Wrestling at the Summer Olympics|Wrestling]] || 1896, since 1904 |
|||
|- |
|||
*[[Weightlifting]] - [[1896 Summer Olympics|1896]], [[1904 Summer Olympics|1904]], and since [[1920 Summer Olympics|1920]] |
|||
| [[Lacrosse at the Summer Olympics|Lacrosse]] || 1904-1908 ||colspan=2| |
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|} |
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** Includes [[Greco-Roman wrestling]] and [[freestyle wrestling]] |
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==List of modern Summer Olympic Games== |
==List of modern Summer Olympic Games== |
||
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* ''2008 - [[2008 Summer Olympics|Games of the XXIX Olympiad]] - [[Beijing]], [[People's Republic of China|China]] / [[Hong Kong|Hong Kong, China]] ([[Equestrianism|Equestrian]] events)'' |
* ''2008 - [[2008 Summer Olympics|Games of the XXIX Olympiad]] - [[Beijing]], [[People's Republic of China|China]] / [[Hong Kong|Hong Kong, China]] ([[Equestrianism|Equestrian]] events)'' |
||
* ''2012 - [[2012 Summer Olympics|Games of the XXX Olympiad]] - [[London]], [[United Kingdom]]'' |
* ''2012 - [[2012 Summer Olympics|Games of the XXX Olympiad]] - [[London]], [[United Kingdom]]'' |
||
==References== |
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<div class="references-small"> |
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<references/> |
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</div> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
||
Line 166: | Line 186: | ||
* [[Olympic Games scandals]] |
* [[Olympic Games scandals]] |
||
* [[Winter Olympic Games]] |
* [[Winter Olympic Games]] |
||
* [[List of sporting events] |
* [[List of sporting events]] |
||
== External links == |
== External links == |
||
*[http://www.beijing-2008.org Official Site of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games] (in Chinese) |
* [http://www.beijing-2008.org Official Site of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games] (in Chinese) |
||
*[http://en.beijing2008.com/ Official Site of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games] ( |
* [http://en.beijing2008.com/ Official Site of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games] (in English) |
||
*[http://www. |
* [http://www.london2012.co.uk Official Site of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games] |
||
* [http://www.olympic.org Official Site of the Olympic Movement] |
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* [http://www.bladesplace.id.au/olympic-games-candidates.html Candidate Cities for future Olympic Games] |
* [http://www.bladesplace.id.au/olympic-games-candidates.html Candidate Cities for future Olympic Games] |
||
* [http://aafla.org/5va/reports_frmst.htm Amateur Athletic Foundation archive of Official Reports] |
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{{featured article}} |
{{featured article}} |
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{{ |
{{Olympic Games}} |
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[[Category:Olympics]] |
[[Category:Olympics]] |
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[[Category:Summer Olympic Games|Summer Olympic Games]] |
[[Category:Summer Olympic Games|Summer Olympic Games]] |
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[[Category:1896 establishments]] |
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[[cs:Letní olympijské hry]] |
[[cs:Letní olympijské hry]] |
Revision as of 05:56, 15 May 2006
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event held every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. The Olympics are the most prestigious of such events in the world. Olympic victory is widely considered to be the most prestigious achievement in sports. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition which started in 1904.
The Games have expanded from a 43-event competition with fewer than 250 men competing to including over 10,000 competitors of both genders from 202 nations. Organizers for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing expect approximately 10,500 athletes to take part in the 302 events on the programme for the Games.[1] The 2004 Summer Olympics, for which organizers had also expected 10,500 competitors, drew a total of 11,099 in the 301 events offered.
Competitors are entered by a National Olympic Committee (NOC) to represent their country of citizenship. National anthems and flags accompany the medal ceremonies, and tables showing the number of medals won by each country are widely used. In general only recognised nations are represented, but a few non-sovereign countries are allowed to take part. The special case of Taiwan has been handled by having it compete as Chinese Taipei, to avoid the issue of Taiwanese independence.
Though the most diverse sporting event in the world, the Olympics are perhaps not the most popular. The FIFA World Cup in football (soccer) attracts more global interest, as measured by the larger television audience.[2]
Qualification
Qualification rules for each of the Olympic sports is set by the International Federation (IF) that governs that sport's international competition.
For individual sports, competitors typically qualify through attaining a certain place in a major international event or on the IF's ranking list. National Olympic Committees may enter a limited number of qualified competitors in each event (3 is a common number), and the NOC decides which qualified competitors to select as representatives in each event if more have attained the benchmark than can be entered. Many events provide for a certain number of wildcard entries, given to athletes from developing nations.
