Olympic Games Essay Example

Olympic Games Essay I. Introduction Thesis statement: Hosting Olympic Games in London are beneficial for the social and economic development of the host city and the whole region. II. Body A. The economic concerns of London 2012 are less obvious than business benefits from the games 1. Expenses on the Games a. 1976 Olympic Games as an example of financial disaster b. Ten times increase of original budget c. Increasing debt burden of London city 2. Economic benefits and legacy of London 2012 a. Direct revenues from hosting the Olympics according to LondonNet . Blakes analysis of Games’ influence on both GDP of London and UK c. Price Waterhouse Coopers report on the reasons of the growth d. Economic benefits of the Olympics to the tourism industry e. Economic forecast on tourism of VisitBritain f. Regeneration of the investment profile according to Matthewman B. The improvements of tourism and transport infrastructure will help to avoid promlems in this field and promote the development of the regi on 1. Additional load on Londons tourism infrastructure and transport systems a. British Hospitality Associations suggestion b. Threat to common Londoner’s way of life and business activity c. Criticism of transport system by IOC 2. Changes in the public transport system since the initial bid a. Olympic Javelin, and legacy of other improvements b. Impact of the regeneration of Stratford on infrastructure of east London c. Latest transport strategy of the Mayor d. ?2bn award of tourist revenue on infrastructural improvements C. The Games will promote social enhancements such as healthy lifestyle and cultural awareness . Brian Martins arguments against Olympic Games 2. Boris Johnson’s view on social and cultural impact of the Games 3. The impact of the Games according to London2012 III. Conclusion To conclude, the economic, social and non-material benefits of hosting Olympic Games in London obviously overweight the counter-evidences in the financial and infrastructure spheres. The debates about the necessity of the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Lon don are widely discussed by politics and economists not only in Britain, but in the whole world. We will write a custom essay sample on Olympic Games specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Olympic Games specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Olympic Games specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This issue is very important because it helps to understand the fundamental motivations to host the Olympic Games as well as the other Mega events and evaluate their positive outcomes the host city and country without any bias. A variety of arguments, including the evaluation of the expenditures on this event, together with the social and infrastructural concerns, economic and social impact will be offered about this issue. It will then put forward reasons for hosting Summer Olympic Games in London in 2012 because of the benefits in both economic and social areas. It is often argued that hosting the Olympic Games is a very expensive step in terms of money spent on building infrastructure for both sportsmen and spectators of the Games. Now, many opponents of holding the Games say that the merely possible financial losses are the reason for cancellation of the Games. One of the most obvious intimidating examples of financial problems caused by such events are the 1976 Olympic Games, when poorly managed Games’ development caused the bankruptcy of the city when work had fallen far behind schedule, as well as the debts had been discharged only 30 years after the Games. Concerning London Games, there is a tendency of permanently increasing the budget of the games. As Lea notices the words of former 2012 Games chief (2008), London 2012 could cost ? 20billion, which is ten times original budget, incremented â€Å"because of the land and security issues†. So, these expenses may become unmanageable debts for London, especially considering the fact that private sector is reluctant to invest into the Games’ infrastructure since the beginning of the recession. Meanwhile, London has to increase its debt burden significantly due to the expenses on both crisis management and building infrastructure. However, there can be an array of economic benefits of hosting this event. Accordingly, the economic benefits include the direct revenues from the Olympics, economic growth because of the increased opportunities for private sector from the Games, increased skills of workforce because of volunteer programs, in addition to reviving tourism and investments. Direct revenues from holding Games, as the argument goes, are the most obvious and easily calculated; therefore these benefits were manifested beforehand. Namely, about â€Å"0. 75 billion pounds will be raised from the National Lottery†¦ and 0. billion pounds will came from the TOP The Olympic Sponsor Programme and the sale of TV rights, 0. 45 billion pounds will be collected via local sponsorship and official suppliers†¦ while 0. 3 billions will be funded from ticket sales revenues† (London Net, 2007). Besides the direct benefits, the possible impact of the Games on the GDP of London and UK can also be calculated to a certain degree. Blake (2005) made a comprehensive analysis of the economic consequences of London Olympics and suggested that the total UK GDP in the period from 2005 to 2016 might be increased by 1. billion pounds per year while London’s GDP would totally accrue 5. 