global sporting events

• The original Olympic Games


  Held in Olympia (Greece) from the 18th Century BC - 4th century AD
• Modern Olympics


  Established in 1896
• Created by


  Baron Pierre de Coubertin (a French Historian)
• Baron Pierre de Coubertin

  • Visited Britain in the late 19th Century and liked the features of amateur sport
  • The idea was to bring countries together to compete in healthy competition, where taking part was more important than winning
• The Aims of the Olympics


  • To promote the development of physical and moral qualities that are the basis of sport
  • To spread the Olympic principles throughout the world
  • To bring together the athletes of the world in a 4-yearly festival
  • To educate young people through sport, develop friendship and build a better, more peaceful world
• The Olympic Values


  • Encourage effort - Strive for excellence ("Citius Altius Fortius" = "Faster Higher Stronger")
  • Preserve human dignity - Demonstrating respect
  • Develop harmony - celebrating friendship
• The Olympic Values


  • Respect
  • Excellence
  • Friendship
  • Courage
  • Determination
  • Inspiration
  • Equality
• British Olympic Association


  • Formed in 1905
  • Responsible for the planning and execution of Team GB's Olympic participation
  • They work with the Olympic Governing Bodies (e.g. Team GB Gymnastics) to select the strongest team
  • Also responsible for educating the public about the Olympics through advertising, sponsors and promotion etc... (rely on sponsors and grants etc...)
• International Olympic Committee


  • Created in 1894
  • Own all the right to the Olympic symbol and the games itself
  • Headquarters in Switzerland
  • Selects the host cities after their bids have being placed
• The Paralympics


  • Originated as a sporting competition for Second World War veterans with back injuries
  • The first official disabled olympic games was hosted in 1960 in Rome
  • Toronto 1976: Added more sports and accepted more disabilities
  • Sweden 1976: First ever Paralympic winter games
  • Paralympic values - Determination / Courage / Equality / Inspiration...
• Berlin - 1936 (Third Reich Ideology)


  • Used by Hitler and the Nazi's used these games for Political Propaganda
  • He was keen for the Germans to win the majority of the medals to prove Nazi Germany's supremacy
  • Berlin was awarded the right to host the Olympics before the Nazi party came about
  • Hitler saw it as the perfect platform to showcase his superior Nazi Germany
• Propaganda


  Seeking to influence people towards a certain cause. Information given is often biased.
• Mexico City - 1968 (Black Power Demonstration)


  • African-Americans at the time had a lack of equal rights
  • Apartheid: South African law where non-white people had to live away from white people and use different public facilities!!!
  • Because of this, Mexico uninvited South Africa to the Olympic games
  • All African-Americans were encouraged to boycott the games, but this didn't happen
  • "Black Power Salute" by athletes that won 200m race they were banned and removed of the medals
• Munich 1972 - Palestinian Terrorism


  • A day before the Olympics, 8 Palestinian terrorists kidnapped 11 members of the Israeli Olympic Team
  • They requested that 234 Palestines must be released before they surrender
  • German authorities tried to rescue the hostages, but all 11 died, along with 5 of the kidnappers
• Moscow - 1980 (Boycott by the USA)


  • The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, which created conflict
  • Maggie Thatcher: "One way to bring home the Russians from war is is to boycott their Olympics"
  • US President Jimmy Carter: "You have 1 month to pull out or we will boycott the Olympics."
  • This sparked debate about the link between sport and politics
  • 4,000 out of 10,000 athletes boycotted the games
• Los Angeles - 1984 (Soviet Union Boycott)


  • 12 weeks before the opening ceremony, the Soviet Union announced that they would be boycotting them
  • ...along with East Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary & Cuba (14 in total)
  • The first games to make significant profit. Due to private funding
  • The Soviet Union argued this is why they boycotted, because of commercialisation and going against the Olympic charter
• Impacts of sporting events

  • Sporting Impacts
  • Social Impacts
  • Economic Impacts
  • Political Impacts
• Sporting Impacts - Benefits

  • Raises the profile of the sport, which increases participation (e.g. cycling after the London 2012 Olympics)
  • Excellent facilities left behind (e.g. Olympic Stadium now used by West Ham FC)
  • Can boost minority sports
  • More funding available for certain sports
  • More sponsors / funding for NGB's
  • Participation rates increased when London won the bid for the Olympics and in the year of the Olympics. Since the, there had been a decrease in participation
• Sporting Impacts - Drawbacks

  • Facilities are not always used
  • Lesser-known sports can take a back seat and receive less funding
  • Sport deviance is more likely to be highlighted, e.g. hooliganism, reducing viewing figures...
• Social Impacts - Positive

  • Money brought in to support local population and public services
  • Pride to the host nation
  • Improved sports facilities for local communities
  • Improved employment, accomodation and transport systems
• Social Impacts - Negative


  • Not all area of a country / city used
  • Locals may have to move house / be relocated for building works
  • Prices rise mid-event for everything
  • Benefits are not always long lasting
  • Less funding for other issues locally
• Social Impacts


  • Transport - Improved transport links
  • Economic - Money gained from Sales / Tourism etc...
  • Facilities - World class facilities left behind for re-use
  • Disability - Greater respect for disability sport. Less discrimination
  • Participation - Increased participation rates within England
  • Pride - Sense of pride for hosting
  • Employment - Jobs generated during the Olympic games
• Economic Impacts - Positive


  • Increased money / funds for host country
  • More jobs created
  • Increase in tourism in years to come
  • More sales of event related goods, e.g. specific merchandise
• Economic Impacts - Negative


  • Placing a bid for the Olympics costs millions
  • The jobs are not permanent / long lasting
  • The event can cause more than it makes
  • Funding loss / cuts for sports that underachieve. Also, loss of sponsors.
• Political Impacts - Advantages


  • Leaders / political parties gain credit for successful bids
  • Staging a global event can bring unity to the country
  • "Shop window effect" - show off their culture / way of life to the world
• Political Impacts - Disadvantages


  • Cost of the overall event can reduce popularity of a leader / political party
  • Politicians blamed for something going wrong, e.g. terrorism, failed events etc...
  • Negative environmental impacts (e.g. litter) lead to reduced popularity
  • Negative legacy / success = reflects bad on the party
  • Protests can be embarrassing, e.g. black power salute