The modern Olympic Games were founded by French educator Pierre de Coubertin in 1894, with the first games held in Athens in 1896, reviving the ancient Olympic spirit after 1,500 years. The Olympic Creed emphasizes that participation is more important than winning, reflecting the values of excellence, friendship, and respect. The five interlaced rings symbolize the union of five continents and athletes from around the world, while the motto 'Citius, Altius, Fortius, Communiter' (Faster, Higher, Stronger, Together) represents the spirit of constant effort and unity. The Olympic movement has evolved to include the Paralympic Games (1960), Youth Olympic Games (2010), and expanded women's participation, promoting equality and inclusion globally.
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NCERT Audio Prog. Grade 9 Khel Praveen (Eng) | Chapter 11 The Modern Olympic GamesAdded:
CENCE presents the audio book of physical education and well-being titled Kale Pravid for grade 9. Chapter 11, the modern Olympic games.
Page number 88. In the late 19th century, a young French educator named Pierre D. Kubbertton dreamed of using sport to bring nations together. He believed that playing games could teach young people courage, discipline, and respect for others. While visiting ancient Olympia in Greece, Kubertton was deeply moved by its history and ideals.
Standing among the ruins of the old stadium, he imagined the revival of the Olympic Games as a symbol of peace and friendship among nations. His dream soon began to take shape. In 1894 at a meeting held in Paris, Kubertton and delegates from 12 countries decided to establish the International Olympic Committee OC. They agreed to organize the first modern Olympic games in Athens, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient games. Two years later, in April 1896, the dream became reality. Athletes from 13 countries gathered in Athens to compete in 43 events. The Greek athlete Spyrodan Lewis, a humble water carrier, became a national hero by winning the marathon. The games were filled with excitement and hope, and they marked the rebirth of the Olympic spirit after nearly 1,500 years. From that moment, the modern Olympic Games became a celebration of human effort and unity, carrying forward the ideals of excellence, friendship, and respect from ancient Greece to the entire world, growth and development.
After the success of the first modern Olympics in 1896, the games began to grow and attract more countries and athletes from around the world. The idea of peaceful competition inspired nations to join together through sport. Over time, new events, better facilities, and improved organization made the Olympics the world's largest sporting festival. The International Olympic Committee, IOC, founded by Pierre D. Kubbertton, became the main body to plan and guide the games. Every four years, a new city was chosen as the host. The second games were held in Paris in 1900, followed by St. Louis in 1904, and gradually more nations began to participate.
Page number 89.
At first, only men were allowed to compete. However, women soon gained recognition through the first participation in the 1900 Paris Olympics in sports such as tennis and golf. This change reflected the growing idea of equality and inclusion in the Olympic movement. The Olympic Games continued to evolve even during difficult times.
Although they were stopped during the World Wars, they resumed with even greater enthusiasm. The games became a platform for unity, fair play, and international friendship. Trivia. The first modern Olympics in 1896 had no official national teams. athletes entered as individuals. Only one female athlete took part in the 1896 games unofficially as women's events were not yet allowed.
India's journey in the Olympic movement.
India's Olympic journey began in 1900 when Norman Pritchard representing India won two silver medals in athletics at the Paris games. Later India formed its own national Olympic committee in 1927 and participated as a team in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. That year Indian men's hockey team led by Dhan Chand won the gold medal. It was the beginning of India's golden era in hockey when the country went on to win eight Olympic gold medals between 1928 and 1980. Over the years, India expanded its presence in many sports. Many athletes reflected the true Olympic values of excellence, perseverance and respect. Let us explore. Create a list of Indian athletes who have won medals in the Olympics in the following order.
Events, year, position, score and the sport in which Indian contingent participated as a team. Global development and new additions. The modern Olympics also grew to include new ideas and categories. The Winter Olympics began in 1924 featuring sports like skiing and ice hockey.
Page number 90.
The Parolympic Games was started in 1960 and gave athletes with disabilities a global platform to compete with courage and skill. The Youth Olympic Games, first held in 2010, encourage young athletes to learn Olympic values and friendship through sport. Today, the Olympic Games bring together over 200 countries and thousands of athletes, carrying forward Pierre de Kubertton's dream of using sport to build peace and understanding among nations. Did you know the marathon distance 42.195 km was fixed at the 1908 London Olympics so that the race would finish in front of the royal box. The first Olympic torch relay was introduced at Berlin in 1936 linking the modern games to ancient Olympia. The youngest ever Olympic champion was 10-year-old Dimitrios Lounus, Greece, 1896 gymnastics.
Let us reflect. How did the modern Olympics bring the world together after many wars? Why do you think women's inclusion in the games was a turning point?
The identity of the Olympic movement.
The Olympic creed. The Olympic creed is a short message that expresses the true meaning of the games. It reminds athletes and everyone watching that participating with effort and courage is more important than winning. The creed was first spoken by Bishop Ethelbert Talbot during the 1908 London Olympics and later adopted by Pierre D.
Kubbertton, the founder of the modern games. It reflects the spirit of fair play and personal excellence that Olympism stands for. The Olympic creed says the most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part. Just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.
Page number 91. This message teaches us that victory lies in honest effort and courage, not just medals or records.
The Olympic symbol, five rings. The Olympic symbol is made up of five interlaced rings, blue, yellow, black, green, and red on a white background.
These rings represent the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from all over the world at the Olympic Games. The symbol was designed by Pierre D. Kubbertton 1913. He chose these colors since every national flag in the world contains at least one of them showing the idea of universality and inclusion. The Olympic rings first appeared on a flag in 1914 and were officially introduced at the 1920 and twerp games. Since then, they have become the most recognized emblem of global peace and sportsmanship. Trivia.
