Top 10 Sporting Events - Travel - National Geographic Top 10 Sporting Events See Where the Olympics Rank on Our List of Top 10 Sporting Events View Images Forty-six cars can participate in the 24 hours of France's Le Mans, in a diverse series of classes that include prototype high-performance vehicles, dedicated race cars, and street cars. Photograph by Jean Francois Monier/Getty From the National Geographic book The 10 Best of Everything The 24 Hours of Le Mans, France Skill, speed, and stamina are the three s’s that mark the world’s best automobile race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race, organized by Automobile Club de L’Ouest, bridges past and present on the automotive circuit.The competition is set on a non-permanent track at Circuit de la Sarthe near the city of Le Mans on the Sarthe River. Roughly 46 cars start the race, in a series of classes that include prototype high-performance vehicles, dedicated race cars, and street cars. The diversity of autos gives the race a mix of old-fashioned and modern competitors.

The winner is the car, driven by a team of three drivers, that covers the greatest distance in 24 hours.The first Le Mans contest took place in May 1923; today it is held every June. The race begins at 4 p.m., and for 24 hours the sound of roaring engines fills 8 miles (13 kilometers) of French countryside. The Olympic Games It’s hard to imagine that Zeus and the other gods lording over ancient Greece ever envisioned the global event the modern Olympiad has become. For a two-week span, athletes from dozens of countries compete against each other in scores of different sports. And that’s just the Summer Games, which began their modern run in the late 1800s. The Winter Games, featuring sports that largely require snow and ice, draw a smaller field of competitors. But the competition for the gold, silver, and bronze is just as intense. Remember Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan?National rivalries are varied.

Consider the United States hockey team winning the gold over the favored Soviets in 1980; Jamaica’s jubilant 1988 bobsled team overcoming long odds to win hearts, not medals; or Argentina beating America’s 2004 “Dream Team” and going on to capture the gold in basketball. Even the competition among national Olympic committees to host the games is fierce, with bribery accusations and investigations becoming, sadly, the norm in sports news over the last several years. Still the games must go on; to be sure that they do, the International Olympic Committee decided to stagger the Winter and Summer Games. So during every even-numbered year, runners will bear the torch that eventually lights the Olympic flame somewhere in the world. World Cup Soccer Thirty-two nations play, but billions of people in countries all around the world drop everything they’re doing for a month every four years to see who claims the title of World Cup soccer champion.The teams that compete in the World Cup finals are those that emerge from a series of qualifying rounds played out over the prior three years. The tournament of tournaments is therefore a showcase of the finest squads from across the continents and hemispheres.It’s during the finals that the intense challenge begins.

First, in a series of first-round games, each team plays the three rivals in its opening bracket. Teams get three points for each win, one point for a tie, and zero for a loss. The top two teams in the bracket then move on to the single-game elimination rounds, with victorious teams proceeding though quarterfinal and semifinal rounds before the final championship match.All the while the world’s gaze is squarely fixed on the matches and the festival atmosphere in the stands. Chanting, singing, flag-waving, and superstitions are all part of the carnival that ensues. Since the first World Cup tournament took place in 1930, the most dominant team has been Brazil. Winner of five championships since 1958, the greatest Brazilian teams were led by perhaps the most famous soccer player ever, Pele.Rivalries are often fierce and deeply rooted: Two of the many in the sport are between England and Argentina, and one that has recently emerged between neighbors—Mexico and the United States. The Super Bowl, United States The Super Bowl is so big that even the commercials are worth watching. The first Super Bowl (held in January 1967) was played to plenty of empty seats and a waning TV audience.

But now Super Bowl Sundays, progressively marked with Roman numerals, are the most celebrated one-game professional championship on the 12-month Gregorian calendar.The Super Bowl concludes a 16-game regular season, and three postseason play-off rounds. It pits the top team from the American Football Conference against the top team from the National Football Conference for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy (not to mention diamond-studded rings for players, coaches, and front office “suits”). The Sunday evening spectacle is preceded by two weeks of parties and pre-game hype. The National Basketball Association Finals, United States The NBA Finals. Showtime and the “Ghosts of the Garden.” Rockets and Knicks, Spurs and Pistons. The National Basketball Association’s finals are a showdown of stars and teams for the ages. It takes four games to win, but at least 93 games to get there. And the teams that do bring a lot of glitter with them. Movie stars in front-row seats. Cheerleaders that resemble Las Vegas show girls in high-energy dance routines. The see-and-be-seen spectacle ringing the court is as intriguing as the game itself.Pro basketball has changed radically over the last four decades.

