The Olympic Games. Олимпийские игры

Olympic Games

The world"s greatest international sports games are known as the Olympic Games.

The Olympic idea means friendship, fraternity and cooperation among the people of the world. The Olympic Movement proves that real peace can be achieved through sport.

The Olympic emblem is five interlinked rings: blue, yellow, black, green and red. Any national flag contains at least one of these colours.

The original Olympic Games began in ancient Greece in 776 B.C. These games were part of a festival held every fourth year in honour of God Zeus at the place called Olympia. It was a great athletic festival, including competitions in wrestling, foot racing and chariot racing, rowing and others.

The games were for men only. Greek women were forbidden not only to participate but also to watch the Olympics.

The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896. Then they were resumed in London after the Second World War. Since then the Olympics are held every fourth year in different countries.

The ancient Greeks had no winter sports. Only in 1924 the first Winter Olympic Games were held in France. Now they are being held regularly.

Олимпийские игры

Самые известные в мире спортивные игры - Олимпийские.

Идея игр - дружба, братство и согласие народов мира. Олимпийское движение доказывает, что мир может быть достигнут благодаря спорту.

Олимпийская эмблема - пять переплетенных колец: голубое, желтое, черное, зеленое и красное. Флаг любой страны имеет хотя бы один из этих цветов.

В первый раз Олимпийские игры были проведены в Древней Греции в 776 году до н. э. Они были частью фестиваля, проводящегося каждый четвертый год в честь бога Зевса в Олимпии. Это был грандиозный спортивный праздник, включавший в себя соревнования по борьбе, бегу, езде на колесницах, гребле и др.

К играм допускались только мужчины, женщинам запрещалось не только участвовать, но и наблюдать.

Первые современные Олимпийские игры были проведены в 1896 в Афинах. Потом они были возобновлены в Лондоне после Второй мировой войны. С того времени Олимпийские игры проводятся каждый четвертый год в различных странах.

У древних греков не было зимних видов спорта. Только в 1924 году во Франции состоялись первые Зимние Олимпийские игры. Сейчас они проводятся регулярно.

Questions:

1. What are the world"s greatest sports games?
2. What does the Olympic idea mean?
3. What is the Olympic emblem?
4. Why have these colours been chosen?
5. When and where did the original Olympic Games begin?
6. Did women participate in the games?
7. When were the first modern Olympic Games held? Where?
8. Are the Olympics held in the same place?
9. When did the Winter Olympic Games start being held? Where?

Vocabulary:

peace - мир
fraternity - братство
contain(s) - содержать
ancient - древний
B.C. (before Christ) - до нашей эры
Zeus - Зевс
to participate - участвовать
to resume - возобновлять

The Olympic Games are an international sports competition which are held every four years in a different city. Thousands of athletes from all over the world compete against each other in individual and team sports. Over 1 billion people watch the games on TV.

The first Olympic Games were held in Greece in 776 B.C. They were called the ancient games and lasted until the 4th century A.D. The modern games began in 1896, when the Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin revived the games to bring peace and friendship to the young people all over the world.

Today, there are summer and winter games. Up to 1994 both games were held in the same year, but now they are staged two years apart from each other.

Ceremonies and symbols

The Olympic Games begin with the opening ceremony. Athletes from all the participating nations march into the stadium. Greece comes in first, because it was the first nation to hold the Olympics and the host nation comes in last.

The Olympic flag is raised and a chosen athlete lights the Olympic flame. It is a symbol of spirit, knowledge and life. The fire comes from Olympia, a small town in Greece and many runners transport the flame in a torch relay to the site of the games. It burns from the opening ceremony until the end of the games.

The Olympic rings were created in 1913 and represent the five continents (Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Americas).

All athletes must take the Olympic oath. One of them has to promise that all athletes will give their best and compete in a fair way.

After each event, medals are given to the first three athletes. They receive gold, silver and bronze medals. Their flags are raised and the national anthem of the winner"s country is played.

The International Olympic Committee

The IOC is the organisation that governs the games. It decides which sports and events are held at the games. The IOC also selects the host city for the summer and winter games, at least seven years before they take place. Cities that want the games must show that

They have enough stadiums for all events
they have enough room for all the athletes
they can provide safety for the athletes
they can transport athletes and spectators from one event to another

Host cities must build an Olympic village where all athletes live during the games.

How can athletes take part?

Normally, each country decides for itself which sportsmen and –women are allowed to take part. Athletes must qualify for the games by winning or doing well in competitions before the Olympic Games start.