The five rings were first displayed in 1914, but appeared in the games only in 1920 due to World War I. The Olympic flag is stored at Laoausanne, Switzerland when not used in the ceremonies.
The Olympic flag. The Olympic flag is one of the most important symbols of the Olympic Games. It carries the five interlaced rings on a white background representing peace, purity, and the unity among nations. The flag was designed by Pierre D. Kubertton in 1913 and officially presented in 1914 at the Olympic Congress in Paris. However, it was first used during the 1920 and 12 Olympic Games in Belgium. The white background stands for peace while the five colored rings show the coming together of athletes from the five continents in a spirit of friendship and fair play. At every Olympic games, the flag plays a central role at the opening and closing ceremonies. It is raised when the games begin and lowered at the end. The Olympic charter states that the flag must always remain clean, unto treated with respect.
The Olympic motto. The Olympic motto expresses the spirit of constant effort, improvement, and unity among athletes and nations. The original motto cities alis fortius is a Latin phrase that means faster higher stronger. It was first proposed by father Henry Didden a French teacher and later adopted by Pierre D. Kubbertton when he founded the modern Olympic games. Page number 92.
In 2021, the motto was officially updated by the International Olympic Committee to include a new word together. The complete motto now reads Citius Altius Forius community which means faster, higher, stronger together.
This change reflects the modern Olympic belief that success in sport and in life comes through teamwork, solidarity and shared effort.
The Olympic oath. The Olympic oath is a promise made by the athletes, coaches and judges during the opening ceremony of every Olympic games. The first Olympic oath was introduced at the 1920 and 12 games. It was written by Pierre D. Kubbertton and spoken by Belgian fencer Victor Bowen on behalf of all athletes. Since then, the wording of the oath has been updated several times to reflect fairness, equality, and inclusion. During the ceremony, one athlete, one coach, and one judge from the host country hold a corner of the Olympic flag and take the oath. This tradition symbolizes unity and shared responsibility among all participants.
The current Olympic oath as for IOC 2025 says in the name of all competitors I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic games respecting and abiding by the rules and in the spirit of fair play, inclusion and equality. Together we stand in solidarity and commit ourselves to sport without doping, without cheating, without any form of discrimination.
Did you know the Olympic oath was expanded in the year 2000 to include coaches and judges, not only athletes?
The Olympic anthem was sung in Japanese and Greek at the Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony to honor tradition and the host nation. The Olympic emblem of each games must receive formal approval by the IOC to protect its symbolic integrity.
The Olympic emblems. Every Olympic games has its own official emblem which acts as the visual identity of that addition of the games. It usually combines the Olympic rings with symbols, colors or designs that represent the host country's culture, values and vision.
The emblem appears on flags, banners, uniforms, tickets and souvenirs. It helps create a sense of unity and pride for both the athletes and the host nation.
Page number 93. The design of each emblem must follow strict rules set by the International Olympic Committee, IOC, to ensure respect for the Olympic symbols. The first official Olympic emblem appeared at the 1924 Paris Games.
Since then, every host city has designed a new emblem that reflects its own identity. The Tokyo 2020 emblem used circular shapes to represent harmony and diversity. The Ping 2008 emblem was inspired by a traditional Chinese seal and symbolized movement and passion. The Paris 2024 emblem combines the Olympic flame with the face of Marianne, a national symbol of France representing equality and spirit. The Olympic anthem.
The Olympic anthem is a song that expresses the spirit of peace, friendship, and unity of the Olympic Games. It is played during the opening and closing ceremonies whenever the Olympic flag is raised or lured. The anthem was composed by Spyros Samarus, a Greek musician with lyrics written by Costa Palamas, a famous Greek poet.
It was first performed at the first modern Olympic games in 1896 in Athens, Greece. For many years, different Olympic host cities used their own songs. In 1958, the IOC officially adopted the composition by Samarus and Palamas as the official Olympic anthem.
Since then, it has been performed in every Olympic games in various languages and musical styles. Let's explore.
Here a table has been given. At the top of the flowchart is the international Olympic committee. Underneath the IOC are international federations and national Olympic committee. These further guide national sports federation and state Olympic associations.
Explore the protocols, liabilities, election procedures of each units and their constituents shown in the above organog and create a similar organog of the International Parolympic Committee.
Page number 94.
Let us reflect. Which Olympic symbol do you connect with the most and why? How do symbols and flags help unite people across countries?
exercises.
One, what is the Olympic creed? Two, what do the five Olympic rings symbolize?
Three, what is the meaning of the Olympic motto? Citius, altius, Forius, communer.
Check your progress. Answer in brief.
One. If you were an athlete in ancient Greece, how would you prepare for the games?
Two, compare the rewards given to ancient Olympic winners and modern Olympic winners. Three, how can the idea of arete be applied in school life today?
Four, how does the structure of the IOC and national Olympic committees ensure smooth organization of the games?
Five. If you were designing an Olympic emblem for your country, what elements would you include and why?
Answer the following in detail. One, compare the ancient Olympic games with today's Olympic games. Highlight at least three similarities and three differences.
Two, how has the Olympic movement evolved to promote equality and inclusion? For example, parolympics, youth Olympics. Three, why is participation considered more important than winning according to the Olympic creed?
Four, how do Olympic symbols, flag, moto, oath, anthem, strengthen the identity of the games and promote other characteristics of humanity? Chapter 11.
The modern Olympic games ends here.
Kale Pravid you are just listening to this audio book textbook of physical education and well-being for grade nine narrator web jasto sound recordist Muhammad faison assistance in production mul Singh directed and produced by Vimlesh Chri this audio book is brought to you by CENCE New Delhi India
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