Monday, September 8, 2008

2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, People's Republic of China, from August 8 (except football, which started on August 6) to August 24, 2008. A total of 10,500 athletes competed in 302 events in 28 sports, one event more than was on the schedule of the 2004 Games The 2008 Beijing Olympics also marked the third time that Olympic events have been held in the territories of two different National Olympic Committees (NOC), as the equestrian events were being held in Hong Kong (the other two instances being the 1956 games, where the equestrian events were hosted in Stockholm, Sweden, due to strict Australian quarantine rules, and the other events were hosted in Melbourne, Australia; and the 1920 games which were hosted in Antwerp, Belgium, but the final two races of the 12ft dinghy event in sailing were held in The Netherlands).

The Olympic Games were awarded to Beijing after an exhaustive ballot of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on July 13, 2001. The official logo of the Games, titled "Dancing Beijing," features a stylised calligraphic character jīng (京, meaning capital), referring to the host city. Several new NOCs have also been recognised by the IOC. The 2008 Olympics was the third time the Olympics had taken place on the Asian continent, and the fifth time for an Olympics outside of Europe and North America.

The Chinese government promoted the Games and invested heavily in new facilities and transportation systems. A total of 37 venues were used to host the events including 12 newly constructed venues. At the closing ceremony IOC president Jacques Rogge declared the event a "truly exceptional Games" after earlier asserting that the IOC had "absolutely no regrets" in choosing Beijing to host the 2008 Games. choice of China as a host country was the subject of criticism by some politicians and NGOs concerned about China's human rights record. China and others, meanwhile, warned against politicizing the Olympics.

The Games saw 43 new world records and 132 new Olympic records set. A record 87 countries won a medal during the Games. Chinese athletes won 51 gold medals altogether, the second largest haul by a national team in a modern, non-boycotted Summer Games. Michael Phelps broke the record for most golds in one Olympics and for most career gold medals for an Olympian. Usain Bolt secured the traditional title "World's Fastest Man" by setting new world records in the 100m and 200m dashes.

Bids for Olympic Games

Countries around the world have selected cities within their national territory to put forward bids for hosting the Olympic Games. Since the creation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, which successfully revived the Ancient Greek Olympics into what is currently their modern version, the interested cities have rivaled for the selection as host city of the Summer Olympic Games (or Games of the Olympiad) or Winter Olympic Games.

What follows is a list of the cities that have bid to host any of the Summer and Winter Olympics. Olympics have been chosen to be held in 50 cities (including repeats) since its "rebirth", twice in Eastern Europe, 5 times in East Asia, once in Central America, and the remainder in Western nations. No African, South American, Central Asian, Middle Eastern or South Asian nation has ever been chosen as host for the Olympics.

Typically, the decision is made at an IOC session approximately seven years prior to the games; for example the 2012 Summer Olympics were awarded to London on July 6, 2005 and the decision for the 2016 games will be made in July 2009.

Medals per country

The IOC does not publish lists of medals per country, but the media often does. A comparison between countries would be unfair to countries with fewer inhabitants, so some have made calculations of medals per number of inhabitants, such as for the 2004 Olympics and a few more. A problem here is that for a very small country, gaining just one medal could mean the difference between the very top and the very bottom of the list (a point illustrated by the Bahamas' per capita number one position in 2004). On the other hand, a large country may not be able to send a number of athletes that is proportional to its size because a limit is set for the number of participants per country for a specific sport.

A comparison of the total number of medals over time is further complicated by the fact that the number of times that countries have participated is not equal, and that many countries have gained and lost territories where medal-winning athletes come from. A case in point is the USSR, which not only participated relatively rarely (18 times, versus 45 times for the UK), but also ceased to exist in 1991. The resulting Russian Federation is largely, but not entirely, equal to the former USSR. Also, one would have to use population statistics at the time.

