Olympic Games- the Foremost Sporting Event in the World The Olympic Games are a sporting event played

every two years at international l evel. A variety of competitions are organized where thousands of athletes from a round the world take part. The history of this immense sporting competition date s back to the 5th Century AD. The Olympic Movement categorized the Olympic Games into the Winter Olympic Games , the Summer Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games du ring the 20th and 21st Century. The Paralympic Games are arranged for after the Olympic Games and these are for disabled athletes. The Youth Olympic Games are for teenagers and were first held in 2010. The Olympic Charter specifies the organization of the International O lympic Committee i.e. the governing body of the Olympic Games. The Olympic flag carries five interlocking circles of red, blue, yellow, green a nd black and was introduced in 1920. The Olympic motto says Swifter, Higher, and Stronger . Some of the games held in the Summer Olympics are baseball, badminton, basketbal l, cycling, boxing, diving, soccer, sailing, rowing, hockey, water polo, wrestli ng, swimming, weightlifting, tennis etc. Games played during the Winter Olympics are skiing, ice hockey, skating, ski jum ping, curling, free style skiing, cross country skiing, down hill skiing, A gold medal is presented to each first winner and silver and bronze medals are presented to the second and third winners respectively. Victory Diplomas are the certificates which are given to some top winners of every sport. The Olympic Fl ame is lit according to a custom associated with these games. A new flame is lit for every Olympics in the Ancient Olympic Stadium in Olympia, Greece. This flame is taken to the host country where the games are to be held. The flame is carried over the whole host country by individuals walking, running , scuba diving, riding, and using other means of transport. In fact, a number o f torches are carried about the country where the games are held. The sizeable Olympic torch is lit by the last runner carrying the torch. This la rge torch keeps burning throughout the games. The flame is extinguished at the e nd of the games during the closing ceremony. A new torch is designed for each Ol ympics. Nearly all the nations of the world are represented at these games. National an d international media coverage provides a chance to unknown athletes to become f amous. The host city and country gets a chance to showcase their country to the world. The host country organizes and funds the whole event. Over 13,000 athletes compe te in the Summer and Winter Olympics in over 400 events. Many challenges are faced whilst organizing this mammoth event. Some of the majo r challenges are terrorism, bribery of officials, boycotts and doping. The host city is normally chosen seven years in advance of the Olympic Games. The United States has had the opportunity to host four Summer and four Winter Ol ympics. No other nation has hosted as many Olympic games.

The next Summer Olympics are scheduled to be held in London in 2012. Women are b eing particularly promoted to participate in these games. Female athletes will b e able to take part in all the men s sports in the coming Olympics for the first t ime. Women s boxing has also been introduced thereby ending gender discrimination. Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on numerous topics, but is currentl y involved with the <a href="http://2012londonolympicsvolunteers.com/london-olym pics-2012-venues.html">London Olympics 2012 venues</a>. Click a link if you are interested in the <a href="http://2012londonolympicsvolunteers.com">2012 London Olympics Volunteers</a>.