The three-point shot, the slam-dunk, a pendulum swing against defense makes NBA ball a high-scoring, acrobatic affair. What hasn’t changed is the prize, the right to be crowned world champion. The Masters, United States The green jacket. That’s all one has to say. The brainchild of legends Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, the first Masters was held in 1934. It was called Augusta National Invitation Tournament for the first five years of its existence before the name changed to what it is today. Unlike other sports championships and showcase events, the Masters remains steeped in tradition and continuity. The four-day stroke playing of 18 holes each day instead of the formerly customary 36 holes on the third day is still the rule.Jones and Roberts left indelible images on the sport. But it was in the 1950s that legends and superstars took over the game. A pair of victories by Ben Hogan, and the first of four for Arnold Palmer made those two players the best known in America. The 1960s marked the arrival of the “Golden Bear,” Jack Nicklaus, who became the first Masters champion to repeat in consecutive years.

Today, the average winning score is eight under par. The setting at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, provides a lush, southern scenery that is unmatched at courses around the world. Polo at Palermo, Argentina , Argentine polo is considered the best in the world, and it’s no wonder the Argentine Open Championship is the top draw for the sport’s best players and most knowledgeable fans. The tournament, first known as the River Plata Polo Championship, takes place between late November and early December. First held in 1893, the tournament is older than the tango.In 1923, the new Argentine Polo Association moved to the field in Palermo, where polo has been played ever since. The host country usually dominates, given that Argentines have dominated the sport since the end of World War II.The Argentine Open is played in the Catedral, the grounds in the chic Palermo neighborhood of the capital city. The sport was introduced in Argentina by English ranchers, but it soon became the domain of the Argentine gauchos, cowboys, who were expert and skilled in a similar game called pato.

Observers of modern global sport competitions insist that true polo aficionados must attend the Argentine Polo Open at least once in their lives. Wimbledon, England Center court. Grass surfaces. Strawberries and cream. What better way to spend a fortnight in old London Town? Wimbledon at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club. Located in southwest London, this grand spectacle is one of the four tennis tournaments that make up the grand slam.Wimbledon is considered to be the most prestigious, largely because of its setting and surrounding pomp. It’s the only major tournament played on a natural turf surface.Wimbledon has figured prominently in the history of tennis and in its development into the egalitarian and highly skilled sport that so many millions enjoy. Originally created in France during the 12th century, the sport took its modern form in Britain during the 1800s. In 1874, Walter Clopton Wingfield patented his game of lawn tennis in London, and three years later, Wimbledon, the first of the major tournaments, was created.The setting at Wimbledon and its history only magnifies the match-ups on the grass courts. Connors versus Borg. Evert and Navratilova. Agassi and Sampras. Venus versus Serena.

The winner on center court holds a trophy to show who has reached the mountaintop, and perhaps a number one ranking in the world tennis order. World Series, United States Home runs and chilly nights. Pitching duels and seventh-game thrillers. A century’s worth of the World Series has seen all that and much, much more. The Fall Classic is more than a sporting event; it’s a fixture on the American cultural landscape. Grandfathers and grandmothers remember Don Larsen’s perfect game in 1956. Fathers and mothers recall the amazing Mets of 1969. And sons and daughters have grown up with another New York Yankees dynasty.To get to the series, each of the 32 teams in the major leagues must endure a 162-game season, followed by three playoff rounds. The first is a best-of-five series, followed by two best-of-seven series. The World Series engenders nostalgia, too, stretching from the hopeful days of April and spring, through the doggedly hot days of summer, before reaching the apex in the autumn winds of October, when heroics on the mound and in the batter’s box prove decisive.

The Grand National, England Olympia - Ancient History Encyclopedia Olympia by Mark Cartwright published on 02 July 2012 Located in the western Peloponnese , Olympia was an ancient Greek sanctuary site dedicated to the worship of Zeus , in whose honour Pan - Hellenic Games were held every four years from 776 BCE to 393 CE. First inhabited in the second millennium BCE, the first archaeological record of dwellings dates from 1900 to 1600 BCE. The Kronion hill at the site was perhaps the first place of worship, dedicated to Kronos. However, other sacred buildings at the foot of the hill in the sacred grove of wild olive trees, or Altis, indicate other deities were worshipped such as Gaia, Themis, Aphrodite , and Pelops. With the descent of western Greek tribes into the Peloponnese, though, it was Zeus, father of the Olympian gods, who would become the dominant cult figure at Olympia. Remove Ads Advertisement The first large building on the site was the Heraion, a temple dedicated to Hera built around 650-600 BCE.

