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The Olympics - a multicultural event!

The Olympic flame has been lit in Greece, the stadium has been prepped, and the countdown to the London 2012 Olympics has begun. Come July 27th, the Games of the XXX Olympiad will be well underway.

The earliest Olympics, held in the 18th century, were in a sense a multi-national event as well as a multi-sport event. They were considered multi-national because various Greek city-states and colonies were represented. The games, however, allowed only free male athletes of Greek origin to participate.

In 1896, the First Olympiad (the forerunner of the modern day Olympics) was held with the blessings of King George I of Greece.  The 13 countries that participated and had documented athletes were Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece (athletes from Cyprus and Smyrna were considered part of the Greek team), Hungary, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Compare this to the number of countries participating in the XXX Olympiad: an estimated 204 countries.
It is no surprise then that beyond the gold, silver and bronze, beyond the media and beyond the controversies – it has been boycotted, protested, politicized – the Olympics is also a melting pot of various cultures. Importantly, it is a platform that showcases multicultural values such as tolerance, acceptance, working towards common goals and a sense of brotherhood. A study of the Olympics also demonstrates good sportsmanship, fair play, and respect for fellow athletes.
Moreover, it is not just the athletes that provide the multicultural touch; it is also the spectators and volunteers that make it a multicultural event. When different people from different backgrounds, having many different cultures, come together to volunteer they have to work with each other, despite cultural differences. In the long term this leads to understanding and appreciation of other cultures. Similarly, when spectators from various countries come to the Olympics, they are not only rooting for athletes from their own country. They come to appreciate the spirit of sportsmanship in the athletes from other nations too.
There are many fun facts out there about the Olympics – some very popular, some not very well known. Here are some facts we found to share with you!
Olympic Facts *

1. The early Olympic Games were celebrated as a religious festival from 776 B.C. until 393 A.D., when the games were banned for being a pagan festival (the Olympics celebrated the Greek god Zeus).
2. Three continents – Africa, South America, and Antarctica – have never hosted an Olympics.
3. No country in the Southern Hemisphere has ever hosted a Winter Games.
4. The first Winter Olympic Games were held in Chamonix, France in 1924.
5. In 1960, Runner Abebe Bikila became the first black African to win gold for the marathon at the Olympic Summer Games.

The Olympics does have its detractors, but it cannot be denied that even today this major sports spectacle unites nations in the spirit of diversity much as it did more than a century ago.

*Olympic Facts from Fact Monster

Article written on behalf of Global Kids Oz by Annie Besant