“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish OLYMPICS, PARALYMPICS AND. SPECIAL OLYMPICS Ancient Olympics The Olympics began in Ancient Greece thousands of years ago, Though it is difficult to determine when exactly they did begin, what is known to us is the = Olympic, a valley in Elis on sta recorded Ning in Gifs Muhammed ay declared the winner only when his oj his hi were eventually added. The Olympic Games were actually jus four ancient Panhellenic Games held at PPONENE raise nd in defeat or lay unconscious in these arena) t one of two of four year intervals, but they were more preston than the other three ~ the Pythian, Nemean and Isthmian Games, There are several myths to which the origin been attributed. The myths Heracles and mia are some of the Olympics ha: of Zeus, of them, Hipp. les of the Ancient Olympics Only freeborn G ‘ould participate in Games. However from the Roman Empire were later allowed to join. es and convicts were banned. Women were not even allowed to enter the stadiums once they were married Competitors had to stay in Olympia for one month and practice before the commencemen ofthe Games, They alsa had to take an oath they had already trained for ten months in thet state before coming to Olympia. * Professionals were not allowed to participa The Olympic Truce dito The Olympic Truce, or ‘Ekecheiria, was 2" 5, established BCE for Y arate i 9th Century The Truce 8 rainers and Pifrom all participating nations safe passage, even through politically hostile territories. It was announced by the citizens of Elis. Then, three runners called the spondophoroi would spread the message to the other nation states, During the Truce, armies could not invade participating cities, legal matters were halted and death penalty suspended, The Ceremony ‘The Games began with an opening ceremony in the auditorium where the competitors, their ‘companions and trainers would. assemble and take the oath that they would participate in accordance with the rules and also that they had trained for ten months in their own states before their arrival at Olympia. ‘The players then marched into the arena and ‘were introduced to the audience, If anyone from the audience raised an objection to their participation, they would be barred from the Games. Finally, a torch would be lit at the altar of Zeus to start the Games. Awards No medals were awarded in the ancient Olympic Games. The winners were instead honoured by the judges with a wreath made from the leaves of the sacred olive tree inthe temple of Zeus, Their names ‘were immortalised in poems and stone sculptures were made similar to them. In their own states, ld be given a variety of rewards and gifts; welcomed through special entrances , not through the city gates. Victory at the Games was thus a highly coveted goal for aspiring athletes. Famous Olympic Champions Many champions emerged in the ancient Olympics. Mention may be made of Leonidas of Rhodes who won three different footraces in four consecutive Olympics. Milo of Croton was another revered player; a man of legendary physical strength, he defeated his opponents in wrestling six times and was also a war hero. Although women were denied entry to the Games, they could hire athletes to compete on their behalf. Cynisca of Sparta, for example, won the four-horse chariot race (tethrippon) twice - ‘once in 396 BCE and again in 394 BCE, while the Macedonian Bilistiche won both the four-horse and two-horse (synoris) chariot races in the 264 BCE Games using foals. Both women bred and trained their own horses. Decline ‘The Olympic Games were abolished in 394 CE by the Roman emperor Theodosius I, who was a Christian and did not favour what were considered pagan practices. The statue of Zeus was taken to Constantinople, where it was destroyed in a fire. Olympia lost its former glory, its temples razed to the ground by subsequent Christian Roman rulers. It was finally destroyed by an earthquake. Modem Olympics ‘The credit for starting the modern Olympic Games goes to Baron de Coubertin, a Parisian who saw the Games as an opportunity to work for international peace, He called for a meeting of various countries in 1893, in which countries like Sweden, Greece, Italy and Spain spoke in favour of his endeavour. A second meeting was held on 16 June, 1894 in Paris. 75 representatives of 13 countries participated and resolved that “sports competitions should be held every four years on the line of the Greek Olympic Games ‘and every nation should be invited to participate” ‘The first modern Olympics were organized in 1896, Athens hosted it and countries competed,The Olympic Games, in a fashion reminiscent of its ancient predecessor, begins with the burning of the torch in Olympic village, Greece. This torch is. then brought to the host city, The Participants of each country conduct @ march past, with the Greek troupe taking the lead and athletes from the host country take up the rear An assortment of cultural and entertainment programmes. is @ shown in the stadium, afer which the FS Olympic Flag is hoisted and the flame lit by the torch. The leader of the host city then declares the commencement of the Games. The Olympic Games are closed with an assembly of all participants. They gather at the stadium as a group. Three flags are then hoisted. First, the Greek flag to the tune of Greek national anthem; second, the host lag with its national anthem and third, the country hosting the next Games, to its national anthem, Of the IOC expresses words of the organisers and the participants loses the games. The