In the 5th century BCE the sanctuary reached its peak of prosperity, and a massive Doric 6 x 13 column temple was completed in 457 BCE in order to house a hug e cult statue of Zeus. Designed by Libon of Elis, the temple was the biggest in Greece at that time and measured 64.12 m x 27.68 m with columns 10.53 m in height. The pediments of the temple displayed magnificent sculpture: on the east side the mythical chariot race between Pelops and Oinomaos, and on the western pediment a Centauromachy with the majestic central figure of Apollo . Metopes from the temple represented the labours of Hercules . The statue of Zeus within the temple was by Pheidias (who had worked on the Parthenon and its statue of Athena ) and was a 12 m high gold and ivory representation of Zeus seated on a throne and regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Other important building projects over the centuries included baths and a swimming pool (5th century BCE), the new stadium with embankments for spectators (mid-4th century BCE), a palaistra (3rd century BCE), a gymnasion (2nd century BCE), hippodrome (780 m long), the large Leonidaion or guest houses (330 BCE), and the Theikoloi (priest’s residence). The first Olympic Games were held in 776 BCE at the first full moon after the summer solstice. Sporting events were originally associated with funeral rituals, for example the funeral games instigated by Achilles in honour of Patroklos in Homer ’s Iliad. Some mythological accounts credit Zeus with beginning the Games to celebrate his victory over Kronos; other accounts state Pelops began them in honour of Oinomaos. In any case, sport, a healthy body and the competitive spirit were a large part of Greek education, and so it is hardly surprising that organised athletic competitions would at some point be created. The first Olympic Games were held in 776 BCE at the first full moon after the summer solstice.

The winner of the first and only event, the stadion foot-race (one length of the stadium track, 600 feet or 192 m), was Koroibos of Elis, and from then on every victor was recorded and each Olympiad named after them, thus giving us the first accurate chronology of the Greek world. During a three month Pan-Hellenic truce, athletes and as many as 40,000 spectators came from all over Greece to participate in the Games. Individuals and city -states brought offerings to Zeus which included money, statues (including the magnificent Nike of Paionios, c. 424 BCE, and the Hermes of Praxiteles, late 4th century BCE), bronze tripods, shields, helmets, and weapons resulting in Olympia becoming a living museum of Greek art and culture. Many cities also built treasuries - small but impressive buildings to house their offerings and raise the prestige of their city. Remove Ads Advertisement Over time other events were added to the Games such as longer foot-races, wrestling, boxing, chariot racing, discus, javelin, jumping, and the pentathlon.

At its peak there were 18 events spread over five days. However, it was always the original stadion which remained the most important event. Victors won crowns of olive leaves and an olive branch cut from the scared grove, but much more importantly they won glory, fame, and in a very real sense historical immortality. A second important event held at Olympia was the Heraia Games for women, held every four years in honour of the goddess, Hera. Children, adolescents, and young women ran in separate foot-races over 500 feet of the stadium track (160 m). Prizes for victors included olive crowns and the right to set up a portrait of themselves on the site. The responsibility for the organisation of both Games and for maintenance of the site when not in use lay with the Eleans. The Games continued through the Hellenistic period with the notable architectural addition of the Philippeion, a circular colonnaded building erected by Philip II of Macedonia which contained gold statues of the royal family (c. 338 BCE).

The Romans, whilst giving little importance to the religious significance of the Games, continued to hold them in high regard and despite the attempt by Sulla in 80 BCE to permanently move the Games to Rome , continued to embellish Olympia with new buildings, heated baths, fountains (notably the Nymphaion of Herodes Atticus, 150 CE), and statues. Most famously, emperor Nero strove to win the glory of Olympic victory in 67 CE, competing in, and unsurprisingly winning, every event he entered. Sporting Events Calendar 2016 Home > Events > Calendar > 2016 2016 World Sporting Event Calendar Here is a list of the major sporting events for the year 2016. Not every sporting event can be listed here, though we have tried to include all the big sporting events of the major sports, mostly the international competitions. In 2016, the major events for the year were the Rio Olympics and Paralympics, as well as the usual annual events. The Invictus Games was held for the second time.

