4
SUMMER OLYMPICS
When?
Every four years.
Future Locations:
2012-London, England
2016-TBD on October 9, 2009
Significance:
Over 10,000 athletes. Over 200 nations represented. More than twenty-five sports. Over 300 events. Only the Summer Olympic Games could contain that level of competition. With oversight by the International Olympic Committee, the Games of the Olympiad are played every four years in cities around the world. Even the bidding process to get an Olympics is as competitive as the Games themselves.
Athletes representing their sport and their country of citizenship compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals. It is a rare opportunity for countries to put their differences aside for a short time and come together in sportsmanlike competition. This is the closest we get to seeing people from across the world act in harmony.
Who attends?
Major sports fans make pilgrimages to the Olympics. Sports junkies will travel across the world to witness the Summer Games. Onsite fans marvel at knowing they are watching the absolute best-of-the-best compete.
Fun Facts
Australia, France, Great Britain, Greece, and Switzerland have sent teams to every Summer Olympic Games.
Great Britain also holds the distinction of winning at least one gold medal at every Summer Olympics.
Host Greece won the most medals (46) at the first Olympic Summer Games in 1896.
The United States has won more medals at the Summer Games than any other country.
The records for most gold medals in a single game and the most gold medals in an Olympic career were established by Michael Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, with 8 gold medals and 14 gold medals respectively.
The five Olympic rings represent the major regions of the world, including Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.
Every national flag in the world includes one of the five colors of the Olympic rings: blue, yellow, black, green, and red.
The 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games were the first in three decades that were not boycotted by any country.
Up until 1992, the Olympics were held every four years. Since then, the Winter and Summer Games have alternated every two years.
The first Olympics covered by a broadcast network were the 1960 Summer Games in Rome by CBS.
197 countries competed in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Summer Games.
History
The Games of the Olympiad is a sporting event that goes back to 776 B.C., celebrating the Greek god Zeus. In 393 A.D., the games ended over accusations that it was nothing more than a pagan festival. In 1896, the games returned when Baron Pierre de Coubertin proposed a revival of what is now the modern-day Summer Games. Out of those initial 245 competitors, 200 were Greek and only fourteen countries were represented. After a rough start, including the cancellation of the 1916 Berlin Olympics, the Games came into their own and grew both in prominence and in the number of athletes participating.
Summer Olympic Sports:
Archery, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Cycling, Diving, Equestrian, Fencing, Field Hockey, Gymnastics, Judo, Mountain Biking, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Soccer, Swimming, Synchronized Swimming, Table Tennis, Tae Kwon Do, Tennis, Track and Field, Volleyball, Water Polo, Weightlifting, Wrestling, and the Triathlon (swimming, biking, and running).
Records:
Most career Olympic medals for a female: Larissa Latynina, USSR, 18
Most career Olympic medals for a male: Michael Phelps, USA, 16
Motto
Citius, Altius, Fortius, Latin for “faster, higher, stronger.”
Traditions:
Opening Ceremonies
Receiving the Head of State of the Host Country
Parade of the Participants
Speech by the President of the Organizing Committee
Speech by the IOC President
Head of State Declares the Games Open
Playing of the Olympic Anthem and the Entry and Raising of the Olympic Flag
Last Stage of the Olympic Torch Relay and the Lighting of the Olympic Cauldron
Symbolic Release of the Pigeons
Taking of the Oath by a Competitor
Taking of the Oath by a Judge
National Anthem of the Host Country
Artistic Program
Flame and Torch
According to the ancient Greeks, Prometheus gave mankind fire, and it holds sacred qualities. The eternal flame comes from the flames that burned in front of the Greek temples lit using the sun’s rays. The Olympic flame is lit in front of the ruins of the Temple of Hera. From there, runners pass the torch in relay fashion until it arrives at the site of the Games.
Release of Doves
Following the lighting of the cauldron, doves are released as a symbol of peace. The 1896 Olympics started that tradition and it is now an official part of the Summer Games’ Opening Ceremony.
The Olympic Oath
One athlete and one judge from the home nation recite the Olympic Oath during the Opening Ceremony of every Olympics. The current form of the judges’ oath is:
“In the name of all the judges and officials, I promise that we shall officiate in these Olympic Games with complete impartiality, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship.”
The current form of the athletes’ oath is:
“In the name of all the competitors I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, committing ourselves to a sport without doping and without drugs, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams.”
Tickets:
For primary ticket options, check with the official Olympic movement website,
www.olympic.org, for information.
Travel Packages:
If you are going to travel to the Olympics, I would recommend using a reliable company to work with you on making the necessary arrangements. The suppliers listed in this book have solid references and are by far the most trusted in the business. Below are some of the organizations to try for this Top 100 Must See Sporting Event.
Premiere Corporate Events
14 Penn Plaza, Suite 925
New York, NY 10122
Phone: (212) 695-9480
Fax: (212) 564-8098
Toll-Free: 1-877-621-5243
E-mail: requests@tseworld.com
www.tseworld.comwww.pcevents.comPremiere Sports Travel
201 Shannon Oaks Circle, Suite 205
Cary, NC 27511
Phone: (919) 481-9511
Fax: (919) 481-1337
Toll-Free: 1-800-924-9993
E-mail: sales@sportstravel.com
www.sportstravel.com
Notable Quotes:
“For athletes, the Olympics are the ultimate test of their worth.”—MARY LOU RETTON, 1984 Olympic gold medalist in the all-around, gymnastics
“When you win national titles, you’re recognized by people in your sport. At the Olympics the recognition is not just from your sport . . . (but) from your country and the world.”—PETER WESTBROOK, 1984 Olympic bronze medalist in fencing
Relevant Websites: