History of the Olympic Games-Non Boring Edition

Free PowerPoint Backgrounds

An Overview of Olympic History

Legacy of the 1996 Centennial Olympics

Games

http://www.powerpoint-backgrounds.net/


Today’s Focus• Olympic Summary• Evolution of the Games• The Munich Games – 1972• Impact of the Cold War - 1980• Legacy of the Centennial Games - 1996



Olympic Summary – Size & Scale

• Equivalent of:– 5 Super Bowls every day for 17 days– 80,000 person corporation

• Absolute start and stop date – No flexibility• 14,000 athletes (Olympics and Paralympics)• Over 4.7 billion viewers watched the Beijing Games (2008)• 26 sports• 302 events• 205 nations



• Pagan religious festival started by the Greeks in Olympia to honor Zeus in 776 BC

• Held every 4 years• Lasted just 1 day• Consisted of 1 event; the 200 yard run• More events added later• Men only competed; Women banned• Roman emperor Theodosius I banned

games in 393 AD

The Ancient Olympics



The Modern Olympics

• Founded by Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin

• Held in 1896 in Athens, Greece• Participation

– 14 Countries– 241 Athletes– 43 Events

• First Olympic gold medal won by Harvard’s James Connelly



1896 Olympic Games

• Cycling• Fencing• Gymnastics• Shooting• Swimming• Tennis• Weightlifting• Wrestling



Paris - 1900• Olympics held as part of World Exhibition • Women allowed into Olympics for the

first time; golf, tennis and croquet• No real Olympic venues• Athletes not told they were in the

Olympics• Athletes given cups, trophies or paintings.

Thought to be more valuable



1904 – St. Louis• First Olympics held outside of Europe• Organized as part of the World’s Fair• Chicago won Olympic bid; Forced to

move games to St. Louis to avoid conflict– Held as part of Louisiana purchase

exposition• De Coubertin boycotts games• Adolf Busch (Budweiser) quartered

German athletes



1908 – London• Originally scheduled for Rome• Lasted 187 Days• First Olympics with dedicated Stadium• First Olympics with parade of nations• First summer games to include winter

sports• US Flag dipping controversy• Marathon distance changed to

accommodate King Edward VII



1912– Stockholm• Japan becomes first Asian country to participate• Electronic timing introduced• PA System used for the first time• Last Olympics to issue solid gold medals to winners• Literature, painting, sculpting and music added to

Olympic program• George S. Patton finishes 5th in modern pentathlon• First Olympics to be organized within 2 months



1914 & 1918

Olympics Cancelled

World War I



1920 – Antwerp• Olympic flag flown for the first time• Rings symbolize five continents which

complete • Colors of Olympic rings are found in

every flag in the world• Ice hockey made its debut• Germany, other “war losers” not

invited



1924 – Paris

• Games held in Paris to honor retiring de Coubertin

• Winter Olympics introduced in 1924

• Germany still not invited



1928 – Amsterdam• Olympic flame lit for the first time in 1928• Amsterdam games ban women from running

distances longer than 200 meters; last 32 years• Coca Cola sold at Olympics for first time• Germany returns to Olympics• First to bear moniker “Summer” Olympic games• General Douglas MacArthur oversaw U.S. team

as President of the American Olympic Committee



1932– Los Angeles• Depression games• First games to have an Olympic village• Three tiered podium introduced• Brazilian team’s creativity

– 69 athletes set sail from Brazil to LA– Each given 50,000 sacks of coffee to sell at ports

along the way– Only 24 members sold enough coffee to leave the

ship. The other athletes had to return home to Brazil

• First Olympics to turn a profit - $150,000



1936– Berlin• Nazi party rises to power in Germany• Third Reich use games to promote its ideology• Nuremberg laws passed• American team threatens boycott

– Avery Brundage vs. Judge Jerry Maloney

• First live sports televised – 134 program hours• Torch relay started• Jesse Owens wins 4 gold medals• Basketball makes its Olympic debut



