Ben Nussbaum - Showdown: Olympic Spirit

0covercover.xhtmlcover1page0001page0001.xhtml22page0002page0002.xhtml Showdown Olympic Spirit33page0003page0003.xhtml44page0004page0004.xhtmlTable of Contents Olympic Ideals 4 A Global Gathering 6 All-Around Champs 14 Unlikely Winners 25 Spreading the Olympic Spirit 34 Celebrating the Olympic Spirit 41 Glossary 42 Index 44 Check It Out! 46 Try It! 47 About the Author 4855page0005page0005.xhtmlOlympic Ideals Can sports make the world a better place? Pierre de Coubertin (duh koo-behr-TEHN) thought so. The French educator had big dreams and a very specific plan. Inspired by ancient Greek sporting events that brought together rival cities, he wanted to create an athletic festival that would bring together the whole world. In 1896, his vision gave birth to the first modern Olympics. They were held in Athens, Greece. De Coubertin did not organize the Olympics just to find out who could run the fastest or who could jump the farthest. In a poem, de Coubertin captured the spirit he wanted for the Olympics. O sport, you are peace! You forge happy bonds between people, he wrote. For over one hundred years, the Olympics have brought people together, proving that competition can create community. Olympic Art? From 1912 to 1948, the Olympics included an art competition. Mixing art and sports was part of de Coubertin's unique vision. De Coubertin even won a gold medal for his poem Ode to Sport. 66page0006page0006.xhtmlPierre de Coubertin All-Around Sportsman De Coubertin was passionate about rugby. He was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame for his work promoting the sport.77page0007page0007.xhtmlA Global Gathering Athletes from 14 nations entered the first Games. The Olympics have grown in size ever since. The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro played host to athletes from more than 200 nations. Almost every country in the world sent at least one athlete to Rio. Spectators travel from around the world come to cheer at the Games, too. Half a million foreigners went to Rio to watch the Games. The city was happy to welcome such diversity. About 3. 5 billion people watched the Rio Games on television. That's half the people in the world! For comparison, about 100 million people watch the Super Bowl each year. More than any other event, the Olympics truly unite the planet.88page0008page0008.xhtml Bringing Home the Cup Soccer's World Cup is the only event that rivals the Olympics in terms of worldwide excitement. There's one big difference, though. Only 32 countries qualify for the World Cup.99page0009page0009.xhtmlOne highlight of the Olympics is the opening ceremony. It gives the host nation a chance to welcome the world. The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing kicked off in style. A huge cast put on an incredible show. The ceremony celebrated China's past and present. It showed off China's invention of gunpowder, paper, and the compass. It highlighted China's philosophers and traditional music. It also showed China's ethnic diversity. An announcer captured the spirit of the event : The world has given its love and trust to China, and today China will give the world a big, warm hug. The Olympic Games are a break from conflict. They are a chance for the world to feel united. Spectacular Spectacle Beijing's opening ceremony cost about $100 million. That is more than tw ice the amount spent four years earlier in Athens. Beijing's ceremony was four hours long and included about 15,000 performers. Dru ms that lit up as they were played dazzled vi ewers around the world!1010page0010page0010.xhtml2008 Opening Ceremony in Beijing1111page0011page0011.xhtml Boycott Blues In 1980, the United States did not take part in the Moscow Olympics. President Jimmy Carter made the decision. The former Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan and would not withdraw its troops. Four years later, the Soviet Union hit back. It boycotted the Olympics in Los Angeles.1212page0012page0012.xhtml2014 Closing Ceremony of the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia Welcome Back South Africa was banned from the Olympics for many years. Its apartheid system was built on racism. In 1992, after South Africa reformed, it came back to the Olympics. This was a huge victory for South African athletes!1313page0013page0013.xhtmlDig Deeper Number of Countries 1896 14 1948 59 1988 159 2016 207 Number of Events 1896 43 1948 136 1988 237 2016 306 Number of Competitors 1896 241 1948 4,104 1988 8,397 2016 11,237 Athens, Greece, 1896 London, England, 1948 Seoul, South Korea, 1988 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 