A salute to XXIX Olympiad
Iftu Ahmed | Thursday, 31 July 2008
BEIJING, the capital of the People's Republic of China, the world's most populous country is going to lit the Olympic Flame as the third Asian host of the Olympiad from August 8 to 24.
The 16-day XXIX Summer Olympiad came to Asia after two decades.
In 1964, Tokyo hosted the Summer XVIII Olympiad and Seoul hosted the Summer XXIV Olympiad in 1988.
Japan had privilege to be the first Asian to host the Summer Olympiad and South Korea, the second.
The modern Olympic Games takes place after every four years, by which the Greeks computed time from 776 B.C.
The term Olympiad is applicable only for Olympic Summer Games, not for Olympic Winter Games. Each Olympiad is designated by Roman numerals.
The year of Olympic Games cannot be changed. Even if the Games can't take place, the number of the Olympiad will remain unchanged. As for example, in 1916, due to World War I, the Games of VI Olympiad was cancelled, the year of VI remained unchanged. Similarly, in 1940 and 1944, due to World War II, the Games of the XII and XIII Olympiads were cancelled, but the years of XII and XIII remained unchanged. Thus, we get the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, China. Modern Olympiad follows this chronology.
The ancient Olympic Games played an important role in the religious and cultural festivals of the ancient Greeks. Perhaps, celebration of these festivals began before 1400 B.C.
In 776 B.C., the first recorded Olympic contest took place in the stadium of Olympia, which stood in the valley of Olympia in western Greece. This ancient stadium could accommodate more than 40,000 spectators.
The ancient Olympic oath, "May the world be delivered from crime and killing and freed from the clash of arms," was valid for the period of games so that the athletes could compete in peace. This ancient Olympic oath should be restored for modern Olympic so that the world can have peace, brotherhood and prosperity.
The ancient Olympic events consisted of footrace, wrestling, boxing, the pentathlon (discus throw, javelin throw, long jump, sprint, and wrestling), pankration (deadly sport combined wrestling and boxing) and equestrian (horse and chariot races).
In 394 A.D., the ancient Olympic Games ended. No Olympics were held for 1,501 years.
In 500 A.D., an earthquake destroyed the Olympia stadium, where the ancient Olympic Games used to take place.
In 1875, a group of German archaeologists discovered the Olympia in ruins. Since then, the idea of modern Olympic Games came to the mind of Pierre de Fredy, the Baron de Coubertin (1863-1937), the French educator, historian and founder of modern Olympic Games.
"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well," said Baron de Coubertin.
In 1896 Games of the I Olympiad of the Modern Era was held in Athens, Greece. Fourteen nations, including the US, Australia, Chile and 11 European countries competed while more than 70,000 spectators observed the Games of the I Olympiad.
Marathon race, one of the original modern Olympic events remains the toughest event, requiring contestants to run 26 miles 385 yards.
According to legend, Pheidippides, the Greek soldier was sent from the Battle of Marathon to Athens to carry the news that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon. Pheidippides did accordingly and reached the city and gasped out, "Rejoice, we have won," then fell to the ground, dead. Marathon Race was introduced in the Modern Olympic Games to honour Pheidippides
In the 1936 Games of the XI Olympiad, Berlin, Germany, Jesse Owens (1913-80) of the United States of America stunned the world wining four gold medals as many track and field events of 100 meter-sprint, 200-meter run, 4 X 100-meter relay and long junp.
The performance of Owens, a black athlete embarrassed the racist German dictator Adolf Hitler (1889-1945).
Hitler and his followers who believed in Aryan German superiority depicted ethnic Africans as inferior or even non-humans. But African-American Owens shattered Hitler's racist dreams.
In 1976, President Gerald Ford awarded Owens the highest US civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and in 1990, President George H. W. Bush (senior) posthumously awarded Owens the Congressional Gold Medal.
In the 1984 Games of the XXIII Olympiad, Los Angeles, USA, Carl Lewis of US matched Owens' legendary feat of winning four gold medals in the same track and field events.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the supreme Modern Olympic Games body, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, is a non-governmental and non-commercial organisation.
All the 205 current member-nations of the IOC are expected to compete in Beijing Olympiad.
Archery, athletics (track and field), badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, canoe/kayak flatwater, canoe/kayak slalom, cycling BMX, cycling mountain bike, cycling road, cycling track, diving, equestrian, fencing, soccer, gymnastics artistic, gymnastic rhythmic, trampoline, handball, hockey, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, softball, swimming, synchronized swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting and wrestling are the events of XXIX Olympiad.