Athletes, who are sent to the games by their country must be a citizen of that country. For years, only amateurs were able to participate in the games, but today, most athletes are professionals, who earn their money through sport.

Most governments give their team money so that it can take part in the games.

The ancient Games

The ancient Olympic Games were celebrated at Olympia, Greece every four years. They were held in honour of the god Zeus. In the early games, only Greek men were allowed to participate. The games consisted of sports like footraces, wrestling, boxing, the pentathlon and horse racing. The last event of the games was usually a chariot race.

When the Romans conquered Greece in 140 B.C. the games started to lose their religious meaning and in 393 the Roman emperor banned the event.

The Summer Games

The Summer Games are held during the summer season of the host country. They last for 16 days. Today, there are more than 270 events during the games. Over 15,000 athletes from 190 nations take part.

The next Summer Games will be held in London (2012).

The Winter Games

The first separate Winter Games were held in Chamonix, France in 1924. They usually take place in February. Today, the Winter Olympics include over 60 events. Athletes from more than 60 countries participate.

Politics and the Olympic Games

In the past, the Olympic Games have been disturbed by political issues. In 1936 the IOC chose Berlin as the site for the 1936 Summer Games. A few years later, Adolf Hitler"s Nazi Party rose to power and Hitler used the games to show Germany"s power.

In 1968 two Black American runners protested against their government and raised their fists when the American national anthem was played.

In 1980 the USA-and many other countries-didn"t send athletes to the games in Moscow because the Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan a year before. In return, the Russians and other Communist countries refused to take part in the 1984 games in Los Angeles.

The worst day in Olympic history came on September 5th, 1972 during the Munich games. Eight Palestinian terrorists broke into the Olympic village and killed two Israeli athletes. 9 others were taken hostage. They wanted the Israeli government to set free over 400 Arab prisoners in Israel. During a battle with German policemen all hostages and the terrorists were killed.

Olympia today

The Olympic Games have become very successful over the past years. More and more people are able to watch them on TV and television stations are spending more money for the rights to broadcast the games. The IOC earns more money than ever before. With this money they help athletes in poorer countries.

Drugs have become a big problem. Some athletes take drugs before and during the games in order to help their muscles grow. When they are caught they are disqualified and their medals are taken away from them.

Топик Олимпийские игры рассказывает о крупнейших международных спортивных соревнованиях, которые проводятся раз в четыре года под эгидой Международного олимпийского комитета. Традиция проведения Олимпийских игр зародилась в Древней Греции как часть религиозного культа. Игры проводились с 777 до н. э. по 394 н. э. и всего было проведено 293 Олимпиады в Олимпии, считавшейся у греков священным местом. От Олимпии произошло и название Игр. Современные Олимпийские игры были возрождены в конце 19-го века французом Пьером де Кубертеном. Летние Олимпийские игры проводятся каждые четыре года, начиная с 1896 года, за исключением лет, пришедшихся на мировые войны. В 1924 году были учреждены зимние Олимпийские игры.

The Olympic Games have a very long history. They began in 777 BC in Greece and took place every four years for nearly twelve centuries at Olimpia. They included many different kinds of sports: running, boxing, wrestling, etc. All the cities in Greece sent their best athletes to Olimpia to compete in the Games. For the period of the Games all the wars stopped. So the Olympic Games became the symbol of peace and friendship.

In 394 AD the Games were abolished and were not renewed until many centuries later.

In 1894, a Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, addressed all the sports governing bodies and pointed out the significance of sports and its educational value.

Two years later the first modern Olympic Games took place. Of course, the competitions were held in Greece to symbolize the continuation of the centuries-old tradition.

In 1896 the International Olympic Committee was set up. It is the central policy-making body of the Olympic movement. It is formed by the representatives of all countries which take part in the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee decides upon the programme of the games, the number of the participants and the city-host for the Games. Over one hundred and fifty countries are represented in the International Olympic Committee now. Besides, each country has its National Olympic Committee.

Summer and Winter Games are held separately. There are always several cities wishing to host the Games. The most suitable is selected by the International Committee. After that the city of the Games starts preparations for the competitions, constructs new sports facilities, stadiums, hotels, press centres. Thousands of athletes, journalists and guests come to the Games, and it takes great efforts to arrange everything. There is always an interesting cultural programme of concerts, exhibitions, festivals, etc., for each Games.

Russia joined the Olympic movement in 1952. Since then it has won a lot of gold, silver, and bronze medals. In 1980 Moscow hosted the Twenty-Second Olympic Games.

The latest Olympic Games were held in Barcelona. Russian sportsmen got medals for their records in many sports events.

