Olympic Sports
FROM AROUND THE WORLD
The Olympics are an exciting time of the year
and the perfect time to go travelling,
but that doesn’t mean you have to go to Rio.
Olympic sports originate from
all around the world, meaning you can travel
pretty much anywhere and still get the
Olympic experience.
Archery is one of the oldest sports still
practised in modern society. The bow and
arrow has been traced back as far as the
Paleolithic era around 35,000 to 8000 BC.
For the majority of human history archery
has been used as a weapon, rather than as a
means of competition. The origins of archery
are blurry, but there is recorded evidence of
archery contests taking place in China
around 3000 years ago.
Archery
Archery played an important
role in Chinese society.
In particular, archery featured
prominently in ancient Chinese
culture and philosophy: archery
was one of the Six Noble Arts of
the Zhou dynasty 1146–256 BCE.
In the south of Italy is the image of a young
man diving from a narrow platform painted
onto the roof of a burial vault. The discovery of
the Tomba Del Tuffatore, The Tomb of the Diver,
shows us that the art of diving from high places
and landing gracefully into water has lured
people from at least 480 BC.
Diving
The origins of modern diving can be traced
to Sweden. In the late 1890s Otto Hagborg
and C.F Mauritzi travelled to London and
introduced the world to competitive
diving - which was being developed
in Sweden. The Amateur Diving
Association was formed in 1901 as a
direct result of this visit.
Gymnastics is just one of many Olympic sports
that originated in Greece. Physical fitness was
highly valued in ancient Greece and gymnastics
was first used as a series of exercises to
develop one’s body. The term gymnastics is
directly derived from gymnazein,
meaning ‘to exercise naked’.
Gymnastics
After Greece was conquered by the Romans,
gymnastics was developed into a more
formal sport. The Romans used
gymnasiums to prepare their
legions for warfare. After the
decline of Rome, the need for
gymnastics dwindled but tumbling
has remained as a form of entertainment
and competition.
Golf has been added to the roster of events for
Rio 2016. The origins of golf, as with many other
sports, is unclear and much debated.
That being said it is generally accepted that
modern golf developed in The Netherlands
during the Middle Ages.
Golf
The game of golf didn’t find
international popularity
immediately. During the 19th century it spread to the
United Kingdom and then to the British Empire and the
United States. Evidence of early golf in the United States
includes a 1739 record for a
shipment of golf equipment
to a William Wallace, the
Scottish knight,
in South Carolina.
With most sports dating back to ancient times,
little information on Olympic sport origins
has survived.
Why not visit one of these historical destinations
on your next holiday and find out for yourself.
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SOURCES: http://swimhistory.org/
http://www.scholastic.com/
http://golf.about.com/
http://www.chinaarchery.org/