The Olympics

1 The Olympic games are an international sports competition. In the Olympics, athletes take part in many different types of sports. Some athletes compete in the Winter Olympics. s Some compete in the Summer Olympics

2 The Olympic games are very old and have a very interesting history. The first Olympic Games were held in Greece in ancient times. They probably began in the eighth century, B. C. the contests were held every four years in summer. The first games lasted for only one day. There was only one contest: a short race. Only Greek men were allowed to run in the race. No women and no non-Greeks were allowed to take part. Women were not allowed to watch the race either, or to be anywhere near the racing area. But the ancient games were stopped in the fourth century, A. D,when Greece was ruled by Rome

3 The Olympics were started again in the nineteenth century, after Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a Frenchman, suggested that it would he good to have the games again, but not just for Greek people. De Coubertin organized a meeting in 1894. Representatives from nine countries went to the meeting, in Paris. They agreed to start the Olympic Games again in Athens, Greece, in 1896. The Olympic Games have been held every four years since 1896 However, the games were not held three times - in 1916, 1940 and 1944-because of the two world wars

4 De Coubertin also started a committee to run the Olympics. This committee is called the International Olympic Committee. It makes the rules for athletes in the Olympics

5 These rules are very strict. (1) Everyone who would like to be in the Olympics must be an amateur. They must not have played the sport professionally. (2) There are no age limits. An athlete can be young or old. (3) No one can be kept out of the Olympics because of religion, color, or political ideas. (4) Only people who were born in a particular country can represent that country in the Games. (5) In each event, each country can have only three entries in the summer games, and four entries in the winter. These rules help to make sure that everyone has the same chance of winning

6 The events and games are of several different types. There are individual contests, where each athlete competes alone. To win this type of contest, one athlete must be better, faster, or stronger than other athletes Some examples of individual sports are swimming, running, and walking races. In a second group of events and games, three or four athletes work as a group. These contests are usually races, and the fastest group wins. For these small groups, there are relay races in running and swimming in summer, and relays in skiing in winter. In a third group of games, teams from each country compete in sports. For teams, there are many kinds of games. They play games such as basketball, football, and volleyball. To win these games, one team must have a higher score than the other team The athletes must usually be able to catch, throw, hit, or kick a ball very well to win

7 For an amateur athlete, winning in the Olympics is a great achievement. The Games are not easy to win, whether an athlete competes in the summer or in the winter. There are many excellent athletes who compete alone, in small groups, or on teams. An athlete who wins the Olympics is the best in the world

Questions 1 一 10:

1. The Olympic Games were firstly held in Greece

2. There were many different types of contests in the first Olympic Games

3. Women were neither allowed to run in the Greek race nor allowed to watch it

4. Greece was ruled by Rome in the eighth century B. C

5. The Olympics were started again in 1894

6. It is Barron Pierre de Coubertin that made the Olympics an international event

7. Due to the two world wars, the games were not held two times

8. Only the professional athletes are allowed to take Part in the Olympic Games

9. An athlete who has just immigrated into another country may represent it in the Olympic Games

10. Three main types of games are mentioned in the passage, i. e. the contests in which athletes compete either individually, or as a small group, or as a team