Road Warriors

With the 2012 Olympics just about starting in London, we thought it might be interesting to learn a bit more about the most important international sporting events in the world. The Olympic Games, divided into Winter and Summer Olympics, are held in a different country every four years. Candidates for the host city normally go through a complex selection process before the winner is selected. The Olympics originated in the ancient town of Olympia in Greece, where they were held in Zeus’ honor as a religious rather than sporting event. They continued from 776 BC until 393 AD, when they were banned by Roman Emperor Theodosius, but were revived in 1896, when the first modern international Olympic Games took place near Athens. In 1894, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was established by the Frenchman Baron de Coubertin, whose hope was to bring peace to the world through the Games. The Olympics as we know them today are hosted internationally to bring closer countries held apart by their national and religious differences.

Two most important roles of the IOC are to select the host city and to ensure fairness in competing. Unfortunately, the Games have continually suffered political interference and have even been boycotted by various countries several times in the past. During the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, a bombing organised by an American terrorist group killed two and injured over 100 people. Another serious problem for the Olympics has always been the controversy surrounding doping, which many athletes began using in the early 20th century to enhance their performance. It seems that de Coubertin’s ideals of peace and fairness have not been entirely carried through. The opening ceremony typically starts at the host city stadium, with the raising of the host country’s flag and the playing of the national anthem. The ‘parade of nations’ follows, with national teams being ushered into the stadium by a renowned athlete from each country bearing their respective national flags. With all the nations inside the stadium, the president of the IOC declares the Games opened. Finally, the Olympic Flame is lit by the Olympic torchbearer carried by a well-known athlete of the host nation. The Olympic Torch is traditionally lit in Olympia, Greece, and is carried in relay from country to country before it reaches its final destination.

Two other typical symbols of the Games are the five interlocking Olympic rings standing for the unity of the five inhabited continents, and a mascot – an animal or human figure representing the cultural heritage of the host country. The official mascots for the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games were unveiled on 19 May 2010. Wenlock and Mandeville are animations representing two drops of steel from a steelworks in Bolton. They are named Wenlock, after the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock, which held a precursor of the current Olympic Games, and Mandeville, after Stoke Mandeville, a village in Buckinghamshire where a forerunner to the Paralympic Games were first held.

There’s something truly magical that happens during the Olympic Games. While many of us are enjoying rooting for our country, the real magic of the Olympic Games is way bigger than any individual athlete or even any country.