Will The London 2012 Olympic Games Be The Best Ever? The Olympic Games are a sporting occasion played every two years at international level. Every four years, there are Summer Olympic Games and two years later, the Winter Olympics. A variety of competitions are organized in which thousands of athletes from all over the globe take part. The history of this fantastic sporting competition dates back to the 5th Century AD. The Olympic Movement classifies the Olympic Games into the Winter Olympic Games, the Summer Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games now in the 20th and 21st Century. The Paralympic Games are organized for after the Olympic Games and these are for disabled athletes. The Youth Olympic Games are for teenagers and were first held in 2010. The Olympic Charter specifies the organization of the International Olympic Committee i.e. the governing body of the Olympic Games. The Olympic flag carries five interlocking circles of red, blue, yellow, green and black and was introduced in 1920. The Olympic motto says “Swifter, Higher, and Stronger�. Some of the games played in the Summer Olympics are volley ball, badminton, basketball, cycling, boxing, diving, soccer, sailing, rowing, hockey, water polo, wrestling, swimming, weightlifting, tennis etc. Games played during the Winter Olympics are skiing, ice hockey, skating, ski jumping, curling, free style skiing, cross country skiing, down hill skiing, A gold medal is presented to every first winner whilst silver and bronze medals are presented to the second and third winners respectively. Victory Diplomas are the papers which are given to some top winners of every sport. The Olympic Flame is lit according to a custom allied with these games. A new flame is lit for each Olympic Games in the Ancient Olympic Stadium in Olympia, Greece. This flame is carried to the host country where the games are to be held. The flame is carried over the whole host country by individuals walking, running, scuba diving, riding, and using other types of transport. Actually, several torches are carried around the country where the games are going to be held. The sizeable Olympic torch is lit by the last runner bearing the torch. This substantial torch keeps burning throughout the games. The flame is extinguished at the end of the games as part of the closing ceremony. A new torch is designed for every Olympics.
Nearly all the nations of the world are present at these games. National and international media coverage provides a chance to unknown athletes to be famous. The host city and country gets an opportunity to showcase its country to the rest of the world. The host country organizes and finances the whole event. More than 13,000 athletes compete in the Summer and Winter Olympics in more than 400 events. Many challenges are faced while organizing this mega event. Some of the major challenges are terrorism, bribery of officials, boycotts and doping. The host city is usually picked seven years in advance of the Olympic Games. The United States has had the opportunity to host four Summer and four Winter Olympics. No other nation has hosted as many Olympic games. The next Summer Olympics are scheduled to be held in London in 2012. Women are being especially promoted to participate in these games. Female athletes will be able to take part in all the men’s sports in the coming Olympics for the first time ever. Women’s boxing has also been introduced thus ending gender discrimination in that sporting event. Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently concerned with Sports Current Events, or click this link if you are interested in the 2012 London Olympics Volunteers.