Nations qualify teams for team sports through continental qualifying tournaments, in which each continental association is given a certain number of spots in the Olympic tournament. The host nation is generally given an automatic qualification.
History
The early years
The modern Olympic Games were founded in 1894 when Pierre Fredi, Baron de Coubertin sought to promote international understanding through sporting competition. He based his Olympics on the Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games, which had been contested in Much Wenlock since 1850[3]. The first edition of de Coubertin's games, held in Athens in 1896, attracted just 245 competitors, of whom more than 200 were Greek, and only 14 countries were represented. Nevertheless, no international events of this magnitude had been organised before. Female athletes were not allowed to compete, though one woman, Stamata Revithi, ran the marathon course on her own, saying "[i]f the committee doesn’t let me compete I will go after them regardless" [4].
Four years later the 1900 Summer Olympics attracted more than four times as many athletes, including 11 women, who were allowed to officially compete for the first time, in croquet, golf, sailing, and tennis. The Games were integrated with the Paris World's Fair and lasted over 5 months. It is still disputed which events exactly were Olympic, since few or maybe even none of the events were advertised as such at the time.
Numbers declined again for the 1904 Games in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, due in part to the lengthy transatlantic boat trip required of the European competitors, and the integration with the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair, which again spread the event out over an extended period. In contrast with Paris 1900, the word Olympic was used for practically every contest, including those exclusively for school boys or for Irish-Americans.
A series of smaller games were held in Athens in 1906. These were to be the first of an alternating series of games to be held in Athens, but the series failed to materialise. The games were held in 1906 to celebrate the "tenth birthday" of the games. The IOC does not currently recognise these games as being official Olympic Games, although many historians do. The 1906 Athens games were more successful than the 1900 and 1904 games and contributed postively to the success of future games.
The 1908 London Games saw numbers rise again, as well as the first running of the marathon over its now-standard distance of 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards). This distance was chosen to ensure that the race finished in front of the box occupied by the British royal family. The marathon had been 40 km for the first games in 1896, but was subsequently varied by up to 2 km due to local conditions such as street and stadium layout. At the six Olympic games between 1900 and 1920, the marathon was raced over six different distances.
At the end of the 1908 marathon the Italian runner Dorando Pietri was first to enter the stadium, but he was clearly in distress, and collapsed of exhaustion before he could complete the event. He was helped over the finish line by concerned race officials, but later he was disqualified and the gold medal was awarded to John Hayes, who had trailed him by around 30 seconds.
The Games continued to grow, attracting 2,500 competitors to Stockholm in 1912, including the great all-rounder Jim Thorpe, who won both the decathlon and pentathlon. Thorpe had previously played a few games of baseball for a fee, and saw his medals stripped for this breach of amateurism. They were reinstated in 1983, 30 years after his death.
The scheduled Berlin Games of 1916 were cancelled following the onset of World War I.
The interwar era
The 1920 Antwerp games in war-ravaged Belgium were a subdued affair, but again drew a record number of competitors. This record only stood until 1924, when the Paris Games would involve 3,000 competitors, the greatest of whom was Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi. "The Flying Finn", won three team gold medals and the individual 1,500 and 5,000 metre runs, the latter two on the same day.
The 1928 Amsterdam games were notable for being the first games which allowed females to compete at track & field athletics, and benefitted greatly from the general prosperity of the times alongside the first appearance of sponsorship of the games, from Coca-Cola. This was in stark contrast to 1932 when the Los Angeles games were affected by the Great Depression, which contributed to the fewest competitors since the St. Louis games.
The 1936 Berlin Games were seen by the German government as a golden opportunity to promote their ideology. The ruling Nazi Party commissioned film-maker Leni Riefenstahl to film the games. The result, Olympia, was a masterpiece, despite Hitler's theories of Aryan racial superiority being repeatedly shown up by non-Aryan athletes. In particular, the black sprinter and long jumper Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals. The tale of Hitler snubbing Owens at the ensuing medal ceremony is a fabrication.[5]
Due to World War II, the Games of 1940 (due to be held in Tokyo and temporarily relocated to Helsinki upon the outbreak of war) were cancelled; no Games were planned for 1944.
After WWII
The first post-war Games were held in 1948 in London, with both Germany and Japan excluded. Dutch sprinter Fanny Blankers-Koen won four gold medals on the track, emulating Owens' achievement in Berlin.
