Going for the Gold
(September 13, 2000)

His brow covered with sweat, an athlete crosses the finish line. He glances behind him and realizes he's done it. He's won the gold. An Olympic medal. Not bad for a cook.

Meet Coroebus of Elis, who won the sprint race in 776 BC. Although he's the first Olympic champion listed in Greek Olympic records, it's generally accepted that the games were probably at least 500 years old at that time.

Flash forward to Sydney, Australia, September, 2000.

Now, get ready for 16 days and nights of suspense, surprises and super human effort. A $3.5 billion extravaganza called the summer Olympics is being held in Australia. (You may think it's already fall-- a bit late for the "summer" Olympics…. but it's spring in Australia ).

About 10,200 athletes from 199 countries will compete. More than 15,000 reporters will cover the events.

Nearly 4 billion people are expected to keep up with the events through television, the Internet, magazines and newspapers.

New Swimsuits and Old Rivalries

Here's our list of hot stuff to watch during the games:

Swimmers in new sleek ankle-to-toe suits:

America's Marion Jones going for five golds in track and field:

Maurice Green trying to stay the world's fastest man:

Women's weight lifting for the first time ever (American Tara Nott has switched from gymnastics to weightlifting);

Anthony Ervin, the first black American to make the U.S. swim team;

and, Cubans and Americans meeting in the boxing ring and on the baseball field.

It All Started in Greece

The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world's foremost sports competition. The athletic festival may have had its origins in ancient Greece, but it was a European who revived the games in the late 19th century.

In 1887 the 24-year-old Pierre Baron de Coubertin began campaigning across Europe to restore the games and then presented his proposal for a modern Olympics at an international congress in 1894. His plan was accepted and the International Olympic Committee was founded.

The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in April 1896, with 13 nations sending nearly 300 representatives to take part in 42 events and 10 different sports.

Summer Olympics Past

While human strength and fortitude take center place at the games, politics have always been in the wings.

We won't review all of the games (which are held every four years), but here are some highlights.

1900-- Off to a Slow Start

In 1900 the games were held in Paris, France, over a four month period. To say it was chaos is putting it mildly. The track-and-field events were held in an uneven, wet grass field. Broken telephone poles were used to make hurdles, and hammer throwers occasionally had to retrieve their hammers from trees.

There was such confusion about schedules that few spectators or journalists made it to the events. Officials and athletes often were unaware that they were participating in the Olympics. The Olympics were almost retired once again.

1912-- New Technology

This time around the Olympics were better organized. Electric timing devices and a public address system were used for the first time. The Games were attended by approximately 2,500 athletes representing 28 nations.

1916-- War

The Games, scheduled for Berlin, were canceled because of the outbreak of World War I.

1936-- Hitler vs. Owens

A tense, politically charged atmosphere prevailed during these games. The Nazi Party had risen to power in 1933, two years after Berlin was awarded the Games, and its racist policies led to international debate about a boycott of the Games.

Adolf Hitler viewed the Olympics as an opportunity to advance Nazi ideology. Pamphlets and speeches about the natural superiority of the Aryan race were commonplace.

But the track-and-field competition starred black American Jesse Owens-- who won three individual gold medals and a fourth in the 4 100-meter relay-- and was considered a particular blow to Hitler's ideas about racial superiority.

1956-- Games Down Under

The Olympics were held in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time-- in Melbourne, Australia. Because of the reversal of seasons, the Games were held in November and December.

1968-- Tragedy and Defiance

These Olympic Games, held in Mexico City, were politically charged. Ten days before the Games, students protested because they felt the Mexican government was wasting money on the Olympics which should have been spent on social programs. Army troops surrounded the students in the Plaza of Three Cultures and fired on them. More than 250 protesters were killed and over 1,000 injured.

Then, at the victory ceremony for the men's 200-meter run, black Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos (gold and bronze medalists, respectively) stood barefoot with heads bowed and a single black-gloved fist raised during the national anthem. The athletes described the gesture -- known as a "Black Power" salute-- as a tribute to their African American heritage and a protest of the living conditions of minorities in the United States.

Officials from the IOC and the U.S. Olympic Committee decided the display was counter to the ideals of the Games; both athletes were banned from the Olympic Village and sent home.

1972-- Terrorism

Eight Palestinian terrorists invaded the Olympic Village and killed two members of the Israeli team. Nine other Israelis were held hostage for the release of 200 Palestinian prisoners in Israel. All the hostages, five of their captors, and a West German policeman were killed in a failed rescue attempt. The Games were suspended for a day while a memorial service for the victims was conducted at the Olympic Stadium.

1980-- Boycott

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 led to the largest boycott in the history of the Olympic movement. U.S. president Jimmy Carter took the lead in the call for a boycott of the 1980 Olympics, and approximately 60 other nations joined the Americans in staying away from Moscow.

1984-- Boycott Again

Many communist nations, including the Soviet Union, East Germany, and Cuba, retaliated for the U.S.-led boycott of the 1980 Games by staying away from the 1984 Games which were held in Los Angeles.

1996-- Terrorism Again

Though extra security precautions were taken, a pipe bomb explosion in Centennial Olympic Park killed two people at the Games being held in Atlanta, Georgia.


What do you think -- What do we gain from the Olympic Games? Are they worth the trouble and expense?

Flag.....

...Flame

Oath...

...Motto

Creed....

Read a Teen Olympian's Journal