TheOlympicStandard:

from www.guampdn.com

TheBigIdea is Now GlobalPhenomenon

by:NealKranz

Editor’s note: This weekly column looks at the global phenomenon of multi-country, multi-sport events or Games and their wide-ranging effect on the world of sport and beyond.

The vision of organizing a multi-country, multi-sport event in different locations every four years became a reality more than 100 years ago with the staging of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.

Since that time the idea has spread across the globe and numerous organizations have taken to staging their own versions of “The Games,” creating an explosion of opportunities for athletes to compete for their countries.

Yet, where in the world did the driving force and idea behind all of this activity begin? Maybe not quite where you would think.

If you said Greece, you were at least on the right continent, but a little east of correct. The idea of staging a multi-county, multi-sport event came from the studies of a French aristocrat by the name of Pierre de Coubertin. As a young man he traveled to England and saw how the schools there valued a combination of physical education and traditional studies. From there he began thinking of ways to promote the educational and humanistic values he saw developed through sport.

At some point, lightning struck (excuse the Zeus reference) and his mind connected the pageantry, values and power of the ancient Olympic Games with the modern need for a single, repeatable event to promote international sport, and the idea for the modern Olympic Games was born.

It was not easy

Of course, the transition from idea to actual event was not an easy process. Pierre de Coubertin had to convince a lot of people that such an undertaking was worth their time, not to mention money. It may seem ridiculous now, but most people were skeptical that countries would even bother sending athletes to other countries just to play “Games.”

Still, a group of like-minded people joined de Coubertin and formed the International Olympic Committee in 1894 in Paris and began preparing to organize the first modern Olympic Games. When the athletes entered the stadium in Athens, Greece, for the opening ceremonies in 1896, there was no way they could have known the impact they would have on the history of world sport.

Billions of fans

Little more than 100 years later, hundreds of thousands of athletes and billions of fans have taken part in either the Olympic Games or other multi-country Games based on the Olympic format. Billions of dollars are spent annually on the promoting and staging of these Games and they are a great source of international pride for the individuals and countries involved. In short, the Games have become a truly global phenomenon that is still going strong.

With the spectacle of the opening ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympic Games less than 100 days away, it is fitting to pause a moment and consider just how big a single idea can become. Truly amazing.

See you next time, when I will look at the opportunities and challenges the spread of various types of “Games” has brought about.