Olympic Games

Olympics Facts

admin — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 07:16:33 +0000

Olympic Games are one of the most awaited athletic events in the world of today. The history of Olympic Games dates back to 776 BC, when they were considered as more of a religious festival, than a competition. However, the ancient Olympic Games came to an end in 393 AD. It was only in late 19^th century that interest in Olympic Games was renewed. The first modern Olympics were held in 1896, in Athens, Greece. The international multi-sport event of Olympics stands subdivided into summer and winter sporting events. These two events are held at a two-year gap. In case you want to know more about Olympics, check out the fun facts and interesting trivia given below.

Olympics Facts & Trivia

From 776 BC to 393 AD, the early Olympic Games were organized, being celebrated as a religious festival.

It was 1894 that Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a French educator, proposed the revival of the ancient tradition of Olympics, giving birth to the modern-day Olympic Summer Games.

The first Olympic Summer Games were held in Athens, in 1896. In those games, Greece won the most medals (47).

The first opening ceremony of Olympic Games was held in London, England, when the country hosted the sporting event in the year 1908.

In the 1920 Olympic Games, the Olympic flag was flown for the very first time.

The first Winter Olympic Games were held in Chamonix (France), in the year 1924.

Till date, Norway has won the maximum medals, numbering 263, at the Olympic Winter Games.

In case of Olympic Summer Games, United States claims the distinction of having the maximum medals, numbering 2189.

The five Olympic rings represent the five major regions of the world – Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceana.

Every national flag in the world includes one of the five colors of the Olympic rings, which are blue, yellow, black, green, and red.

Until 1994, Olympics were held after every four years. Since then, Winter and Summer Games have alternated every two years.

The 1960 Summer Games in Rome were the first Olympics to be covered by U.S. television. They were covered by CBS.

Till date, not even a single country in Southern Hemisphere has hosted Winter Olympic Games.

Olympic Games have never been organized in three continents – Africa, South America and Antarctica.

Pierre de Coubertin is the writer of the Olympic Oath, which is recited during the opening ceremonies, by an athlete, on behalf of all the atheletes.

Belgian athlete Victor Boin took the first Olympic oath, way back in the year 1920.

Olympic flame is a very important part of the Games. The flame was ignited for the first time in Olympia (Greece). The flame kept burning until the closing ceremony of the Games. The custom is followed till date.

The first Olympic flame marked its appearance in the modern Olympics in 1928, when it was ignited in Amsterdam – the host of the games in that year.

The Olympic Hymn is played when the Olympic Flag is raised, during the opening ceremony of the game. The hymn was composed by Spyros Samaras, while Kostis Palamas provided the lyrics.

In the ancient times, the gold medals awarded in Olympic Games were made completely out of pure gold. The last Olympic gold medal (made of pure gold) was awarded way back in 1912.

Olympic Games

admin — Tue, 10 May 2011 10:18:58 +0000

Olympic Games, athletic festival that originated in ancient Greece and was revived in the late 19th century. Before the 1970s the Games were officially limited to competitors with amateur status, but in the 1980s many events were opened to professional athletes. Currently the Games are open to all, even the top professional athletes in basketball and football (soccer). The ancient Olympic Games included several of the sports that are now part of the Summer Games program, which at times has included events in as many as 32 different sports. In 1924 the Winter Games were sanctioned for winter sports. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition. For coverage of the 2008 Olympics, see Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: Mount Olympus Meets the Middle Kingdom. For coverage of the 2010 Winter Games, see Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games.

In ancient Greece it was a Panhellenic festival held every fourth year and made up of contests of sports, music, and literature. Since 1896 the name has been used for a modified revival of the ancient Games, consisting of international athletic contests held at four-year intervals. The original Games included footraces, the discus and javelin throws, the long jump, boxing, wrestling, the pentathlon, and chariot races. After the subjugation of Greece by Rome, the Games declined; they were finally abolished about ad 400. They were revived in the late 19th century through efforts led in part by Pierre, baron de Coubertin; the first modern Games were held in Athens. The first Winter Games were held in 1924. The direction of the modern Olympic movement and the regulation of the Games are vested in the International Olympic Committee, headquartered at Lausanne, Switz. Until the 1970s the Games adhered to a strict code of amateurism, but since that time professional players have also been allowed to participate. Programs for the Summer Games include competition in archery, baseball, basketball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, diving, equestrian sports, fencing, field hockey,football (soccer), gymnastics, handball, judo, the modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, softball, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track and field (athletics), the triathlon, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, and wrestling. The program for the Winter Games includes the biathlon, bobsledding, ice hockey, lugeing, skeleton sledding, snowboarding, and numerous ice skating andskiing events. Events are periodically added and dropped.

