Basierto, Hanna Mae F BPED-3

Module 4 in Contemporary Issues in Physical Education and

Sports

Assessment task 1

Do some research and list the 43 different events during the first
modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Answer :
Athens 1896 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Athens that took place April 6–
15, 1896. The Athens Games were the first occurrence of the modern Olympic
Games.

Sports

The inaugural Games of the modern Olympics were attended by as many as 280
athletes, all male, from 12 countries. The athletes competed in 43 events covering
athletics (track and field), cycling, swimming, gymnastics, weightlifting, wrestling,
fencing, shooting, and tennis. A festive atmosphere prevailed as foreign athletes
were greeted with parades and banquets. A crowd estimated at more than 60,000
attended the opening day of competition. Members of the royal family of Greece
played an important role in the organization and management of the Games and
were regular spectators over the 10 days of the Olympics. Hungary sent the only
national team; most of the foreign athletes were well-to-do college students or
members of athletic clubs attracted by the novelty of the Olympics.

Assessment task 3

Has the Olympic ideal been ruined by commercialism and sponsorship?

Answer :
The Olympics stand among the least commercial events in the world. No advertising
of any sort is permitted within the competition venues. No athlete may wear any
clothing or equipment with any commercial identification whatsoever, other than
small indications as to the manufacturer of the clothing or equipment. Hence the
paradox: the least commercialized sports event in the world is accused of over-
commercialization while those most heavily commercialized receive no similar
complaints.

Assessment task 4

What makes the Olympic Games one of the most effective international
marketing platforms in the world?

Answer :
Nowadays, Olympic Games have become one of the most large-scale and profitable
global media events. Today, sport, especially events associated with the Olympics,
has not only become great entertainment, occupation and lifestyle, but solid
business as well. In the world of sports, marketing, promotion and advertisement are
fundamental tools for generating great profits. The current article will explore the
issue of marketing-mediated sport events on the example of Olympic games and will
touch upon the issues of promotion of properly the Games, advertising athletes and
participants, sources of profit for conducting the Games, technologies used in
Olympic marketing, new trends in marketing of Olympics and emerging threats to
sports marketing. The issue will be discussed both in theoretical and practical
network and is aimed at tracing the compliance of theoretical findings on
advertisement, promotion and sponsorship strategies, with the practical
implementation thereof on the example of one of the most profitable events in the
sense of advertising, the Olympic Games. Thus, the work will focus on the issue of
current developments of Olympic marketing and steps to be done in both theoretical
and practical way to ensure further effectiveness and attractiveness of Olympic
marketing programs.

Assessment task 5
In what ways did Beijing Summer Olympic Games of 2008 showcase
China to the rest of the world?

Answer :

SPORTING DEVELOPMENT

After the Olympic Games, various sports disciplines enjoyed a boom, and
the sports industry experienced rapid growth across China. The best
example is tennis, which experienced substantial growth in interest and
participation following the success of Chinese female stars, leading to
the implementation of programmes such as “Fly Solo”, a driver for
increasing athletes’ autonomy. As a result, many Chinese athletes are
now developing their own businesses and brands while attracting huge
social media followings, such as Olympian Li Ning (gymnastics), who is
now the owner of a successful sports clothing line.

EDUCATION AND CULTURE

Thanks to the Olympic Games, approximately 400 million young people

benefitted from Olympic education programmes. Olympic values and
Olympic-related themes were the focus of these programmes, which
also taught new skills such as foreign languages. Citizens had the
opportunity to experience a four-year cultural festival in the follow-up to
the Olympic Games, while witnessing numerous restorations of cultural
heritage sites. Since its foundation in 2009, the Beijing Olympic
Development Authority (BODA) has led and supported cultural and
educational events in the city, such as the Beijing Olympic City Sports &
Culture Festival, an annual festival devoted to urban sport and culture.

ENVIRONMENT

Beijing was keen to address the issue of pollution, and used the
momentum created by the Olympic Games to put in place major
environmental improvements in the country. China’s new environmental
policy was focussed on diversifying the country’s energy structure and
developing the green energy sector. Prior to the Olympic Games, 15,000
coal-burning boilers in the city and surrounding areas were replaced
with cleaner energy sources, benefitting residents. The natural gas
supply was almost quadrupled from 2000 to 2006. From 2005 to 2006,
Beijing saw an increase of 17.6 per cent in the number of solar heaters.

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Significant investments were granted to build new elements of urban

infrastructure such as highways, subway lines and an airport terminal,
and construction work was accelerated by the hosting of the Olympic
Games. In terms of purpose-built Olympic venues, the National Stadium,
known as the Bird’s Nest, and the Aquatics Centre, or “Water Cube”,
became iconic buildings of the new Beijing, though both still partially
rely on state financial support. The Olympic basketball stadium is
privately run and has managed to secure sponsorship and resident
teams, hosting over 100 sporting and non-sporting events per year. The
venues at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Park will be used again during the
Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/event/Athens-1896-Olympic-Games

https://hbr.org/2012/08/the-olympics-and-the-paradox-o

https://thesportjournal.org/article/marketing-and-promotion-of-the-olympic-games/

https://www.olympic.org/news/amp/beijing-2008-showcasing-
china#aoh=16199639238202&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From
%20%251%24s