20161414page0014page0014.xhtmlWinter Olympics Number of Countries 1924 16 1948 28 1980 37 2012 88 Number of Events 1924 16 1948 22 1980 38 2012 98 Number of Competitors 1924 258 1948 669 1980 1,072 2012 2,780 Chamonix, France, 1924 St. Moritz, Switzerland, 1948 Lake Placid, NY, USA, 1980 Sochi, Russia, 20121515page0015page0015.xhtmlAll-Around Champs Raisman performs on the beam in 2016. Grandma Aly Raisman's teammates kidded her by calling her grandma. Even though she was only 22, she was the oldest member of the gymnastics team. She helped the other athletes stay calm and focused.1616page0016page0016.xhtml Sibling Rivalry Competing against a friend can be hard. Imagine competing against your sisters! The Luik triplets from Estonia competed in the 2016 Rio women's marathon. In the same race, the Hahner twins, from Germany, crossed the finish line holding hands.1717page0017page0017.xhtmlDouglas and Raisman hug after winning the gold medal as a team. Serious Dedication Olympic gymnasts train about 30 hours a week. Sometimes, they even move away from their families to be closer to their coaches.1818page0018page0018.xhtml Love on Ice Sometimes, romantic partners compete together at the Olympics. Chinese pair skaters Tong Jian and Pang Qing trained together for almost 20 years. They won the silver medal at the 2010 Olympics. The next year, they got engaged!1919page0019page0019.xhtmlJohnson World's Greatest Athlete The 1912 Olympics were held in Sweden. Jim Thorpe was an American Indian competing for the United States. He was entered in the pentathlon and decathlon. He won gold medals in both, destroying his competition.2020page0020page0020.xhtml A Country's Hope Yang had added pressure. Taiwan had never won a medal. He represented the hopes of the entire country. Yang2121page0021page0021.xhtmlAt the Olympics in Rome, the two men had an amazing duel. The lead went back and forth during the grueling two-day, ten-event decathlon. The final event was the 1, 500-meter run, a test of endurance and fortitude. If Yang could beat Johnson by 10 seconds, he would win gold. Yang pulled ahead, but Johnson stayed close behind. Crossing the finish line, both men were utterly exhausted. On the verge of collapsing, the first thing they did was embrace each other. Johnson's performance in the race earned him gold, while Yang took home silver. Their Olympic careers united Johnson and Yang instead of driving them apart. Sports is about opening your heart to others, Yang explained.2222page0022page0022.xhtmlSTOP! THINK Check out how Johnson and Yang did in each of the events at the 1960 Olympics. Bronze medalist Vasili Kuznetsov's results are also shown. There were 30 competitors in the decathlon. The table shows how the three medalists ranked in each event. Johnson Yang Kuznetsov 100-meter race 3 1 4 Long jump 2 1 6 Shot put 1 14 4 High jump 3 1 16 400-meter race 3 2 6 110-meter hurdles 5 1 4 Discus throw 3 11 1 Pole vault 3 1 5 Javelin throw 3 4 2 1, 500-meter race 15 12 16 Do you think it's fair that Yang won the silver medal even though he did better than Johnson in most of the events? Why or why not? How did Kuznetsov's performance compare?2323page0023page0023.xhtmlDig Deeper The Olympic Rings The Olympic logo is full of messages about unity and togetherness. Designed by Pierre de Coubertin, it was first used in 1914 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the International Olympic Committee. The five rings represent the five continents that send athletes to the Olympics. (De Coubertin counted North and South America as one continent.) They are linked together to show how the Olympics unite the world.2424page0024page0024.xhtmlThe five colors were chosen because they are commonly used in flags of the world. According to de Coubertin, every nation that had competed in the Olympics up to 1931 used only these colors (along with white) in their flag. Each Olympic Games has its own logo that features the Olympic rings.2525page0025page0025.xhtml Silver and Copper? Today, the Olympics give out gold, silver, and bronze medals to the top three athletes in each event. At the 1896 Olympics in Athens, first-place winners received a silver medal. People who came in second place received a copper medal. Mardini trains hard before the 2016 Games.2626page0026page0026.xhtmlUnlikely Winners The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part. The essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well, de Coubertin wrote. At every Olympics, a few athletes are thrown into the spotlight. They remind the world that the Olympics are a celebration of community. They also teach