As we have seen, de Coubertin’s drive was instrumental in the establishment of the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, and in the revival of the Olympic Games in Athens in …

Throughout this book the modern Olympic Games have been discussed as a complex
phenomenon that embraces a range of historical, social, political and economic aspects. These …

According to the Olympic Charter, the Summer Olympic Games are called the Games of the
Olympiad and form a separate cycle from the Olympic Winter Games. An Olympiad is a four-…

Before examining relationships between the Olympics and the mass media we need to
establish an understanding of the media. As the mass media are in the business of …

The emergence of the modern Olympic Movement has been documented in Chapter 3.
Here we will briefly revisit some of these early events from a British perspective, before …

For thirteen centuries Olympia lay buried and forgotten, but physical and sportive contests did
not. Although the Christian Emperor Theodosius I abolished the Games in AD 394, and the …

We have already alluded to the importance of athletics in Ancient Greek life by illustrating its
relationship with religion, morality and art. The collective worship of Zeus, the sacrifices to …

The Ancient Greeks lived and worked in the open. For them, nature was alive and familiar,
close and deeply felt. Their gods were found in nature, and they believed in the complete …

For most people, the word ‘Olympic’will conjure up images of the Olympic Games, either ancient
or modern. The focus of their interest will be a two-week festival of sport held once every …

Sport for people with disability is a relatively recent concept, and even more so is the participation
of disabled athletes in a Paralympic Games, which started in 1960 in Rome. However, …