The Olympics
The Olympic Games are a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Games are currently held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 5th century AD. In the late 19th century, Baron Pierre de Coubertin was inspired by Olympic festivals to revive the Games. For this purpose, he founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, and two years later, the modern Olympic Games were established in Athens.
Today, the image of the modern Olympic Games has been tarnished. For starters, many of the athletes have been disqualified
for taking performance enhancing substances (e.g. steroids). And furthermore, the funding required to host the Olympic Games
is well beyond what the host city and region can manage - many of these cities are taking decades to pay off HUGE debts.
This means that there is LESS money to spend on social programs (e.g. senior citizen care, poverty ....).
|
|
