The popularity and financial success of the Los Angeles Games were, however, greater than anticipated. The Summer Games, in Atlanta, Ga. The and Winter Games transpired without incident. The Summer Games were held in Sydney, Australia, to great acclaim. In Sydney, politics took a back seat to the competition, although North and South Korea were temporarily reunited as their athletes marched as one country in the opening ceremonies.
Athens, Greece — site of the first modern Olympics — was the site of the Summer Games in Though it has potential for political controversies due to its rapid modernization and its communist state-Beijing, China was selected for the Summer Games. The biggest influence on the modern Olympic Games is money. Commercialism exists side by side with the outstanding athleticism and the spirit of friendship imbuing competitors from around the world.
Since the Games in Los Angeles, it has become clear that a city hosting the Games can anticipate a financial windfall, as spectators and sponsors converge for the event. Because of the tremendous potential for profit, the process of selecting host cities has become politicized, and there is a large potential for corruption. In fact, a scandal erupted in late , when it was found that promoters involved with Salt Lake City's winning bid for the Winter Games had bribed IOC members, who were forced to resign; the Nagano and Sydney bids were also under suspicion of bribery.
Athletes, too, especially in the "glamour sports" such as gymnastics, ice skating, or track and field, can reap tremendous financial gains for winning performances, through product endorsements and personal appearances.
Originally, Olympic athletes were expected to remain strictly amateurs and not earn money even for endorsing products. However, by the last decades of the 20th century, professionalism among competitors received official acceptance, as the IOC finally recognized that many world-class athletes were already functioning as professionals. At the elite level of competition in many Olympic sports, the athlete must devote him- or herself entirely to the sport, all but precluding the holding of a full-time job.
The end of amateurism began in s in the Communist countries, where top athletes were supported by the state, but were officially considered amateurs.
To counter this, in the s and s athletes in non-Communist countries sought out corporate sponsors, in effect becoming "employees" of the sponsor. By the late s, restrictions were eased on athletes earning prize money at their sports, and professional athletes were permitted to represent their countries at the Olympics. This now includes the star athletes who play in the American professional leagues, such as the U.
In addition, with IOC rules concerning amateurism vacated, many medal-winning contestants have cashed in on their Olympic fame with product endorsements or performance tours. Winning medals at the Olympic Games has always been considered the most prestigious mark of an athlete, and a source of glory for the athlete's country. This has led to the use of performance-enhancing drugs by athletes, intentionally or otherwise, despite the health risks to the athlete and IOC rules prohibiting the use of these substances.
The types of drugs banned include stimulants which can be found in common cold and cough medications; caffeine is also banned , narcotics, anabolic steroids, diuretics, certain hormones such as human growth hormone , and in some sports, beta blockers. The testing of athletes for drug use began for the Olympics in , at the Mexico City Games, but did not become widespread until the Games. Over the years, as drugs such as human growth hormone have been developed, tests have been added for newer drugs.
With such great rewards at stake, there are athletes and even national sports programs willing to use performance-enhancing drugs despite the risks to future health and the disgrace of getting caught. The best-known example of drug use is the East German sports federation, which had a systematic program for giving its athletes steroids from to During that time East German women suddenly dominated events such as swimming, winning medals in 11 of 13 events both in and Other swimmers suspected that the East German women were using steroids, because the drugs affected their physical appearance, but the team was never caught.
After the reunification of Germany, the East German sports federation's records were opened and the program was exposed. In the former head of the federation and the doctor who developed and administered the drug plan were convicted of systematic and overall doping.
The former athletes maintain that they never knew they were taking steroids, claiming that they were told that the various medications were vitamins. As drug testing procedures have improved, more athletes have been caught. In Seoul there was suspicion of widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs after Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive; he was stripped of his gold medal.
In the mids, China's female swimmers and runners quickly rose to the top of elite competition, arousing suspicions of drug use; by the late s many were caught through more diligent drug testing. The IOC publicly decries the use of performance-enhancing drugs. However, it is commonly believed that even with out-of-competition testing, the drugs and masking agents available to athletes is far ahead of the tests used to detect these substances.
A study released in September that was financed by the U. Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. Modern Olympic history is full of heart-thumping victories and painful defeats.
From Athens to Rio, in the The Winter Olympics are an international sports competition held every four years. The event, also called the Winter Games, includes cold-weather events on snow skiing, snowboarding, biathlon and ice figure skating, hockey, speed skating, curling, bobsled, luge, skeleton.
With icy conditions, slick surfaces and freezing temperatures, technological innovation is especially important for the athletes and organizers of the Winter Olympics.
From an all-weather torch to a souped-up bobsled, check out some of the many inventions the Games have Although inspired by the ancient Greeks, the Olympic marathon is a thoroughly modern invention. When the Olympic Committee announced that Squaw Valley would be the The snow-covered Alps sparkled in the sunlight that bathed the winter resort of Chamonix, France, on January 25, There are two layers to every water polo match: the graceful athleticism above the water, and the rough play and cheap shots hidden beneath the surface.
The Melbourne Olympics were a lot like a game of water polo. The Olympic Games aim to help build a better, more peaceful world through sports. But in the year history of the modern Games, the quadrennial international competitions have been marred by geopolitical drama, resulting in cancellations, bans and boycotts.
Some Games, such Singer Tina Turner was the main draw at the opening ceremony in San Francisco for the first Gay Games in , but city supervisor Doris Ward may have received the biggest reaction from the crowd. Live TV. This Day In History.
Worshipping Zeus was one of the few things the ancient Greeks agreed on. Divided into different city-states, or settlements, the Greeks were often at war with each other. But even in times of unrest, dueling city-states declared a truce so their athletes could take part in the Olympics. Many events, including sprinting and wrestling, are still part of the modern games.
Other sports such as chariot racing are history. There were no weight classes, no time limits, and only two rules: no biting and no eye gouging. Competitors fought until one gave up or died. Hm … wonder why this sport disappeared?
The Romans eventually banned the Olympics in A. But the games were revived in in Athens, Greece, and have been celebrated every four years since. And in , the Winter Olympics were added to showcase chillier sports such as cross-country skiing, speed skating, and ice hockey.
Today thousands of athletes from hundreds of countries all over the world compete for the gold or silver or bronze in the summer and winter events.
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