Olympic Flag to the mayor ofthe city, who keeps next Games, The flame is finally py In the modern Olympic 6; : Kean Pc Came ave to take an oath A reprene country stands at the foot of, that a es holding the lag and the partigy Meat lead and repeat the following. eh “Inthe name of al the compe that we shall ake part in tee UP respecting and abiding by the rjgy PE Gy them, committing ourselves. ty a hi gp Aoping and without drugs, in jy Oi Sportsmanship, for the glory of sors gi ht of our teams? ‘nt * They should be the citizen country by law. of a pac * Once a player has competed for ong in an Olympic, she/he cannot cg different country in future, the excepting thecreation ofa new sate contimedbyans ual nationals may compete a ag a Years have passed since the competi ay for one country. * Previously professionals were not allowed Th was eventually rectified * Thereisno age limit and membersofbothe may participate The first, second and third position holder awarded with gold, silver and bronze meds T next five position holders are given certificates Figure 23 The opens ceremony ‘olympicOLYMPIC SYMBOL, IDEALS, OBJECTIVES AND VALUES OF OLYMPISM Olympic Symbol The Olympic symbol, \ designed by Baron de Coubertin (Pierre de seid Coubertin) himself in 1914, a” is made of five interlinked ~ rings to celebrate the py sporting friendship and - cooperation between the eure 2.4 people of all five continents. Baron de Coubertin ‘The symbol is painted on the Olympic flag against a white background of silk. The Olympic motto of three Latin words ~ Citius, Altius, Fortius for Faster, Higher, Stronger ~ is inscribed under the emblem, It was borrowed by de Coubertin from Henri Didon, a Dominican priest who also happened to be a sports enthusiast. The flag ‘was first hoisted in 1920 at the Antwerp Games, Belgium. shoW/the Universality of ir background of the Figure 2.5 The Olympic Flag The objectives of the Olympic Games are thus: + The development of eam spirit, sense ofloyalty, and honour not only among sportspersons, but also among humanity beyond the realm of sports. To promote competitive sports and preserve them for future generations. To bring international communities closer and call for peace and harmony to get rid of divisions of caste, creed, colour, race and religion. To highlight the importance of physical education and the positive impact it has on the youths character and personality development. Friendship and Solidarity The Olympic Games are about spreading the spirit of friendship and solidarity among people from various countries of the world. Not only the players but also nations come together to participate in these games, leaving aside whatever political differences they might have. Although the TOC does not have to send out spondophoroi, its endorsement of peace is reflected in its Olympic ‘Truce Movement and in its logo: a dove drawn above the Olympic Symbol. Peace By acting as an agent of friendship and solidarity, the Olympic Games encourage the adoption of peace. Allindividual differences are forgotten when participants arrive at the Games, and the event ‘commences with mutual respect and harmony.The Olympic Games are all bout fair play. No plarer can win using dishonest means and if found to do so ace dealt with strict penalties. To Gcipate and win at the Games is 2 matter of Re Ge he pes ad tek cory, 2 the boycott of and 1944, South Korean boxing judges leading to iby their player and the players have been Stripped of expelled for substance ine, Gedentals and unsportsman lke tag rakngrcstcomer agin owt ge Sil. the Games have resriiced from aha to continue shining 2s 2 beacog € fot The word ‘Paralympics’ is derived from the two Greek words ‘pard means ‘beside or alongside’ and the other word is ‘Olympics. So, Paralympics are the parallel Games to the Olympics. The jou Paralympic Gan 1960 side-by-side of detail about the Paraly a in 1968 by Eunice sister of former US Preset John F Kennedy, who believed in providing egal ts and opportunities to everyone, incdag People with intellectual disabilities for whom sports could act as a motivating factor for te stimulation of physical and mental growth. Its mission is to provide year-round sts training and organise athletic competitions # Various Olympic-type sports for children a! adults with intellectual disabilities. The aim ot Special Olympics is to provide them contin portunities to develop physical fitness, coum xperience joy and participate in a sharing of and friendship with their families, othet § Olympics athletes andthe community. It provides training and competitio®® 3 million athletes and Unified Sportsable 2.1. Chronology of the Modern Olympic Games + apg Athens, Fist modern Olympic Games; the winners were awarded with an Greece olive branch and silver medals. ie ‘Women competed fo the frst time. india also partcpsted for ae the fst ime, Norman Pritchard, an Ango-Indian born i Caleuta represented the country and won two siver medals in hurdles M1904 StLouis, USA Gold, silver and bronze medals were introduced in these Games. Olympic games were held in stadiums for the first time. London, WV 1908 Great Britain Figure skating was introduced as an Olympic sport. Stockholm, Ail five continents were finally represented; electric timing devices V 1922 Sweden and the decathlon and pentathlon were introduced for the first time. ve 1916 - Cancelled due to First World War (WW), ‘The Olympic symbol of five interlocking rings, designed by Pierre e de Coubertin in 1914, was used for the first time, Doves were also ager so: SS released for the first