The Olympics, Explained
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the rich history of the Olympics, from its ancient Greek origins in 776 BC to its revival in the 19th century by Pierre de Coubertin. It highlights the evolution of the games, the introduction of the Olympic rings symbolizing global unity, and the inclusion of women, black athletes, Paralympics, and refugee teams. The video also discusses how the Olympics have been used for political propaganda and as a platform for social change, with examples such as Jesse Owens' triumph in Nazi Germany and the 1968 Black Power salute. It emphasizes the importance of the Olympic spirit in bringing people together and fostering a sense of global community.
Takeaways
- đ The Olympics originated in 776 BC in Greece but was quite different from the modern games, featuring nude athletes and sometimes lethal contests.
- â In 393 AD, the Olympics were banned by a Christian ruler, leading to a long period of inactivity until the 19th century.
- đ«đ· Pierre de Coubertin, a Frenchman, played a pivotal role in reviving the Olympics, establishing the International Olympic Committee in 1894.
- đïž The first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896 in Athens, Greece, in the Panathinaiko Stadium, an ancient marble structure.
- đ The Olympic rings symbolize the unity of the five inhabited continents, with the colors chosen to represent all national flags.
- đ€ The International Olympic Committee initially allowed women and black athletes to participate, promoting inclusivity from the early 20th century.
- đ„ The Paralympics for athletes with disabilities and a refugee team were introduced in the 1960s and 2016, respectively, further expanding inclusivity.
- đ« Professional athletes were not allowed to compete until 1986, with early exceptions leading to controversy, such as Jim Thorpe's case in 1912.
- đïž The Olympics have been used for political propaganda, both to promote and challenge ideologies, as seen in the 1936 Berlin Olympics and the 1968 Mexico City Games.
- đ The games have been held in 43 different cities across five continents, reflecting their global reach and impact.
Q & A
When and where did the ancient Olympic Games originally begin?
-The ancient Olympic Games began in 776 BC in Greece.
How were the ancient Olympic Games different from the modern ones?
-In the ancient Olympics, participants performed in the nude, fought to the death, and the games were conducted in the name of pagan gods.
Why and when were the Olympic Games banned?
-The Olympic Games were banned in 393 AD by a Christian ruler who prohibited all pagan practices, including the Olympics.
Who is credited with reviving the Olympic Games and what was his vision?
-Pierre de Coubertin, a Frenchman, is credited with reviving the Olympic Games. His vision was to promote sportsmanship and the spirit of striving to become one's best.
What does the Olympic Creed, established by Pierre de Coubertin, emphasize?
-The Olympic Creed emphasizes that the important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle, and it is more about having fought well than having conquered.
When was the International Olympic Committee founded and where were the first modern Olympic Games held?
-The International Olympic Committee was founded in 1894, and the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece.
What is the significance of the Olympic rings and what do they symbolize?
-The Olympic rings symbolize the unity of the five inhabited continents, with each ring representing a continent, and the colors chosen to represent at least one color found in every national flag.
When were women and black athletes first allowed to participate in the Olympic Games?
-Women and black athletes were allowed to participate in the Olympic Games as early as 1900.
What was the historical significance of the 1936 Berlin Olympics?
-The 1936 Berlin Olympics were significant because Hitler intended to use them to promote his ideas of a superior race, but this was undermined when Jesse Owens, a black athlete from the US, won four gold medals.
How did the 1968 Mexico Olympics highlight racial issues in the United States?
-During the 1968 Mexico Olympics, two US runners, Tommy Smith and John Carlos, protested against racial violence in America, leading to their suspension from the US team.
What was the impact of the 1980 Olympics on US-Soviet Union relations during the Cold War?
-The 1980 Olympics featured a match between the US and Soviet Union hockey teams, which was dubbed by Sports Illustrated as the top sports moment of the 20th century, reflecting the tense relations between the two countries during the Cold War.