9 billions pounds due to the influence of the Games and opportunities for businesses to use the new commercial space of the Olympic Park after the Olympics. Similarly, according to Price Waterhouse Coopers report (2005), 2. 1 billion pounds of extra revenue will be brought to the economy of UK by 7. 9 million spectators and up-skilling of 70,000 volunteers, in addition to the indirect revenues of private sector. Although, both of the sources note the importance of proper planning in order to achieve these goals and avoid the possible drawbacks. In addition, hosting Olympic and Paralympics Games means evident economic benefits to the tourism industry from both the enhanced publicity and image of the destination and virtually increased the number of the visitors. One example is the forecast of VisitBritain (2007), according to which the tourism gains due to the Olympic Games will generate 2. 34 billions pounds for the UK economy during the period 2007-17. Moreover, Stevens suggest that improper conduct of guests’ reception may lead to the losses for the industry, instead of the benefits. In addition to boosting tourism, London Olympics can also be a good opportunity for the regeneration of the investment profile of both London and UK. Matthewman, et al. , (2009) summarizes that holding Olympic Games increments the level of Foreign Direct Investment, and has a positive influence on longer term investment in the host city and region, because of improved infrastructure and increased perceptibility of the region. It is contented that transportation and tourism infrastructure will be overloaded because of Olympic Games in London. As this contention goes further, such mega event as Olympic Games always means the influx of sportsmen, journalists, specialists and the mere spectators of the event and London, one of the busiest cities in the world, has to be prepared for the additional load on its infrastructure, public transportation, as well as the general overcrowding of the Londons East End, the main area of the Olympic Games. In addition to the concerns over transportation system, there are some signs of the upcoming accommodation shortage during the Olympic Games. British Hospitality Association (2007) notes that London is going to face an evident shortage of hotel rooms to accommodate if special measures are not implemented. Because of this, many opponent of hosting the Games in London suggest that there can be infrastructure collapse in London during the Olympic Games; therefore Londoner’s habitual way of life and business is under the threat. The transport system and overcrowded hotels of London came in for criticism since the initial evaluation of International Olympic Committee, which is the reason why there are serious concerns about â€Å"how the public transport infrastructure in London will hold up to the influx of people†. Therefore, many critics put forward this argument and suggest that during two weeks of the 2012 Olympics traffic jams and overload of public transport will cause damage to business activity of the city and its image. However, the organizers of London 2012 had made profound changes in the public transport system since the initial bid, including the improvement and expansion of the London metro, as well as the high-speed rail service called Olympic Javelin (Hinton, 2009). All the improvements, as the argument is adduced furthermore, will be beneficial for London not only during the Olympic Games, but also after them. Hilton makes an emphasis on the huge impact of the infrastructural profound improvement or so called â€Å"the regeneration of Stratford† in east London, which propel economic and social activity in this underdeveloped district of the city. In addition, the experience of the latest events, such as Vancouver Olympics, also helped the officials in the enhancement of the public transport system, in addition to the hospitality industry, as Beard (2010) says. He also thinks that â€Å"thanks to the latest transport strategy issued by the Mayor†¦ London will be ready to host outstanding Games with progress of other key transport schemes already well underway†. Moreover, the appropriate and suited strategy for the Olympics 2012 now is supported by the majority the firms engaged in the tourisms industry. Furthermore, Stevens (2008) argues that estimated at ? 2bn award of tourist revenue to the capital will be brought to the economy, which help to improve tourism infrastructure on the condition that tourism and hospitality industry will not sacrifice long term steady growth to the momentary increase of the profits. Brian Martin, the prominent social activist suggest Olympic Games are unnecessary because of the social problems they enhance, including nationalism because competition between athletes is turned into competition between state, unhealthy competition, when the most competitors are ultimately losers, therefore the obsession with Olympic success undermines the goal of cooperative, participatory sport† and elitism of the Games. However, there are many sings that Olympic Games will bring advantages to the cultural and social development of the region and whole country, as Boris Johnson says. London 2012 Games are