1940 & 1944

Olympics Cancelled

World War II



• Mexico City – 1968– First Olympics in Latin America; 3rd World– Controversies involving athletes– Overshadowed performance of Bob Beamon and

George Foreman• Montreal 1976

– Canada hosts for the the first time– Only time host nation doesn’t win gold– Poor financial planning– African countries boycott because of New Zealand

rugby tour



Munich, Germany - 1972



• Games return to Germany, now a divided country - East and West– Munich, West Germany hosted

• Major rebranding initiative by Germans– Billed as “the happy games”

• Minimal security presence



September 5, 1972• Terrorist storm Israeli apartments in athletes village• Two members of team immediately killed; 9 taken

hostage• Terrorist demand release of Palestinians jailed in

Israel• Negotiations fail; Demand passage to airport• Unprepared West German police botch rescue at

airport• Terrorists kill hostages



The Aftermath• Israel withdrew delegation• Memorial held the next day for victims

– No Arab representation– Flags not flown at half mast

• Overshadowed performance of Mark Spitz– 7 gold medals, 7 world records– Asked to leave Munich immediately for own

safety• Olympic security now a paramilitary operation

handled by the Central Government



Lake Placid, New York - 1980



1979• Three Mile Island nuclear accident• Soviet Union invades Afghanistan• Iranians seize American hostages• Operation Eagle Claw Failure• Nation’s morale is very low



The Miracle on Ice• US men’s hockey team beats powerful Russian

team in semi finals– Beats Finland to win gold in finals

• Restored national pride• Considered the biggest achievement in US

sporting history, according to ESPN poll• Overshadowed the performance of speed skater

Eric Heiden– 5 Gold Medals– 4 Olympic records– 1 World record



Moscow, Russia - 1980



US leads Olympic boycott of 62 NationsMarks the Only time in Olympic History the United States has Failed to

send a Team to the Olympic Games



The Centennial Games - 1996



Atlanta Olympic Bid/Announcement• Planning began in 1987• Long odds - 50 years since bid city won in its

debut• Atlanta as a city had limited global recognition • Two wins – Had to defeat USOC and IOC Bid Cities

– Minneapolis and San Francisco were runner up US Cities

• Announcement made September 18, 1990– Atlanta to host XXVI Olympiad

• Beat heavily favored Greece in final round of voting

• Mascot was Izzy



Size / Scope• July 19th – August 4th, 1996• President Bill Clinton declared games open • Record 197 countries• 10, 322 athletes• 79 countries won medals• 59 won gold• New sports included:

– Women’s soccer– Softball– Mountain Biking– Beach Volleyball

• First Olympics to post results online



Notable Performances



Kerri Strug – Women’s Gymnastics



Carl Lewis wins 4th Consecutive Long Jump



Lindsay Davenport and Andre Agassi, Tennis



Michael Johnson, Athletics



Amy van Dyken, Swimming



Controversies / Challenges• Transportation issues• Technology glitches• Centennial Park bombing• Sponsorship model criticized• IOC President moderates praise

for Atlanta during closing remarks• Atlanta organizing officials failed

to tap into federal funding



• Urban renewal downtown• Centennial Park - $2.2 billion infrastructure

– GA Aquarium– World of Coca Cola Museum

• University housing• Sporting structures

– Turner Field– GA International Horse Park in Conyers– GA Tech Aquatic Center

• Major events– The men’s and women’s final four– Super Bowl– Conferences and events

Games Legacy - Atlanta



Going Forward• 2016 Olympics will be held in Rio de Janeiro,

brazil• Host city for 2020 games to be announced in

September– Madrid, Tokyo and Istanbul are finalist

• USOC sent bids to 50 US cities, including Atlanta, towards 2024 Games

• The United States a virtual lock for the 2024 games

• $6 billion and counting – The IOC keeps rolling



Thank you for your Attention

Idorenyin [email protected]

Facebook: Idy Uyoe

Twitter: @uyoelive


mailto:[email protected]

History of the Olympic Games-Non Boring Edition

Sports

athletes olympics

olympics athletes

summer games

munich games

amsterdam games

centennial games

tomove games

beijing games