The IOC medal tally chart is based on the number of gold medals for a country. Where states are equal, the number of silver medals (and then bronze medals) are counted to determine rankings. Since 1996, the only countries that have appeared in the top 10 medal tallies for all three subsequent Summer Olympics have been the Russian Federation, United States, China, France, Germany, Australia and Italy. Since 1994, the only countries that have appeared in the top 10 medal tallies for the subsequent Winter Olympics have been Norway, the Russian Federation, the United States, Canada, Germany, Austria, South Korea, Switzerland, France and Italy.

Olympic champions and medalists

The athletes (or teams) who place first, second, or third in each event receive medals. The winners receive gold medals. (Though they were solid gold until 1912, after which they were made of gilded silver, though nowadays plated silver. However, every gold medal must contain at least 6 grams of pure gold) The runners-up receive silver medals, and the third-place athletes, bronze medals. In some events contested by a single-elimination tournament (most notably boxing), third place might not be determined, in which case both semi-final losers receive bronze medals. The practice of awarding medals to the top three competitors was introduced in 1904; at the 1896 Olympics only the first two received a medal, silver and bronze, while various prizes were awarded in 1900. However, the 1904 Olympics also awarded silver trophies for first place. It was at the Intercalated Games of 1906 that the three medal award format was first introduced. Since the IOC no longer recognizes these games as official Olympic games, the first "official" awarding of the three medals came in the London Olympics of 1908. In addition, from 1948 onward athletes placing fourth, fifth and sixth have received certificates which became officially known as "victory diplomas;" since 1976 the medal winners have received these also, and in 1984 victory diplomas for seventh- and eighth-place finishers were added, presumably to ensure that all losing quarter-finalists in events using single-elimination formats would receive diplomas, thus obviating the need for consolation (or officially, "classification") matches to determine fifth through eighth places (though interestingly these latter are still contested in many elimination events anyway). Certificates were awarded also at the 1896 Olympics, but there they were awarded in addition to the medals to first and second place. Commemorative medals and diplomas—which differ in design from those referred to above—are also made available to participants finishing lower than third and eighth respectively. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, the first three were given wreaths as well as their medals. Because the Olympics are held only once every four years, the public and athletes often consider Olympic medals as more important and valuable than world championships and other international tournaments, which are often held annually. Many athletes have become celebrities or heroes in their own country, or even world-wide, after becoming Olympic champions.

The question of which athlete is the most successful of all time is a difficult one to answer. The diversity of the sports, and the evolution the Olympic Games have undergone since 1896 complicate the matter. On top of this is the fact that some sports such as wrestling or boxing allow the competitor to win only one medal in an Olympics. It is further complicated by the fact that the IOC no longer recognises the Intercalated Games which it originally organised. While it may not be the most equitable way to measure success, a list of the most titles won at the Modern Olympic Games by individuals is one way to determine the greatest Olympic athletes of all time.

Olympic sports

Currently, the Olympic program consists of 35 different sports, 53 disciplines and more than 400 events. The Summer Olympics includes 28 sports with 38 disciplines and the Winter Olympics includes 7 sports with 15 disciplines. Nine sports were on the original Olympic programme in 1896: athletics, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, weightlifting, shooting, swimming, tennis, and wrestling. If the 1896 rowing events had not been cancelled due to bad weather, they would have been included in this list as well.

At the most recent Winter Olympics, 15 disciplines in seven sports were featured. Of these, cross country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping, and speed skating have been featured on the programme at all Winter Olympics. In addition, figure skating made it's debut at the London Summer Olympics of 1908 and ice hockey was first contested at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp before the introduction of a separate Winter Olympics.

In recent years, the IOC has added several new sports to the programme to attract attention from young spectators. Examples of such sports include snowboarding and beach volleyball. There is currently an effort underway to make Cricket an Olympic sport. It appears though the growth in the number of sports included at an Olympics has . The IOC decided to discontinue baseball and softball beginning in 2012. Rugby was played in the 1900, 1908, 1920 and 1924 Olympics but was discontinued in 1928.

