Beijing Issues

Every leap year (4 years) there is a special event called “The Olympic Games” and this year it will be held in Beijing, China. There are several major issues effecting the 2008 Olympic Games such as; Tibet, Air Pollution, Unpurified Water, and Food allergies.

My first issue is Tibet. A numerous amount of people have heard about the dispute between Tibet and China which has fallen in the midst of the 2008 Beijing, Olympic Games. This concerning the public about the lack of Human Rights it China.

In the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games, twelve Tibetans managed to squeeze through the crowd and crash this fabulous celebration, with their protest to free Tibet!

Although I believe that the Tibetans did the right thing in protesting, China believes otherwise. In China’s words it was a disgusting cry for attention.

Also, the arrival of the Olympic Torch was delayed due to protesters and had to take several paths to avoid crashing into anymore protesters.

So tell me what do you think about Tibet, are they protecting their country or giving back the terror and pain caused in the past? Please tell me what you think on the poll on my side bar.

Now onto my second issue, as we know China is one of the most populated countries in the world but the problem is, more people= more pollution, in this case air pollution. The air pollution in China has got so bad that people have to where a mask to walk on the street. This is a terrible threat to all competitors in the Olympics. It may cause harmful damage to the body and mind. So is Beijing the safest place for the Olympics you be the judge by taking my poll on the side bar. This also harmful for all the tourists that have been attracted to Beijing by the Olympic Games.

My third issue is the unpurified water in China. Due to all the factories in China the water has been polluted. This can be very harmful for the body because we can’t live without pure water. The Olympic competitors are very healthy and lets just hope that they notice the pollution before it hits them.

My final issue is the food standards in Beijing. All the competing athletes have allergies so the food in Beijing can be rather harmful to the body if not careful. The Beijing Municipal Administration of Quality and Technical Supervision issued food safety standards for the Beijing Olympic Games on Thursday, which marked the start of the 50-day countdown to the Games. standards for the Beijing Olympic Games on Thursday, which marked the start of the 50-day countdown to the Games.

Canoeing / Kayaking

The origins of canoeing and kayaking stretch back centuries, where South and North American Indians and Eskimos used these craft as a mode of transport, fishing and battle. They were propelled through the water by single-bladed paddles usually made from wood.

Canoeing/Kayaking is now known world wide and is used as a competitive sport. This particular sport will be held at the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing.

The canoes/kayaks have been dated back to the stone age and have been a very useful source of transport for humans and equipment. It would help villagers supply food and keep people safe. If they were not invented in ancient times could you imagine how hard life would be in the olden days to even survive?

Ms. Stilwell the first paragraph I copied from http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/index_uk.asp?SportCode=CA

http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/disciplines_uk.asp?DiscCode=CF

Deanna

WE MISS DEANNA ALREADY! :(

IT NOT FAIR

IF DEANNA IS READING THIS TELL US HOW MELBOURNE IS AND COME BACK TO VISIT

Olympic Sports: week 7

IOC stands for : International Olympic Commitee. It decides what is or what isn't an olympic sport. Also the IOC selects the places of were the olympic games should be held.On July 13th 2001 the IOC chosen Beijing to be the host of the Olympic Games in 2008. Beijing was selected over its competitors Paris, Toronto, Osaka and Istanbul. The slogan of the games is “One World, One Dream”

The Beijing Olympics will hold 302 events (165 men’s events, 127women’s events, and 10 mixed events).
Aquatics
Archery
Athletics
Badminton
Baseball
Basketball
Boxing
Canoe / kayak
Cycling
Equestrian
Fencing
Football
Gymnastics
Handball
Hockey
Judo
Modern pentathlon
Rowing
Sailing
Shooting
Softball
Table tennis
Taekwondo
Tennis
Triathlon
Volleyball
Weightlifting
Wrestling

http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/index_uk.asp

The Olympic Medals: Week 6

The Olympic medals are a symbol of congratulating the athletes for all their hard work and effort put into competing.

There are three (3) medal; gold, silver and bronze, they are each awarded to the three (3) finalists. 1st place is awarded gold, 2nd place is awarded silver, and 3rd place is awarded the bronze medal.

In early modern times people believed that silver was greater and better than gold, until 1904 St. Louis replaced silver for gold.