The Copa América Centenario was held in June, celebrating 100 years of of CONMEBOL and Copa América. The World's Top Sports Events The World's Top Sports Events comments, called-out With the Winter Games in Vancouver just concluded, it might seem that the Olympic brand is bigger than that of any other sporting event worldwide. Think again. In the multibillion-dollar sports industry, athletes, businesses, teams and events jostle for name recognition in hopes of capturing a bigger share of the entertainment dollar. Our ranking reveals that America’s Super Bowl is the most valuable name in the events niche, generating more revenue than a typical day of the Winter and Summer Games combined. To determine the most valuable sporting event brands–the equity built up in a name over many years–we ranked them on gross revenue generated per day of competition. 1 Super Bowl Brand Value: $420 million Last month’s game attracted a record U.S. TV audience of 106.5 million, marking the fifth consecutive year that Super Bowl viewership has increased.

2 Olympic Games (Summer) Brand Value: $230 million With total revenues of $3.9 billion, the Beijing Games fell just shy of becoming the first sporting event to gross $4 billion. 3 FIFA World Cup Brand Value: $120 million Organizers of this year’s World Cup in South Africa project media and sponsorship revenue will top the 2006 tournament by as much as $600 million. 4 UEFA European Football Championship Brand Value: $110 million The Euro tournament is the biggest driver of corporate hospitality spending in sports, totaling $200 million in 2008, the last time the competition was held. 5 Major League Baseball World Series Brand Value: $106 million A series of at least five games ensures the Fall Classic as the highest-grossing annual championship event worldwide (last year’s New York Yankees–Philadelphia Phillies tilt went six). 6 Daytona 500 Brand Value: $100 million Despite slashing ticket prices for 4,000 seats by 73% last year, the Great American Race still generates close to $30 million in gate and infield parking receipts from stock car fans.

7 Olympic Games (Winter) Brand Value: $93 million Once the final numbers are tallied, last month’s Vancouver Games will have generated 60% more revenue than the previous Winter Olympics held in Torino, Italy, which approached $1.6 billion. 8 NCAA Men’s Final Four Brand Value: $90 million U.S. college basketball’s signature event generates almost twice the revenue per day of competition than American-university sports’ other marquee brand: football’s Bowl Championship Series. 9 Major League Baseball All-Star Week Brand Value: $75 million MLB has transformed the Midsummer Classic into a weeklong affair that in recent years has featured a parade of Hall of Famers and appearances by all five living U.S. presidents. 10 Kentucky Derby The Derby drew $103 million in wagers last year, with Churchill Downs pocketing 3% of bets placed at the track and 7% of those placed elsewhere.

To see our full list, including brand valuations of athletes, sports businesses and teams, go to: forbes.com/sportsbrands/ Soccer History Timeline King James I of Scotland also passed a law banning the game 1500 In Italy they played a game called " calcio " with teams of 27+ people. The game involved kicking, carrying or passing a ball across a goal line. In 1580, Giovanni Bardi published a set of rules of the game of calcio. 1572 Queen Elizabeth I of England, enacted laws that could sentence a football player to jail for a week followed by penance in a church. 1600 In Alaska and Canada the native Eskimos played a game called aqsaqtuk on ice, using balls stuffed with grass, caribou hair, and moss. One legend tells of two villages playing against each other with goals 10 miles apart.

1605 Football became legal again in England 1620 In North America, native American Indians in the original Jamestown settlement played a game called pasuckuakohowog, meaning "they gather to play ball with the foot." It was a rough game, played the beach, the field a half-mile wide with goals 1 mile apart, with as many as 1000 players at a time. 1815 Eton College of England established a set of rules for the games. 1820 In the USA, football was played among the Northeastern universities and colleges of Harvard, Princeton, Amherst and Brown. 1848 The rules were further standardized and a new version was adopted by all the schools, college and universities, known as the Cambridge Rules. 1862 The first soccer club formed anywhere outside of England was the Oneida Football Club, Boston USA. 1863 October 26 of 1863, the Football Association was formed when eleven London schools and clubs came together at the Freemason's Tavern to establish a single set of rules to administer any football match that were to be played among them.

On December 8 1863, Association Football and Rugby Football finally split onto two different organizations. Later in the year, the first ever soccer match was played on Barnes common at Mortlake, London on 19th December 1863 between Barnes Football Club and Richmond Football Club. The game ended in a 0-0 draw. 1869 The Football Association rules were further amended to exclude any handling of the ball. 1872 The first official international football match was played, between the national teams of Scotland and England, played in Glasgow Scotland. The game was played on 30 November 1872, and finished with a 0-0 draw. 1883 The four British associations agreed on a uniform code and formed the International Football Association Board. 1885 The first international match played by teams outside of Great Britain was between USA and Canada, played in Newark and ended with Canada winning 1-0. 1888 Introduction of the penalty kick.

