LIBS 1100 Olympic Games Project: Underdog Stories and Politics

This project delves into the Olympic Games, concentrating on Greece's role as a host country. It begins with a geographical overview of Greece, including its location, terrain, and natural resources, as presented in the World Factbook. The project then explores Greece's history with the games, detailing the two times Athens hosted the Summer Olympics and the 1906 Intercalated Games. Part B uncovers unique athletic achievements and underdog stories from the Greek Olympics. Part C examines the political events surrounding the Greek Olympic Games, referencing political conflicts. Finally, Part D analyzes the economic impact of hosting the Olympics, including infrastructure development and financial outcomes, drawing from various sources to present a comprehensive view of the Games' legacy. The project includes references from various sources.

Running head: THE OLYMPIC GAMES
The Olympic Games
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Part A – The Modern Games- Geography
1. Ans: - The country which I choose is Greece who has hosted an Olympic Games.
2. Ans: - The Olympic Games Greece has hosted are the ‘Summer Olympic Games’ on two
times, the inaugural Modern Olympic Games in 1896 and once more in
2004. Each were control in Athens (Veraros, Kasimati & Dawson, 2004). The capital of
Greece additionally hosted the 1906 Intercalated Games that at the time were thought
of to be Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee.
1896: Athens. The primary Modern Olympic Games came about in
Athens, Greece throughout the primary weeks of April 1896. The 241 athletes United
Nations agency competed drawn solely fourteen countries and wore their athletic club
uniforms rather than national uniforms. Of the fourteen countries attending, eleven
have formally been declared in awards records: Austria, Australia, England, Denmark,
Germany, France, Greece, Sweden, Hungary, Switzerland, and also the US.
1906: Athens (unofficial). Supposed to energise interest within the Olympic
Games when the 1900 and 1904 games yielded very little fanfare, the Athens Games of
1906 were the primary and solely "Intercalated Games," that had been meant to
exist each four years (between regular Games) and solely manifest itself in Athens,
Greece. The president of the Modern Olympics declared the 1906 Games
unofficial when the actual fact (Tsivou et al., 2006).
3. Ans: - Becoming an expert of the geography of Greece, the summarization of each
subheadings which are being found in the factbook that is associated with Greece are as
follows:

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Location: Southern Europe, bordering the Ionian Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the
Aegean Sea, between Turkey and Albania ("The World Factbook - Central Intelligence
Agency", 2019).
Geographic coordinates: 39 00 N, 22 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: -
Total area: 131, 957 sq km (Land= 130, 647 sq km and Water= 1,310 sq km)
Country comparison to the world: 98
Area – comparative: Bit smaller than Alabama
Area map of comparison:
Source: ("The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency", 2019)
Land
boundaries:
Total: 1, 110 km
4 border countries: Bulgaria 472 km, Macedonia 234 km, Albania 212 km, and Turkey 192
km
Coastline: 13, 676 km

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Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the exploitation depth
Climatic condition: Temperate; hot, dry summers; mild, wet winters
Terrain: Mountainous with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands
Elevation:
Mean elevation: 498 m
Lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Highest point: Mount Olympus 2,917
Note: In reality Mount Olympus has 52 number of peaks but the highest point of it is Mytikas
(which means ‘nose’), rises to 2,917 meters in Greek mythology, Mytikas peak of Olympus
was the home of the Greek gods
Natural resources: Petroleum, lignite, bauxite, iron ore, nickel, zinc, lead, marble, salt,
magnetite, and hydropower potential
Land use:
Agricultural land: 63.4% (2011 EST.)
Forest: 30.5%
Others: 6.1%
Part B – Unique Athletic Achievements
Greek athletes have won a total of 116 medals in 15 different sports and the country
currently ranks 33rd in the all-time Summer Olympics medal count.