time to promote peace. However, the nations 3 defeated in WW! ~ Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Turkey — ‘were denied participation. yu isze Pars Paris hosted the Games for the second time. The first Winter France Olympics were also held this year at Chamonix, France. dam, __ONMic lames it forthe ist time. These Games aso marked the 1K 1928 TF Netherlands ‘W3ttime Greece led the parade atthe opening ceremony with representatives of the host country bringing up the rear. Los Angeles, __In these Games, winners stood on a tiered stand for the first time usa with national flags raised above them. Basketball introduced for the first time and won by the USA. Also the first Games to be televised, Cancelled due to Second World War (WWI). Cancelled due to WWI Given the name ‘Austerity Games’ due to lack of funds for organising ‘a grand Olympic Games, since the war had concluded only three years before. Moreover, at the Winter Olympics held at St Moritz, ‘Switzerland, Japan and Germany were not invited. Germany and Japan were finally allowed to participate. 1e Games were boycotted by several countries for political reasons: Iraq, Lebanon and Egypt to protest against the British, French and Israeli invasion of Egypt (Suez Crisis) ‘¢ The Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland to protest against the Soviet invasion of Hungary '» The People’s Republic of China to protest against the Games’ recognition of Formosa (now Taiwan). Sir Ludwig Guttmann brought a team of disabled athletes to compete in a games parallel to the Olympics. The name was shortened to Paralympics. contd...‘Tokyo, 1964 japan xvill Mexico City, xx 1968 Mexico Munich, Xx 1872 West Germany Montreal, Canada 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 ‘Sydney, Australia Athens, Greece Great Britain Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Tokyo, Japan ‘Asian countr ‘The Olympics were held in an try for the eanstil, in the Winter Olympics hed in Insta iy os rac had to be brought in from the Alpine mountain < A Austrian army to vega ti ‘counterbalance the warm weather ‘was banned from the Olympics because of apartheigse tojoin the Games again only in 1992 once the segregay } abolished. ion Drug testing and gender verification testing were cay the first time. A Swedish pentathlete was disqualiieg pi! oy re gumptin of alcohol. This was also the first time ther held in Central America oe ‘Black September’ occurred at these Games. Palestinian held 11 Israeli athletes and coaches hostage. At the eng te standoff, all hostages were killed along with a policeman Rhodesia was also banned du to racist praca Mt terrorist The ban was lifted in 1970 and the country returns ed ag country. Zimbabwe. Twenty-nine countries, mostly African countries, boycotted Olympics due to the 10C’s (International Olympic Comming to ban New Zealand, which had recently toured with South eg ina rugby tournament. South Africa at that time was tonal the 10C for its policy of apartheid. The same year, 14 year og ‘Comaneci from Romania scored the first perfect 10 in gymnasie ‘and won three gold medals. Boycotted by 61 nations to protest against Russia's invasion of Aighanistan. Boycotted by 15 communist block countries as an answer tothe boycott of the previous Games. Romania however particpatedang ranked second in the medals tally. Eleven medallists were disqualified for using banned substances North Korea boycotted the Games. Both East and West Germany and former Soviet members participated as unified nations. Professionals allowed to compete in men's basketball for the ist time. The USA won the gold. 199 nations participated. In total 10,651 athlete participated out ol which 4,096 were women. The Games returned to Athens after a century. Forty three world records and 132 Olympic records we during these Games. In terms of number of medals, 2012 London Olympics was 2g success for India, Total 6 medals were won, ie. 2in Shooting 2/n Wrestling and 1 each in Boxing and Badminton. In the history of Olympics, Rio(2016) became the fist south ual American country to hast the Game. Rugby Sevens WS Introd Rio and Golf was reinstated after 112 years of absence. Upcoming Olympic Games re broken/ | | ; \ in around 172 countries. Special Olympics competitions are organised all around the world, They include local, national and regional competitions, adding up to more than one lakh events in a year. The Special Olympics organisation is recognised by the International Olympic Committee. Special Olympics World Games are not held in the same year with the Olympic Games Special Olympics has more than 30 Olympic-type individual and team sports that provide adequa training and competition opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE ‘The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is an international, non-profit, non-governmental ‘organisation and the governing authority of the modern Olympic games. It is based in Laussane, Switzerland, ‘The IOC was founded by Pierre de Coubertin, on 23 June 1894, with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president. It organised the fist Summer Athens, Greece, in 1896 and the first mpics in Chamonix, France, in 1924, In TOC made the decision to host the two alternately after a gap of two years for two pod reasons: one was to allow enough time for g each game with full dedication and the to garner enough financial resources for ~ the IOC's peak earnings flow in forganises the Youth Olympic er Youth Olympics were n 2010 and the first Winter Youth Olympics by Innsbruck, Austria, in 