The Olympic movement accumulating with the Olympic Games, is perhaps the most distinguishable and substantial pupil cultural event (Roche, 1998). What is recognisable today as the Modern Olympics first began in Athens, 1896, attracting 311 athletes from 13 countries (Kitroeff, 2005). Throughout this period the Olympics was a combination of athletic games that sustained religious rituals (Koulouri, 2006).
At the forefront of the Athens games was the opportunity to showcase nationalism, success, and pride but above all present the modernised Western model of Greece to the world (Guttmann, 1992). This mantra of showcasing progression, allows host cities the opportunity to develop, and invest in substantial urban projects and …show more content…
The Olympic Games have continued to evolve, becoming more than a sporting mega event: they are an instigator for new beginnings, a chance to sustain lasting legacy both sporting and cultural. Nonetheless, creating a legacy of the Olympics has tangible risks if incorrectly planned (Karadakis, Kaplanidou and Karlis, …show more content…
To clarify with an example, discretion must be expressed when evaluating all that is claimed. It is understandable that host cities, public relations and organising committees may be tempted to magnify Olympic positivity and downplay negative aftereffects. Besides, significant sporting progression/investment might have occurred irrespective of the Olympics. It isn’t without possibilities that otherwise ‘pending’ implications are brought to the public domain due to the Games opportunity. In could therefore be argued, the Olympics accelerate change rather than initiate it. These “counter-factual” points show how evaluating a predetermined legacy is difficult given the inability to prove what would, or would not have happened. Additionally, the perspective of legacy is dependant on the view of the assessor. The public’s perceptions could be very different to that of a National Governing Body or Government Department [Department for Culture Media & Sport – DCMS].
- 1. Selection Process For Host Cities -
The responsibility for both the conduct of Olympic sport, and host city selection falls under the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) requirements. The IOC produces detailed manuals outlining themes; biding cities must address in dossiers to show their vision for the Olympic Games (International Olympic Committee and the Olympic system: the governance