The topic presented to you today is devoted to the Olympic Games. In my speech I am to dwell upon the following points:
- Firstly, I am to tell you about the history of the Olympics;
- Secondly, I would like to speak about modern Olympic games;
- After that, I would like to attract your attention to the problems of modern Olympics;
- Finally, I am to draw a conclusion expressing my opinion.
By way of introduction I would like to say that The Olympic Games are one of the most spectacular reminders of the debt we owe to the Greeks. The original Olympic Games were held every four years in honour of Zeus, the supreme god of Greek religion. The first record of the games dates from 776 B.C., but it is certain that they existed prior to that. The Olympic festival was a great unifying bond between the Independent city-states of Greece. The important sports in the original Olympic Games were running, jumping, wrestling, throwing the discus and throwing the javelin.
Passing on to present days I should note that even though the modern Olympic Games embrace the whole world, the connection with Greece is still very strong. A lighted torch is brought all the way from Greece, carried by a relay of runners, in order to light the Olympic Flame which bums all through the Games.
Nowadays the Olympic games are one of the most important sports events in the world while the Olympic movement has become an enormous and expensive organization. It's controlled by the International Olympic Committee, which consists of members from all the participating countries. The IOC is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It chooses the locations of both summer and winter games. It also controls the rules of the competitions and selects new Olympic sports. The famous flag of the IOC has five rings linked together on it. They are of five different colours which represent five continents.
Obviously, taking part in the Olympics is every professional sportsman's desire, whereas winning this competition is considered by many the peak of professional sportsman's career. However participating in the games is important and prestigious not only for sportsmen but for countries as well. So the Olympics as any international event is an opportunity to show political position and power.
Speaking about undersides of this phenomenon I can't but mention excessive political involvement and doping.
The most famous political involvement was by the German Nazis, in the 1936 Berlin's Summer Olympics. They used it as a platform to spread their ideas. Moreover, in 2004 Iran had ordered their athletes not to participate in any Olympic semi finals or finals, which had participants from Israel.
Doping is another serious problem of the Olympic games. It was at the start of the twentieth century that the Olympics participants started using drugs to better their performance. Unfortunately, even though tough laws against sportsmen taking drugs were created, the desire to win is still stronger than common sense and risk of being excluded from the competition.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the Olympic games are one of the greatest and most spectacular international events. Despite the fact that countries and their representatives compete, the Olympics have always been the symbol of peace and unity. I believe that this idea should be preserved, while any non-sport propaganda should be restricted.