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The Modern Olympic Games

Today the Olympic Games are visited by thousands of people every time they are held. They provide an opportunity for sport lovers of all nations to meet together. A few people know that in ancient time they were abolished. In 394 AD the Roman Emperor Theodosius I considered the Olympics a pagan rite and banned them due to religious reasons. The renewal of the Games came when the French educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin managed to persuade people to start the Olympic Games again. The International Olympic Committee was set up in 1894 and the first modern Olympic Games took place in Athens two years later, in 1896.

The motto adopted by the International Olympic Committee is “Faster, Higher, Stronger” (“Citius, Altius, Fortius” in Greek). There were competitions in many kinds of sport: running, jumping, and boxing. All the nations of the world were invited to take part in the Games. From then on the Olympic Games have become international and the number of events on the programme has increased. The International Olympic Committee is the central policy-making body of the Olympic movement, formed by the representatives of the participant countries.

There are summer and winter Olympic Games nowadays. They are held separately. There are always several cities which wish to host the Games. The International Committee of the Olympic Games selects the most suitable. (Over 150 countries are represented in the International Olympic Committee at present.) After that the host city starts its preparations for the competitions: builds new sport facilities, reconstructs buildings, hotels, sport centres… Thousand of athletes, journalists and guests arrive to the games and it takes great efforts to arrange everything. Much attention is paid to the opening ceremony. At the opening of the Games the International Olympic Committee appears as host. The national anthem of the host country is played and all the participants march past the Lodge of Honour. The Head of the host country declares the Games open. Then the Olympic flag –the symbol of the five continents with five interlaced rings of blue, yellow, black, green and red colours on a white background – is raised and the Olympic hymn is sung. Then the Olympic flame is lit that will burn till the end of the Games and the Olympic torch is carried by torch bearers. The oath taking ceremony also takes place and all the participants of the Games promise to compete honestly.

Russia joined the Olympic movement in 1952. Since then, Russian sportsmen and sportswomen have won a great deal of gold, silver and bronze medals. The importance of the Olympic Games was well expressed by Pierre de Coubertin: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle”.

5. Answer the following questions:

1. What opportunity do the Olympic Games provide sport-lovers today?

2. The Olympic Games were never abolished, weren’t they?

3. Who banned the Olympic Games? What was the reason for it?

4. When did the renewal of the Olympic Games come?

5. When was the International Olympic Committee set up?

6. What motto did the International Olympic Committee adopt?

7. What is the International Olympic Committee?

8. What is one of the most important Olympic ceremonies?

9. What happens after the head of the host country declares the Games open?

10. What other Olympic ceremonies take place before the beginning of the Games?

11. When did Russia join the Olympic movement?

12. What are the achievements of the Russian sportsmen and sportswomen?

Say if the given below statements are true or false. If the statement is correct, you should say “It’s true” or “I agree”. If the statement is not correct you should say “It’s false” or “I disagree” and correct it.

1. Today the Olympic Games are visited by many people.

2. In 394 AD the Roman Emperor Theodosius banned the Olympic Games because he thought they were not so very interesting and exciting.

3. Pierre de Coubertin managed to revive the Olympic Games.

4. The International Olympic Committee was set up in 1894 and soon adopted the Olympic motto: “Faster, Higher, Wider”.

5. It doesn’t take great efforts to arrange everything for the Olympic Games.

6. At the beginning much attention is usually paid to spectators.

7. There are summer, winter and spring Olympic Games.

8. The Olympic flag has 5 colours: blue, yellow, green, black and purple.

9. Sportsmen usually decide themselves where and when the Olympics take place.

10. Pierre de Coubertin once said: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is to win, and not to take part, just as the most important thing in life is the triumph, and not the struggle”.

Make up your own three statements, using the information from the text. One of your statements should be false. Read your statements to the students. Their task is to say which of the statements is false and correct it.

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