Olympics

Ancient Greece

• Greeks were very competitive and very health conscious

• Palaestra- work out area in each polis. Only men were allowed. Also a place to discuss issues of the day.

• First reference to competitive games- Homer’s Iliad

First reference to competitive games – Homer’s Iliad

First games held in 776B.C.E. – only events were foot races

>Citius, altius, fortius – swifter, higher, stronger (Olympic motto)

>Quadrennial – every 4 years or a period of 4 years

>Held at Olympia in honor of Zeus

>Winners received – a wreath at the games, prestige and rewards when back home

>”Arete” – striving for your best

• 394 A.D. Roman Emperor Theodosius bans the games, considering them pagan (non-Christian) spectacles *The games won’t be held again for 1,500 years!

Modern Olympics

• First held in Athens (1896)• Role: peaceful international athletic competition,

national pride, and cultural interchange

Some significant Olympic moments:Jesse Owens at 1936 Berlin Summer games – black

American who wins 4 golds in the face of Hitler’s “master race” philosophy

Bob Beamon at 1968 Summer games – sets amazing long jump record

*Black Power Demonstration at 1968 Mexico City Summer games – protesting race discrimination and poverty in the U.S.

Munich 1972

Men’s Basketball – controversial loss to Soviets in gold medal game

Israeli Athletes killed – by Palestinian terrorists

~Moscow 1980 >American Boycott due to Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

~LA 1984»Soviet Boycott

of us!

1980 Lake Placid’s “Miracle on Ice” – U.S Amateurs beat heavily favored Soviet “Red Army” team

Barcelona 1992 “The Dream Team” – first timeprofessional players were used by U.S.

Atlanta 1996~Atlanta vs Athens – Athens badly wanted centennial games of the modern Olympics but Atlanta gets them instead

*Bombing of Olympic Park by Eric Rudolph who was politically opposed to abortion, homosexuality, and socialism.

He later bombs 2 abortion clinics and a gay nightclub and is currently serving multiple life sentences in theSuper Max prison in Colorado