Olympic Games

• Founder of modern Olympic Games 


  Pierre De Coubetain
• Events inspired by modern Olympic Games

  Dover

  Wenlock
• What year was the modern Olympic Games established?

  1896
• Which city did the first Olympic Games take place in?

  Athens
• Values of the Olympic Games 


  Excellence

  Inspiration

  Equality
• British Olympic Association (BOA)


  Select the nations best athletes to compete in the olympics for GB

  Help educate young people by working with schools
• International Olympics Committee (IOC)


  Organised the modern olympics and makes sure they run smoothly making sure the rules of the olympics are respected and followed
• Origin of the Paralympics

  Stoke Mandeville hospital where people with spinal cord injuries from the war played sports in wheelchairs for their mental and physical health
• Public schools influence 


  De Coubertain visited English public schools and was inspired by their approach to sport
• Berlin 1936


  Shop window effect for the Nazi ‘master race’

  Jesse Owens (US) embarrassed Hitler because he was ‘radically inferior’ winning 4 gold medals
• Mexico City 1968


  Human rights demonstration ‘black power’

  Countries threatened to boycott but 2 AAs (Tommie Smith and John Carlos) went and won 2 gold medals
• How did they protest for Human rights?

  Socks = poverty

  Black neck-chief = lynching

  Black glove fist = black power
• Munich 1972


  Day before games Palestinian terrorists (Black September group) kidnapped 11 Israeli athletes to make a political request to release 234 palestines imprisoned in Israel

  FAILED

  IOC took controversial decision for games to go ahead
• Moscow 1980


  US boycotted because Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan

  GB on the fence some went and some didn’t (didn’t want to throw away all the training they did)

  Only 6,000 competitors instead of the usual 10,000
• LA 1984


  Tit for Tat response boycott by the Soviet Union for events in 1980

  Based on Anti-Soviet propaganda
• Positive impacts the Olympics had on sporting

  More participation- inspired more excellence

  Increase in funding- better facilities to play in

  Focusing on minority sports to try
• Negative impacts the Olympics had on sporting

  Facilities not being used after the event

  Once Olympics is finished participation drops

  Bad influences to win like drugs- deviance
• Positive impacts the Olympics had socially

  National pride to host- feel good factor

  New houses from the ‘Olympic Village’ and new public services

  Awareness of health and fitness in the community
• Negative impacts the Olympics had socially

  Poorer people can’t afford new houses- council housing displacement

  Positive effects can be short lived and leave other problems

  If many tourists are there shop prices can go up for locals

  Resentment in the north because of social changes down south
• Positives impacts of the Olympics on the economy

  Lots more tourists which transforms a city eg. Baracelona

  Jobs are created through building facilities, transport, jobs for event

  Money is brought to the host city- local area does well
• Negative impacts of the Olympics on the economy

  Not having money to maintain the facilities eg. Greece, Bejjing, Rio

  People who worked in the stadiums jobs are only temporary

  So much money to bid to host the games and if you don’t win it can have a serious effect on the economy
• Positive impacts the Olympics had on politics

  Country can get into power because they feel confident

  ‘Shop window‘ effect eg. Nazi Ger

  Government ruling party at the time gains credit for winning the Olympics
• Negative impacts the Olympics had on politics

  Cost of the event can go over budget- politically unpopular

  If something goes wrong at the event eg. Terrorism = government is to blame

  If host nation does poorly in their sports event it is perceived as failing
• Commercialisation 


  1976 Montreal- catastrophic financial situation for city

  1980- shop window for communist state

  hosting needed to be made more attractive

  LA- Turing point/first highly commercialised games
• Peter Veberroth


  President of LA Olympic organising committee

  In charge of recruiting sponsors and encouraging companies to invest in facilities

  Games made a surplus of $250 million
• Sponsorship


  No advertising allowed in venues or on performers = subtle

  Coca Cola/ Visa/ McDonalds/ Toyota/ Omega “hamburger games”

  limited sponsors = exclusivity made money

  TOPS = 13 major sponsors
• Golden Triangle 


  Commercialisation

  Media

  Sport
• TV/Media 


  Greatest source of revenue

  TV companies paid for coverage rights
• Merchandise 


  Souvenirs/mascots

  Smallest revenue (2%)