Rule 48.1 of the Olympic Charter requires that there be a minimum of 15 Olympic sports at each Summer Games. Following its 114th Session (Mexico 2002), the IOC also decided to limit the programme of the Summer Games to a maximum of 28 sports, 301 events, and 10,500 athletes. The Olympic sports are defined as those governed by the International Federations listed in Rule 46 of the Olympic Charter. A two-thirds vote of the IOC is required to amend the Charter to promote a Recognised Federation to Olympic status and therefore make the sports it governs eligible for inclusion on the Olympic programme. Rule 47 of the Charter requires that only Olympic sports may be included in the programme.

The IOC reviews the Olympic programme at the first Session following each Olympiad. A simple majority is required for an Olympic sport to be included in the Olympic programme. Under the current rules, an Olympic sport not selected for inclusion in a particular Games remains an Olympic sport and may be included again later with a simple majority. At the 117th IOC Session, 26 sports were included in the programme for London 2012.

Until 1992, the Olympics also often featured demonstration sports. The objective was for these sports to reach a larger audience; the winners of these events are not official Olympic champions. These sports were sometimes sports popular only in the host nation, but internationally known sports have also been demonstrated. Some demonstration sports eventually were included as full-medal events.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Events

The ancient Games had only a few events. Foot racing was in every game and each race had a variety of lengths - the longest being the marathon named after the Greek city and famous battle. The pentathlon, supposedly developed by Jason of Golden Fleece fame, had five events (running, jumping, wrestling, discus throwing and javelin throwing) which were all scored together. Three pentathlon events were important and popular enough to have their own events. Wrestling, discus throwing and the javelin were all recorded in the Homeric poems and were seen as vital for all men to be skilled in. The javelin throw was separated into two categories: length and accuracy (aimed at a specific target). Boxing was one of the oldest events and was written about by Homer. Finally there was the pancration, a combination of boxing and wrestling and various events with horse racing.

Today, of course, there are many more events. The chart below lists the most popular modern events in the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Summer Winter
kayaking boxing down hill skiing snowboarding
swimming diving hockey speed skating
equestrian hurdles curling bobsledding
gymnastics track & field figure skating luge
volleyball basketball biathlon ski jumping
tennis wrestling skeleton cross country skiing

NB. The following summer sports have been recently recognized and are now legitimate events: air sports; automobile; bandy; billiards; boules; bowling; bridge; chess; dancesport; golf; karate; korfball; life saving; motorcycle racing; mountaineering and climbing; netball; orienteering; pelote basque; polo; racquetball; roller sports; rugby; squash; surfing; tug of war; underwater sports; water skiing; wushu.

People

As in ancient times, those who participate in the Games are famous for the rest of their lives. Today, it's estimated that some 100,000 people have competed in the Games. These athletes, all supposed to be amateurs (people who play and get no money for their play), have to qualify or win regional and national events. They often play on their countries' national teams. If they are ill or can't make it for an event, they have substitutes. When they start playing, they become competitors or opponents on the playing field.

Officials, referees, scorekeepers and umpires monitor their play, and judges score their performances. Spectators watch the events, and fans cheer the athletes on.

Helping the athletes in their chosen sports are their trainers and coaches. Helping the athletes in their business affairs are their agents and managers. Sometimes athletes have sponsors and after the Games are over the athletes become spokesmen for companies.

The Olympic Games also require people to take on the jobs of announcers, commentators and broadcasters. These people comment on, report and describe the events that are happening and tell us about the standings of the countries and the athletes who play the Games.

Unfortunate events in world history (the 1972 Munich Olympics and 9/11) mean that security is a major concern for the Games. Thus the Olympics also employs those who are responsible for the safe-being of the athletes and spectators, including police (city, provincial and federal) and even national troops or soldiers. They are pitted against 'common' criminals (thieves, pickpockets, vandals...) and terrorists.

In addition, the support staff get the fields, grounds and arenas ready and help to maintain the equipment and facilities.

