Olympic and Paralympic Rio 2016!!

Why you need to know about Olympic and Paralympic Rio 2016!!

We all have different kind of hobbies. Some may like to do fashion designing, some like artistic work and others probably have passion for Sports. Sports, if we talk about have evolved as a medium of uniting counties and its people. There are enormous sports today being played in different parts of the World bringing them to one place is what we understand as “Olympic Games” or “Olympics”. An addition to Olympics, there is “Paralympic Games” which is a major international sport event involving athletes with various disabilities. Paralympic games are held immediately after the Olympic Games. But, this is not all, we give you an overview that why you need to know about Olympics, Paralympics and more about the sports played in or by any country.

Olympics are the International Sporting events in which thousands of athletes participate from around the world in a variety of competitions. It is considered to be the foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Olympic Games are held every four years, with the summer and winter Games alternating by occurring every four years but two years apart.

The evolution of the Olympic Movement during the 20th and 21st centuries has resulted in several changes to the Olympic Games. Some of these adjustments include the creation of the Winter Olympic Games for ice and winter sports, the Paralympics Games, and the Youth Olympic Games for teenage athletes.

Their creation was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority. All Paralympic games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The Paralympics has grown from a gathering of British World War II veterans in 1948 to become one of the largest international sporting events by the early 21^st century. Paralympics also stand equal treatment with the non – disabled Olympics but, there is a large funding gap between Olympics and Paralympics

The Olympic Movement consists of international sports federations (IFs), National Olympic Committees (NOCs), and organizing committees for each specific Olympic Games. As the decision-making body, the IOC is responsible for choosing the host city for each Game, and organizes and funds the Games according to the Olympic Charter. The IOC also determines the Olympic program, consisting of the sports to be contested at the Games. There are several Olympic rituals and symbols, such as the Olympic flag and torch, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Over 13,000 athletes compete at the summer and Winter Olympic Games in 33 different sports and nearly 400 events. The first, second, and third-place finishers in each event receive Olympic medals: gold, silver, and bronze, respectively.

Given the wide variety of disabilities that the Paralympic athletes have, there are several categories in which the athletes compete. The disabilities which are allowed have been listed down into ten eligible impairment types. The categories are impaired muscle power, impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, vision impairment and intellectual impairment. These categories are further listed down into classifications, which vary from one sport to another.

The Games have grown so much that nearly every nation is now represented. Every two years the Olympics and its media exposure provide unknown athletes with the chance to attain national and sometimes international fame. The Games also constitute an opportunity for the host city and country to showcase themselves to the world. This is that moment when these athletes make us and our countries proud.

The Ancient Olympic Games were religious and athletic festivals held every four years at the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia, Greece. Competition was among representatives of several city-states and kingdoms of Ancient Greece. These Games featured mainly athletic but, also combat sports such as wrestling and the pankration, horse and chariot racing events. Eventually, over the centuries, there were vast changes being made in the history of Olympic Games.

In the 21st Century Games, from 241 participants representing 14 nations in 1896, the Games have grown to about 10,500 competitors from 204 nations at the 2012 Summer Olympics. The scope and scale of the Winter Olympics is smaller. During the Games most athletes and officials are housed in the Olympic Village. This village is intended to be a self-contained home for all the Olympic participants, and is furnished with cafeterias, health clinics, and locations for religious expression.

Opening Ceremony As mandated by the Olympic Charter, various elements frame the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. This ceremony takes place before the events have occurred. Most of these rituals were established at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp. The ceremony typically starts with the hoisting of the host country’s flag and a performance of its national anthem. The host nation then presents artistic displays of music, singing, dance, and theater representative of its culture. The opening ceremony of the Beijing Games reportedly cost $100 million, with much of the cost incurred in the artistic segment.

After the artistic portion of the ceremony, the athletes parade into the stadium grouped by nation. Greece is traditionally the first nation to enter in order to honor the origins of the Olympics. Nations then enter the stadium alphabetically according to the host country’s chosen language, with the host country’s athletes being the last to enter. During the 2004 Summer Olympics, which were hosted in Athens, Greece, the Greek flag entered the stadium first, while the Greek delegation entered last. Speeches are given, formally opening the Games. Finally, the Olympic torch is brought into the stadium and passed on until it reaches the final torch carrier, often a successful Olympic athlete from the host nation, who lights the Olympic flame in the stadium’s cauldron.

Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games takes place after all sporting events has concluded. Flag-bearers from each participating country enter the stadium, followed by the athletes who enter together, without any national distinction. Three national flags are hoisted while the corresponding national anthems are played: the flag of the current host country; the flag of Greece, to honor the birthplace of the Olympic Games; and the flag of the country hosting the next summer or Winter Olympic Games. The president of the organizing committee and the IOC president make their closing speeches, the Games are officially closed, and the Olympic flame is extinguished. In what is known as the Antwerp Ceremony, the mayor of the city that organized the Games transfers a special Olympic flag to the president of the IOC, who then passes it on to the mayor of the city hosting the next Olympic Games. The next host nation then also briefly introduces itself with artistic displays of dance and theater representative of its culture.

As is customary, the men’s marathon medals (at the Summer Olympics) or the men’s 50 km cross-country skiing freestyle mass start medals (at the Winter Olympics) are presented as part of the Closing Ceremony, which take place later that day, in the Olympic Stadium, and are thus the last medal presentation of the Games.

Summer Olympics RIO 2016

The Olympic 2016, this year are held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Opening rounds in certain events began on 3 August 2016 — two days before the opening ceremony—and the Games are formally running from 5 to 21 August 2016.

More than 11,000 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), including first time entrants Kosovo and South Sudan, are taking part. With 306 sets of medals, the games features 28 Olympic sports, including rugby sevens and golf, which were added by the International Olympic Committee in 2009. These sporting events are taking place at 33 venues in the host city as well as at five venues in the cities of São Paulo (Brazil’s largest city), Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Brasília (Brazil’s capital), and Manaus.

The opening ceremony took place in the Maracana Stadium on 5 August 2016. This was the first time since 1900 that the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics was held in a venue other than the athletics stadium. As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings combine the formal ceremonial opening of this international sporting event (including welcoming speeches, hoisting of the flags and the parade of athletes) with an artistic spectacle to showcase the host nation’s culture. There were around 78,000 spectators at the Maracana.

Sports

The 2016 Summer Olympic program features 28 sports and a total of 41 disciplines and 306 events.

The two new sports for 2016 Olympic Games are golf and rugby sevens. There were two open spots for sports and initially seven sports began the bidding for inclusion in the 2016 program. Baseball and softball, which were dropped from the program in 2005, karate, squash, golf, roller sports, and rugby union all applied to be included. Below is the list of sports being played at Olympics 2016.

• Aquatics
• Diving(8)
• Swimming(34)
• Synchronized swimming(2)
• Water polo(2)
• Archery(4)
• Athletics(47)
• Badminton(5)
• Basketball(2)
• Boxing(13)
• Canoeing
• Slalom (4)
• Sprint (12)
• Cycling
• BMX (2)
• Mountain biking (2)
• Road (4)
• Track (10)
• Equestrian
• Dressage (2)
• Eventing (2)
• Jumping (2)
• Fencing (10)
• Field hockey(2)
• Football(2)
• Golf(2)
• Gymnastics
• Artistic (14)
• Rhythmic (2)
• Trampoline (2)
• Handball(2)
• Judo(14)
• Modern pentathlon(2)
• Rowing(14)
• Rugby sevens(2)
• Sailing(10)
• Shooting(15)
• Table tennis(4)
• Taekwondo(8)
• Tennis(5)
• Triathlon(2)
• Volleyball (2)
• Beach volleyball (2)
• Weightlifting (15)
• Wrestling
• Freestyle (12)
• Greco-Roman (6)

Below is the list of Games being played at the Paralympics 2016:

• Archery
• Athletics
• Boccia
• Canoe Sprint
• Cycling Road
• Cycling Track
• Equestrian
• Football 5 A-side
• Football 7 A-side
• Goal ball
• Judo
• Power lifting
• Shooting
• Sailing
• Sitting Volleyball
• Swimming
• Table Tennis
• Triathlon
• Wheelchair Basketball
• Wheelchair Fencing
• Wheelchair Rugby
• Wheelchair Tennis

The Olympic Games have been splendid and now it’s time to get ready for the Paralympics with 23 sports, 528 events over the course of 11days of competition will yield 225 medals for women, 265 for men and 38 mixed medals. It is always a delight to watch these sports, and the opening and closing ceremonies. No matter, how much you love which sport but, these athletes put in lot of hard work and dedication to win and make their country and the people proud.