Thursday 20 September 2012

Variations on the Olympics



Winter Olympics


To feature snow and ice sports that were impossible to hold during the Summer Games, in 1924 in Chamonix, France (to coincide with the the games in Paris three months later), the Winter Olympic Games were held for the first time. The 11 day Games featured events like speed skating, ski jumping, ice hockey, bobsleigh, curling, cross-country skiing and figure skating. Today, athletes can also compete in alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, luge, snowboarding and more. Although it was initially to be held in the same year as the Summer Olympic Games, this was changed beginning with the 1994 Games to held in between each Summer Games, still occurring every four years.




Paralympic Games


The earliest Paralympic Games was set up in 1948 to promote the rehabilitation of soldiers after World War 1 and was known as the Stoke Mandeville Games. The founder of these Games, Sir Ludwig Guttmann, and others continued to heal people through sports for the next 12 years, and in 1960 he brought 400 athletes to compete in the 'Parallel Olympics' alongside the Summer Olympics in Rome. This became known as the first Paralympic Games. In 2001 , a contract was signed to determine that the country that held the Summer Games was also to hold the Olympic Games by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and the IPC (International Paralympic Committee). This contract came into effect in 2012, when London, UK, played host the the Olympics.



Youth Olympic Games

 Athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 are given a chance to compete in the Summer and Winter Youth Games. Although the idea for the Games was approved by the IOC in 2001, the Youth Summer Olympics were first held in Singapore in 2010. Like the senior Olympics, the Games are held in alternate years, but they are shorter: the Summer Youth Games last 12 days, the Winter Games 9 days. The sports are much the same except for some alterations - there are mixed team events and less sports to compete in.

1 comment:

  1. OT: Right now it seems Manny Pacquiao is retiring. Fortunately we can still see his training for previous fight with Tim Bradley at the Manny Pacquiao Official Youtube channel.

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