Olympics (Iowa)
what doe the motto "citius, altius, fortius" represent?
"swifter,higher, stronger" which is meant to get the athletes to embrace the Olympic spirit and perform their best; moral beauty
What did athletes wear?
- Athletes competed naked (Warm weather) - Married women were barred from attending the games, under penalty of death
Why did athletes train?
- Athletics were a key part of education in ancient Greece - Greeks believed that developing the body was as important as overall health
The Olympics and Greek Mythology
- Heracules invented the Games - Held in honor of Zeus - Athletes prayed to the gods for victory
Why were the Olympics held in Olympia?
- One of the oldest religious centers of the Ancient Greek World - Site of a major temple: Temple of Zeus - Convenient geographically
who watched the ancient games? who were the spectators and from where did they travel? what was the "Truce of Zeus"?
100,000 people from all over the world - virgin women and men because married women weren't allowed to watch naked men; came from as far away as Egypt, France, Russia, Africa. etc; even from city states at war; traveled by boat - Olympia was on the coast; Truce of Zeus = 3 months protecting all travelers to the games - Spartans spread the news; did it because the city states were at war with each other - month before, month during, month after = 3 months
what happened on the morning of September 4th? (5th in Germany)
11 Israelis were taken hostage and 2 killed by terrorists; canadians helped, Moshe Weinberger shot and killed; wanted 200+ terrorists released; Issa is the leader of Black September
what happened in the aftermath of the Munich Massacre? how did it affect future Olympic Games? have you seen the movie 'Munich'?
11 killed, 2 gunshot and 9 exploded in airplane; luftansia flight hijacked, 3 of the 8 terrorists survived; no
how did the 1896 games compare toe the ancient olympics?
1896: athletes were dressed, events were less violent, more nationalized, women are in the stands watching, codified rules, rich people were in the stands. US dominated a lot of events; americans there were from Harvard, Yale, and Princeton Ancient: naked, violent events, not many rules that were followed
In which year was Tokyo originally assigned the Olympic Games?
1940 (The 1940 Summer Olympics were originally scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan, but were ultimately cancelled due to the outbreak of WW2. Tokyo would eventually host the 1964 Summer Olympics.)
When was the first Olympics held?
776 B.C.
Who could compete in the Olympics?
Any free-born Greek man (Any free-born Greek in the world)
Who ended the Olympics?
Emperor Theodosius in 393 A.D.
Who holds the world record for the 100-meter run and is commonly known as the "fastest woman of all time"?
Florence Griffith-Joyner (American track and field athlete; the fastest woman of all time based on the fact that the world records she set in 1988 for both the 100m and 200m still stand; popular figure because of her record-setting performances and flashy personal style)
Which Olympic Games were called the "Protest Olympics"?
Mexico 1968 (the 1968 Olympics Human Rights Salute: a political demonstration conducted by African American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos during their medal ceremony on October 16, 1968, at the 1968 Summer Olympics in the Olympic Stadium in Mexico City)
why did certain countries boycott the Olympics during the 1980s? how did these boycotts affect the Games? do you think that boycotting is an effective political and diplomatic strategy?
Moscow games US boycott - Jimmy Carter) - soviet invaded Afghanistan tried getting non-communist countries to boycott; cold war, don't agree with communism
What event/events did the First Olympics have
Only a footrace
How did the hostage crisis at the 1972 Munich Olympics end?
all 11 Israeli hostages died
what parts of the olympic games represent these principles symbolically? think of the different ceremonies
at the opening ceremonies we see all the athletes from all the countries in the Parade of Nations and showing how they are all together as one through sport culture (greece always host and host is last). in the awards ceremony we see those who have won and getting their medals; even in the awards ceremony, the IOC doesn't recognize any one nation as the winner; closing ceremonies everyone walks in together to symbolize friendship starting in 1956
what are some of the images presented in 'Olympia'?
bell ringing with the eagle image, doves = peace, olympic stadium, the different flags, olympic rings, Hitler being saluted to, olympic torch being presented in front of the crowd, see the Nazi army a ton of swastikas, Hitler opened the games; parade of nations was similar to a military march
how did the German government respond?
block village, try communicating; tried to trade spots and tried to offer money
what was the atmosphere like in the Olympic Village during the crisis?
blocked off, very quiet
how did the greeks perceive sports? what elements did they value in athletic competitions? explain the notion of "agon"?
fascinated; agon = contest; agony comes from that; agony meant that the contest contained pain, strife, and suffering
what was the role of religious rituals in the games?
first day was religious purification, priest sacrificed genitals of bull, athletes took oath of Zeus to play with the rules; severe penalties for cheating because you were violating Zeus; athletes felt this was a way of gaining immortality
who was Pierre de Coubertin? why did he decide to revive the Olympic Games? what were his ideas? what did he hope to accomplish?