At the 1952 Games in Helsinki the USSR team competed for the first time and at once became one of the dominant teams. Finland made a legend of an amiable Czech army lieutenant named Emil Zátopek, who was intent on improving on his single gold and silver medals from 1948. Having first won both the 10,000 and 5,000 metre races, he also entered the marathon, despite having never previously raced at that distance. Pacing himself by chatting with the other leaders, Zátopek led from about half way, slowly dropping the remaining contenders to win by two and a half minutes, and completed a trio of wins.
The 1956 Melbourne Games were largely successful, barring a water polo match between Hungary and the Soviet Union, which political tensions caused to end as a pitched battle between the teams.
The 1960 Rome Games saw the arrival on the world scene of a young light-heavyweight boxer named Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, who would later throw his gold medal away in disgust after being refused service in a whites-only restaurant in his home town[citation needed]. Soviet women's artistic gymnastics team members won 15 of 16 possible medals. Other performers of note in 1960 included Wilma Rudolph, a gold medallist in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4x100 metre relay events.
The 1964 Games held in Tokyo are notable for heralding the modern age of telecommunications. These games were the first to be broadcast worldwide on television, enabled by the recent advent of communication satellites. The 1964 Games were thus a turning point in the global visibility and popularity of the Olympics.
Performances at the 1968 Mexico City games were affected by the altitude of the host city[6]. No event was affected more than the long jump. American athlete Bob Beamon jumped 8.90 metres, setting a new world record and, in the words of fellow competitor and then-reigning champion Lynn Davies, "making the rest of us look silly[citation needed]." Beamon's world record would stand for 23 years. The 1968 Games also saw the introduction of the now-universal Fosbury flop, a technique which won American high jumper Dick Fosbury the gold medal. Politics took centre stage in the medal ceremony for the men's 200 metre dash, where Tommie Smith and John Carlos made a protest gesture on the podium against the segregation in the United States; their political act was condemned within the Olympic Movement, but was praised in the American Civil Rights Movement.
Politics again intervened at Munich in 1972, with lethal consequences. A Palestinian terrorist group named Black September invaded the Olympic village and broke into the apartment of the Israeli delegation. They killed two Israelis and held 9 others as hostages. The terrorists demanded that Israel release numerous terrorists from prison. When the Israeli government refused their demand, a tense stand-off ensued while negotiations continued. Eventually the captors, still holding their hostages, were offered safe passage and taken to an airport, where they were ambushed by German security forces. In the firefight that followed, 15 people, including the nine Israeli athletes and five of the terrorists, were killed. After much debate, it was decided that the Games would continue, but proceedings were obviously dominated by these events[7]. Some memorable athletic achievements did occur during these Games, notably the winning of a record seven gold medals by United States swimmer Mark Spitz, and the winning of three gold medals by 16-year-old Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut, who, however failed to win the all-around to her teammate Ludmilla Tourischeva.
There was no such tragedy in Montreal in 1976, but bad planning led to the Games' cost far exceeding the budget. The Montreal Games are the most expensive in Olympic history, costing over $5 billion (equivalent to $20 billion in 2006). For a time, it seemed that the Olympics might no longer be a viable financial proposition. There was also a boycott by African nations to protest against a recent tour of apartheid-run South Africa by a New Zealand rugby side. The Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci won the women's individual all around gold medal with two of four possible perfect scores, thus giving birth to a gymnastics dynasty in Romania. Another female gymnast to earn the perfect score and three gold medals there was Nellie Kim of the USSR.
1980s and beyond
Following the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan, 66 nations, including the United States, Canada, West Germany and Japan, boycotted the 1980 games held in Moscow. Notably, Greece, Great Britain and Australia did not withdraw, and remain the only nations to have competed in all summer games. The boycott contributed to the 1980 Games being a less publicised and less competitive affair, which was dominated by the host country.
In 1984 the Soviet Union, and 14 Eastern Bloc countries, reciprocated by boycotting the Los Angeles games. These games were perhaps the first games of a new era. The games were again viable, but had become more commercial. Again, the games lost a measure of their appeal by the absence of one of the superpowers.
The 1988 Seoul games were sadly tainted when many of the athletes failed mandatory drug tests. Despite splendid drug-free performances by many individuals, the number of people who failed screenings for performance-enhancing chemicals overshadowed the games. The outcry reached its zenith when Ben Johnson, the Canadian winner of the men's 100 metre sprint, was discovered to be a steroid user and disqualified. There was an additional scandal in the boxing ring, where Korean fighters were awarded dubious decisions by the judges. This culminated in local light-middleweight Park Si-hun being awarded the gold medal despite being conclusively outboxed in the final by American Roy Jones, Jr. This decision in particular would lead to a total overhaul of the judging process before the next games[citation needed].
