Focus: The Olympic Games, ancient and modern

2004 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-399

2004 is an Olympic year, so it is worth directing some attention to the ‘inventors’ of the Olympic Games, the ancient Greeks who, in the early eighth century BC, according to at least one tradition, founded the Olympic Games in the precinct of Zeus, an area on the Peloponnese not far from the later city of Elis. The ‘inventor’ of the new Olympic Games in 1896, the French Baron, Pierre de Coubertin, drew at least part of his inspiration from the ancient predecessors. What was the status of the ancient Olympics in the world of sports in the Greco-Roman period; what sort of sport was practised in Olympia? Who were the participating athletes and, above all, why did they practice their sports and why did they participate in the Olympics? Was it the case that it was a gentlemanly amateur activity and that commercialism in sport is just a modern deviation?

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 386-389
Author(s):  
Eduardo Oliveira

Evinç Doğan (2016). Image of Istanbul, Impact of ECoC 2010 on The City Image. London: Transnational Press London. [222 pp, RRP: £18.75, ISBN: 978-1-910781-22-7]The idea of discovering or creating a form of uniqueness to differentiate a place from others is clearly attractive. In this regard, and in line with Ashworth (2009), three urban planning instruments are widely used throughout the world as a means of boosting a city’s image: (i) personality association - where places associate themselves with a named individual from history, literature, the arts, politics, entertainment, sport or even mythology; (ii) the visual qualities of buildings and urban design, which include flagship building, signature urban design and even signature districts and (iii) event hallmarking - where places organize events, usually cultural (e.g., European Capital of Culture, henceforth referred to as ECoC) or sporting (e.g., the Olympic Games), in order to obtain worldwide recognition. 


Author(s):  
Olga Kuvaldina ◽  
Volodymyr Driukov

Analysis of Ukrainian athletes’ results at the XXXII Olympiad Games allows pointing out the factors of the weak performance of Ukrainian athletes in women's individual saber and epee competitions, as well as men's team epee competitions, despite the possibility of winning medals in these sports events according to many analysts including those of Infostrada Sports and other sports statistics experts. These, in our opinion, include an unsatisfactory level of efficiency of the process of reaching the peak of readiness for the Olympic Games; lack of psychological stability of athletes at the competitions; weak tactical preparation of some athletes. Based on the performances of athletes of the Ukrainian fencing team in Tokyo, a conclusion was made about the unsatisfactory level of athletes’ preparation for the XXXII Olympic Games. Only 20% of the national team members were able to realize their potential at the XXXII Olympic Games. The dynamics of the athletes’ results at the World Championships 2017 – 2019 indicates the need to use in the new Olympic cycle the planning, which is focused on our athletes reaching the peak of readiness for the Olympics: at first, the training should be aimed at the maximum stimulation of the growth of sportsmanship, whereas at the final stage it should be focused on its realization in the major competitions. It is shown that despite the unsuccessful performance of the Ukrainian fencing team in the Olympic Tokyo, this type of martial arts has significant potential for improving sports achievements at the XXXIII Olympic Games 2024 in Paris. It is noted that in the new Olympic cycle it is of crucial importance to identify candidates for the XXXIII Olympic Games as soon as possible and to create all the conditions for their full-fledged preparation. Thus, to ensure further winning medal places at the Olympic Games, it is necessary to improve the system of sports training in the Olympic cycle, which envisages participation in numerous competitions during the year to achieve a high level of readiness in the major competitions of triennial – the Olympic Games.