The nationalities you hear of in the Olympics fall mostly into certain suffix groups, for example:

ish
(mostly European)
ese
(mostly Asian)
i
(mostly Middle Eastern)
an/ian ch other
British Burmese Bahraini American Czech Filipino
Finnish Chinese Iraqi Australian Dutch Greek
Irish Japanese Israeli Canadian French Icelandic
Polish Portuguese Kuwaiti German - Swiss
Spanish Taiwanese Pakistani Indonesian - Thai
Turkish Vietnamese Saudi Korean - Malagasy

Medals

In the ancient Games, only the winner was celebrated. Each winner was given a simple crown of olive leaves to wear on his head. This was the only reward for his victory. Those who came in second or third got nothing. Interestingly, when the Games started again in 1896, silver medals were given to the first place winners. Later in 1904 in the St. Louis Games, gold was the top prize. Now, of course we have gold for first place, silver for second and bronze for third.

Music

The rousing Olympic anthem is the simply named "Olympic Music" by John Williams, who wrote it for the 1984 Olympics, held in Los Angeles. What you hear first are the forty or so notes played on horns which form the "Bugler's Dream" (also called "Olympic Fanfare") by Leo Arnaud, first played in the 1968 Games.

The torch, fanfare and flag are clearly evident in the Opening Ceremony, when everyone formally welcomes the participants and the Games can begin. Here we find the dramatic and colourful March of Nations, in which all the athletes from each country go into the venue to the sound of their country's anthem and march behind their flags, thus becoming representatives of their countries.

Gaming to be Included in Olympics

Shortly after a group of British gamers were named the best in the world at their “sport”, they have called for it to be included as an official olympic event.

Teams from around the world have competed in the Championship Gaming Series (CGS), with a British team taking the prize of half a million dollars. The team, Birmingham Salvo, led by Michael O’Dell (no, not Michael Dell), competed against 18 other teams in the LA final, and beat San Fransisco, naming them the best gamers on the planet.

The team played a number of games from Fifa 08 to Counter Strike, and came up on top. O’Dell said: “I think there are tests going on at the moment about making gaming an Olympic sport. I would like to think that it will happen and maybe sooner rather than later.”

As much as I believe that a lot of effort is put into gaming, along with hard work, sweat and tears, I don’t think that it is deserving of being an official Olympic sport. The olympics is about passion of sport, health, fitness and pushing yourself beyond the boundries. As much passion as a gamer may have for his trade, fitness, health and ultimate traning. In my opinion, sitting on a console incorporates passion, but not fitness.

What do you think? Should gaming be an offical Olympic sport or not? Could we see gaming by the 2012 Olympics, or does it just not make the grade? What do you think of the Birmingham Salvo? Are the a deserving group? Leave a comment with your thoughts.

Friday, September 5, 2008

The ancient Olympic Games » Competition and status

At the meeting in 776 bc there was apparently only one event, a footrace that covered one length of the track at Olympia, but other events were added over the ensuing decades. The race, known as the stade, was about 192 metres (210 yards) long. The word stade also came to refer to the track on which the race was held and is the origin of the modern English word stadium. In 724 bc a two-length race, the diaulos, roughly similar to the 400-metre race, was included, and four years later the dolichos, a long-distance race possibly comparable to the modern 1,500- or 5,000-metre events, was added. Wrestling and the pentathlon were introduced in 708 bc. The latter was an all-around competition consisting of five events—the long jump, the javelin throw, the discus throw, a footrace, and wrestling.