that winning is about doing your best. A True Champion The 2016 Rio Olympics gave the world a new hero in swimmer Yusra Mardini. She swam for Syria before her family's home was destroyed in a civil war. She became part of the Refugee Olympic Team (ROT). The team was made up of athletes who were displaced from their home countries. They competed under the Olympic flag. Medal Ceremonies For many years, medals were handed out at the end of the Olympics. Many athletes had already gone home! A medal ceremony at the end of each event was added in 1932.2727page0027page0027.xhtmlMardini fled her home country in 2015. During her dangerous journey to safety, she was on a small boat crowded with other refugees when the motor stopped working. The dinghy threatened to capsize. Mardini jumped into the water and, swimming, pushed the boat to shore. I thought it would be a real shame if I drowned in the sea, because I am a swimmer, she remembered thinking.2828page0028page0028.xhtmlIn Germany, she found a coach and resumed training. At the Olympics, she won an early heat, delighting the crowd in Rio. I want to make all the refugees proud of me. It would show that, even if we had a tough journey, we can achieve something, Mardini said. _ Competing for the World In 2016, the first team made up of refugees went to Rio to compete. Ten athletes were on the ROT. They all left their home countries because of war. They represented an estimated 65 million refugees around the world. That number is almost equal to the population of France. The ROT takes a picture together in front of a landmark statue in Rio.2929page0029page0029.xhtmlFly Like an Eagle Eddie the Eagle Edwards competed in the ski jump at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. Before Edwards, Great Britain did not have a ski-jumping team. In fact, Britain did not have any ski jumpers at all! Edwards was not sponsored. The British Olympic Committee did not support him. He trained abroad and made do with secondhand equipment. Edwards did not look like a ski jumper. He wore thick glasses that misted up on the jump hill, making it difficult for him to see as he landed. Despite his nickname, Eddie the Eagle did not soar. He finished in last place at the Olympics. He still became a great Olympic hero. People around the world cheered for him because of his determination and can-do attitude. The Hollywood Treatment The movie Eddie the Eagle was released in 2016. It stars Hugh Jackman as Edwards's coach. The movie was a huge hit in Britain!3030page0030page0030.xhtmlThe Eagle soars through the air at the Olympics. _ Makes Sense! Eddie the Eagle was so popular that he received many endorsement deals. One was with Eagle Airlines.3131page0031page0031.xhtmlSwim like an Eel Eric the Eel Moussambani (moo-sahm-bah-NEE) followed in Edwards's footsteps. Moussambani represented Equatorial Guinea. He entered the 2000 Summer Olympics through a wildcard program for athletes from poor countries. Moussambani trained early in the morning in a tiny hotel pool. He also trained in lakes and rivers. He did not have a coach. Fishermen gave him swimming tips. The Olympian had never even seen a full-size pool before the Games. He swam only one meet at the Olympics, against two other swimmers. They were both disqualified after a false start. That meant Moussambani swam by himself. His single lap in the pool was televised around the world. The cheers of the crowd and his huge smile after the event were lasting reminders of what makes the Olympics so special. From Athlete to Coach Moussambani was 22 when he swam in the Olympics. He went on to become an IT engineer. In 2012, he was named the coach of Equatorial Guinea's national swim team.3232page0032page0032.xhtmlMoussambani competes in the 100m Freestyle. THINK LINK The wildcard program Moussambani used to enter the Olympics is controversial. Some people think only the very best athletes should be at the Olympics. What is your opinion? What might be a better way to spread the Olympic spirit to countries that don't have strong programs in a particular sport? Should wealthy countries such as the United States be required to help athletes from countries like Equatorial Guinea? Why or why not?3333page0033page0033.xhtmlDig Deeper Torch Relay The torch relay is a dramatic part of every Olympics. The torch begins its journey in Olympia, Greece, and takes a winding path to the Olympic venue. The torch broadens the Olympic community by bringing the spirit of the Games wherever it goes. At the opening ceremony, the torch is used to light a cauldron that burns throughout the Olympics. The torch is lit with special mirrors