APPLICATION QUESTION 1

Given the problems that plague the Olympics, do you think that the modern Olympics has lost its purpose?

In my opinion, the modern Olympics has lost its purpose in consequence of the surfacing of many problems. The initial and main aim of reviving the Olympics was to minimize inter-countries disputes by sending youths to participate and compete in sports, meanwhile, promoting sportsmanship.


The modern society now is more inclined towards economical benefits and less of self-fulfillment due to the harsh reality of no money, no talk. The entertainment aspect of sports, together with the spread of the ubiquitous mass media, has led to professionalism in sports. This has resulted in some conflicts, where the paycheck is seen more important than recreational aspects, or where the sports are changed simply to make them more popular and profitable, thereby losing sportsmanship.


Problems arising from the Olympics are due to an increasing acknowledgement of the event as a platform to gain celebrity status and execute political agendas in which they ultimately derive monetary gains. Consequentially, the mindset of “The most important thing… is not winning but taking part” is fading. Sportsmanship is highly valued in this mega event. According to the passage, Sportsmanship is an attitude that rives for fair play, courtesy towards teammates and opponents, ethical behavior and integrity, and grace in losing. In the passage we can see that many problems plaguing the Olympics oppose this very basic virtue. For example, Hitler practises nationalism and refused to award medals to Jesse Owen (a black). From here, we can see that Hitler does not see all as equal and fair in the field of sports.


Another incident was that Romanian gymnast Andreea Raducan , part of anti-doping movement at the Olympics was stripped of her gold medal winning performance in the All-round competition of the Sydney 2000 games. She was sabotaged by an Olympic doctor who added banned-stimulant into the medicine for her flu. From this scenario, we can easily conclude that due to self-centered desires, people (besides athletes) resort to doping in order to win themselves fame and recognition or eliminate rivals in this case. They have displayed unethical behavior which is equivalent to that of a pre-foul play.


In the conscientious effort to promote sportsmanship and create a platform for talented sports people to display their attributes, the modern Olympics has also induced a host of other problems that defeats the purpose of hosting one. Modern Olympics has indeed lost its purpose.