Outlines
đ The Origins and Evolution of the Olympic Games
The paragraph delves into the history of the Olympic Games, starting from their ancient roots in 776 BC in Greece, where they were initially held in honor of pagan gods and involved nude athletes and even deadly combat. It discusses how the Games were banned in 393 AD by a Christian ruler and remained dormant until the 19th century. Pierre de Coubertin, a Frenchman, is credited with reviving the Olympic spirit, emphasizing sportsmanship and the struggle for self-improvement over victory. He established the International Olympic Committee in 1894, leading to the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. The paragraph also touches on the design of the Olympic rings by Coubertin in 1912, symbolizing unity among continents, and the evolution of the Games to include women, black athletes, and eventually professional athletes from 1986. It highlights the Games' use for political propaganda, with examples like the 1936 Berlin Olympics under Nazi Germany, where Jesse Owens' victories contradicted Hitler's ideologies, and the 1968 Mexico Olympics, where racial protests occurred.
đ The Olympic Games as a Global Platform for Unity and Resilience
This paragraph continues the narrative by discussing the Olympic Games' role as a global platform that transcends sports, often reflecting the socio-political climate of the times. It mentions the 1964 Tokyo Olympics as a symbol of Japan's peaceful emergence post-World War II, and the 1968 Mexico Olympics, where athletes protested racial violence. The paragraph also recounts the 'Miracle on Ice' during the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, where the US hockey team's victory over the Soviet Union was a significant moment during the Cold War. It concludes with the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, held shortly after the 9/11 attacks, symbolizing resilience and unity. The speaker encourages viewers to visit Olympic cities if possible, reflecting on the profound impact of the Games and their venues, such as the ancient stadium in Athens and the arena in Berlin. The paragraph ends with a call to action for viewers to engage with the content by liking and subscribing, and a mention of a travel resource website, Brighttrip.com.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄOlympics
đĄPierre de Coubertin
đĄOlympic Creed
đĄOlympic Rings
đĄParalympics
đĄRefugee Team
đĄProfessional Athletes
đĄPolitical Propaganda
đĄJesse Owens
đĄUnity
Highlights
The Olympics symbol is universally recognized as the largest and most global event for athleticism.
The ancient Olympics began in 776 BC in Greece, featuring nude athletes and contests to the death in honor of pagan gods.
The Olympics were a tradition that superseded political situations, setting aside war for these games.
The Olympics were banned in 393 AD by a Christian ruler, leading to their dormancy until the 19th century.
Pierre de Coubertin, a Frenchman, revived the Olympics with a focus on sportsmanship and the Olympic creed.
The Olympic creed emphasizes the struggle and the fight, not merely the triumph and conquest.
The International Olympic Committee was founded in 1894, leading to the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.
The 1896 Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in the Panathinaiko Stadium, built in the 6th century BC.
The Olympic rings designed in 1912 symbolize the inhabited continents and the unity of the world.
The colors of the Olympic rings were chosen to be represented in every national flag at the time.
The IOC had to make numerous decisions regarding the games, including the events, frequency, and participants.
Women and black athletes were allowed to participate in the Olympics as early as 1900.
The Paralympics were created in the 1960s for athletes with disabilities, and a refugee team was added in 2016.
Professional athletes were not allowed in the Olympics until 1986, with Jim Thorpe's case being a notable early example.
The Olympics have been used to push political propaganda, as seen in the 1936 Berlin Games under Nazi Germany.
Jesse Owens' four gold medals in 1936 contradicted Hitler's ideas of Aryan superiority.
The 1964 Tokyo Olympics marked Japan's re-emergence as a peaceful nation post-World War II.
Tommy Smith and John Carlos' protest at the 1968 Mexico Olympics highlighted racial violence in America.
The 1980 'Miracle on Ice' between the US and Soviet Union hockey teams became a symbol of the Cold War.
The 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics showed resilience and unity following the 9/11 attacks.
The modern Olympics have been held in 43 different cities across five continents, a testament to Coubertin's vision.
Traveling to Olympic cities can provide a deep understanding of the Olympics' history and impact.