Olympic Symbols

admin — Tue, 10 May 2011 10:16:14 +0000

Olympic Rings

In 1913, Baron Pierre de Coubertin came up with the idea for the symbol most closely associated with the Olympics, the Olympic Rings. Every rings stands for one of the five continents. Although there are seven continents, Antarctica is excluded and North America and South America are considered one. The connection of the rings symbolizes the connection of the continents during the Games and the ideal of peace and brotherhood of the whole planet. The flag was first flown at the 1920 Olympic Games in Belgium. After each Olympics the flag is passed on to the new host city, where it is kept safe until it is flown, during the Olympics. The original Olympic flag was used until 1984, when Seoul presented a new flag to the IOC, made of Korean silk.

Olympic Torch

Beginning in 1934, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) introduced the Olympic flame with the idea that it would enrich the games. The torch-relay, starting with the flame lighting at ancient Olympia and arriving at the hosting city, would be a strong link between the ancient Olympic sites and the modern Olympic cities. The flame symbolizes the purity which embodies the eternal youth of the Olympic philosophy. The universal symbol of the flame would lead all competitors to understand that it is necessary to work towards the lasting unity of mankind.

Somdev Burman

admin — Tue, 10 May 2011 10:09:15 +0000

Somdev Devvarman, the new poster boy of Indian tennis has been scaling new heights on a regular scale. His recent feat, of being one of the top 100 players in the circuit speaks very highly of him. He is currently ranked 96 in the ATP circuit. It’s after a long time that we have witnessed an Indian player ranked below 100. The last men’s player to achieve this landmark was Leander Paes.

Somdev Devvarman
Somdev Burman, born in Guwahati came into limelight during his college days in the University of Virginia in USA. He received applauds from all and sundry which gave him further encouragement to make it as one of the best singles player India has produced. He is young and has lot to prove in the international level. But whatever has been seen of this player on the courts is simply amazing to the passionate Indian fans who have been long crying for a good player in the international circuit.
His first major success came in front of the packed Tennis stadium at Chennai where he defeated Carlos Moya and Iva Karlovic during the Chennai open which he still treasures, but later faltered in the final hurdle playing for the elusive title where he lost to Reinnar Schuttler. The championship proved that he was ready to face the big guns of the industry and give a run for their money.

Devvarmanation!
He has always showcased a great skill in the court and his stamina along with his powerful strokes are already his strong points, as a result of which he has been climbing the ranking charts on a regular basis. But if he is to survive in this modern era of Tennis then he has to improve his game in each and every aspect, so he could compete with the elite Tennis players and play those Grand slams with confidence. He has been now regularly playing in ATP circuit but has not achieved major success in terms of trophies. Though to show for his continuous efforts he has been victorious in 4 ATP futures tournament and one Challenger too.
Players like Ramesh Krishanan had made it to the quarter finals of 3 grand slam. Vijay Amritraj , who once reached a ranking of 16 (highest by any Indian) in 1980 and also have 16 singles titles to his credit, and leander Paes who has already produced a Bronze Medal in the Olympics are big boots to fill for Somdev. The lad from Guwahati has the talent and the determination to clear all obstacles and hold the Indian Tri colour high.

Boxing

admin — Tue, 10 May 2011 09:57:01 +0000

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists for competition. Boxing is typically supervised by areferee engaged in during a series of one- to three-minute intervals called rounds, and boxers generally of similar weight. There are four ways to win; if the opponent is knocked out and unable to get up before the referee counts to ten seconds (a knockout, or KO) or if the opponent is deemed too injured to continue (a Technical Knockout, or TKO), if an opponent is disqualified for breaking a rule, or if there is no stoppage of the fight before an agreed number of rounds, a winner is determined either by the referee’s decision or by judges’ scorecards.

A boxing match typically consists of a determined number of three-minute rounds, a total of up to 12 rounds (formerly 15). A minute is typically spent between each round with the fighters in their assigned corners receiving advice and attention from their coach and staff. The fight is controlled by a referee who works within the ring to judge and control the conduct of the fighters, rule on their ability to fight safely, count knocked-down fighters, and rule on fouls. Up to three judges are typically present at ringside to score the bout and assign points to the boxers, based on punches that connect, defense, knockdowns, and other, more subjective, measures. Because of the open-ended style of boxing judging, many fights have controversial results, in which one (Or both) fighters believe they have been “robbed” or unfairly denied a victory. Each fighter has an assigned corner of the ring, where his or her coach, as well as one or more “seconds” may administer to the fighter at the beginning of the fight and between rounds. Each boxer enters into the ring from their assigned corners at the beginning of each round and must cease fighting and return to their corner at the signaled end of each round.

The sport of boxing has two internationally recognized boxing halls of fame; the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) and the World Boxing Hall of Fame (WBHF), with the IBHOF being the more widely recognized boxing hall of fame.

