The history of the Olympic games of the modern age

1. The history of the Olympic games of the modern age • Presentation by • the students of the 2th year class C SCUOLA MEDIA PATRIZI RECANATI School year 2005/06

2. Athens 1896 The 1st Olympic game of the modern age took place in Athens from 6th to 15th April 1896. 13 nations participated in the games with 245 competitors, all males; there were 9 subjects. “Each winner is crowned with olive springs and awarded with medals. He may also make a lap of honour while hundreds of doves fly in the sky ”

3. Paris 1900 The 2nd Olympic game took place in Paris from 20th May to 28th October 1900. There were 26 participating nations, 1225 competitors (19 women), 16 subjects “Ray Ewry, poliomyelitic, won 3 jump races: long, high, hop in spite of his handicap”

4. Saint Louis 1904 The 3rd Olympic game took place in Saint Louis from 1st July to 29th October 1904. 11 nations, 687 competitors, 6 women participated to it. The subjects were 14. “The cowboy Fred Lorz, after receiving the prize, confessed that a cart had accompanied (he was accompanied by...)him during the marathon, so he was disqualified. The winner was Thomas Hicks who arrived second breathless. After the race we learnt that he had taken special nourishing substances; it’s the first time the word “doping” is heard. ”

5. London 1908 The 4th Olympic game took place in London in 1908. 22 nations participated in it. 2034 competitors (36 women) and 21 subjects. It was the first Olympic game in which a black athlete won a gold medal. The winner of the marathon is disqualified because a doctor helped him just few metres before the finishing line. Queen Alessandra awarded him as moral winner. Pierre de Coubertin threw out the motto “It’s not important to win but to participate”.

6. Stockholm 1912 The 5th Olympic game took place in Stockholm from 29 Juni to 22nd July in 1912. 28 nations, 2547 competitors (57 women) participated and the subjects were 13. Red skin Jim Thorpe is disqualified and compelled to give the 2 gold medals back because he had previously played in a baseball team. Italy was present at the games for the first time with a football team.

7. Averse1920 The 6th Olympic game took place from 20th April to 12th in Averse. The participating nations were 29 and the competitors 1668 (it isn’t known the number of women), the subjects were 29. “During the water polo competition the athletes were obliged to compete into very cold water of the port; so the Italian competitors refused to dive and finish the game (the 1st time had ended in the same way).” ”

8. Paris 1924 The 7th Olympic game took place from 4th May 27th July 1924. 44 nations and 3072 competitors participated (it isn’t known the number of women). The subjects were 29. “During a football match a strong kick from an Italian player detached the Luxemburg goal keeper’s tongue. During the Olympics there was an “international week” of the winter sports. This week had a great success so these Olympics were considered the 1st winter Olympics

9. Amsterdam 1928 The 8th Olympic game took place in Amsterdam in 1928. The participating nations were 46 and the competitors 288 (46 women). The subjects were 15. In this edition the Olympic torch of Greek origin is celebrated. It will become the symbol of the Olympic games beginning.

10. Los Angeles 1932 The 9th Olympic game took place from 20th July to 14th August 1932 in Los Angeles. The participating nations were 28 and the competitors 1408 (it isn’t known the number of women); the subjects were 15. A woman called Stanslawa Walasiewicz won the 100 metres competition. When she died they discovered she was a male, not a female. There was a special English one-legged athlete who managed to win, with his team, the water polo tournament.

11. Berlin 1936 The 10th Olympic game took place in Berlin, from 1st to 16th (??) 1936. 49 nations and 4066 competitors (328 women) participated; the subjects were 20 The participating nations were afraid about racial discrimination, because Berlin was the city of racism. But all was perfect. Basketball, handball and rowing (canoeing) were played for the first time

12. London 1948 The 11th Olympic game took place in London from 29th July to 14th August 1948. The participating nations were 59 and the competitors 4099 (385 women); the subjects were 18. In spite of the tragedy of the recent war, the enthusiasm of the audience made it merry. Germany and Japan were not invitated because of their defeat

13. Helsinki 1952 The 12th Olympic game took place in Helsinki from 19th July to 3rd August 1952. 69 nations and 4925 competitors (518 women) participated; the subjects were 18 A protestant priest won the gold medal in the pole-vault

14. Melbourne 1956 The 13th Olympic game took place in Melbourne from 22nd November to 8th December 1956. The participating nations were 72 and the competitors 3342 (384 women), the subjects 19. There were less athletes than the previous edition because of the high costs of way out.