Transcripts
[Music]
regardless what language you speak what
country you're from or how old you are
you probably know what this symbol is
the olympics is the largest most global
highest standard for athleticism
but since when
the olympics started all the way back in
776 bc in greece but this was not the
olympics that we know today people would
perform in the nude they would fight to
the death and it was all done in the
name of pagan gods it was a tradition
that would supersede the political
situations so they would set aside war
and political strife to come together to
do these games in honor of these pagan
gods but in 393 a.d when a christian
ruler came in he banned all pagan
practices including the olympics from
then all the way until the 19th century
the olympics was essentially dead this
was until a man by the name pierre de
coubertin came along he was a french man
who really loved sportsmanship and he
believed in the spirit of the olympics
in the sense of pure sportsmanship and
working to become our best he laid this
out in what later became the olympic
creed which reads the important thing in
life is not the triumph but the struggle
the essential thing is not to have
conquered but to have fought well so
with this idealized image of what the
olympics could be kubertine set out to
create the international olympic
committee and this was founded in 1894
and then only two years later the first
ever modern olympic games was held the
1896 olympics were held in the pan
athletic stadium in athens greece it's a
stadium that's built entirely of marble
and it was built actually sixth century
bc so there really wasn't a better place
to revive the olympics than right there
in athens then it was in 1912 that
cooper teen designed the olympic rings
that we know and love today each ring is
supposed to symbolize an inhabited
continent the americas counting as one
for some reason and the colors are
chosen because at the time every flag in
the world had at least one color
represented in the rings so it really
was supposed to be this message of world
unity and everyone coming together to
better themselves through sportsmanship
when the international olympic committee
was created they had a million decisions
to make they decide are we only going to
allow the same games that were played in
ancient olympics where are we going to
hold these olympics how often are we
going to hold them who's allowed to
participate it was just a whole list of
things to be decided thankfully their
ideals and the spirit of unity shone
through a bit and as early as 1900 women
athletes and black athletes were allowed
to participate in the games
in the 1960s the paralympics were
created for athletes with disabilities
and as recent as 2016 a refugee team was
created for those athletes who are also
refugees another way to push this agenda
of unity and sportsmanship was to not
allow professional athletes to play so
it wasn't even until
1986 that professional athletes were
allowed to perform in the games at the
olympics in fact there was a early
medalist in the 1912 olympics who won
tons of gold medals his name was jim
thorpe he was actually stripped of all
of his medals after the olympics because
it turned out that he played
professional baseball so did everyone
else at the games but he just didn't lie
about it he went on to create a little
club of his own where professional
athletes could play the nfl while the
games themselves are really inclusive
the events and the organization has been
used to push political propaganda for
better or for worse and this is what's
so fascinating to me is that learning
the history of the olympics can often
tell a much larger story of what was
happening in the world at the time so
here are a couple examples of that
in 1936 the olympics were held in berlin
which was nazi germany at the time
hitler wanted to use the games to
perpetuate his ideas of a superior race
this backfired a bit when jesse owens a
black us athlete won four gold medals
for his running and all hitler could do
in response was refused to shake his
hand
only 20 years after world war ii in 1964
the olympics were held in japan this
marked japan's emergence from the war as
not an enemy but a peaceful country
then in 1968 during the mexico olympics
two runners tommy smith and john carlos
protested against racial violence in
america leading to their suspension from
the u.s team they say the games are
sports not politics something separate
and apart from the realities of life but
the black athlete says that he wants
equality everywhere not just within the
arena he says that he will not be used
once every four years on behalf of a
group that ignores what happens to him
every day of all the years
in 1980 during the cold war the u.s
hockey team and the soviet union hockey
team went head to head in an event that
sports illustrated called the top sports
moment of the 20th century
[Music]
and the last example i'll give is that
only six months after the horrible 9 11
attacks in new york the salt lake city
olympics signified a resilient nation
that could overcome fear and safely
gather together again
because of the platform that the
olympics has and because of its dense
complex history it's really worth
looking into the history of the olympics
if you are in an olympic city the modern
olympics has been held in 43 different
cities across five different continents
and this is all due to pierre de
coubertin and his ability to gather
people together to create the olympic
committee and his vision of what the
olympics could be
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
hey guys thank you so much for watching
if you like this video give us a thumbs
up it's good for youtube to know that we
make good stuff
and if you subscribe to the channel
we'll be posting a lot more stuff like
this if you get the chance to travel to
an olympic city i highly recommend you
take it i've been able to go to a couple
like the arena in athens that they first
hosted the olympics at and the arena in
berlin where jesse owens won his gold
medals and it's always been an awesome
experience when i get to take that
chance and if you want to find full
online travel courses how you can travel
smarter we will see you over at
brighttrip.com
say bye izzy bye
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