the good opportunity for promoting healthy lifestyle and increasing cultural awareness, in addition to giving the sense of unity to the British nation and the whole world. The mayor of London says: â€Å"My perfect 2012 legacy would be a leaner, fitter London via improving access to simple sports like football, swimming, and cycling that provides great physical exercise. In the same way, London Olympics 2012 is also used for the promotion of versatile UKs arts and culture. For this reason, as series of cultural events called â€Å"Cultural Olympiad† were arranged during the period of 2008 and 2012, where millions of people around the UK are engaged through the Inspire programme and Open Weekends. To add, the Cultural Olympiad will be climaxed in 2012, â€Å"bringing together leading artists from all over the world†. (London2012. com, 2010). These events, together with the atmosphere of the Olympic Games will create a unique phenomenon of the word unity during the two weeks and will give an opportunity to show the world all the positive sides of UK lifestyle and the potential of the British nation. Olympic Games Essay Example Olympic Games Paper The Olympic Games are a quadrennial event which dates back to 776BC, at the time of the ancient Greeks. The Games were originally held at Olympia along with festivals combining prayer, sacrifices, religious service, music, dancing and rituals all dedicated to the God, Zeus, (Coakley 2001). The events in those days were for the wealthy, young males and were of warrior nature such as boxing, wrestling, javelin throwing, sprinting and chariot racing, (Coakley 2001). Women were not allowed to compete in these early Olympics. Another event was created specifically for Women, dedicated to Hera, the sister-wife of Zeus and these were known as the Heraean Games. The modern day Olympic Games were revived by a man named Pierre De Courbetin in 1894. He formed a board of members in whom he trusted to organise and run the Olympic Games. This board of individuals was known as the International Olympic Committee, IOC. It was only possible to become a committee member by invitation from Pierre De Courbetin. In this way he ensured that he could select his committee from people whom he trusted. At the beginning, there were only 13 countries represented in the IOC. This compares to 118 members of the IOC in 1998, (Senn 1999). The modern day Olympic programme included many events which are still seen today. Events such as sprinting, long distance running and field events have always been included. Between the years 1912-1948, architecture, sculpture, painting, music and literature where also included, (Tomlinson and Whannel 1984).  As stated previously, the first of the modern Games took place in Athens in 1896. The event saw 311 male athletes compete, representing 13 different countries. At the 2000 Games in Sydney there were 6,435 male participants and 3,931 female participants, representing 203 countries, (Coakley 2001). We will write a custom essay sample on Olympic Games specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Olympic Games specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Olympic Games specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The intended aims of the modern day Olympics are for amateur athletes to promote development of physical and moral qualities, to create international respect and goodwill, and to understand that the taking part is more important that winning.  In the Olympic Games there have been many political incidents over the past century. The incidents have been for many different reasons including violation of the rules, political differences and through commercial aspects. Examples of this include repossession of medals, banning of nations, boycotts, terrorism and corruption to name a few and in more recent times cheating and drug abuse has been seen. The first incident that this essay will look at took place in 1912 at the Stockholm Games. Jim Thorpe was a decathlon gold medallist. When the IOC found out that he had been paid to play baseball three years earlier in his holidays he was disqualified as this infringed the amateur status of the Games.  However in January 1983, following an enquiry, he was reinstated as a gold medallist, (Tomlinson and Whannel 1984).  The 1936 Games were held in Berlin, Germany. At the Games Adolf Hitler banned all Jews from participating in the Games that year because of his anti-Jewish policy. Also at the 1936 Games a black US sprinter, Jesse Owens upset Hitler by winning four gold medals. Hitler was outraged and subsequently repossed these medals and denied Owens of his victories. Along with this, in the opening ceremony, the United States refused to give the Nazi salute to Hitler, while both the United Kingdom and France obliged. This may have been a contributing factor for Hitler to stripe Owens of his medals out of spite. After the 1940 Tokyo Games had been cancelled along with the 1944 Games due to World War II, London in 1948 also provided major controversy. The British Government banned Italy, Germany and Japan from competing in the Olympic Games due to their involvement in World War II. Germany had already previously been banned from competing in the 1924 Parisian Games due to their role in World War I.  