Men wrestling, detail of an ancient Greek cup, by Epictetus, c. 520 bc; in the Agora Museum, …[Credits : © Gianni Dagli Orti/Corbis]Boxing was introduced in 688 bc and chariot racing eight years later. In 648 bc the pancratium (from Greek pankration), a kind of no-holds-barred combat, was included. This brutal contest combined wrestling, boxing, and street fighting. Kicking and hitting a downed opponent were allowed; only biting and gouging (thrusting a finger or thumb into an opponent’s eye) were forbidden. Between 632 and 616 bc events for boys were introduced. And from time to time further events were added, including a footrace in which athletes ran in partial armour and contests for heralds and for trumpeters. The program, however, was not nearly so varied as that of the modern Olympics. There were neither team games nor ball games, and the athletics (track and field) events were limited to the four running events and the pentathlon mentioned above. Chariot races and horse racing, which became part of the ancient Games, were held in the hippodrome south of the stadium.

In the early centuries of Olympic competition, all the contests took place on one day; later the Games were spread over four days, with a fifth devoted to the closing-ceremony presentation of prizes and a banquet for the champions. In most events the athletes participated in the nude. Through the centuries scholars have sought to explain this practice. Theories have ranged from the eccentric (to be nude in public without an erection demonstrated self-control) to the usual anthropological, religious, and social explanations, including the following: (1) nudity bespeaks a rite of passage, (2) nudity was a holdover from the days of hunting and gathering, (3) nudity had, for the Greeks, a magical power to ward off harm, and (4) public nudity was a kind of costume of the upper class. Historians grasp at dubious theories because, in Judeo-Christian society, to compete nude in public seems odd, if not scandalous. Yet ancient Greeks found nothing shameful about nudity, especially male nudity. Therefore, the many modern explanations of Greek athletic nudity are in the main unnecessary.

The Olympic Games were technically restricted to freeborn Greeks. Many Greek competitors came from the Greek colonies on the Italian peninsula and in Asia Minor and Africa. Most of the participants were professionals who trained full-time for the events. These athletes earned substantial prizes for winning at many other preliminary festivals, and, although the only prize at Olympia was a wreath or garland, an Olympic champion also received widespread adulation and often lavish benefits from his home city.

The ancient Olympic Games » Origins

Ancient Greek vase depicting Olympic runners, c. 525 bc.[Credits : © Picture Post—Hulton Archive/Getty Images]Just how far back in history organized athletic contests were held remains a matter of debate, but it is reasonably certain that they occurred in Greece almost 3,000 years ago. However ancient in origin, by the end of the 6th century bc at least four Greek sporting festivals, sometimes called “classical games,” had achieved major importance: the Olympic Games, held at Olympia; the Pythian Games at Delphi; the Nemean Games at Nemea; and the Isthmian Games, held near Corinth. Later, similar festivals were held in nearly 150 cities as far afield as Rome, Naples, Odessus, Antioch, and Alexandria.

Of all the games held throughout Greece, the Olympic Games were the most famous. Held every four years between August 6 and September 19, they occupied such an important place in Greek history that in late antiquity historians measured time by the interval between them—an Olympiad. The Olympic Games, like almost all Greek games, were an intrinsic part of a religious festival. They were held in honour of Zeus at Olympia by the city-state of Elis in the northwestern Peloponnese. The first Olympic champion listed in the records was Coroebus of Elis, a cook, who won the sprint race in 776 bc. Notions that the Olympics began much earlier than 776 bc are founded on myth, not historical evidence. According to one legend, for example, the Games were founded by Heracles, son of Zeus and Alcmene.

Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: Mount Olympus Meets the Middle Kingdom

The Games of the XXIX Olympiad, involving some 200 Olympic committees and as many as 13,000 accredited athletes competing in 28 different sports, were auspiciously scheduled to begin at 8:08 pm on the eighth day of the eighth month of 2008 in Beijing, capital of the world’s most populous country. From the time the International Olympic Committee selected Beijing as host city, on July 13, 2001, China invested huge sums of money in urban renewal, expanded infrastructure, and construction of Olympic facilities in Beijing and the six other Olympic venues (Qingdao, Hong Kong, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Qinhuangdao). In the months prior to August 8, a devastating earthquake in Sichuan province, international focus on China’s pollution problems, protests over China’s human rights record and Tibet, and criticism of the Chinese government’s control of information became part of the Olympics story. Nevertheless, China was determined to show the world, also through an Olympics lens, that it had joined the ranks of the world’s most modern and influential countries.

