1) Look at the words in the box Which ones you know? Establish the relation among them ZEUS –GREEK -GOD – HOLD – OLYMPIA – ROMANS – FORBID – PIERRE DE COUBERTIN – INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING – SUCCESS – TORCH - OLYMPIC FLAME 2) Video: The Olympic Games- History Watch the video and answer these questions a- Why does the presenter say “Zeus is THE Greek God, the big boss”? b- Where were the parties held? c- What events took place during these celebrations? d- Why does Zeus decide to hold the Olympic Games every four years? e- What happened when the Romans turned up*? f- Who was Pierre de Coubertin? g- What did he want? h- When and where were the first modern Olympic Games held? 3) The Ancient Olympic Games Cloze Fill in the blanks using the words in the box DISCUS - GREECE - STADIUM - TRUCE - RACE - OLIVE - MARRIED - ZEUS - CHARIOT - MEN The first known Olympic Games was recorded in around 776 BC in Olympia, a _ They were held every years to honour b- _, king of the gods They were a religious festival and for the month before all the Greek states, who were often at war, declared a sacred c- so competitors could travel safely The first Games consisted of only one d- _, the “stade” race, which was the length of the e- _ Over the years more running races were added, including boxing, wrestling, f- _ racing, long jump, javelin and g- throwing Only young h- _ could take part They had to be free men, and speak Greek They usually competed nude, and the prize was a crown of i- leaves (a sign of hope and peace) Women were not allowed to take part J- women were not even allowed to watch! 4) Read about the Modern Olympic Games Match the questions with their corresponding paragraphs THE MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES a- A French nobleman, Pierre Fredy, the Baron de Coubertin, born in 1863 When he was young, Coubertin was a very keen sportsman As he grew older he developed a passionate belief that sport could encourage peace throughout the world and bring people from all over the world together Coubertin was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games and travelled around the world, spending his own money, trying to persuade people to revive them Eventually he managed to bring together representatives of many different countries in Paris, in 1894, and the Olympic Movement was begun b- _ The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896 c- _ No! Women began to compete in 1900 For many years there were problems for the women athletes about what to wear, because it was considered very rude to show any part of the body or even the shape of the body! Can you imagine trying to run and jump covered from head to foot in clothes? d- _ When Baron de Coubertin founded the Olympic Movement he established the International Olympic Committee (the IOC) to supervise it, in 1894 He himself served as its president for 29 years, and there have been presidents since then There were originally 14 members but the Committee has now grown to over 130 members, all of whom must speak either French or English Existing members elect new members as required The IOC is based in Lausanne, Switzerland e- "The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play." f- An Olympiad is the period of four years which starts with a summer Olympic Games Each Olympiad is counted with Roman numerals, and the year of the Games cannot be changed (although Games have been skipped out, as in 1916 during the First World War) g- Members of the IOC choose the next venue for the Olympic Games, which must be a city rather than a country So, for example, the next Olympics, in 2016, will be hosted by Rio de Janeiro, rather than Brazil Any city which wishes to host the Games can put their bid to the IOC Only one city from each country can bid, and even putting forward a bid takes a huge amount of work and is very expensive It usually takes many years to prepare, and of course only one city can be successful! h- _ Each country has its own National Olympic Committee (NOC) The NOCs represent their countries at the Olympic Games and select their own national teams i- Prior to each Games, the Olympic Torch or Flame is lit in Olympia, Greece and brought to the host city by runners carrying the torch in relay 123456789- What is the Olympic torch? Who revived the idea of the Olympic Games? Who chooses the next host for the Olympic Games, and how? Did women compete in this first modern Olympic Games? What is the aim of the Olympic Movement? When and where were the first modern Olympic Games held? Who selects each country's team of athletes? Who supervises the Olympic Games? What is an Olympiad?