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RIO 2016 SPORT AND SOCIETY
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RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETY
Background
1RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
THE HISTORY OF THE GAMES: The Olympics were first held by the ancient Greeks nearly 3,000 years ago. They were played for the Greek gods in an ancient town called Olympia.
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2RIO 2016:
SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
The modern Games are based
on the value of Olympism, the
Olympic spirit. This means contributing
positively to your society by working
hard and looking after your body and
your mind. This Olympic spirit is also
about friendship, being proud of your
community and playing sport fairly.
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3RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
Winners receive medals:• gold for first place• silver for second• bronze for thirdand a hero’s welcome when they return home!
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4 RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
Sports and politics have always been
linked. In 1936 Germany held the
Olympic Games. Adolf Hitler, the
leader of the Nazi Party, claimed
Germans were the best group of
people in the world. Jesse Owens, a black American
athlete, won four gold medals proving
the Nazis wrong.
5RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
Hosting the Olympics puts a country in the global spotlight.
Many developing countries have used the Games to announce to the world that they are more powerful and influential than before. China did this in 2008 when they hosted the Olympic Games in Beijing.
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6 RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
Most countries that host the
Olympics end up spending lots of
money on stadiums that rarely get used after the Games are
over. This makes them a bad investment. The
money could have been spent on other
things that would have benefitted more people in society. For example,
building the country's infrastructure.
7RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
Cities have wasted so much money on the Olympics that the organisers are having trouble finding new countries that want to enter the competition to host the Games in the future.
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8 RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
Olympic athletes have regularly
been caught doping during the past few
decades. Athletes are tested for use of
performance enhancing drugs but
tests don't always catch the cheaters.
For example, the doctors investigating accusations
that some Russian athletes have been doping said that the cheaters’ samples were
switched for clean ones before they were tested.
9RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
The Olympic Games can be good for a country’s economy as more jobs are created. Thousands of people work to organise such a huge event.
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10 RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
The Games can also have a
positive effect on a country’s
economy because they can show the
rest of the world that the country is
a great place to visit. This will
mean more tourists will travel there to
spend money.
RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETY
What’s next?
11RIO 2016:
SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
Stories about the success
of Russian dopers suggest
the cheaters are still ahead of the testers,
meaning the public is less likely to trust
the Games to be fair.
12RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
Some people say that Russia should be kicked out of this year’s Games for cheating in past Olympic Games, but others respond that it is not fair to punish innocent athletes for crimes committed by others.
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13 RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
Brazil is an economic and political mess
after its Congress
voted to remove its president,
Dilma Rousseff.
14RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
Without Brazil’s president it could be hard to finish building the stadiums for the Games, and make the event and security hard to manage.
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15 RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
The Olympics will draw
global attention to Brazil at the worst possible
time, given how badly the
country is doing at the
moment.
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16RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
Brazil’s political and economic problems could lead to protests that could turn violent during the Games.
17 RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
Usually once the Olympics
begin, the public and
communities affected tend to just enjoy
the sports and forget about
other issues.
18RIO 2016: SPORT AND SOCIETYBackground
Some people think that the Olympic Games are good for society because they bring everyone in society together to share the same experiences.
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