In 1972 at the Munich Games Palistinian terrorist broke into the Olympic Village taking the Israeli athletes hostage. Eleven of these athletes were subsequently murdered as the rescue attempt went tragically wrong, (Epsy 1981). At the 1976 Montreal Games South Africa were banned from competing because they had banned all black athletes from participating in sport in South Africa.  Another political event was the boycott of the Moscow Games in 1980. The boycott of the Moscow Olympics is the most damaging of all the political actions that have affected the Olympics over the years, (Segrave and Chu 1981 p104). This was so because these Games saw a massive reduction in the number of competitors of one of the Super Nations and so the competitions did not reflect who was truly the best at the time. The American Government boycotted the Moscow Games in 1980 because the Russia had invaded Afganistan. In response to this Russia then retaliated four years later boycotting the Los Angeles Games in 1984, (Epsy 1981 and Tomlinson and Whannel 1984). The 1996 Atlanta Games were a big political showcase for America. The Games allowed the US to show how rich, powerful and prestigious America is. The Games which were known as the Coca-Colympics because of the official sponsor being Coca-Cola. Coincidently the head office of Coca-Cola is based in Atlanta, and Coca-Cola paid over $500m for this status, (Coakley 2001).  The aspect of female participation over the years has changed. Over the past century it is clear to see that there are inequalities for female participation. This can be seen at the turn of the century where in the 1896 Games in Athens there were no female participants at all. This has still not been fully rectified to date, with only 34% of the competitors at the 1996 Atlanta Games being female. Compare this to Sydney 2000, where still only 38% of competitors were female, (Coakley 2001).

Essay Topics - Choosing the Right Essay Topic

Essay Topics - Choosing the Right Essay TopicEssay topics are an important element of your paper. While it is important to provide interesting content for the paper, it is equally important to choose the right essay topic that is relevant to the type of learning and study you will be doing. It is only by studying the specific topic you will be working on that you will be able to put all the information that you have learned into practice.The topics should be chosen by you from the content you have already accumulated while researching on the web, browsing through educational materials, or reading textbooks. Then, decide which topics are more relevant to your field of study. You can do this by looking at the subject heading on those topics or by searching using a specific search engine. Find topics that appear relevant to your area of study and then carefully consider the topic you want to write.Most students will start out with essay topics that relate directly to their subject. This is fine but sometimes we become bored with them. We may be trying to find new subjects to write about. Your choice of essay topics should be one that is highly relevant to your area of study and that you enjoy writing about.Many times students will write expository essay topics that can be worded in a variety of ways depending on the style used in the academic writing classes that they took. Use your school's style of writing to come up with something that can be used in different situations. Make sure that the topic is something that you would like to write about but that it is not something that you may find hard to write about or something that cannot be used in your class or with your grade in mind. If you can use it in class, it will make it easier for you to review what you have written.If you are writing about a subject that is not related to your specific area of study, then you should be able to come up with a topic that is related to your specific subject. As a first step , try to think of possible topics that you would like to write about if you were to become a teacher. Once you have decided on your topic and have a good idea of what you would like to write about, it is time to consider what type of topics you would like to write about.There are several categories of topics that you can choose from. Once you have narrowed down your topic, you can begin to look for resources to use as the foundation for your article. Essay topics should be considered carefully as there are many things that you can learn from them that will help you in other areas of your career.To be a good teacher, you must also be a skilled writer and am able to teach students who have interesting subjects that can be discussed in a unique teaching method. Your expository essay topics should be unique in some way, whether it is a topic that you have worked on before or an idea that you have developed based on a specific experience. An expository essay should always have some relev ance to your topic of study so that you can apply it to your teaching.There are some essay topics that are suitable for both undergraduate and graduate level courses. However, some topics are better suited for certain types of classes. For example, research papers are best used in areas of science, while medical and law topics are more suited for nursing, psychology, and law. The same goes for expository essays and reports, which are usually best used in courses such as English and Communications.