The History Of The London Summer Olympics

By Adriana Noton


In 2012 Britain shall be hosting the London Summer Olympics. Preparations are currently being made for this historic event which will bring together the worlds best sporting talent all in one country.

The Olympic games that you see today have evolved from the Ancient Olympic Games which originated in Ancient Greece. It is believed that the event dates back to 776 BC and they were held every four years. The events that took place included running, boxing, wrestling, equestrian events and a pentathlon. There was a strong religious element to the games and they are believed to have decreased in popularity as the Romans were gaining power and changing religious practices, in around 393 AD.

In the seventeenth, eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries various sporting events were organised in different places. The most notable attempts at emulating the ancient event were in the Cotswolds in 1612 and revolutionary France at the end of the eighteenth century. During the nineteenth century the Olympics were revived in Greece with athletes from Greece and the Ottoman Empire taking part.

The modern Olympics as we know them now were reinstated in the late nineteenth century. Fourteen different countries took part in the events that were held in the birthplace of the games, Athens. A vast number of athletes took part in forty three sporting events and the reinvention was considered a triumph. The next couple of games that took part in Paris and St Louis in 1900 and 1904 respectively were not such a great success, due to a number of controversies. This reputation did not last long though and for the most part the Olympics are considered to be a great unifying event.

Previously London has played host to the games in 1908 and 1948. In 1908 they were relocated at short notice from Italy following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Despite the short notice a magnificent stadium was built and the event was once more a success. The scheduled 1944 Olympics had to be cancelled due to the Second World War however a frugal version was reinstated in London in 1948.

For the third time in its history the Olympic torch will visit London in 2012. All of the usual traditions will be upheld with the Queen being involved, speeches and parades and the Olympic torch will be lit for the entirety of the games. It will only then be extinguished at the closing ceremony where it shall be passed to the next host country for four years time.

There will be twenty six sports in which to compete. These will include athletics, racket games, bicycling, ball games, water events, equestrian events, gymnastics, boxing and martial arts and shooting events. Many of the sports are broken down into different disciplines. The Paralympic Games will also be held which allows participants with disabilities to take part.

If you have a ticket to see some of the London summer Olympics you are in for a great experience. Should you have not been lucky enough to get tickets this time round you will have to make sure you catch some of the coverage that will be televised around the world.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment