Научно-сследовательская работа "Olympic Movement and its Peacemaking Function"

Муниципальное общеобразовательная школа «Средняя общеобразовательная школа п.Целинный Ершовского района Саратовской области»

Olympic Movement and its Peacemaking Function

Секция «Иностранные языки»

Выполнила:  учащаяся 11 класса

Апандиева Мадина

Руководитель: Макашева Галина Александровна

2014 год

Plan:

1. Introduction. Введение
2.  The History of Olympic Games,  “the Olympic truce”. История Олимпийских игр, «олимпийское перемирие».
3. Modern Olympic Games. Современные Олимпийские игры.
4. Peacemaking  function  of Olympic Games. Миротворческая функция олимпийских игр.
5. Conclusion. Заключение.

In this research work, we will investigate both the Ancient and Modern Olympics and will gain basic information about the Ancient Olympics. We will investigate cancellations and disruptions to the Olympic Games over time and will create a timeline showing these. We will  write about the main idea of Olympics which means friendship, fraternity and cooperation among the people of the world and how the Olympic Movement proves that real peace can be achieved through sport.

THE OLYMPIC TRUCE IN ANCIENT TIMES

The history of the Olympic Games is very interesting. Athletics played an important part in the religions festivals of the ancient Greeks. The people believed such competition pleased the spirits of the dead. The religious festivals honored the gods, and many Greek tribes and cities held one every four years. The Olympic Games, which ranked as the most important, honored Zeus, whom the Greeks considered king of the gods. The first recorded Olympic contest look place in the stadium of Olympia in 776 B.C. For many years, the Olympics were for male contestants and male spectators only.

The Olympics were held every four years for more than 1,500 years. Competition included running races, wrestling, discus throw, javelin throw, long jump, a sprint, boxing, and four – horse chariot race. A savage and sometimes deadly sport called pancratium, which combined boxing and wrestling, was also included in the Olympics.

The Roman Empire conquered Greece during the 100′s B.C., and the games soon lost their religions meaning. The contestants became interested only in winning money. In A.D. 394, Emperor Theodosius ordered the Olympic Games ended. No Olympics were held for more than 1,500 years.

A group of German archaeologists discovered the ruins of the Stadium of Olympia in 1875. The discovery gave Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a French educator, the idea of organizing a modern, international Olympics. De Coubertin believed that athletics played an important part in forming a person’s character. He also thought that international sports competition would promote world peace. In 1894, de Coubertin presented his idea to an international meeting on amateur sports. The group voted to organize the games, and it formed the International Olympic Committee.

The first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896 in Athens, Greece. Women first competed in the modern games in 1900. The Winter Games began in 1924. No games were held in 1916, 1940, or 1944 because of World Wars I and II.

The first Olympic Games were held in Greece in 776 B.C. They were called the ancient games and lasted until the 4th century A.D. The early Olympic Games started in 776 B.C in ancient Greece. Greek people found those games so important that they used periods in between the Games to date important historical events. The winner of the Games got very good prizes – free food and housing for life. Poets mentioned the winners in their poems, architects made sculptures of winner athletes, and they became popular throughout Greece. So, winning the Olympic Games made you a national hero. It was already an honor to take part in the Games. People from Italy, Sicily, Asia, Africa, and Spain all made the long way to Olympia. And all the famous people of the time attended the Games. Olympia was chosen as a sight of the Games because it was seen as a neutral area. It was also a beautiful green valley accessed by two rivers. The Olympia was also the place where the wild olive tree grew. And the Crown Olive became the only prize won at Olympia.

 To the ancients, an Olympic victory was imagined as a visit from the winged goddess Nike, who swooped down from Olympus to briefl y bless the mortal athlete with a divine crown of sacred olive. To us moderns, Olympic victory is more likely to be associated with Nike, the multinational megacompany, which swoops down from Wall Street to briefly bless the athlete with a fat paycheck and temporary status as a corporate shill. Just as the corporate Nike differs from the goddess after whom it is named, the modern Olympic Games differ in important ways from their Ancient Greek ancestor. Nevertheless, the modern Olympic Movement should take its ancient inspiration seriously. After all, the ancient festival boasts a nearly uninterrupted millennium-long history, and modern Games already have been stopped twice by war in the relative infancy of their first century.

Tradition suggests that a Greek of noble birth could not die before attending the Olympic Games. The whole Greek world talked about the Olympic Games and what happened there. Artists went to the Games to become better known. Victorious athletes were genuine heroes.  Travelling to Olympia involved a long journey across warring territories. Therefore, two months before the Games began, the Hellanodikai, who organized the Games, declared a holy truce between Greek cities. At that moment, all wars were supposed to cease. The truce was also designed to protect the athletes during their journey home, which could sometimes last several months. Evidence that the truce was observed is found in the fact that Olympia was the only Greek city never to build walls to defend itself. During the truce, no prisoners were executed.

