The Olympics over the years - part I

The 1896 games in Athens attracted athletes from the U.S., Great Britain, and 11 other nations. Only 42 events in 9 sports were scheduled for these games. Since that small start, several significant trends have emerged: progressively superior performances by successive generations of Olympic athletes; increased participation of women, who were first admitted to Olympic competition in 1912; an increase in world class, medal-winning performances from athletes of smaller nations; and a steady rise in the number of sports and events open to competition.

Since the 1904 games, in which most of the contestants were from the U.S., more and more nations have entered teams in the Olympics. The total number of participating athletes has also grown from the 285 who competed in the first games in Athens to the approximately 10,750 who competed in the summer games in Atlanta in 1996, and the approximately 2000 who competed in the winter games in Nagano, Japan, in 1998. At the same time, the Olympic tryouts—elimination games conducted quadrennially under the auspices of the various national Olympic committees— have become important athletic events in themselves.

The Olympics over the years - part II

Teams from 197 nations and territories took part in the 1996 summer Olympics. Twenty-eight new Olympic teams made their first appearance in the games including former Soviet, former Yugoslav, and the former Czechoslovakian republics as separate nations. The number of medal sports totaled 31: archery, badminton, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, canoeing-kayaking, cycling, diving, equestrian sports, fencing, field hockey, gymnastics, judo, modern pentathlon (riding, cross-country running, swimming, shooting, and fencing), rhythmic gymnastics, rowing, shooting, soccer, softball, swimming, synchronized swimming, table tennis, team handball, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, wrestling, and yachting. In all, 271 medal events were held that year: 163 men's events, 97 women's events, and 11 mixed events.

The Olympics over the years - part III

Although much smaller in scope than the summer games, the winter Olympics has also grown through the years. The 1980 games in Lake Placid, N.Y., saw 37 countries compete in 39 medal events; at the 1998 games in Nagano some 72 nations competed in 68 events. A total of eight sports were included in the winter Olympics in 1998: biathlon (cross-country skiing and rifle marksmanship), bobsled, curling (for the first time), ice hockey (which included women's hockey for the first time), luge (toboggan), figure skating, speed skating, and skiing (which, for the first time, included snowboarding as a medal sport).

The Olympics over the years - part IV

For many years, the Olympic games were a venue for amateur athletes. Today, however, professionals compete alongside amateurs. For the first time, the U.S. sent professionals (in basketball) to compete in the summer games in Barcelona, Spain, in 1992. Beginning with these and the 1994 winter games in Lillehammer, the U.S. Olympic Committee has awarded cash prizes to American participants: Gold medal winners receive $15,000; silver medal winners, $10,000; bronze medal winners, $7500; and fourth place finishers, $5000. Other countries may also offer cash prizes and other incentives to their athletes.

1. Find new words in the text for homework.

2. Make two questions from each part and distribute them to your friends.

3. Write "25 000 dollar" the American/British way, please:

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Greger