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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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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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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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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Brazil is an economic and political mess

after its Congress

voted to remove its president,

Dilma Rousseff.

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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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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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Brazil’s political and economic problems could lead to protests that could turn violent during the Games.

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Usually once the Olympics

begin, the public and

communities affected tend to just enjoy

the sports and forget about

other issues.

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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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