The ancient  truce was sacred because it was necessary for the free movement of all participants .    

Modern Olympic games     

      The modern Olympic era began in 1894 when Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin decided to revive the ancient Greek tradition of celebrating health, youth and peace with a sports festival. Baron de Coubertin created the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the first modem Olympiad took place in Athens in 1896. Since then the Olympic Games have been held every four years with only two exceptions because of the two world wars.

The Olympic Games are an international sports competition which are held every four years in a different city. Thousands of athletes from all over the world compete against each other in individual and team sports. Over 1 billion people watch the games on TV. Olympic Games bring together thousands of the world’s finest athletes. No other sports event attracts so much attention.

 The International Olympic Committee is the governing body of the Olympic Games. The committee approves the sports to be included in the Olympics. It also selects the host cities six years in advance.

Colorful ceremonies combine with thrilling athletic competition to create the special feeling of excitement that surrounds the Olympics. The opening ceremony of the games is particularly impressive. The most dramatic moment of it is the lighting of the Olympic Flame. A lighted torch is brought from the valley of Olympia, Greece, where the ancient Olympics were held. Thousands of runners take part in the journey. The flame is kept burning until the end of the games.

The modern Olympics were organized to encourage world peace and friendship and to promote amateur athletics. Despite the high ideals behind the Olympics, the games have often been a centre of political conflicts which led to a number of boycotts of Olympic competition in the 1970′s and 1980′s. In the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal, about 30 nations withdrew their teams just before the games began because of political disputes. The United States, Canada, and some other nations boycotted the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow. The Soviet Union and 14 other nations boycotted the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Cuba and North Korea boycotted competition at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea.

   The Olympic Games have become very successful over the past years. More and more people are able to watch them on TV and television stations are spending more money for the rights to broadcast the games. The IOC earns more money than ever before. With this money they help athletes in poorer countries.

Drugs have become a big problem. Some athletes take drugs before and during the games in order to help their muscles grow. When they are caught they are disqualified and their medals are taken away from them.

 Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education,  Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles." Olympic Charter, Fundamental Principles, 2.»

It is up to each individual to decide what Olympism and the Olympic Games mean to them, but the fundamental values of Olympism have the same meaning for every human being hoping to fulfil their ambitions and to build a better world. Those values are the search for excellence, fair play, the joy of effort, respect for others and harmony between body and mind.

- The search for excellence.

- Fair play.

- The joy of effort.

- Respect for others.

- Harmony between body and mind.

  The Olympic games are a well-known international event of human. Many people think this event wastes money and gradually loses  its value while others belive in many benefits of it. I strongly think that though this event needs a certain budget to organise, it still has advantages.

The Olympic  games are believed to lose their vital role in 21st century due to financial waste and the existence of online games and other international games. First, governments have poured big flows of cash into Olympic  games, creating a huge waste of money . Such budgets of governments should be heavily invested in infrastructure, upgradation and security monitoring systems. Besides, online games in the virtual world somehow overwhelm this type of  occasion. Other international games specializing in each kind of sports are attractive as well. As a result, people seem to undervalue this event . 

However, undeniably, the Olympic  games create economic, cultural and political benefits. To start with, no sooner has this event occurred than millions of  visitors worldwide flock to the host countries, creating a significant amount of profit. Revenue for goverments and citizens , thus, are promoted. In addition, thanks to this event, people around the world have opportunities to have fun, exchange culture and meet others of different races. Furthermore, this event can cement the relationship between countries in the world, easing potential political tensions. Greeks and Romans were telling examples in the ancient history, who agreed to interrupt battles and participated in the games.

All in all, it is true that the Olympic   games have pros and cons. Nevertheless, advantages of this occcasion  actually surpass disadvantages. Such benefits like the development of economy, strong  relationships  between countries and cutural interaction are undeniable.

Peacemaking function

Thousands of years ago, warring countries would stop fighting for a month – and take part instead in the Ancient Olympic Games. 

They observed a truce – a pledge made to the Greek Gods then – to put aside their differences and hatred so that thousands could come together in the name of sport to watch naked men battle for honour and fame at the foot of Mount Olympus. 

That tradition of truce or Ekecheiria runs seven days before and seven days after the Games. 

It was significant then that sports delegates from all over the world gathered at ancient Olympia last month for the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) international forum on Sport for Peace and the Olympic Truce. 

The thrust of the forum was quite simple: How can the modern world use sports as a tool for peace?  

Can sport overcome war, poverty, terrorism, hooliganism, discrimination by race, culture, and gender and even combat cyber crimes? 

Dr Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, was quick to admit that sport cannot impose peace but said: “It might inspire it. Through the Olympic spirit, we can instill brotherhood, respect, fair play, gender equality and even combat doping.”

Rogge, who is also president of the International Olympic Truce Foundation (IOTF), knows the power of sport as a tool for peace.  

Since reviving the ancient concept of truce in 1992, there have been groundbreaking events – at both political and grassroots level – through sporting activities. 

