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The modern Olympic Games (often simply called the Olympics) are held every two years. The games are alternated between the "Summer" and "Winter" Olympics, each featuring sports typical of the respective season. The first of the modern Olympics took place in [[Athens]] in 1896.
The modern Olympic Games (often simply called the Olympics) are held every two years. The games are alternated between the "Summer" and "Winter" Olympics, each featuring sports typical of the respective season. The first of the modern Olympics took place in [[Athens]] in 1896.
==Past Games==
==Impact==
The impact of the Olympics as setting a world standard spread to the underdeveloped world. In the 1920s Egyptians of all classes were captivated by news of the Egyptian national football (soccer) team's performance in international competitions. Success or failure in the Olympic football tournaments of 1924 and 1928 was not just evaluated in terms of sport; rather, they were understood against the backdrop of Egyptian independence and a desire to be seen as modern by their European opponents. Moreover, it suggests that Egyptians also saw these competitions as a way to distinguish themselves from the premodernity of other African countries.<ref>Shaun Lopez, "Football as National Allegory: 'Al-ahram' and the Olympics in 1920s Egypt," ''History Compass'' 2009 7(1): 282-305 </ref>
The impact on China was seen in China's participation in the 1932, 1936, and 1948 Olympics. The idea of 'tiyu' (physical education and/or sports) was introduced into China at the turn of 20th century, but from early on, its advocates saw it as a way to strengthen one's body and to get rid of the humiliating label of "Sick Man of Asia," a derogatory term imposed on the Chinese by foreign powers. In response, a desire to save face and free China from foreign control and to gain an equal place in the world led the Nationalist government to seize the opportunity to promote modern sports and physical education. [[Chiang Kai-shek]] and the [[KMT]] leadership realized that 'tiyu' was not only a vehicle by which they could strengthen the sense of nationalism but also one by which they could promote an international presence. China implemented a number of measures, ranging from improving physical education, establishing official institutions, to promoting a 'war-like spirit' among citizens. 'Tiyu' also became part of Chiang Kai-shek's "New Life Movement," a nation-building effort to create modern citizens. The article concentrates on how sports became a venue in which China tried to engage the outside world. China's participation in the three Olympic Games before 1949, in spite of its negligible impact on sports per se, demonstrated China's motivation to use sports to win international recognition and to renew nationalism at home. The same spirit, now backed by an economically powerful nation, motivated China in 2008.<ref> Guoqi Xu, "Sports in China's Internationalization and National Representation: China's Participation in 1932, 1936 and 1948 Olympic Games," ''Chinese Historical Review'' 2008 15(1): 1-24 </ref>
==Past games==
===1948 London===
Despite some fears that Britain was too impoverished by World War II to host an international event, the Labour government, led by the efforts of Philip Noel-Baker (1889-1982), proceeded to relaunch the games following a 12-year hiatus. The goal was to tell the world that Britain was back. The press and the public generally saw the project as a success, one that reasserted Britain's international importance. The memory of the war meant that Germany and Japan were excluded. The emerging [[Cold War]] meant that the Soviet Union did not come.<ref> Peter Beck, "The British Government and the Olympic Movement: The 1948 London Olympics," ''International Journal of the History of Sport'' 2008 25(5): 615-647 </ref>
===1956 Melboune===
===1956 Melboune===
Modernity clashed with traditionalism when Melbourne, [[History of Australia]], became host of the 1956 summer Olympics. Journalists speculated that the expected floods of American tourists, accustomed to central heating and prompt room service, would react coldly to the traditional Aussie hotel routine of getting out of bed on to the chilly linoleum, and tip-toeing across the floor to the old-time wash basin and jug. What would sophisticated Frenchmen make of a city where all bars closed at 6 PM? Melbourne, the sophisticates feared, would be regarded as a hick town, too provincial and too staid to be entrusted with the hosting of a world event. A small but vocal minority of Labor politicians and welfare workers opposed the Games as an unjustifiable extravagance; in rural Victoria the folk saw the event as yet another treat for city people. Traditional clergymen feared the approach of that iniquitous institution, the 'Continental Sunday'. However the Chamber of Commerce won the day, hailing the Olympics as a boost to tourism and investment. Modernist architects and designers embraced the Games as their chance to bring local taste before the bar of international opinion. The Olympic Pool, for example, won praise for its high originality and imagination. The hotels were modernized, upper middle class residents took in vistors, and even the Japanese--the hated foes of the 1940s, were made welcome. In the event the preparations transformed and upgraded Melbourne's self-image as a bastion of modernity, and the rest of the world paid little attention.<ref> Graeme Davison, "Welcoming the World: The 1956 Olympic Games and the Re-Presentation of Melbourne," ''Australian Historical Studies'' 1997 28(109): 64-76 in [[EBSCO]]</ref>
Modernity clashed with traditionalism when Melbourne, [[History of Australia]], became host of the 1956 summer Olympics. Journalists speculated that the expected floods of American tourists, accustomed to central heating and prompt room service, would react coldly to the traditional Aussie hotel routine of getting out of bed on to the chilly linoleum, and tip-toeing across the floor to the old-time wash basin and jug. What would sophisticated Frenchmen make of a city where all bars closed at 6 PM? Melbourne, the sophisticates feared, would be regarded as a hick town, too provincial and too staid to be entrusted with the hosting of a world event. A small but vocal minority of Labor politicians and welfare workers opposed the Games as an unjustifiable extravagance; in rural Victoria the folk saw the event as yet another treat for city people. Traditional clergymen feared the approach of that iniquitous institution, the 'Continental Sunday'. However the Chamber of Commerce won the day, hailing the Olympics as a boost to tourism and investment. Modernist architects and designers embraced the Games as their chance to bring local taste before the bar of international opinion. The Olympic Pool, for example, won praise for its high originality and imagination. The hotels were modernized, upper middle class residents took in vistors, and even the Japanese--the hated foes of the 1940s, were made welcome. In the event the preparations transformed and upgraded Melbourne's self-image as a bastion of modernity, and the rest of the world paid little attention.<ref> Graeme Davison, "Welcoming the World: The 1956 Olympic Games and the Re-Presentation of Melbourne," ''Australian Historical Studies'' 1997 28(109): 64-76 in [[EBSCO]]</ref>