frenchman that led to the revival of the olympic games; decided to revive them because he felt the French were out of shape and that is why they lost the Franco-Prussian war; aristocrat; wanted to promote physical fitness of Frenchmen; suggested the games go along with the Universal expositions, wanted only amateurs to compete
what happened with the sporting part of the Olympics after the crisis began?
games must go on
what do the medals represent?
gold, silver, and bronze represents the first 3 ages of man. gold - when men lived among gods, silver - when youth lasted for 100 years, bronze - era of heroes; image of Nike - greek goddess; used to be olive crown
what was the significance of Jesse Owens' performance in these Olympic Games? what doe the film tell us about the context?
he was african americans he won in 10.2 but they said it wasn't accepted because of "wind"; finally won again; hitler refused to shake his hand - went against Hitler's belief that the Aryan race was superior to every other race
Describe the ancient Olympic games? what were the like?
held in Olympic, first olympics dated to 776 BC; very religious, offered 100 oxen as a sacrifice, not very many events, did it for the gods and prayed to them, competed in the nude; violent and gruesome - a lot of fighting events; admired ability to endure pain and suffering; people would rather die than lose; physical test and test of faith
describe the early Olympic Games (1900-1924). where did they take place? what were they like?
held in Paris; they were highly (nationalized?) - did it for their nation; 19 sports; women could participate some people didn't even know that it was the olympics because the name changed; as it progressed it got more and more organized
Why did the documentary Tokyo Olympiad cause controversy?
it focused more on the athletes than the events (Tokyo Olympiad documents the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo; considered a milestone in documentary filmmaking. However, Tokyo Olympiad keeps its focus more on the atmosphere of the games and the human side of the athletes instead of concentrating on winning and the results)
Which events were held in the Ancient Olympics?
long jump, shot put, javelin, pentathlon
What event was not held in the Ancient Olympics?
marathon
how did the memory of the 1936 Berlin olympics affect the organization of the 1972 Munich games?
no military - Potsdam accords 1945; race 1936 memories; show new democratic face; erase military/propaganda
what does the salute represent?
not only on statues because closely resembles the Nazi salute
compare and contrast the revival of the games in 1896 with the most recent ones (Rio, London, etc.)
now: women compete, US still wins a lot of events, now we use blocks in sprints, still have a podium for winners, now we have professional athletes competing, still play national anthem of winner, dirt track
where were the olympics held in antiquity? what was the significance of the place? what was the venue like?
olympia - zeus's sacred city - sits below Mt. Olympus, Zeus threw a thunderbolt and where it hit is where they made the altar of Zeus; the games were held in Zeus' honor; Nike was the symbol and spirit of the Olympics; the games evolved from religious rights; first event was a foot race to the shrine of Zeus
How are the 1936 Berlin Olympics remembered? what was their significance?
olympic torch and olympic salute; controversy; Hitler was in power and wasn't an advocate for modern sports; Hitler had just invaded the Rhineland; used the Olympics as propaganda; Nazi ideals were in contrast to all the olympic ideals
What are the principles of Olympism? in other words, what values or ideas are the games meant to uphold?
olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind; blends sport with culture and education; the creed is the guiding principle; way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles; 1992 all professionals are allowed to compete as well
who does 'Olympia' show Hitler's use of the 1936 Olympics as a form of propaganda for his ideology and regime?
opening ceremony everyone salutes to Hitler; fans and athletes alike; his military force was brought into the stadium, banners with swastikas, a lot of statues
what does the flame represent?
positive values associated between man and fire; taking the flame from Olympic holds a connection between Ancient and Modern Games
what were the 1968 Mexico olympics best remembered for? what is your opinion about Tommie Smith and John Carlos' Black Power salute?
protest olympics; "Black power" salute; Vera Caslavska looked away from soviet flag cuz took over her country
what do the interlaced rings represent?
represents the unity and the meeting of the athletes of the 5 continents
Describe the 1956 Melbourne Olympics why were they so fraught with tension? what new tradition was established in the closing ceremonies, and what does it represent?
tension due to Hungarian revolution crushed by soviets and the suez crisis, athletes mingling with one another as paraded around for final appearance to represent the unifying, pacifying effect of the games, china protested because taiwan, money from taxes
what does the flag represent?
the five interlaced rings of blue, yellow, black, green, and red combined with the white background of the flag represents the 6 colors that appear on all the national flags of the world; white is the color of peace - evoking truce of Zeus in antiquity
how would you describe the 1896 Summer Olympics? what were the opening ceremonies like? who participated? what were some of the events?
very high national spirit; everyone was highly excited; men participating; less organized; 100, 400, 800, discus and long jump, triple jump; simple opening ceremonies, not a lot of nations = only 11 nations attended
what was the significance of japan hosting the 1964 games? why was this so important of its national agenda?
welcome back to community of nations (normalization), end of war (got to host since lost bid due to war) (atomic bombs), economic boost, modernized infrastructure
why were these games especially significant for jewish and Israeli athletes?
yes because they had survived the Holocaust and have own state now