The writer) a Bangladeshi- born American athlete and scholar, lives in Aurora, USA and can be reached at e-mail: iftuahmed@sbcglobal.net
The 16-day XXIX Summer Olympiad came to Asia after two decades.
In 1964, Tokyo hosted the Summer XVIII Olympiad and Seoul hosted the Summer XXIV Olympiad in 1988.
Japan had privilege to be the first Asian to host the Summer Olympiad and South Korea, the second.
The modern Olympic Games takes place after every four years, by which the Greeks computed time from 776 B.C.
The term Olympiad is applicable only for Olympic Summer Games, not for Olympic Winter Games. Each Olympiad is designated by Roman numerals.
The year of Olympic Games cannot be changed. Even if the Games can't take place, the number of the Olympiad will remain unchanged. As for example, in 1916, due to World War I, the Games of VI Olympiad was cancelled, the year of VI remained unchanged. Similarly, in 1940 and 1944, due to World War II, the Games of the XII and XIII Olympiads were cancelled, but the years of XII and XIII remained unchanged. Thus, we get the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, China. Modern Olympiad follows this chronology.
The ancient Olympic Games played an important role in the religious and cultural festivals of the ancient Greeks. Perhaps, celebration of these festivals began before 1400 B.C.
In 776 B.C., the first recorded Olympic contest took place in the stadium of Olympia, which stood in the valley of Olympia in western Greece. This ancient stadium could accommodate more than 40,000 spectators.
The ancient Olympic oath, "May the world be delivered from crime and killing and freed from the clash of arms," was valid for the period of games so that the athletes could compete in peace. This ancient Olympic oath should be restored for modern Olympic so that the world can have peace, brotherhood and prosperity.
The ancient Olympic events consisted of footrace, wrestling, boxing, the pentathlon (discus throw, javelin throw, long jump, sprint, and wrestling), pankration (deadly sport combined wrestling and boxing) and equestrian (horse and chariot races).
In 394 A.D., the ancient Olympic Games ended. No Olympics were held for 1,501 years.
In 500 A.D., an earthquake destroyed the Olympia stadium, where the ancient Olympic Games used to take place.
In 1875, a group of German archaeologists discovered the Olympia in ruins. Since then, the idea of modern Olympic Games came to the mind of Pierre de Fredy, the Baron de Coubertin (1863-1937), the French educator, historian and founder of modern Olympic Games.
"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well," said Baron de Coubertin.
In 1896 Games of the I Olympiad of the Modern Era was held in Athens, Greece. Fourteen nations, including the US, Australia, Chile and 11 European countries competed while more than 70,000 spectators observed the Games of the I Olympiad.
Marathon race, one of the original modern Olympic events remains the toughest event, requiring contestants to run 26 miles 385 yards.
According to legend, Pheidippides, the Greek soldier was sent from the Battle of Marathon to Athens to carry the news that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon. Pheidippides did accordingly and reached the city and gasped out, "Rejoice, we have won," then fell to the ground, dead. Marathon Race was introduced in the Modern Olympic Games to honour Pheidippides
In the 1936 Games of the XI Olympiad, Berlin, Germany, Jesse Owens (1913-80) of the United States of America stunned the world wining four gold medals as many track and field events of 100 meter-sprint, 200-meter run, 4 X 100-meter relay and long junp.
The performance of Owens, a black athlete embarrassed the racist German dictator Adolf Hitler (1889-1945).
Hitler and his followers who believed in Aryan German superiority depicted ethnic Africans as inferior or even non-humans. But African-American Owens shattered Hitler's racist dreams.
In 1976, President Gerald Ford awarded Owens the highest US civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and in 1990, President George H. W. Bush (senior) posthumously awarded Owens the Congressional Gold Medal.
In the 1984 Games of the XXIII Olympiad, Los Angeles, USA, Carl Lewis of US matched Owens' legendary feat of winning four gold medals in the same track and field events.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the supreme Modern Olympic Games body, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, is a non-governmental and non-commercial organisation.
All the 205 current member-nations of the IOC are expected to compete in Beijing Olympiad.
Archery, athletics (track and field), badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, canoe/kayak flatwater, canoe/kayak slalom, cycling BMX, cycling mountain bike, cycling road, cycling track, diving, equestrian, fencing, soccer, gymnastics artistic, gymnastic rhythmic, trampoline, handball, hockey, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, softball, swimming, synchronized swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting and wrestling are the events of XXIX Olympiad.
The writer) a Bangladeshi- born American athlete and scholar, lives in Aurora, USA and can be reached at e-mail: iftuahmed@sbcglobal.net