At the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympic Games, North and South Korea marched together under one flag; and arch rivals India and Pakistan held friendly cricket matches to restore their strained relationships. 

In Congo, Liberia, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Somalia, sports activities in partnerships with IOC and United Nations have served as starting points in developing the war-torn and poverty-stricken countries. 

Despite an agonising 14 years of ethnic strife, Burundi came together as one when Venuste Niyongabo won the country's first Olympic gold medal in the 5,000m event at the 1996 Atlanta Games. 

But the delegates agreed that more could be done through sports – especially in teaching the Olympic values of respect, fair play, tolerance and friendship. 

Naturally, there were thumbs up for the IOC’s new grand plan to introduce Youth Olympic Games as a new platform to promote the Olympic Truce and Olympic values to the youths. 

China, once a country that practiced a close-door policy, is taking the concept of peace very seriously in its preparation for the next year’s Olympics in Beijing. 

The  theme “One world, One dream”; its selection of songs, sculptures; mascot; torch run programme; are all related to peace. In fact, China also plans to host a “Green Olympics” by ensuring “peace” between man and nature. 

Said the Beijing Organising Committee Olympic Games (BOCOG) vice president Yang ShuAn: “Educating the young on peace is important. We will name Olympic Model Schools and teach them the good values. There are exchange programme with other countries to learn and respect each other’s culture through sports. 

“We have created a World Peace Wall and also named one of our roads Peace Avenue. Our dream at the Olympics is to play sports in a harmonious way.” 

South Korea, however, reminded the delegates not to stop at mere shows of symbolism. 

“It was great when South and North Koreans marched under one flag at the Olympic Games. But, sad to say, nothing has changed in term of our relationships. Until now, there have not been any communications,” said the South Korean Olympic Committee secretary general Dr Kim Sang-woo. 

“But we have not given up hope. Sport helped us to make the breakthrough. Our dream is to compete in the Games as a unified team. We will continue with our effort to reach a compromise.” 

Malaysia may not be at war but, like it or not, there is strife. 

Infighting in sports associations, claims of bias in selection, public outcries over multi-million sports complexes and projects – these are but some of the problems that need to be overcome. 

Peace in multi-racial Malaysia is about obeying the rules, honouring fair play and respecting one's race, religion and culture.  

It is about working together with different partners – the National Sports Council (NSC), Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), Sports Ministry and the National Sports Associations (NSA’s). 

OCM’s president Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja’afar said: “Malaysia has proven to be a peaceful country. And we can continue to utilise sports as a tool for national unity. 

“In area of disputes, we hope our NSA’s will be more proactive in using our arbitration process to find solutions.  

“And we certainly welcome new ideas from the IOC and its members to solve our old problems.” 

We do not have to wait for every four years and the Olympic Games to promote peace through sport.  

We can end all “wars” now and live in peace. All we need is sports and the Olympic spirit. 

“The more we sweat in peace the less we bleed in war”. – Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, the first female President of the United Nations General Assembly. 

Conclusion.

The Olympic movement and the Olympic games are the most important social phenomena in international life.
Olympic movement is  a set of philosophical, moral, ethical, pedagogical and organizational principles based on human, cultural, humanistic values of sport.

The ideas and ideals of the Olympic movement are:
- the use of sports and sport activities in the struggle for peace and peaceful coexistence;
- friendship and cooperation of athletes of all continents and countries;
- harmonious development of personality;
- the prohibition of discrimination on political, racial, social, religious and other grounds;
- the fight against nationalism and cosmopolitanism, commercialization  in sport;
- the desire to the constant strengthening of humanistic values of sport in the modern world.
Olympic ideas of humanism  in the content of education and upbringing  considers the person the most valuable!. The most important, fundamental values are friendship and peace, mutual respect and understanding between people, countries.
The future of the Olympic movement depends very much on the readiness with which all state governments and the international community will help the development of the Olympic movement and strictly follow  the basic principle of the Olympic Charter: not to allow racial, political or religious discrimination during  the Olympic games.
Appealing  to participants of the III scientific-practical conference "the Olympic movement and social processes" (13-14 October 1992) in St. Petersburg  Don Juan AntonioSamaranch wrote: "Our modern World and sport, which is its important manifestation  needs morality, and the Olympic ideas  effectively fight against cruelty and deception against excessive materialism, against vulgarity, chauvinism and mercantilism, threatening to these ideas.

The current time, the time of development of new forms of national and Patriotic movements, is the product of rapid changes. It is our duty - to study the situation and be ready to help the Olympic movement in those countries willing to become independent, to offer our help to their people  and to understand their expectations".

The Olympic idea means friendship, flaternity and cooperation among the people of the world. All wars and feuds were stopped by special heralds who rode in all directions of Greece. The Olympic movement proves that real peace can be achieved  through sport.  Thanks to Olympic Games, wars became much less, after all  people could compete and resolve disputes in sport meetings.