Researching the Olympic Games
Authors: Déirdre Ní Chróinín; Elaine Murtagh (Lecturers in physical education at Mary
Immaculate College, University of Limerick).
In July and August 2012 London will be the focus of the attention of the world. Over 10,500
athletes from 205 countries will participate in 26 different sports during the XXX (30th)
Olympiad from 27th July to the 12th August. The Paralympics will follow from 29th August –
9th September. It is an excellent learning opportunity on our doorstep which should not be
missed. To enable pupils get maximum benefit from the games it would be beneficial to study
the Olympic theme as part of the PE lesson but also across the curriculum. The vast quantity
of sources of information on the Olympics make it an ideal topic for children’s’ research. As
part of their exploration encourage children to 1. listen 2. talk 3. read and 4. write (poems,
stories, letters, reports) about the Olympics. A good website for children to use to start their
Olympic research is www.london2012.com , the official website of the Games. Get Set is the
official London 2012 education programme with teaching resources targeted at schools
including games, factsheets, films and articles (http://getset.london2012.com/en/home ).
Below are some topics which could be used to explore all things Olympic in a thematic way
with your class.
1. Fire and the Olympics:
Background The Olympic Flame will be lit at the Temple of Hera in among the historic
ruins of the home of the ancient Games in Olympia using the sun's rays. The Flame will then
be taken on an eight-day relay around Greece before being flown to the UK. The Olympic
torch relay will begin in Cornwall on 19th May 2012. The torch will arrive in London on 27
July 2012, just prior to the games. The relay will last 70 days and over 8000 people will carry
the torch. The torch will be in Dublin on June 6th 2012. The Torch Relay can provide a focus
for a theme around fire that can be explored in a number of subject areas.
Sample Tasks PE: In athletics set up your own torch relay in the school grounds - groups
of children can carry the torch from place to place...eventually arriving in London.
Alternatively in orienteering challenge the children can collect clues from each zone in the
order the torch will travel through them. Prepare a dance/gymnastics performance as part of
the opening ceremony at the Olympics Create and perform a celebration dance for someone
who has won a gold medal History: explore the origins of the torch relay/ Mount Olympus
etc. Art: Design and make a torch Geography: Children can find out the places that the
torch will travel through. Make a map of the school and grounds. Divide into zones
representing each of the place.
2. London and the Olympics.
Background This will be London’s 3rd time hosting the Olympic Games (previously in 1908
and 1948). This creates a unique opportunity to consider how the world, and the world of
sport in particular have changed across the past 100 years. A mixture of newly built venues,
existing facilities, and temporary facilities will house the sports for the 2012 Games.
Sample tasks PE: The children can compare their sporting activities/ facilities in Ireland
from 1908/ 1948 and now. Interview a parent/ and grandparent. What sports did they play?
What did they parents wear? What was PE like when they were at school? Expect references
to walking barefoot in the snow! Maths/Geography: Make a graph of the distance
between your school and the venues for the last ten Olympics. Maths/PE Measure and
mark the lengths of the Olympic/world records in both the long jump and triple jump (hop,
step and jump) on the ground in either the hall or the school yard. Pupils can compare their
efforts. This can also be done with a throwing event. History: Compare and contrast the
2012 Olympics to the two previous hostings in relation to the venues, the number of people,
the scale of the event, the athletes, their clothing, the commercialisation, marketing,
sponsorship. For example, the Olympic Park for 2012 is the size of 357 soccer pitches and
8.8million tickets will be sold for events). Art: Examine and discuss the 2012 logo and
compare with previous logos. Design an alternative.  Design a logo for a future Olympics in
an Irish city.
3. Behind the scenes at the Olympics:
Background The Olympics is now a multibillion dollar event. Thousands of volunteers are
involved in making sure the Olympics run smoothly. The Olympic village will have 17,320
beds in 3,300 apartments. Each apartment will have a TV, internet access, and a private
courtyard. This theme could look at money/ partners (sponsors) or could examine athlete
preparation.
Sample tasks PE: Talk about how the children prepare for sport, what clothes/ footwear
are suitable/ nutrition/ hydration/ warm-up/ training programmes. You are being selected to
represent your school in a big sporting event in one week. Write out a plan of how you can
best prepare for the event (sleep, nutrition, hydration, training and rest).Art: One
interesting theme might be around the clothes of the athletes: the designs/brands – What
clothes are worn for different sports? Why? The children could design clothes/ footwear for
various sports? Design an Irish strip for London 2012. Science: The technology – Can your
swimsuit give you an advantage in the pool? Can a running suit make you faster?