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Abebe Bikila, an unknown Ethiopian runner, won the marathon at the Rome
Olympics, breaking the world record--and he did it barefoot. And Emil Zatopek will go down
in history as one of the greatest distance runners of all time. But he got into running through
sheer chance at the age of 16 while working in a Czech shoe factory, and in almost every way
he was an unorthodox athlete ("WATCH: 5 Olympic Underdogs Who Have Shaken Up The
Summer Games", 2019).
Part C – Troubled games- Politics and the Olympic games
1. Ans: - The celebration of the Olympic Games in antiquity was an incident for voters of
scattered Greek city-states to assemble. At the Games
they mentioned vital political problems, celebrated common military victories and even
Modern political and military alliances. However the Games were not solely a
forum within which to debate political events. They were additionally the explanation
for political conflict.
Control of the Sanctuary and also the Games brought with it status,
economic benefits and, most significantly, political influence. As early because
the seventh century BC we have a tendency to hear of disputes over the management of
the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia between city of Elis (30 miles to the north) and also
the little neighbour town of urban centre.
The celebration of the Olympic Games in antiquity was an occasion for citizens of
scattered Greek city-states to assemble. At the Games they discussed important political
issues, celebrated common military victories and even formed political and military
alliances. But the Games were not only a forum in which to discuss political events; they
were also the cause of political conflict ("Introduction | The Real Story of the Ancient
Olympic Games - Penn Museum", 2019).

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Control of the Sanctuary and the Games brought with it prestige, economic
advantages and, most importantly, political influence. As early as the 7th century BC we
hear of disputes over the control of the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia between the city of
Elis (30 miles to the north) and the small neighbouring town of Pisa.
Part D – Economics and the Olympic Games
The finance minister of Greece claimed at the time that there had been a “net
economic benefit” to the country. It is tough to quantify. The payment on infrastructure and
organisation was declared to be around 8.5 billion euros ($A12.7 billion), however the
govt claimed that a lot of of the work had an enduring profit in rising hospitals
and anthropology sites and boosting commercial enterprise.
Greece was no completely different. The state spent seven years building
a new airport, stadiums, a subway system and a tram service, however most of the new
structures remained coated in system simply days before the event began. Some joked that
the Acropolis was one amongst the unfinished venues — a line that does not appear as
funny any longer. It had been one amongst the tightest races to complete building in Olympic
history, however Greece created it. The warning signs were simply fired. There square
measure perpetually stories the athletic competition organizers would not be prepared, and
each time, they as if by magic pull a scintillating event out of the bag. Still, several Greeks
remained involved, staging angry protests and expressing issues for his or her businesses off
from the excitement. It had been too late. The Olympic athletic competition was back in
Athens (Kasimati, 2019).
By investigating the legacy, they came to know that it was negative. AS Greece falls,
it is not the country’s ancient ruins that offer the starkest image of decay. It
is the progressive facilities made simply over 10 years agone for the Athens

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Games, several of that lie abandoned, dirt crusted on seats and grass ontogeny through
cracks within the floors. Olympic Games area unit immensely overpriced undertakings,
and nearly always mean a crushing loss for the host nation. However optimistic
governments solely see huge international attention and major defrayal opportunities.

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References
Introduction | The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games - Penn Museum. (2019).
Retrieved from https://www.penn.museum/sites/olympics/olympicpolitics.shtml
Kasimati, E. (2019). [Ebook] (pp. 167-184). Retrieved from
https://www.athensjournals.gr/sports/2015-2-3-3-Kasimati.pdf
The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency. (2019). Retrieved from
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
Tsivou, M., Kioukia-Fougia, N., Lyris, E., Aggelis, Y., Fragkaki, A., Kiousi, X., &
Spyridaki, M. H. (2006). An overview of the doping control analysis during the
Olympic Games of 2004 in Athens, Greece. Analytica Chimica Acta, 555(1), 1-13.
Veraros, N., Kasimati*, E., & Dawson, P. (2004). The 2004 Olympic Games announcement
and its effect on the Athens and Milan stock exchanges. Applied Economics
Letters, 11(12), 749-753.
WATCH: 5 Olympic Underdogs Who Have Shaken Up The Summer Games. (2019).
Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.in/2012/07/25/olympic-underdogs-5-
athle_n_1703352.html