that focus the sun. This is the same way the ceremonial torch was lit during the ancient Olympic Games. This map shows the torch relay from the 1996 Atlanta, Georgia, Olympics. May 1415 : More than 300 riders carried the flame on horseback between Colorado and Missouri. They re-created part of the historic Pony Express.3434page0034page0034.xhtmlJuly 14 : Boxer Muhammad Ali was the last torchbearer at the 1996 Games, touching the torch to the cauldron at the climax of the opening ceremony.3535page0035page0035.xhtmlSpreading the Olympic Spirit The Paralympics and the Special Olympics both create community through competition. Athletes with disabilities compete in the Paralympics. It started in 1948 with a small archery competition. The athletes were veterans in wheelchairs. Since then, it has grown into a huge sporting event. Today, the Paralympics take place right after the Olympics, in the same city. Athletes use the same venues. At the Summer Paralympics, athletes swim, ride bikes, and run. In some events, blind athletes are paired with seeing partners. Basketball and tennis are played in wheelchairs. Some sports are unique to the Paralympics. Goalball is one example. It's like soccer but modified for people who are blind. During the Winter Paralympics, athletes ski and skate. There is also wheelchair curling. This sport is only open to those who must use a wheelchair in their everyday lives. _ A Young Champion Eleanor Simmonds is a British swimmer who was born with dwarfism. She is the youngest Paralympian champion for her country. She was just 13 when she won two golds at the 2008 Paralympics.3636page0036page0036.xhtmlA skier from Germany competes in one of the downhill events. Parallel Games The term Paralympics comes from the Greek word para. It means next to. The Paralympics are next to, or parallel to, the Olympics.3737page0037page0037.xhtmlThe Greatest American swimmer Trischa Zorn was born blind. During her long Paralympic career, she earned 55 medals, including 41 golds. She won gold medals in all four swimming strokes.3838page0038page0038.xhtml_ Always a Rider Lis Hartel lost the use of her legs in 1944. But she could still ride and control a horse. In 1952 and 1956, she won silver medals at the Olympics in dressage, a riding event. In 2008, Petitclerc wins the 400m race.3939page0039page0039.xhtml One of a Kind The Olympic Committee bars the use of the word Olympic by other groups or businesses. The Special Olympics is the only other organization in the world that is allowed to use the term.4040page0040page0040.xhtmlPresidential Seal Eunice Shriver started the Special Olympics. She was one of President John F. Kennedy's sisters. The games grew out of a summer camp she held in her backyard. The Kennedy family is still involved in the organization. A competitor lifts during the 2011 Special Olympics.4141page0041page0041.xhtml_ The Rarest Medal Since 1964, a total of 18 de Coubertin medals have been given. Most of these medals have gone to athletes. By comparison, at each Olympics, hundreds of gold medals are awarded! Vanderlei de Lima4242page0042page0042.xhtmlCelebrating the Olympic Spirit Can sports make the world a better place? The Olympics do just that, creating bonds between athletes, fans, and even nations and proving that de Coubertin was right. One way that the Olympics continue to honor de Coubertin's vision is by awarding the Pierre de Coubertin medal to people who embody the values of the Games. Brazilian Vanderlei de Lima received the medal in 2004. He was leading the Olympic marathon that year when a deranged bystander attacked him. De Lima lost precious seconds. He lost his lead and finished in third place. De Lima did not complain. He did not blame the race's organizers. Instead, as he crossed the finish line, he blew kisses to the crowd. In 2016, he was chosen to light the cauldron at the Rio Olympics. It was a great moment in Olympic history. It would have made de Coubertin proud!4343page0043page0043.xhtmlGlossary apartheid a policy of racial segregation practiced in South Africa between 1948 and 1991 attentively with great focus bocce a horseshoes-like sport that involves throwing and rolling balls toward a target boycotted refused to buy a product or attend an event as a way of showing disapproval or to force change capsize to turn a boat over cauldron at the Olympics, the place where the Olympic flame burns during the competition compass a tool used to find direction decathletes athletes in track and field whose contest has 10 events, including running, jumping, and throwing events deranged mentally unstable dinghy a very small, open boat usually