On the bright side, drug testing and regulation authorities were catching up with the cheating that had been endemic in athletics for some years. The 1992 Barcelona Games were cleaner, although not without incident. In evidence there was increased professionalism amongst Olympic athletes, exemplified by U.S. basketball's "Dream Team." 1992 also saw the reintroduction to the Games of several smaller European states which had been incorporated into the Soviet Union since World War II.
By then the process of choosing a location for the Games had itself become a commercial concern; allegations of corruption rocked the International Olympic Committee, in particular with reference to Salt Lake City's bid to host the 2002 Winter Olympics. It was also widely rumoured that the Coca-Cola company was highly influential in the 1996 Games being hosted by their home city of Atlanta, Georgia[citation needed]. In the stadium in 1996, the highlight was 200 metres runner Michael Johnson annihilating the world record in front of a home crowd. Canadians savoured Donovan Bailey's record-breaking gold medal run in the 100-metre dash. This was popularly felt to be an appropriate recompense for the previous national disgrace involving Ben Johnson. There were also emotional scenes, such as when Muhammad Ali, clearly affected by Parkinson's disease, lit the Olympic torch and received a replacement medal for the one he had discarded in 1960. The latter event took place not at the boxing ring but in the basketball arena, at the demand of U.S. television. The atmosphere at the Games was marred however when a bomb exploded during the celebration in Centennial Park. In June 2003, the principal suspect in this bombing, Eric Robert Rudolph, was captured.
A new millennium
The 2000 Games were held in Sydney, Australia, and showcased individual performances by local favourite Ian Thorpe in the pool, Briton Steve Redgrave who won a rowing gold medal in an unprecedented fifth consecutive Olympics, and Cathy Freeman, whose triumph in the 400 metres united a packed stadium and provided a bridge between white and aboriginal Australians. Eric "the Eel" Moussambani, a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea, had a memorably slow 100 metre freestyle swim that showed that, even in the commercial world of the twentieth century, some of de Coubertin's original vision still remained[citation needed].
2004 saw the Games return to their birthplace in Athens, Greece. Many doubted the city would be ready to host the games in time. Greece spent at least $7.2 billion on the Games, including $1.5 billion on security alone—an enormous sum that will take many years, if not decades, to pay off. Yet, none of those fears became a reality. The games, though lacking the excitement normally associated with Olympic Games, were appreciated for their better than expected quality, from the point of view of their organisation, hospitality, the excellence of the competition, and the image transmitted worldwide. However, due to terrorism concerns, this became the lowest attended Olympics in the modern era.[citation needed]
The 2008 Summer Olympics are to be held in Beijing, China. Several new events, including the new discipline of BMX for both men and women, are to be held. For the first time, women will compete in the steeplechase. The Fencing programme will be expanded to include all six events for both men and women, the latter of which had not previously been able to compete in team foil or sabre events. Marathon swimming events, over the distance of 10 kilometres, will be added. In addition, the doubles events in table tennis will be replaced by team events.[1]
London, United Kingdom will hold the 2012 Games, making London the first city to hold the Olympics three times. The International Olympic Committee has removed baseball and softball from the programme, effective beginning with the 2012 Olympic Games.
List of Olympic sports
42 different sports, spanning 56 different disciplines, have been part of the Olympic programme at one point or another. 28 sports have comprised the schedule for the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Summer Olympics, though baseball and softball have been removed to give a list of 26 for the 2012 Games[8].
Sport | Years | Sport | Years | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Archery | 1900-1912, since 1972 | Modern Pentathlon | since 1912 | |
Athletics | all | Polo | 1900, 1908, 1920-1924, 1936 | |
Badminton | since 1992 | Rackets | 1908 | |
Baseball | since 1992 | Roque | 1904 | |
Basketball | since 1936 | Rowing | since 1900 | |
Basque Pelota | 1900 | Rugby union | 1900, 1908, 1920-1924 | |
Boxing | 1904-1908, since 1920 | Sailing | 1900, since 1908 | |
Canoeing | since 1936 | Shooting | 1896-1900, 1908-1924, since 1932 | |
Cricket | 1900 | Softball | since 1996 | |
Croquet | 1900 | Swimming | all | |
Cycling | all | Synchronized swimming | since 1984 | |
Diving | since 1908 | Table tennis | since 1988 | |
Equestrian | 1900, since 1912 | Taekwondo | since 2000 | |
Fencing | all | Tennis | 1896-1924, since 1988 | |
Football | 1900-1928, since 1936 | Triathlon | since 2000 | |
Golf | 1900-1904 | Tug of war | 1900-1920 | |
Gymnastics | all | Volleyball | since 1964 | |
Handball | 1936, since 1972 | Water motorsports | 1908 | |
Hockey (field) | 1908, 1920, since 1928 | Water polo | 1900, since 1908 | |
Jeu de paume | 1920 | Weightlifting | 1896, 1904, since 1920 | |
Judo | 1964, since 1972 | Wrestling | 1896, since 1904 | |
Lacrosse | 1904-1908 |
List of modern Summer Olympic Games
Note: although the games of 1916, 1940, and 1944 had been cancelled, the Olympiad Roman Numerals for those games were still used as if the games were actually played.