Уровень С. Классическое эссе

The Importance of the Olympic Games

But some people claim that holding Olympic Games is not a very good idea, because the country has to invest really a great deal of money to organize the ceremonies, build stadiums, hotels and Olympic Games objects and equipment for stadiums and athletic halls.

I strongly disagree with this opinion. I believe the more you give, the better results you will have. So this money will worth it.

In conclusion, I would like to say that Russia is famous for its hospitality and “a wide soul”. I believe that this event will help us become one big family, enjoy all this time and support our country in these important competitions.

Люди начали задумываться о своем здоровье с незапамятных лет. Основной путь поддержания себя в форме – это занятия спортом. Поэтому были организованы Олимпийские Игры, которые имеют свою длинную историю. В этом году, Россия удостоена чести принимать Зимние Олимпийские Игры у себя в гостях. Так как это повлияет на нас и нашу страну?

По моему мнению, эти игры сыграют огромную роль в истории Российской Федерации. В первую очередь, мы сможем показать нашу гостеприимность, наши традиции и нашу культуру людям со всего мира. Я знаю, что иностранцы имеют некоторые стереотипы о нашей стране, так что это событие поможет их разрушить. Во-вторых, это будет замечательной возможностью для нашего народа пообщаться с людьми из разных стран и завести себе друзей среди иностранцев. Это поможет нашим международным отношениям стать сильнее.

Но некоторые считают, что проведение Олимпийских игр не очень хорошая идея, так как государству следует вкладывать огромное количество денег в организацию. В строительство стадионов, гостиниц и различных Олимпийских объектов и оборудование для стадионов и манежей.

В заключение я бы хотела сказать, что Россия известна своей гостеприимность и «широкой душой». Я верю, что это событие поможет нам стать одним целым, насладиться этим временем и поддержать нашу сборную в этом сложном соревновании.

The Olympic Games is a worldwide famous sport event. Every four years the best sportsmen of every country united in national teams meet each other in one selected city to find out who is the strongest, fastest and the sturdiest person in the world. There are two types of these games: summer and winter ones, because all sports are conditionally divided according to seasons.

The event was first organized by the ancient Greeks at the Olympus (a residence of Greek gods) more than 2,700 years ago. Modern games are very different from the first ones and quantity of played sports changes every time depending on their popularity. Summer sports usually include synchronized swimming, volleyball, rhythmic-sportive gymnastics, pole vaulting, athletics, etc. The most popular winter sports are hockey, bobsledding, figure skating, biathlon and skiing. As it was noted before, the programme is changeable: the most popular sport stays, the less popular one disappears for some time (rugby, motor sports and golf).

The winners in every competition get gold, silver and bronze medals and every sportsman desires to win the golden award. It is a big honor for every country to be a host for Olympic Games, because this is a chance to show its power, financial capabilities and the highest hospitality to guests from other countries by means of organization, opening/closing ceremonies of event and Olympic torch relay.

Олимпийские Игры являются всемирно известным спортивным событием. Лучшие спортсмены всех стран объединяются в команды, представляющие нации, встречаются в специально выбранном городе каждые четыре года для того чтобы выяснить, кто из них самый сильный, быстрый и выносливый. Существует два вида таких игр: зимние и летние, так как все виды спорта можно условно разделить относительно сезона.

Это мероприятие было впервые проведено Древними Греками на Олимпе (место обитания Греческих богов) более 2700 лет тому назад. Современные игры очень далеки от тех, что проводились первыми, и количество участвующих видов спорта каждый раз меняется в зависимости от их популярности. Летние виды спорта обычно включают в себя синхронное плавание, волейбол, художественная гимнастика, прыжки с шестом, атлетика и т.д. Наиболее популярными Зимними видами являются хоккей, бобслей, фигурное катание, биатлон и бег на лыжах. Как уже было отмечено ранее, программа изменчива: наиболее популярные виды спорта остаются, а менее популярные исчезают на какое-то время (регби, мотоспорт и гольф).

Победители соревнований получают золотые, серебряные и бронзовые медали и каждый спортсмен мечтает о золотой награде. Для каждой страны является большой честью принимать у себя Олимпиаду, так как это шанс показать свою мощь, финансовые возможности и высокий уровень гостеприимства по отношению к гостям из других стран с помощью организации мероприятий, церемоний открытия и закрытия игры и эстафета с Олимпийским огнем.

Стоит отметить, что официальный язык в Рио-Де-Жанейро - столице игр 2016 года, португальский , который можно выучить по Скайпу в нашей школе.