LONDON OLYMPICS

London Olympics



London Olympics

Introduction

The most important thing at the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part, just as the important thing about life is not to conquer but to struggle well. Baron Pierre de Coubertin may have intended for the new Olympic Games 'to be a period of concord in which all differences of status, religion, politics and race would be forgotten' but unfortunately as the Games have progressed, so too have the political overtones associated with them.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin, by reviving the ancient Olympic Games hoped that competition in sports would 'lead to a new international friendship and better cooperation amongst the nations, whilst also allowing athletes to be exposed to different values than those of their own.'

History of Olympics

In the commotion of the promotion of the Olympic Games, it is often forgotten that the original principles of the games included that individuals were to be contested against one another, and that countries played no part. In fact, in the first Olympiads, there were no formal teams of nations, rather an assortment of individuals who came to London on their own expense for their own purposes (Chalip, Green, & Hill 2003 pp. 214-234).

As the Olympic Games progressed, it became more and more apparent for participating nations that it was an excellent opportunity to promote their country (Bouncken & Pyo 2002 pp. 1-4). The mayor of Tokyo announced that "without the Olympics, Japan would not have risen to its high position so fast." Nowadays, it is obvious that television and the Olympic Games intertwine with each other, all scheduling of events and ceremonies are processed with television in mind, athletes now wear numbers not only on the front and back of their uniforms, but on the side as well to provide for the television audience.

Introduction to London Olympics Vs Beijing Olympics

In July 2005, in London was awarded the right to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics games. The decision of the International Olympic Committee triggered considerable public enthusiasm across the UK. At the same time, it also created a host of logistical and technical challenges. Amongst these the first concern is to ensure the safety and security of competitors and of the public (Chan 2002 pp. 97-112). This paper extends 'lessons learned' techniques to analyze security incidents at games. This analysis of incidents is used to identify key issues that complicate the organization of Olympic events. For example, there is a danger that concern over incidents, such as the Munich attack or the Atlanta bombing, will obscure other forms of attack. Conversely, it is difficult to validate risk-based approaches that consider the likelihood of threats which have yet to be realized. The closing sections argue that computer simulation techniques can be used early in planning to help envisage those scenarios that compromise the safety and security of Olympic events. Comparatively the Beijing Olympics the Beijing Games especially so, notwithstanding claims to the contrary by the International Olympic Committee and the 2008 Games' ...