2012. Since 1999, the number of members has been capped at 115, which consists of a maximum cof 70 individual members, 15 active athletes, 15 representatives of the IFs (International Sports Federations) and 15 representatives of the NOCs (National Olympic Committees) The [OC is made up of the IOC, the IPs, and the NOCs mainly but it also works in cooperation with the Organising Committees of the Olympic Games (OCOGs), national sports institutions and associations recognised by the TOC and sports officials such as judges, referees, coaches, ete: The structure ofthe IOC may be represented as follows: 1, The President: Elected by members for 2 term of eight years. She/he may be re-elected after the term expires ‘The Vice Presidents: Four VPs are elected by the members for a term of four years. Like the President, they are also eligible for re-election. 3. Executive Board: Consists of the President, Ps, and ten other members elected by an TOC session through secret ballot with a simple majority declaring the chosen members. This board is responsible for the administration of the 10C. In the IOC's own words as described in their offical site, some important functions of the IOC according to the Olympic Charter are: 1. To encourage and support the promotion of ethics in sports as well as education of youth through sports and to dedicate its efforts toensure that, in sports, the spirit of fair pley prevails and violence is b port the organisation, anned To encourage and sup) development and coord sports competitions To ensure the regular cel dination of sports and iebration of the Olympic Games. competent public or private orities in the of humanity and To cooperate with organisations and auth endeavour to place sports at the service 0 thereby to promote peace 19 strengthen the unity To take action in order t Jence of the Olympic and to protect the independ Movement. To act against any for affecting the Olympic Movement. ‘To encourage and support the promones of vwomen in sports atalllevels andin all structures with a view to implementing the principle of equality of men and women. m of discrimination 10. To oppose any political og sports and athletes. Commer 11.To encourage and suppo - sports for all Tt the dey 12.To encourage and support sports with culture and edycmt™® ation INDIAN OLYMPIC Ass OCIATIgy N To prepare aspiring and of the country for Pete Games, the Indian Olympic =a also known as rn, At tstablished in 1927 by Sic Dora Tag Noehren as President and Genera Sear Me Like the IOC, the OA is a gg! non-governmental organisation; its heage are located at New Delhi. The ofa JOA lasts from 1 April to 31 March wat of the General Asembly, fe gu ff National Sports Federations included in the programmes Olympic Games, or the Commonweath Gag approval consist 0 a Toead the fight against doping in Por rape aes " ncourage Fee te ian citizens who armen ees or the TOC; one male and one female ae e ortant role to strengthen the sports environment ofthe coun Figure 2.9 The 10A plays 20 impé es eT TEA notes, RAs 2have participated in the Olympic Games and fulfil the eligibility criteria of the guidelines; State and Union Territories’ Olympic Associations; Service Sports Control Board, and the National Federation ‘of Kho-Kho, Elections are held once every four years to appoint: ¢ President # Senior Vice President ® Eight (8) Vice Presidents Secretary General Treasurer + Six (6) Joint Secretaries 4 Ten (10) Executive Council members & One representative elected out of the Athletes Commission Main Objectives of the |OA spic Association, being part of the undertakes to respect: spic Charter, the Olympic promotion doping and ern to cal, moral ‘the youth of the yf character, good ‘were organised in 1896. Athens hosted it and nine countries competed. 3. To educate the public of the country as to the value of sports. 4. Incooperation with National Sports Federations to guard and enforce the applicable rules. 5. To assist in cooperation with National Sports Federations the selection, training and coaching of the teams that will represent India in the Olympic Games, the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games, South Asian Games, and other international competitions and tournaments, under the patronage of the IOC as well as IOA 6. To resist in the realm of sports all pressures of any kind, whether of a political, legal, racial, religious or economic nature. To collaborate with schools and university establishments in India to propagate the fundamental principles of Olympism at national level within the framework of the sports activity and also take steps for the diffusion of Olympism in the teaching programmes of Physical Education. 8. To resist and oppose any form of discrimination ‘ongroundsofrace, religion, legal politics, gender ‘or otherwise and to resist violence in sports. 9. To lay down guidelines to enforce the World ‘Anti-Doping Code and to fightagainst the use of substance and procedures prohibited by the IOC or the International Federations and to adopt and implement WADA Code thereby ensuring that the IOA’s Anti-Doping policies and rules, membership and/or funding requirements and results, management procedures conform with the World Anti-Doping Code and respect all the rules and responsibilities for the National Olympic Committee that are listed within the World Anti-Doping Code. ‘were held in 776 BCE. The only event was a single stadium footrace, won for one country in an Olympic, they cannot compete fora different country ig the creation of a new state confirmed by a treaty. 3