The WBHF was founded by Everett L. Sanders in 1980. Since its inception the WBHOF has never had a permanent location or museum, which has allowed the more recent IBHOF to garner more publicity and prestige. Among the notable names in the WBHF are Ricardo “Finito” Lopez, Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, Michael Carbajal, Khaosai Galaxy, Henry Armstrong, Jack Johnson, Roberto Durán,George Foreman, Ceferino Garcia,and Salvador Sanchez. Boxing’s International Hall of Fame was inspired by a tribute an American town held for two local heroes in 1982. The town, Canastota, New York, (which is about 15 miles (24 km) east of Syracuse, via the New York State Thruway), honored former world welterweight/middleweight champion Carmen Basilio and his nephew, former world welterweight champion Billy Backus. The people of Canastota raised money for the tribute which inspired the idea of creating an official, annual hall of fame for notable boxers.

The International Boxing Hall of Fame opened in Canastota in 1989. The first inductees in 1990 included Jack Johnson, Benny Leonard, Jack Dempsey, Henry Armstrong, Sugar Ray Robinson, Archie Moore, and Muhammad Ali. Other world-class figures include Roberto “Manos de Piedra” Durán, Ricardo Lopez, Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, Vicente Saldivar, Ismael Laguna, Eusebio Pedroza, Carlos Monzón, Azumah Nelson, Rocky Marciano, Pipino Cuevas and Ken Buchanan. The Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony is held every June as part of a four-day event.

The fans who come to Canastota for the Induction Weekend are treated to a number of events, including scheduled autograph sessions, boxing exhibitions, a parade featuring past and present inductees, and the induction ceremony itself

Swimming

admin — Tue, 10 May 2011 09:42:06 +0000

Competitive swimming in Europe started around 200 BCE, mostly using the breaststroke. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawlused by Native Americans. Due to a British disregard for splashing, Trudgen employed a scissor kick instead of the front crawl’s flutter kick. Swimming was part of the first modern Olympic games in 1896 in Athens. In 1902 Richard Cavill introduced the front crawl to the Western world. In 1908, the world swimming association, Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), was formed. The butterfly stroke was developed in the 1930s and was at first a breaststroke variant, until it was accepted as a separate style in 1952. In 1964, Lillian Bonnell won the award for being the first woman to participate in a swimming competition and because of her now millions of women participate every year

Competitive swimming became popular in the nineteenth century. The goal of competitive swimming is to constantly improve upon one’s time(s) in any given event. To be the best in a particular event means having the fastest time compared to other people in that event, though some professional swimmers who do not have a number one national or world ranking are known to be the best with regard to their technical skills in the water. Typically, an athlete goes through a cycle of training in which the body is overloaded with work in the beginning and middle segments of the cycle, and then the workload is decreased in the final stage as the swimmer approaches the competition in which he or she is to compete in. This final stage is often referred to as “shave and taper”; the swimmer has tapered down his or her work load to the point where he or she is able to perform at their optimal level, and then the swimmer shaves off all exposed hair and dead skin cells for the sake of reducing drag and having a sleeker and more hydrodynamic feel in the water.

Swimming is an event at the Summer Olympic Games, where male and female athletes compete in 16 of the recognized events each. Olympic events are held in a 50 meter pool (long course). There are 40 officially recognized individual swimming events in the pool, however the International Olympic Committee only recognizes 32 of them. The international governing body for competitive swimming is the Fédération Internationale de Natation (“International Swimming Federation”) better known as FINA.

In open-water swimming, where the events are swam in a body of open water (lake or sea), there are also 5 km, 10 km and 25 km events for men and women. However only the 10 km event is included in the Olympic schedule, again for both men and women. Open-water competitions are typically separate to other swimming competitions with the exception of the World Championships and the Olympics.

In competitive swimming four major styles have been established. These have been relatively stable over the last 30–40 years with minor improvements:

Freestyle swimming
Breaststroke
Backstroke
Butterfly stroke

Most swimming sport events are held in special competition swimming pools, which are either long course pools such as those used in the Olympic Games (50 m) or short course pools such as those used in the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) (25 yards or 25 m). Competition pools have starting blocks from which the competitor can dive in, and possibly also touch-sensitive pads to electronically record the swimming time of each competitor.

It’s recommended that swimmers wear water proof sunscreen to meets and daytime swim practices that are outside to prevent sunburns. It’s also recommended that swimmers dry off well between events at meets and change into dry clothes as soon as possible after swimming to prevent rashes and skin infections.

It also is important for pool water to be properly maintained to avoid rashes and skin infections.

Swimmers should shower with mild soap after swimming to remove pool chemicals such as chlorine and salt. Swimmers should use goggles to protect the eyes from pool water and improve underwater vision