without a motor diversity variety, especially in terms of people with different religious or ethnic backgrounds embody to be an example of something in visible form forge to create something strong and lasting fortitude courage or determination in the face of pain and misfortune4444page0044page0044.xhtmlgrueling extremely difficult and tiring gunpowder an explosive substance used in guns and also to create fireworks heat in the Olympics, an early round of a competition to determine who continues in the event pentathlon a track and field contest with five events philosophers people who study big, important issues and sometimes creates ideas for how to live seaplane a special plane that can land and take off from water sponsored supported someone else, usually financially unified a complete, united whole venue a place where an event is held4545page0045page0045.xhtmlIndex Ali, Muhammad, Athens, Greece, Atlanta, Georgia, Beijing, China, Biles, Simone, boycott, Carter, Jimmy, cauldron, decathlon, de Coubertin, Pierre, de Lima, Vanderlei, Douglas, Gabby, Edwards, Eddie, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, goalball, Great Britain, Hartel, Lis, Jackman, Hugh, Jian, Tong, Johnson, Rafer, Kennedy, John F., Kuznetsov, Vasili, Los Angeles, Luik sisters, Mardini, Yusra, Moscow, Moussambani, Eric, North Korea, Ode to Sport, Olympic logo, opening ceremony, Paralympics, Petitclerc, Chantal, Qing, Pang, Raisman, Aly, Refugee Olympic Team (ROT), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Shriver, Eunice, Simmonds, Eleanor,4646page0046page0046.xhtmlski jumping, South Africa, South Korea, Special Olympics, swimming, Syria, Taiwan, Thorpe, Jim, torch, wheelchair sports, Yang, C.K., Zorn, Trischa,4747page0047page0047.xhtmlCheck It Out! Books Carter, Caela. 2016. Tumbling. New York : Viking Books for Young Readers. Douglas, Gabrielle. 2013. Grace, Gold, and Glory : My Leap of Faith. Grand Rapids, Michigan : Zondervan. Feinstein, John. 2012. Rush for the Gold : Mystery at the Olympics (The Sports Beat, 6). New York : Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers. Johnson, Rafer. 1998. The Best That I Can Be. New York : Doubleday. Videos Barber, Steven C. dir. 2009. Unbeaten. Polaris Global Media. Fletcher, Dexter, dir. 2016. Eddie the Eagle. 20th Century Fox. Hudson, Hugh, dir. 1981. Chariots of Fire. Warner Bros. O'Connor, Gavin, dir. 2004. Miracle. Walt Disney. Websites International Paralympic Committee. www. paralympic. org. Olympians, The. www. theolympians. co. Olympics. www. olympic. org. Special Olympics. www. specialolympics. org.4848page0048page0048.xhtmlTry It! In the spirit of the Olympics, plan an athletic competition for your friends, class, neighborhood, or school. Come up with at least five original events for your competition. Choose a location for the competition. Make sure it's a large enough space for all of the events. Make a diagram showing where each event will take place. Create a schedule of events so that people can participate in more than one event. Design a flyer advertising your competition with the place, date, and time. If you have the opportunity, put on your competition with friends or family. Have an awards ceremony, and post results. Most importantly, make sure that your competition creates community instead of conflict.4949page0049page0049.xhtmlAbout the Author Ben Nussbaum lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his wife, two children, a red fish, and a white cat. He's worked with Disney and the Smithsonian Institution, among other organizations, and he was the founding editor of USA Today's newsstand magazine group. He is currently a freelance writer and editor. His favorite Olympic events are the track and field relay races. He hopes that tug-of-war, an Olympic sport between 1904 and 1920, will be reinstated as an official event.5050page0050page0050.xhtmlReader's Guide 1. What were Pierre de Coubertin's goals when he founded the modern Olympic movement? 2. Explain how athletes like Eddie the Eagle Edwards and Eric the Eel Moussambani embody Olympic ideals. What makes them so popular? 3. In what ways do the Paralympics and Special Olympics spread the spirit of the Olympics? 4. How would you feel if you had to compete against a friend for a valuable prize? How do you think it could affect your friendship?5151page0051page0051.xhtml The Olympics are extremely popular! The Games aren't just about excellence and cheering on athletes from around the world. From the very beginning, the Olympics have been about creating community. Go beyond the medal ceremony and discover how the Olympics make the world a better place.52