Olympic Games

athletic festival that originated in ancient Greece and was revived in the late 19th century. Before the 1970s the Games were officially limited to competitors with amateur status, but in the 1980s many events were opened to professional athletes. Currently the Games are open to all, even the top professional athletes in basketball and football (soccer). The ancient Olympic Games included several of the sports that are now part of the Summer Games program, which at times has included events in as many as 32 different sports. In 1924 the Winter Games were sanctioned for winter sports. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition. For coverage of the 2008 Olympics, see Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: Mount Olympus Meets the Middle Kingdom.

International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee (French: Comité International Olympique) is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on June 23, 1894. Its membership consists of the 205 National Olympic Committees.

The IOC organizes the modern Olympic Games held in Summer and Winter, every four years. The first Summer Olympics organized by the International Olympic Committee held in Athens, Greece, in 1896; the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France, in 1924. Until 1992, both Summer and Winter Olympics were held in the same year. After that year, however, the IOC shifted the Winter Olympics to the even years between Summer Games, to help space the planning of the two events two years apart from one another.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Symbols

The Olympic Games have many important symbols that most people recognize. The five rings that appear on the Olympic flag (coloured yellow, green, blue, black and red) were introduced in 1914. They represent the five continents of Africa, the Americas, Australia, Asia and Europe. The flag is raised in the host city and then flown to the next one where it is kept until the next Games. The Olympic torch, a major part of the ancient Games, was brought back in 1928 and is carried with great fanfare and publicity to the host city where it lights the burning flame of the Games. It is kept burning until the close of the Games. The torch symbolizes purity, the drive for perfection and the struggle for victory.

Origins

The ancient Greeks first had the idea of getting men together every four years to hold and witness sporting events (in those days women did not participate, though they had their own, independent, events). The idea was to have the best athletes from all over Greece gather in one field and compete every four years. All wars and fighting had to stop while the athletes and their supporters came together in the town of Olympia for a few days to compete in a few events, mostly related to warfare (throwing the javelin, running, wrestling, boxing and chariot racing).

The first written reference to the Games is 776 BC. They lasted until 389 AD. The idea of having the modern Games was suggested in the mid 19th century but they weren't a world event until 1896. Besides being postponed because of wars, they have been held since then every four years in different cities around the world.

Olympic Swimming vs. Triathlon Swimming

While watching the swimming events in the Olympics last week, I started thinking about how different the freestyle stroke is (or should be) for Olympic sprinters and amateur triathletes.

Many people in the triathlon world think they need to just emulate Ian Thorpe to have a faster time, or have a similar stroke to Michael Phelps to cruise through the swim. For most amateur triathletes, trying to learn from these swimmers is like trying to learn Portuguese when you really want to learn Spanish. There are similarities, but not enough to get you by.

Don't get me wrong- Thorpe, Phelps and many of their major competitors have some of the best freestyles in the world, and parts of swimming science are based on things these guys do in the water.

The problem is, most of the freestyle events in the Olympics are actually sprints.

The 50 is over before you can blink, the 100 is an all-out sprint, and the 200 and 400 are both controlled sprints. The 800 is more of a middle distance event, while the 1500 (mile) is really the only pure distance swim in the meet. So can we learn from the mile swimmers at the Olympics? Yes, a little. The swimmers generally have lower stroke counts, and aren't relying on their kick as much as the sprinters.

But those swimmers don't have to do a long bike and run after they swim!