Olympic medals are awarded to those individuals or teams placing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in each event.The winner is given a gold-plated medal of silver, which is known as the "gold medal". Second and third places receive medals of silver and bronze. The silver used in the first and second place medals must be at least 95.5% pure. The "gold" medals must be at least 6 grams of pure gold. Medals also carry the name of the event contested. All competitors receive a award and medal for their participation in the Olympic Games.

The front side of the medal that is awarded at the Olympic Games is a image of the Hellenis goddess holding a wreath with Athens in the background. Since 1972, the local Olympic organising committees have been allowed to create a design for the back sides of the medal.

The Olympic Torch: week 5

The Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games, and was first used in modern times at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam, 1928 by an employee of the Electric utility of Amsterdam.There were over 30 recorded Olympic Lighters. The flame symbolizes "The light of spirit, knowledge, and life."

The Olympic Torch today is ignited (catch fire) several months before the opening celebration of the Olympic Games at the site of the Ancient Olympics in Olympia, Greece. Eleven women perform a ceremony in which the torch is slowly burning by the light of the sun.

Since the first Olympic Games celebrated in the modern time, the Olympic Torch has become a symbol of the peace between the continents.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wike/Olympic_Flame

What do the Olympic Rings signify? : week 4

According to most accounts, the rings were adopted by Baron Pierre de Coubertin (founder of the modern Olympic Movement) in 1913 after he saw a similar design on an relic from ancient Greece. The five rings represent the five major regions of the world: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Every national flag in the world includes at least one of the five colors, which are (from left to right) blue, yellow, black, green, and red. It is important to highlight that Pierre de Coubertin never said nor wrote that the colors of the rings were associated with the different continents.

http://www.janecky.com/olympics/rings.html

Olympic Motto : week 3

The Latin & English Version

The Olympic Motto stands for (in Latin): "Citius, Altius and Fortius". These words mean "Faster, Higher and Stronger. Baron De Coubertin got these words from his father, Henri Martin Dideon, who was the headmaster of a school called : Arcueil College which was in Paris.

http://www.janecky.com/olympics/motto.html

Modern Olympic Games: Week 2

As you would have worked out from my last post the Ancient Olympic Games continued for nearly 1200 years. In 393ad, the Roman Emperor Theodosius I, a Christian abolished the games because of their pagan influences.

Around 1500 years later a young Frenchman named Barron Pierre De Coubertin had tried to restart the Olympic Games. When Pierre, attempted to get France interested in competitive sporting events, unfortunately the result was disappointing for Pierre.

In 1890, Baron Pierre De Coubertin organised and founded a sporting organisation. Two years into the organisation, Coubertin insisted to restart the Olympic Games.

Baron Pierre De Coubertin had also decided to renew the Olympic Games by making the Games International.

Although the first Modern Olympics did not begin until 1896, because the Greek Government was unable to fund construction of a stadium. Ever since a wealthy Greek architect, Georgis Averoff, donated over $100, 000 to restore the Panathenaic stadium, the Olympic Games have continued.

http://history1900s.about.com/library/weekly/aa081000a.htm

Intersting Facts

Did you know that in order to compete in Ancient Olympic games you had to run naked and be from Greece?

Running has been a sport since the Ancient times and is the most common sporting event to ever be created.

Did you know all that well find out more in my next post?

Ancient Olympic Games: week 1

The Olympic Games are the world's largest pageant (show) of athletic skill and competitive spirit(Collier's Encyclopedia) which first started in Greece 776BC. It is said that this athletic contest was held in honour of a god or dead hero.

The Ancient Olympic Games were a series of athletic events which were held among various city-states of Ancient Greece. It all began in 776BC in Olympia, Greece and was celebrated until 393ad.

The historical starting point of the Ancient Olympic Games is unknown, but several myths and legends are still told today. There is an actual possibility that the origin of the games is that they evolved from Funeral Games.

Ancient Olympic Games were held every four(4) years, the Greek historian Ephorus had taken an advantage of the Ancient Olympic in the 4BC, by using it to count years.

The ancient Olympics were quite different from the modern Games. There were less events, and only free men who spoke Greek could compete, instead of athletes from several countries. The games were always held at Olympia instead of moving around to different sites consistently.

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/sports.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Olympic_Games#Legendary_origin

Olympic Games Project

By: Raechal Anne Williams