Author(s):  
Андрей Иванович Пьянзин ◽  
Надежда Николаевна Пьянзина

На сегодняшний день имеет место противоречие между большим объемом эмпирического и статистического материала по достижениям чувашских спортсменов в крупнейших международных соревнованиях и недостаточно глубоким их анализом, лежащим в основе выявления закономерностей и перспектив развития спорта в республике. Целью исследования является выявление динамики и закономерностей участия спортсменов Чувашской Республики в составе сборной команды страны на Олимпийских играх 1952-2016 гг. Методы исследования: теоретический анализ исторической и справочной литературы по теме исследования, анализ документальных материалов, методы математической статистики. В советский период наибольшее число участников Олимпийских игр среди спортсменов Чувашской Республики (по 4 человека) приходится на игры 1972 и 1976 гг. Самыми успешными можно признать выступления спортсменов Чувашской Республики на Олимпийских играх 1968, 1976 и 1980 гг. Наиболее высокое среднее место приходится на бокс, фехтование, командную велогонку, борьбу классическую. В постсоветский период представительство спортсменов Чувашской Республики в составе Олимпийской сборной России заметно увеличилось и составило по 10 человек на играх в 2000 и 2004 гг., 9 человек на играх в 2008 г. Можно выделить 20-летний период успешного выступления спортсменов Чувашской Республики на Олимпийских играх - с 1992 по 2012 гг. Наиболее высокое среднее место приходится на спортивную гимнастику, бег 3000 м с препятствиями. Today, there is a contradiction between a large volume of empirical and statistical material on the achievements of athletes of the Chuvash Republic in major international competitions and insufficient analysis, which is the basis for identifying the regularities and prospects for the development of sports in the republic. The aim of the study is to identify the dynamics and patterns of participation of athletes of the Chuvash Republic in the national team at the Olympic Games of 1952-2016. The research methods are theoretical analysis of historical and reference literature on the research topic, analysis of documentary materials, methods of mathematical statistics. In the Soviet period, the largest number of participants in the Olympic Games among athletes of the Chuvash Republic (4 people) was in the 1972 and 1976 Games. The performances of the Chuvash athletes at the Olympic Games of 1968, 1976 and 1980 can be considered the most successful. The most striking results were achieved in boxing, fencing, team cycling, and Greco-Roman wrestling. In the post-Soviet period, the representation of athletes of the Chuvash Republic in the Russian Olympic team has noticeably increased and amounted to 10 people at the games in 2000 and 2004, 9 people - at the games in 2008. A 20-year period from 1992 to 2012 can be considered most successful. The greatest results were achieved in gymnastics and steeplechase.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 931-937
Author(s):  
İlkay Doğan ◽  
Özkan Işık ◽  
Mehmet Cüneyt Birkök

The United World Wrestling carried out the implementation of seeding athletes for the first time at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. For this reason, the aim of the current study was to calculate the probability of winning a medal and becoming an Olympic Champion at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games of seeded wrestlers using the Bayesian theorem. The data were obtained from the results book of the Rio Olympic Games. The obtained data were analyzed Bayesian theorem. According to the results, the probabilities of being an Olympic Champion of first seeded wrestlers were 67.0%, 81.0% and 62.0% for males Greco-Roman, freestyle and female freestyle, respectively. As a result, being a seeded athlete had a great advantage to become an Olympic Champion in the wrestling competitions of the Rio Olympic Games. As the Olympic Games are held every four years, the medals in the Grand Prix tournaments, continental, and World Championships must be scored according to difficulty grade and medal colour, and the Olympic ranking should be established for each weight category. Furthermore, it would provide more competitive, challenging and enjoyable Olympic Games for wrestling and spectators.


2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josef Ploner ◽  
Mike Robinson

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Shears ◽  
Emily Fekete

The 2012 Olympic Games was an event watched on television by billions of viewers worldwide. In the United States, approximately 40 million people viewed a tape-delayed opening ceremony of the games on the NBC network. With such a high viewership, NBC was in a position of power to influence and educate their audience on the various countries across the globe who participated in the Olympic Games and opening ceremony. Drawing on Gregory's notion of a ‘geographic imagination’, we suggest NBC editors put their version of the world on display to the American audience, thus influencing the way in which American viewers may understand the world. In this paper, we have constructed a map to provide a visual representation of NBC's geographic imagination. We find this map, based on total screen time the countries received during the ‘Parade of Nations’ segment of the opening ceremony, to suggest a unique geographic imagination worthy of further study because of its potential wide influence.


2010 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-29
Author(s):  
Li-Hong Hsu

Visible or Invisible Games? A Critique on the Future of the World GamesAs the crowded calendar of world sport and the increasing competition between sporting festivals is likely to affect more second-tier global sporting festivals than the Olympic Games (Cashman 2004, p. 134), this paper attempts to answer a few questions concerning the future of the World Games, i.e. a multi-sport mega event. The first and primary question is whether it is worthwhile to host the World Games. In this paper reasoned justification will be provided with a critical eye. Furthermore, questions will be raised about the when and particularly about the where. The content of the World Games' programs will be briefly discussed and critically evaluated as well. As an example the author will use the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung, Taiwan for discussion.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2s) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Carlos Gutiérrez García ◽  
Luis Santos ◽  
Carlos Montero-Carretero ◽  
Raquel Escobar-Molina

<p>The aim of the present study was to collect and analyze the sporting successes of Spanish judo (senior category) in the Olympic Games, World Championships and European Championships. Data collection was made through several websites specific to judo. Until May 2018, Spanish judo achieved a total of 141 medals (six in the Olympic Games, 21 in the World Championships and 114 in the European Championships). Most medals were achieved in the 1990s and 2000s, as in the decade of 2010 a significant reduction is taking place. Successes were greatest for women, adding up to 69.5% of the total medals and, qualitatively, the most relevant successes for Spanish judo.</p>


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