- 1896 - Games of the I Olympiad - Athens, Greece
- 1900 - Games of the II Olympiad - Paris, France
- 1904 - Games of the III Olympiad - St. Louis, Missouri, United States
- 1906 - Intercalated Games - Athens, Greece
- 1908 - Games of the IV Olympiad - London, United Kingdom
- 1912 - Games of the V Olympiad - Stockholm, Sweden
- 1916 - Games of the VI Olympiad - Berlin, Germany - Cancelled due to World War I
- 1920 - Games of the VII Olympiad - Antwerp, Belgium
- 1924 - Games of the VIII Olympiad - Paris, France
- 1928 - Games of the IX Olympiad - Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 1932 - Games of the X Olympiad - Los Angeles, California, United States
- 1936 - Games of the XI Olympiad - Berlin, Germany
- 1940 - Games of the XII Olympiad - Helsinki, Finland - Cancelled due to World War II
- 1944 - Games of the XIII Olympiad - London, United Kingdom- Cancelled due to World War II
- 1948 - Games of the XIV Olympiad - London, United Kingdom
- 1952 - Games of the XV Olympiad - Helsinki, Finland
- 1956 - Games of the XVI Olympiad - Melbourne, Australia / Stockholm, Sweden (Equestrian events)
- 1960 - Games of the XVII Olympiad - Rome, Italy
- 1964 - Games of the XVIII Olympiad - Tokyo, Japan
- 1968 - Games of the XIX Olympiad - Mexico City, Mexico
- 1972 - Games of the XX Olympiad - Munich, West Germany (now Munich, Germany)
- 1976 - Games of the XXI Olympiad - Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- 1980 - Games of the XXII Olympiad - Moscow, Soviet Union (now Moscow, Russia)
- 1984 - Games of the XXIII Olympiad - Los Angeles, California, United States
- 1988 - Games of the XXIV Olympiad - Seoul, South Korea
- 1992 - Games of the XXV Olympiad - Barcelona, Spain
- 1996 - Games of the XXVI Olympiad - Atlanta, Georgia, United States
- 2000 - Games of the XXVII Olympiad - Sydney, Australia
- 2004 - Games of the XXVIII Olympiad - Athens, Greece
- 2008 - Games of the XXIX Olympiad - Beijing, China / Hong Kong, China (Equestrian events)
- 2012 - Games of the XXX Olympiad - London, United Kingdom
References
- ^ a b "Beijing 2008: Games Programme Finalised". International Olympic Committee. 2006-04-27. Retrieved 2006-05-10.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ 2002 FIFA World Cup TV Coverage, FIFA official website. Retrieved on March 24, 2006.
- ^ Jeffrey, Ben. "Father of the modern Olympics". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2006-05-06.
- ^ Tarasouleas, Athanasios (1993). "The Female Spiridon Loues" (PDF). Citius, Altius, Fortius. 1 (3): 11–12.
{{cite journal}}
: Unknown parameter|month=
ignored (help) - ^ German Myth: Hitler and Jesse Owens, about.com. Retrieved on May 6, 2006.
- ^ Games of the XIX Olympiad, International Olympic Committee. Retrieved on May 6, 2006.
- ^ Games of the XX Olympiad, International Olympic Committee. Retrieved on May 6, 2006.
- ^ "Fewer sports for London Olympics". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2005-07-08. Retrieved 2006-05-05.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help)
See also
- Summer Olympics medal count
- Winter Olympics medal count
- Total Olympics medal count
- Olympic Games scandals
- Winter Olympic Games
- List of sporting events
External links
- Official Site of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games (in Chinese)
- Official Site of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games (in English)
- Official Site of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games
- Official Site of the Olympic Movement
- Candidate Cities for future Olympic Games
- Amateur Athletic Foundation archive of Official Reports