15. Rome 1960 The 14th Olympic game took place in Rome from 25th August to 11th September 1960. 83 nations, 5348 competitors (610 women) participated and the subjects were 19. An Ethiopian athlete won the marathon. He ran barefoot This was the last time for the South Africa to participate in the Olympics. Later on, it was left out of the Olympics because of the protests against racial discriminations in which sport had been involved too.

16. Tokyo 1964 The 15th Olympic game took place in Tokyo from 10th to 24th October 1964. The participating were 93 nations and 5140 competitors (683 women). The subjects in it were 21. Thanks to an artificial satellite, the Olympics could be seen all over the world for the first time. A student from Hiroshima lit the Olympic torch. The problem of this Olympics was the strong rivalry between the USA and the URSS: they competed in a very competitive atmosphere.

17. Città del Messico 1968 The 16th Olympic game took place in Mexico City in 1968. The participating nations were 112 and the competitors 5531(781 women); the subjects were 20. It was the first time for a woman to take the Olympic torch inside the stadium. During this edition the strongest athlete from South America were expelled of the Olympic village because they had made bad gestures and had worn provoking clothes during the prize-giving ceremony.

18. Monaco of Bevier 1972 The 17th Olympic game took place in Monaco of Bevier from 26th August to 11th September 1972. the participating nations were 111 and the competitors 7123 (1058 women); the subjects were 23. It was a cruel and violent edition. A week after the beginning an Arabian terrorist organization burst into the Israeli team accommodation and killed the trainer and the some athletes

19. Montreal 1976 The 18th Olympic game took place in Montreal from 17th July to 1st August 1976. 92 nations and 602 competitors (1247) participated; the subjects were 23. The African countries didn’t take part in this edition. The most important protagonist were women: in particular Uliana Senyonova, 218cm tall and 127kg weigh, basketball player worth a mention

20. Mosque 1980 The 19th Olympic game took place in Mosque from 19th July to 3rd August 1980. The participating nations were 80 and the competitors 5217 (1125 women); the subjects were 23 Many important nations such as USA, western Germany, Japan, Canada and China didn’t participated in this Olympics in order to protest against the war between Afghanistan and the URSS

21. Los Angeles 1984 The 20th Olympic game took place in Los Angeles from 28th July to 12th August 1984. 140 nations and 6797 competitors (1567 women) participated in it. The subjects were 24. The URSS, angry for the previous American behaviour, decided to withdraw. All the other communist countries didn’t take part to the game too.

22. Seoul 1988 The 21st Olympic game took place in Seoul from 28th July to 12th August 1988. The participating nations were 169 and the competitors 8465 (2186 women); the subjects were 26. It was called “the Olympics of the doping”. Ben Johnson, winner of the 100 metres came out positive of the anti doping test and was disqualified for 2 years and the gold medal removed.

23. Barcelona 1992 The 22nd Olympic game took place in Barcelona from 25th July to 28th August 1992; 169 nations and 9367 competitors (2708 women) participated; the subjects were 28. Germany, finally united, participated in this edition with only one team. South Africa could take part to it at last. Totò Antibbo is still famous because of a jest: he had to give his bronze medal back very soon because the judges got wrong

24. Atlanta 1996 The 23rd Olympic game took place in Atlanta from 25th July to 9th August 1996. The participating nations were 197, the competitors 10305 (3496 women) and the subjects 28 Mohammed Ali, the mythic Cassius Clay, who won the gold medal in heavy-weight during the Olympics of Rome, lit the Olympic torch with his trembling hand because he was suffering from Parkinson’s disease, among the general emotion.

25. Sydney 2000 The 24th Olympic game took place in Sydney from 15th September to 1st October 2000. The participating nations were 202 and the competitors 10651 (4069 women); the subjects were 37. A little black man, the Ethiopian Abera, apparently without effort, after 42 very hard km, passed the finishing line. The Kenyan Wainaina behind him. They smiled and embraced happily.

26. Athens 2004 The 25th Olympic game took place in Athens in 2004. 202 nations and 10500 competitors (4558 women) participated in it; the subjects were 38. It was the year in which the Olympics took place in a historian site

27. Consideration To practise a sport means improve oneself continuously, to compete with oneself to surpass ones limits. Sport is an education for life and the real protagonists are the athletes, who teach us how to tolerate people of other cultures without considering different opinions, costumes, religions, traditions and myths.