Essay on 2012 Olympics

Submitted By Ermilicious
Words: 608
Pages: 3

Emily Morrison
Mr. Edgar
AP World History
16 August 2012
Current Event: 2012 Summer Olympics This year, the 2012 Summer Olympics was held in London, England. It was an amazing experience for all the athletes and audiences around the world. The Olympic Games first originated long ago in ancient Greece. The Greeks idealized physical fitness and mental discipline, and thought that these areas honored Zeus, the greatest of all their Gods. Athletic competitions were so important to the Grecian people that it had a peaceful influence over the more war-like cities, such as Sparta. The Spartans would wait to send their fighters into battle until after the games were over, and other cities followed their example. When the Olympic Games began, only the Greeks were allowed to participate, but soon athletes came from all over the Roman Empire to compete. Now many countries around the world have athletes in the games. Now, the modern Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports in which many athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Games are considered the foremost sports competition, with more than 200 nations participating. The Summer and Winter Games each occur every four years biennially. The International Olympic Committee is the governing body of the Olympic Movement, and they make all the executive decisions, such as choosing which city should have the honor of hosting the Games. The Olympic Games allow unknown athletes to gain national and international fame with its media exposure, and is a great opportunity for the host city to showcase its splendor to the world. This year’s Summer Games marked the fortieth anniversary of the Munich Massacre, which occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics, held in Munich, West Germany. The attackers, known as the group “Black September,” killed eleven Israeli athletes and coaches and one West German police officer, with the assistance of German neo-Nazis. German police officers killed five of the eight assassins during a failed rescue attempt. This year, there was a solemn minute of silence in the athlete’s village, in tribute to the eleven Israeli athletes that shared the vision of the athletes competing there this year. This horrific event was one of the first accounts of terrorism that