奥运会简介（英语版）

The Modern Olympics

The modern revival of the Olympic games is due in a large measure to the efforts of Pierre, baron de Coubertin, of France. They were held, appropriately enough, in Athens in 1896, but that meeting and the ones that followed at Paris (1900) and at St. Louis (1904) were hampered by poor organization and the absence of worldwide representation. The first successful meet was held at London in 1908; since then the games have been held in cities throughout the world (see Sites of the Modern Olympic Games , table). World War I prevented the Olympic meeting of 1916, and World War II the 1940 and 1944 meetings. The number of entrants, competing nations, and events have increased steadily.

To the traditional events of track and field athletics , which include the decathlon and heptathlon, have been added a host of games and sports—archery, badminton, baseball and softball, basketball, boxing, canoeing and kayaking, cycling, diving, equestrian contests, fencing, field hockey, gymnastics, judo and taekwondo, the modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, soccer, swimming, table tennis, team (field) handball, tennis, trampoline, the triathlon, volleyball, water polo, weight lifting, and wrestling. Olympic events for women made their first appearance in 1912. A separate series of winter Olympic meets, inaugurated (1924) at Chamonix, France, now includes ice hockey, curling, bobsledding, luge, skeleton, and skiing, snowboarding, and skating events. Since 1994 the winter games have been held in even-numbered years in which the summer games are not contested. Until late in the 20th cent. the modern Olympics were open only to amateurs, but the governing bodies of several sports now permit professionals to compete as well.

As a visible focus of world energies, the Olympics have been prey to many factors that thwarted their ideals of world cooperation and athletic excellence. As in ancient Greece, nationalistic fervor has fostered intense rivalries that at times threatened the survival of the games. Although officially only individuals win Olympic medals, nations routinely assign political significance to the feats of their citizens and teams. Between 1952 and 1988 rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, rooted in mutual political antagonism, resulted in each boycotting games hosted by the other (Moscow, 1980; Los Angeles, 1984). Politics has influenced the Olympic games in other ways, from the propaganda of the Nazis in Berlin (1936) to pressures leading to the exclusion of white-ruled Rhodesia from the Munich games (1972). At Munich, nine Israeli athletes were kidnapped and murdered by Palestinian terrorists. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which sets and enforces Olympic policy, has struggled with the licensing and commercialization of the games, the need to schedule events to accommodate American television networks (whose broadcasting fees help underwrite the games), and the monitoring of athletes who seek illegal competitive advantages, often through the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The IOC itself has also been the subject of controversy. In 1998 a scandal erupted with revelations that bribery and favoritism had played a role in the awarding of the 2002 Winter Games to Salt Lake City, Utah, and in the selection of some earlier venues. As a result, the IOC instituted a number of reforms including, in 1999, initiating age and term limits for members and barring them from visiting cities bidding to be Olympic sites.

The Olynpic Games
The Olympic Games, first held in 776BC, has a history of more than one thousand yiars. The Games is held every four years.
Many countries try their best to bid forhosting the Olympic Games. And every country does its best to get more medals in the Games. In 2000, the city of Sidney held the 27th Olympic Games. Over one hundred countries all over the world took part in it. We won 28gold medals that year. China, a major sport country, will hold the 29th Olympic Games in 2008. People from all walks of life are participating in various activities and making good preparations for it.
There are five rings on the Olympic flag, which are considered to symbolize, the five continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and America. The Olympic motto is: "Swifter, higher, stronger." The Games can promote the understanding and friendship among different peoples and different nations.

Olympic Games
Olympic Games is window, I keep watch. This is a maximum window, had been rubbed bright. Through it, those that see are worlds. Here, it is changing every day, here burgeoning thing is being replaced. Have only me, this loyalty keep watch, it is paying attention to it every day, hopes to know it more. Olympic Games is crossing, I am pedestrian. There are many persons who pass here every day, there is Asian, have European, there is old person, have child. Here is traffic fort, joins the friend of all corners of the country. I pass the one of persons of hundreds of millions of here merely, cross it, go to another world. Olympic Games is Holy Land, I am volunteer. This is the land with pure flat, has holy fire from start to finish to accompany in side. Just because it is so, I pay out voluntarily for it, I will let my strength, let this slice of land more clean, let more ones know it, is also willing to devote oneself to it as me. I still help to the person who comes to here, let them enjoy the happiness of this slice of Holy Land. Olympic Games is platform, I am host. It has put up platform for us , lets world know us; It has built bridge for us , lets us and world link up better. This platform may let us display self wantonly. I am the host of here, I am proud to be the host of here. I will let the friendship of landlord, let guest experience enthusiasm and happiness.