1900 Soccer played at the Olympic Games for the first time 1904 Establishment of FIFA by delegates from France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland at a meeting in Paris on the 21st of May. 1930 In 1930, The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) held soccer's first World Cup tournament in Montevideo, Uruguay, with 13 teams. 1932 Soccer was taken off the program for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, due to a controversy between FIFA and the IOC over the definition of amateur and the reluctance of many strong soccer countries to travel the US because of the expense involved. 1991 The inaugural Women's World Cup in 1991 in China was won by the United States 1996 The History of the Olympic Games | Scholastic The History of the Olympic Games Compare the ancient Olympics to the modern games. Plus, learn how money, politics, and performance-enhancing drugs have become major influences, often causing controversy. Grades 6–8, 9–12 The Olympic Games are an international sports festival that began in ancient Greece.

The original Greek games were staged every fourth year for several hundred years, until they were abolished in the early Christian era. The revival of the Olympic Games took place in 1896, and since then they have been staged every fourth year, except during World War I and World War II (1916, 1940, 1944). Perhaps the basic difference between the ancient and modern Olympics is that the former was the ancient Greeks' way of saluting their gods, whereas the modern Games are a manner of saluting the athletic talents of citizens of all nations. The original Olympics featured competition in music, oratory, and theater performances as well. The modern Games have a more expansive athletic agenda, and for 2 and a half weeks they are supposed to replace the rancor of international conflict with friendly competition. In recent times, however, that lofty ideal has not always been attained. The Ancient Olympics The earliest reliable date that recorded history gives for the first Olympics is 776 B.C., although virtually all historians presume that the Games began well before then. It is certain that during the midsummer of 776 B.C.

a festival was held at Olympia on the highly civilized eastern coast of the Peloponnesian peninsula. That festival remained a regularly scheduled event, taking place during the pre-Christian golden age of Greece. As a testimony to the religious nature of the Games (which were held in honor of Zeus, the most important god in the ancient Greek pantheon), all wars would cease during the contests. According to the earliest records, only one athletic event was held in the ancient Olympics — a footrace of about 183 m (200 yd), or the length of the stadium. A cook, Coroibus of Elis, was the first recorded winner. The first few Olympics had only local appeal and were limited to one race on one day; only men were allowed to compete or attend. A second race — twice the length of the stadium — was added in the 14th Olympics, and a still longer race was added to the next competition, four years later. When the powerful, warlike Spartans began to compete, they influenced the agenda. The 18th Olympiad included wrestling and a pentathlon consisting of running, jumping, spear throwing (the javelin), discus throwing, and wrestling.

Boxing was added at the 23rd Olympiad, and the Games continued to expand, with the addition of chariot racing and other sports. In the 37th Olympiad (632 B.C.) the format was extended to five days of competition. The growth of the Games fostered "professionalism" among the competitors, and the Olympic ideals waned as royalty began to compete for personal gain, particularly in the chariot events. Human beings were being glorified as well as the gods; many winners erected statues to deify themselves. In A.D. 394 the Games were officially ended by the Roman emperor Theodosius I, who felt that they had pagan connotations. The Modern Olympics The revival of the Olympic Games in 1896, unlike the original Games, has a clear, concise history. Pierre de Coubertin (1863–1937), a young French nobleman, felt that he could institute an educational program in France that approximated the ancient Greek notion of a balanced development of mind and body. The Greeks themselves had tried to revive the Olympics by holding local athletic games in Athens during the 1800s, but without lasting success.

It was Baron de Coubertin's determination and organizational genius, however, that gave impetus to the modern Olympic movement. In 1892 he addressed a meeting of the Union des Sports AthlÃ©tiques in Paris. Despite meager response he persisted, and an international sports congress eventually convened on June 16, 1894. With delegates from Belgium, England, France, Greece, Italy, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and the United States in attendance, he advocated the revival of the Olympic Games. He found ready and unanimous support from the nine countries. De Coubertin had initially planned to hold the Olympic Games in France, but the representatives convinced him that Greece was the appropriate country to host the first modern Olympics. The council did agree that the Olympics would move every four years to other great cities of the world. Thirteen countries competed at the Athens Games in 1896. Nine sports were on the agenda: cycling, fencing, gymnastics, lawn tennis, shooting, swimming, track and field, weight lifting, and wrestling. The 14-man U.S. team dominated the track and field events, taking first place in 9 of the 12 events.

