Sports and Society – Creating an Olympic Spirit

LESSON ON THE OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES

The Olympic and Paralympic Games ARE HELD every four years.
Ar first only men could COMPETE and women first TOOK PART in the Olympics
in 1900.
There are important symbols such as the flame and the rings. The colours of
the rings represent the different flags of every country and the 5 rings
represent the different continents.
The Paralympic Games were created after World War II because a doctor,
Ludwig Guttmann, believed that sport could be a great ASSET to help veterans
recover from their injuries and to IMPROVE their mental health. Disabled
athletes HAVE COME A LONG WAY (idiom) to compete in these IMPRESSIVE
events and they have OVERCOME many hardships.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games convey VALUES such as cooperation,
friendship, BRAVERY, STRENGTH... And they promote ideas such as EQUALITY
and inclusion.
As the reporter said in the video said : « The most important thing is not to win
but to TRY YOUR BEST just as the most important thing in life is not the
triumph but the struggle, the essential thing is not to have conquered but to
have fought well ».