The Blue Goo makes me recall the beautiful time during the Paralympic Ceremony

I had heard that the sky of Athens and the Agean Sea are so blue and so many stories described that. However, the Olympic Games absorbed me with the ancient country.

In 2002 I started my training and I dreamed that one day my name would be printed on the Olympic athletes’ list . When the airplane to Athens took off with our national team my dream also took off. Everybody was so excited, however, we forgot that the trip was going to be so long and that there was a five hour time difference. We arrived in Athens eleven hours later. I heard a new kind of language and learned the word "Yasas" which means “Hello” in Greek. I met so many new people and they were so enthusiastic. The airplane landed and I felt that my dream had begun. Our national interpreter let me walk with a Greek girl who was a volunteer for the games. Though I couldn’t see, I could feel everything around me. After a short time, the bus stopped and we got off. Then we entered a door and our belongings were checked. My teammate told me: “This is the Olympic village”. "Olympic village" I thought that this was a dream come true. My guide runner accompanied me to a big building. An official gave me an athlete’s ID card and told me, "This is our competition permit and you need to show it everywhere you go during the Olympics." I was so proud of my ID card, I hung it around my neck. At last, my name was on an Olympic Games ID card and my dream had come true. I got my room key and I was staying in unit 12, next to the American team. The room was very basic and had two beds, one desk and one veranda. There were eight people staying on every floor sharing one public bathroom. The next thing that we did made me feel very emotional and it was the first time that I had felt so proud of my country because I was allowed to hang our national flag in our veranda. The veranda was so high and our flag could be seen by everybody. I was so excited.

The opening ceremony took place on September 17th and everybody attended, and so did I. The China team wore white pants, red jackets and carried red flags. There were 287 people and they looked so smart. Everybody knew that the ceremony ended at the Olympic main stadium. We were joining a historic time. We were so excited that we were shouting and jumping up and down. We were standing in line and proudly holding the national flag in our hand. The host was checking the countries and when he asked "Where is China?", 287 China national flag were held up and we answered very loudly "Here". My heart was pumping so hard. We had been waiting for the host to lead us to the main ceremony. I thought I heard someone say: “The People's Republic of China”, and I was correct because I then heard the host in main stadium repeat "China”. Then the whole Greek audience stood up clapping and shouting very loudly “China, China." Again my heart was pumping so hard. Hong Kong, Macao and Chinese Taipei entered the stadium and we stood up and shouted out their names. The Greek team were the first and last to enter the stadium. Everybody was shouting "Hellas, Hellas..." (which means “Greece” in Greek). Although I couldn’t see the Olympic flame burning and rising, I could feel it meant peace, fairplay, higher, faster and stronger. We stood up when they played the Greek national anthem. I didn't understand the lyrics but I thought the melody was so beautiful. At that moment, I felt so happy, lucky and so proud to be there. The first Olympic Games took place one hundred and eight years earlier and they had now returned. I sat there feeling the full meaning of the Games. I was sitting at this special ceremony with very special feelings because I was celebrating this special time with people from all over the world. I felt that the world had come together peacefully to play sport and that fighting and war had been forgotten. The Olympic flame would be burning here from tonight until September 27.

I now wish I could go back to that time, however, I also wish the time could go quicker so that I could experience this beautiful dream again in my own country. Let's look forward to the 2008 Olympic Games in China when the Olympic flame will be burning in our own country’s sky.

The Blue Goo helped me to relive and to remember the great Olympic ceremony. It was a very special time in my life and I have many beautiful memories. The Olympic spirit has helped me to persevere in my own life. It has also motivated and inspired me to success.

as a Chinese ,i am so proud that olympic games can be held in beijing and i am looking forward the coming days when it happens .olympic games can be held in beijing,which shows that China has gained the great progress thorugh both Chinese government and chinese people 's hard working .To be capable to hold the olympic games is the acknowledgement to beijing, chinese government ,and chinese people claimed by olympic games committee.i do believe the olympic games of 2008 will be successful.olympic games in beijing can promote the comunication between china and western countries ,change the attitude to china that western countries once held ,and make the whole world know china well .it will make the people from all over the world see the china's development