The Games were a success, and a second Olympiad, to be held in France, was scheduled. Olympic Games were held in 1900 and 1904, and by 1908 the number of competitors more than quadrupled the number at Athens — from 311 to 2,082. Beginning in 1924, a Winter Olympics was included — to be held at a separate cold-weather sports site in the same year as the Summer Games — the first held at Chamonix, France. In 1980 about 1,600 athletes from 38 nations competed at Lake Placid, N.Y., in a program that included Alpine and Nordic skiing, biathlon, ice hockey, figure skating and speed skating, bobsled, and luge. But the Summer Games, with its wide array of events, are still the focal point of the modern Olympics.

Among the standard events are basketball, boxing, canoeing and kayaking, cycling, equestrian arts, fencing, field hockey, gymnastics, modern pentathlon, rowing, shooting, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo, weight lifting, wrestling (freestyle and Greco-Roman), and yachting. New sports are added to the roster at every Olympic Games; among the more prominent are baseball, martial arts, and most recently triathlon, which was first contested at the 2000 Games. The Games are governed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), whose headquarters is in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Summer and Winter Games were traditionally held in the same year, but because of the increasing size of both Olympics, the Winter Games were shifted to a different schedule after 1992. They were held in Lillehammer, Norway in 1994, in Nagano, Japan in 1998, in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002, in Turin, Italy in 2006, and in 2010, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Politics and the Olympics The ideology of nationalism, which swept the world during the early 20th century, left its mark on the Olympics. Athletic nationalism was brought to a peak by Nazi Germany, which staged the 1936 Games in Berlin and used the Olympics to propagandize its cause. The Germans built a powerful team through nationalized training and scientific advances and dominated the Games in terms of medals won. The political overtones of the Olympics did not lessen with the fall of Nazi Germany. In 1956, Egypt, Iraq, and Lebanon boycotted the Melbourne Games to protest the Anglo-French seizure of the Suez Canal, and the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland boycotted as well to protest the USSR's invasion of Hungary. In Mexico City in 1968, two African American runners used the victory pedestal to protest U.S. racial policies. In the Munich Olympics in 1972, 11 Israeli athletes were massacred by Palestinian terrorists. And in 1976 in Montreal, 33 African nations, to be represented by about 400 athletes, boycotted the Games to protest South Africa's apartheid policies.

The most serious disruptions to the modern Olympics, however, occurred in 1980 and 1984. In 1980, under strong pressure from the Carter administration, the U.S. Olympic Committee voted to boycott the Summer Games in Moscow to protest the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. About 40 nations followed suit, including West Germany, China, and Japan, depriving the Soviets of their chief athletic competition and raising doubts about the future of the Olympic movement. Although the 1984 Winter Games, in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, proceeded without boycotts, the Summer Games, in Los Angeles, were undercut by an Eastern-bloc boycott led by the USSR. Fear of an openly hostile environment in Los Angeles was cited by the Soviet Olympic Committee as the reason for nonparticipation, but most commentators believed the reasons to be political: the poor state of recent U.S.-Soviet relations, revenge for the U.S. boycott in 1980, and possible embarrassment to the Soviets on worldwide television caused by planned anti-Soviet demonstrations and defections of Eastern-bloc athletes.

The popularity and financial success of the 1984 Los Angeles Games were, however, greater than anticipated. In 1988 the Winter Games — in Calgary, Alberta, Canada — went on without incident. At the Summer Games, in Seoul, South Korea, only six nations (including Cuba and North Korea) boycotted, and the focus returned to the athletes.The 1992 Winter and Summer Games (in Albertville, France, and Barcelona, Spain, respectively) were the first Olympics without the Eastern-bloc sports machine, were the last for the "Unified Teams" from the former USSR, and marked the return of South Africa to Olympic competition. The 1996 Summer Games, in Atlanta, Ga., were the largest ever; they were marred by a bombing that took the lives of two people. The 1994 and 1998 Winter Games transpired without incident. The 2000 Summer Games were held in Sydney, Australia, to great acclaim. In Sydney, politics took a back seat to the competition, although North and South Korea were temporarily reunited as their athletes marched as one country in the opening ceremonies.