4. The Politics of the Olympic Games:
Background This theme can allow the children to gain insight into the Olympic ‘machine’:
the winners and the losers. The official website of the Olympic movement is
www.olympic.org. The Ancient Olympic Games were a religious festival that celebrated the
Greek god Zeus. The games ran from 776 B.C. until 393 A.D. when the games were banned
for being a pagan festival. The Modern Olympic Games: In 1894 Baron Pierre de Coubertin
led the revival of the games. In 1912 the five Olympic rings became the emblem of the
modern games. Each ring is a different colour (blue, yellow, black, green, and red) and
represents the five major regions of the world – Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and
Oceania. The flag of every nation in the world includes of the these five colours
Sample Tasks PE: What sports are in the Olympics and paralympics? Pick an Olympic
sport you have not tried before and help your teacher plan a PE class to let you practice this
sport/ event What are the oldest sports? What new sports have been added recently? How
do new sports get included? Both golf and mini-sevens rugby will be added to the 2016
games. What sports are not included? Why? Who runs sport in your local area? Who
decides what sports are available to you? Do you have access to a running track? A
swimming pool? What difference does this make? Sports A-Z. As a warm-up in PE jog in
pairs and list sports of the Olympics, for example A=athletics, B=badminton, C=..... etc. The
following site includes printable resources for a classroom-based Olympics that the children
can organise themselves:
http://web.archive.org/web/20030409113247/http:/www.aimsedu.org/Activities/cOlympics/c
olympics.pdf. History: The Ancient Olympic Games/ The Modern Olympic Games/ The
Paralympics. The five Olympic rings. The following site includes lesson plans and printable
pdf resources on many aspects of the Olympics including the history of the Olympics:
http://www2.edgate.com/summergames/lesson_plans/. Cancellations and Boycotts: Why
were the Olympic Games cancelled in 1916, 1940 and 1944? What tragedy is Munich 1976
remembered for? Both the USA and Russia have boycotted different Olympic games, why?
Who runs the Olympics? Where are they based? How is it decided where the Olympics
takes place? Three continents – Africa, South America, and Antarctica – have never hosted
an Olympics. English nó Gaeilge You have been appointed to decide what new event
should be in the next Olympics. Write the speech you would make announcing your choice of
sport and why you have chosen it....Write a letter to your local council asking about access to
sport spaces in your area.
5 . Fair play:
Background Excellence, respect, friendship, determination, courage, inspiration and equality
are the seven key values of the Olympic movement. The Olympic website provides an
excellent teachers’ toolkit around the Olympic values:
http://www.olympic.org/Documents/OVEP_Toolkit/OVEP_Toolkit_en.pdf. Does everyone
play fair at the Olympics? This theme can look at stories of athletes who have been branded
as heroes and villains through their Olympic performances e.g. Michelle Smith, Ben Johnson
etc
Sample Tasks PE/English/Gaeilge A walking debate begins like a regular debate with two
teams arguing opposing sides of a proposition. The difference is that the audience physically
move around the room based on their views and the merits of the arguments presented. The
rest of the class start in the middle of the room and move left/ right depending on whose
position they support. You might end up with children sitting in the middle and some on
opposite sides of the room. Debate ideas might include motions around the place of
performance enhancing drugs/ cheating in sport/ racism in sport/ Can money buy a gold
medal at the Olympics? You have just won a gold medal for Ireland in the Olympics - write
and perform your speech after accepting your medal. You have just been disqualified from
the Olympics for cheating through a positive drug test – write and perform the speech you
will give at a press conference - the rest of the class can participate as reporters.
6. Ireland and the Olympics:
Background To get latest information on Irish athletes preparing for the Olympic see:
http://www.olympicsport.ie/summer and Paralympic games
http://www.paralympics.ie/games/london2012. There are no free educational resources online
specific to Ireland and the games but a number of Olympic Councils in other countries have
excellent resources e.g.
http://corporate.olympics.com.au/files/dmfile/teacherguide_london2012_FINAL.pdf
Sample Tasks  PE: Invite local athletes to talk to the school - Did anyone in your local
area ever represent Ireland in the Olympics? What sport would you pick to represent
Ireland in? How can you get started in this sport? Make out a plan to get yourself to the 2022
games – you need to start training now to get there! The upcoming Olympics also present
an opportunity to bring a focus on the promotion of physical activity within and outside
school. For ideas see the Active School Flag website (http://www.activeschoolflag.ie/).
Children could also be encouraged to find out about sports clubs in their area and try one new
sport or activity before the summer games. A noticeboard in the classroom or corridor could
be designated as the ‘Olympics information area’ and children could display the research they
have carried out for the topics described above.History: Past, present and future athletes/
medal winners. Ireland has won 23 medals at the Olympics since 1928 when Pat O Callaghan
won gold in the hammer throw. Our most recent medal winners were in 2008 in Beijing
where Paddy Barnes, Keith Sutherland and Kenny Egan all won medals in boxing. Our medal
hopes for 2012 include Rob Heffernan in the 50km walk and Katy Taylor in the women’s
boxing event.