Unit 1: Higher, Faster, Stronger (TleG1_gr2)

 (at the follwoing of what we did last time)

Group 3

In the 1920s, Paris was the center of the intellectual and cultural, artistic and political life. On top of that it was a very crowded city with 2,9 million inhabitant, including Irish celebrities such as Samuel Beckett an Irish novelist who was the nephew of an athletes who competed in the Paris 1924 Olympics. In 1924, Ireland could finally participate to the Olympic Games under the Irish banner for the first time.

 

Group 4

The Tailtean  Games took place in Dublin, one week after the Olympics in 1924. It was the biggest sport event attracting up to  5000 competitors which was 2000 more than the Paris Olympics. The athletes were mainly Irish. The origins of the sport event lead back to an Irish legend, they first took place in Teltown in honor of Queen Tailte. They look alike the Olympics and it took place every four years. The goal was to unite the country, help forge an identity and create a feeling of belonging.

 

Group 5

Pierre de Coubertin was strongly against women competing at the Olympics. In fact, as for him it was a male-only competition.  However, women could compete in tennis, golf, archery, swimming and gymnastics. In 1924, they were only 135 women athletes. Nevertheless, in 1922, Paris hosted a competition event for women in track and field with the help of a feminist activist named Alice Milliat. Eventually, the International Olympic committee instead of letting women participating in smaller competitions, they allowed them to participate to the next Olympic Games in the track and field discipline.

 

Group 6

In 1948 London Olympics took place after WWII. There were the first disabled athletes in wheelchairs practicing archery. This was the beginning of the Paralympics that developed fully in Rome in 1960 with 23 countries that represented by almost 400 disabled athletes. On top of that, there were disabled women athletes who participated to the competition as well. It enabled disabled people to integrate better into the society. Back then, women were still discriminated against because they were supposed to stay at home and take care of the household. They were not supposed to practice sport outside the house.

 

Group 7

The Games have evolved throughout the time: more and more women are represented, there are more and more countries that goes along with the increase of diversity in the Games. Back then athletes used to be amateurs, however, there were more and more professional athletes who started to compete in the Games. In fact, during the Cold War period, these athletes were used as a form of soft power to promote their own countries. On top of that, the globalization of TV more precisely, in color, expanded the audience of the Games. In addition, the sponsors also helped in the expansion of the Games as a whole.

Homework: Learn the lesson.