Athens, Greece — site of the first modern Olympics — was the site of the Summer Games in 2004. Though it has potential for political controversies due to its rapid modernization and its communist state-Beijing, China was selected for the 2008 Summer Games. Money and the Olympics The biggest influence on the modern Olympic Games is money. Commercialism exists side by side with the outstanding athleticism and the spirit of friendship imbuing competitors from around the world. Since the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, it has become clear that a city hosting the Games can anticipate a financial windfall, as spectators and sponsors converge for the event. Because of the tremendous potential for profit, the process of selecting host cities has become politicized, and there is a large potential for corruption. In fact, a scandal erupted in late 1998, when it was found that promoters involved with Salt Lake City's (winning) bid for the 2002 Winter Games had bribed IOC members, who were forced to resign; the Nagano and Sydney bids were also under suspicion of bribery.

Athletes, too, especially in the "glamour sports" such as gymnastics, ice skating, or track and field, can reap tremendous financial gains for winning performances, through product endorsements and personal appearances. Originally, Olympic athletes were expected to remain strictly amateurs and not earn money even for endorsing products. However, by the last decades of the 20th century, professionalism among competitors received official acceptance, as the IOC finally recognized that many world-class athletes were already functioning as professionals. At the elite level of competition in many Olympic sports, the athlete must devote him- or herself entirely to the sport, all but precluding the holding of a full-time job. The end of amateurism began in 1960s in the Communist countries, where top athletes were supported by the state, but were officially considered amateurs. To counter this, in the 1970s and 1980s athletes in non-Communist countries sought out corporate sponsors, in effect becoming "employees" of the sponsor. By the late 1980s, restrictions were eased on athletes earning prize money at their sports, and professional athletes were permitted to represent their countries at the Olympics.

This now includes the star athletes who play in the American professional leagues, such as the U.S. basketball "Dream Team" of National Basketball Association superstars who dominated the 1992 Olympic competition. In addition, with IOC rules concerning amateurism vacated, many medal-winning contestants have cashed in on their Olympic fame with product endorsements or performance tours. Performance-Enhancing Drugs Winning medals at the Olympic Games has always been considered the most prestigious mark of an athlete, and a source of glory for the athlete's country. This has led to the use of performance-enhancing drugs by athletes, intentionally or otherwise, despite the health risks to the athlete and IOC rules prohibiting the use of these substances. The types of drugs banned include stimulants (which can be found in common cold and cough medications; caffeine is also banned), narcotics, anabolic steroids, diuretics, certain hormones (such as human growth hormone), and in some sports, beta blockers. The testing of athletes for drug use began for the Olympics in 1968, at the Mexico City Games, but did not become widespread until the 1972 Games.

Over the years, as drugs such as human growth hormone have been developed, tests have been added for newer drugs. With such great rewards at stake, there are athletes and even national sports programs willing to use performance-enhancing drugs despite the risks to future health and the disgrace of getting caught. The best-known example of drug use is the East German sports federation, which had a systematic program for giving its athletes steroids from 1974 to 1989. During that time East German women suddenly dominated events such as swimming, winning medals in 11 of 13 events both in 1976 and 1980. Other swimmers suspected that the East German women were using steroids, because the drugs affected their physical appearance, but the team was never caught. After the reunification of Germany, the East German sports federation's records were opened and the program was exposed. In 2000 the former head of the federation and the doctor who developed and administered the drug plan were convicted of systematic and overall doping. The former athletes maintain that they never knew they were taking steroids, claiming that they were told that the various medications were vitamins. As drug testing procedures have improved, more athletes have been caught.

In Seoul there was suspicion of widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs after Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive; he was stripped of his gold medal. In the mid-1990s, China's female swimmers and runners quickly rose to the top of elite competition, arousing suspicions of drug use; by the late 1990s many were caught through more diligent drug testing. The IOC publicly decries the use of performance-enhancing drugs. However, it is commonly believed that even with out-of-competition testing, the drugs and masking agents available to athletes is far ahead of the tests used to detect these substances. A study released in September 2000 that was financed by the U.S. government accused the IOC of permitting drug use to persist in order to maintain the mystique of the Olympics and record-breaking performances. The IOC formed the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in late 1999 to test athletes at the upcoming Olympics and to increase drug testing standards, but how effective WADA will be in the long run is not yet known.

