Neilikka
08-29-2008, 03:27 AM
Russia and the Olympics
Last week, the 29th Olympic Games in Peking closed to tremendous fanfare. The official closing ceremony held at the ‘Bird's Nest' stadium coincided with the opening event: it was magnificent and showed the talent of the Chinese people. From its ancient origins, the form and substance of the Olympic Games have radically changed. Since the first Games of our times (Athens, 1896), it has become the tradition of the host countries to present the many sides of its culture and heritage. Today, the Games have become a hugely popular - and commercial - international sporting event, where a nation's victories speak much in terms of honor and patriotism.
Today, the competing nations, and athletes, place tremendous emphasis on the number of the medals they collect. In 2004, the Summer Olympic Games in Athens proved the athletic prowess of the United States, which left with 103 medals. They also excelled in 2000 (Sydney) and in 1996 (Atlanta) too. But things are slowly changing. Russia has a habit of occupying the top positions, a trend that has carried over since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In Beijing, Russia came in third place in the medal chase with a total of 72 (23 gold, 21 silver and 28 bronze).
Early on, Russia was regarded as one of the top contenders; there was even some wishful thinking that Russia might even power its way past China. Incidentally, PricewaterhouseCoopers released the results of research that proved that the countries with the strongest economies went on to win the most medals. This research takes into account various factors, such as population, level of income, and statistics from previous Olympic performances. But these predictions can not be taken as rule; the Olympics are always full of surprises. Russia's Olympic team didn't fulfill all of its expectations, but it still brought glory and happiness to the citizens.
Russia's Olympic history started in 1908 when the first eight Russian sportsmen competed in London's Games. There, Nikolai Panin became Russia's first Olympic champion when he won a gold medal in figure skating. Two Russian Greco-Roman wrestlers, Nikolai Orlov and Aleksandr Petrov, took home the silver medals. Despite Russia's best intentions, it failed to rank in the top 10 medals ranking.
But the event created quite a stir in Russia and in 1911 the Russian Olympic Committee was created, and training and preparation for the Olympics turned into a serious priority for the country. However, with the beginning of the First World War, which forced the cancellation of the international event, Soviet Russia would have to wait until 1952 to compete again in the Olympic Games.
New times dictates new tendencies and priorities. The Olympics in the 20th and the 21st century became a political game, too. The Games held in Moscow in 1980 were boycotted by the United States, for example. The excitement of the Games and the apprehension of the Soviet Union was a tangible thing.
The Games became important from the sporting perspective, as well as from the many other events that shape our world today. For Russia, the Beijing Olympics were marred by an unexpected war. Thus, the cheering for our athletes was replaced with breaking news from South Ossetia.
The level of the Olympics euphoria differed. I was abroad that time, so I could not really feel the spirit of the events, but I somehow expected people to be more interested in the Olympics. However, the truth was, Russia became united because of war, while news from the Olympics front was just a supplement.
By Daria Chernyshova
Last week, the 29th Olympic Games in Peking closed to tremendous fanfare. The official closing ceremony held at the ‘Bird's Nest' stadium coincided with the opening event: it was magnificent and showed the talent of the Chinese people. From its ancient origins, the form and substance of the Olympic Games have radically changed. Since the first Games of our times (Athens, 1896), it has become the tradition of the host countries to present the many sides of its culture and heritage. Today, the Games have become a hugely popular - and commercial - international sporting event, where a nation's victories speak much in terms of honor and patriotism.
Today, the competing nations, and athletes, place tremendous emphasis on the number of the medals they collect. In 2004, the Summer Olympic Games in Athens proved the athletic prowess of the United States, which left with 103 medals. They also excelled in 2000 (Sydney) and in 1996 (Atlanta) too. But things are slowly changing. Russia has a habit of occupying the top positions, a trend that has carried over since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In Beijing, Russia came in third place in the medal chase with a total of 72 (23 gold, 21 silver and 28 bronze).
Early on, Russia was regarded as one of the top contenders; there was even some wishful thinking that Russia might even power its way past China. Incidentally, PricewaterhouseCoopers released the results of research that proved that the countries with the strongest economies went on to win the most medals. This research takes into account various factors, such as population, level of income, and statistics from previous Olympic performances. But these predictions can not be taken as rule; the Olympics are always full of surprises. Russia's Olympic team didn't fulfill all of its expectations, but it still brought glory and happiness to the citizens.
Russia's Olympic history started in 1908 when the first eight Russian sportsmen competed in London's Games. There, Nikolai Panin became Russia's first Olympic champion when he won a gold medal in figure skating. Two Russian Greco-Roman wrestlers, Nikolai Orlov and Aleksandr Petrov, took home the silver medals. Despite Russia's best intentions, it failed to rank in the top 10 medals ranking.
But the event created quite a stir in Russia and in 1911 the Russian Olympic Committee was created, and training and preparation for the Olympics turned into a serious priority for the country. However, with the beginning of the First World War, which forced the cancellation of the international event, Soviet Russia would have to wait until 1952 to compete again in the Olympic Games.
New times dictates new tendencies and priorities. The Olympics in the 20th and the 21st century became a political game, too. The Games held in Moscow in 1980 were boycotted by the United States, for example. The excitement of the Games and the apprehension of the Soviet Union was a tangible thing.
The Games became important from the sporting perspective, as well as from the many other events that shape our world today. For Russia, the Beijing Olympics were marred by an unexpected war. Thus, the cheering for our athletes was replaced with breaking news from South Ossetia.
The level of the Olympics euphoria differed. I was abroad that time, so I could not really feel the spirit of the events, but I somehow expected people to be more interested in the Olympics. However, the truth was, Russia became united because of war, while news from the Olympics front was just a supplement.
By Daria Chernyshova