So, they can put everything into their swim, and their strokes come out looking a bit different than what we are teaching the beginning level, non-swimmer triathlete. Although we can't use a one-size-fits-all approach to freestyle strokes, there are many aspects I have pointed out that have helped triathletes all over the world that don't come from a swimming background:

Ø Keep a low stroke count

Ø Rotate the hips

Ø Reduce the intensity of your kick

Ø Keep your elbows high

Ø Glide with each stroke

These same tips do not all necessarily apply to Olympic level swimmers. These swimmers have reasons for doing things differently:

Ø They may have a fast turnover rate and a high stroke count for sprinting

Ø Their hip rotation is not as pronounced- they don't have as much of a need to “conserve energy” as a triathlete does

Ø The kick may be very intense and strong, especially for the shorter events

Ø Most of the Olympic swimmers have been practicing for many years, and some have perfected a stroke that is less than ideal for a non-swimmer doing a triathlon (i.e. Janet Evans is considered the best female swimmer of all time, and had a unique straight-arm stroke that very few have been able to master)

So watch and admire these world class athletes, but be careful what you try to emulate and don't feel bad that you're not moving through the water with the same ease and grace they are!

The Beijing Games effect: Many Chinese have "Olympics" as their names

Who said what’s in the name? Ask those 7, 491 Chinese people who have named themselves or their kids after the Olympics or with the names of five creatures that are part of the 2008 Beijing Games mascot—Fuwa.

It has been reported that during and after 2000 when China was preparing to bid to host the now upcoming Beijing 2008 Games, around 3,491 people named themselves as “Aoyun”, which means Olympics. That’s not all!

The cute looking five creatures, Bei, Jing Jing, Huan Huan, Ying Ying, and Ni Ni, that form the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games mascot called Fuwa, have such an indelible effect on the Chinese residents that many kept their names as their own.

And now, if anyone calls the name of these five creatures in China, it is expected that there will more than 4000 people who will come running around you looking for the people who called their names.

There is nothing weird in this. Names have great significance and meanings. People keep names for different reasons—some name their kids after political heroes, film stars and great personalities and after sports stars.

World’s best golf player Tiger Woods, too, has a poignant story behind his name. His father had named him after a Vietnam soldier whom he befriended with during that war.

In India where cricket is treated like a religion, many parents have kept the first name of the master blaster batsman Sachin Tendulkar as their son’s names. Same way you are bound to find many kids with Rahul as their name. This happened when Rahul Dravid, was considered the batting backbone of Indian cricket team. Now, the condition is so pathetic for that same man that he finds it tough to get a place in the playing 11 of Indian cricket team.

Go to any nation, one would definitely find many people who have been named after their parents favorite sports idols or there will those fanatic fans who have adopted their favorite sport stars names in order to show their respect for those players.

Olympic Games

The Olympic Games is an international multi-sport event established for both summer and winter sporting events. There have been two generations of the Olympic Games; the first were the Ancient Olympic Games (Greek: Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες; [Olympiakoi Agones] ) held at Olympia, Greece. The second generation, known as the Modern Olympic Games were first held in 1896, in Athens, Greece.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded in 1894 on the initiative of a French nobleman, Pierre Frédy, Baron de Coubertin. His vision was to bring together amateur athletes from around the world to compete in a variety of sporting events. The IOC has become the governing body of the "Olympic Movement," a conglomeration of sporting federations that are involved in the organization of the Games. As the Olympic Movement has grown so has the profile and complexity of the Games. The ideal of the pure amateur athlete had to evolve under the pressure of corporate sponsorships and political regimes intent on the creation of sports "dynasties." Some would debate whether Coubertin's original vision is recognizable in the current celebrations of the Olympic Games.

Participation in the Games has increased to the point that nearly every nation on earth is represented. This growth has created numerous challenges, including political boycotts, the use of performance enhancing drugs, bribery of officials, and terrorism. While the Olympic Movement is forced to address issues never before conceived by Coubertin, the Olympics continue to evolve in the face of these challenges. The Games also encompass many rituals and symbols that were established during their infancy in the late 19th and early 20th century. Most of these traditions are on display during the Opening and Closing ceremonies, and the medal presentations. Despite the complexity of the current modern Games, the focus remains on the Olympic motto: Citius Altius Fortius - Faster, Higher, Stronger.