Jim Benagh Bibliography: Finding, John E., and Pelle, Kimberly D., Historical Dictionary of the Modern Olympic Movement (1996); Greenberg, Stan, Guinness Book of Olympic Records (1992); Guttmann, Allen, The Olympics (1992); Henry, Bill, et al., An Approved History of the Olympic Games (1984); Hill, Christopher, Olympic Politics: Athens to Atlanta, 1896–1996, 2d ed. (1997); Swaddling, Judith, The Ancient Olympic Games, 2d ed. (2000); Wallechinsky, David, The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics: Sydney 2000 Edition (2000); Young, David C., The Modern Olympics: A Struggle for Revival (1996). × Olympic Events Through History Olympic Events Through History July 27, 2012 11:36am ET MORE An Olympic tug-of-war competition in Saint-Louis, 1904. Credit: Charles Lucas Olympic events have changed dramatically over time [ Learn How & Why ].

Here's the full history: Sports at the Games This summer's Olympics in London showcase 28 officially recognized sports, with their disciplines listed below and the date of their initial appearances in parentheses: Aquatics (1896) Greco-Roman (1896) Freestyle (1904) Note that some of these events were not offered during every Summer Olympic Games between their initial appearance and now. For example, tennis was an Olympic sport from 1896 to 1924. It was then removed from Olympic competition due to disputes between the International Tennis Federation and the IOC over allowing amateur players to compete. But tennis has been played again at the Olympic level since 1988. Rugby was re-introduced in 2012 for the first time since 1924. Sports at the Inaugural modern Olympics The first Modern Olympics in 1896 consisted of nine sports, all of which are currently included in the Summer Games: Athletics Wrestling The has-beens Since the birth of the Modern Olympics, a number of events have come and gone. And most of the discontinued sports, listed below, led short lives prior to 1924.

The initial protocol allowed the host country to largely determine the sporting schedule. But in 1924 the IOC assumed this role.

Ultimately, these sports faded due to a lack of international appeal and/or a governing body that would have otherwise boosted their standing in the eyes of the IOC: Baseball (1912* – Stockholm, 1936*, 1956*, 1964*, 1984*, 1988*, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008) Cricket (1900 – Paris) Croquet (1900 – Paris) Golf (1900 – Paris, 1904) Jeu de paume (1900* – Paris, 1908); players hit the ball with their hands in this French precursor of tennis Lacrosse (1904 – Paris, 1908, 1928*, 1932*, 1948*) Pelote bisque (1900 – Paris, 1924*, 1968*, 1992*); a Spanish version of handball Polo (1900 – Paris, 1908, 1

920, 1924, 1936) Rackets (1908 – London); played indoors, it is similar to squash Roque (1904 – St.

Louis); an American version of croquet Softball (1996 – Atlanta, 2000, 2004, 2008) Tug of war (1900-1920); included as a track-and-field event Water Motorsports (1900* – Paris, 1908) * indicates a demonstration sport Demonstration sports These sports were first intended to offer the Olympic host an opportunity to showcase sports unique to this country. So in 1932, the Olympics in Los Angeles included American football. And the Australians added their version of football, which is similar to rugby, to the 1956 Melbourne Games. (This trend is evident in the list of demonstration sports below.) But because sports for the next summer games are approved or rejected shortly after the completion of its predecessor, demonstration sports transitioned into the role of trial runs for a medal sport in the next Olympics. Demonstration sports are scattered among various Summer Olympics from 1900 to 1992: American football (1904 – St.

Louis, USA, 1932) Australian rules football (1956 – Melbourne/Stockholm: equestrian events held in Stockholm due to foreign horse quarantine laws); similar to rugby Ballooning (1900 – Paris) Boules (1900 – Paris); like in bocce, players of this French game try to roll heavy balls close to a small 'jack' Bowling (1988 – Seoul) Budo (1964 – Tokyo); Japanese martial arts Field handball (1952 – Helsinki) Glima (1912 – Stockholm): Icelandic folk wrestling Kaatsen (1928 – Amsterdam); this Dutch game of handball may be one of the oldest ballgames Korfball (1920 – Antwerp, 1928 – Amsterdam); players score by throwing a ball into an elevated basket without a backboard in this mixed-gender game La canne (1924 – Paris); this French game is similar to fencing Longue paume (1900 – Paris); an outdoor precursor to modern tennis Motorsport (1900 – Paris) Roller hockey (1992 – Barcelona) Savate (

1924 – Paris); a French version of kickboxing Surf lifesaving (1900 – Paris); this hybrid event, originating in Australia, requires skills as a surfer and lifeguard Swedish (Ling) gymnastics (1948 – London) Water skiing (1972 – Munich)

Question: What sporting event was held for the first time in over 1,600 years?
Answer: Olympic Games