Sailing

Sailing is a unique combination of skill and tequnique using only wind and the waves. It was first said to be an Olympic sport in Paris, 1900. The way that the boats used to look and the way the compeditor sailed them, isn't that different to the way we do it these days, but is still very different to how we do it and the rules have changed since 1900 but are fairly similar to our rules right now in 2008.

2008 Olympic sports-Who chose them & what are they?

Some of the sports in the Beijing Olympics 2008 include:

-Swimming

-diving

-syncronised swimming

-water polo

-archery

-athletics

-badminton

-baseball

-basketball

-boxing
-canoe/kayak flatwater

-canoe/kayak slalom

-cycling

-equestrian

-fencing

-football

-gymnastics artistic

-gymnastics rythmic

-gymnastics tranpoline

-handball

-hockey

-judo

-modern pentathlon

-rowing

-sailing

-shooting

-softball

-tabletennis

-teakwondo

-tennis

-trianthlon

-volleyball

-beach volleyball

-wheight lifting

-wrestling

These sports are chosen by the International Olympic Commitie. The IOC decides if the sport is Olympic or not. They also decide when and where the next Olympic games should be held.

The Gold, silver and Bronze medals are used to represent 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in a competition or race.

-Gold, represents 1st place because it is one of the most valubal things there are to man kind meaning the person wearing it is valubal for his/her abilities to win.

-Silver, represents 2nd place because it is not as valubal as gold is, but is still very special, meaning the person wearing it is not as good as the one wearing gold, but is still special for his/her abilities to come 2nd in a race or competition.

-Bronze, represents 3rd place because it isnt as valubal as gold, or as special as silver, but it is not the worst thing to man kind either, meaning the person wearing it has come 3rd.

The Olympic Flame

In 1928 during the Olympic games, the Olympic flame was re-introduced. Usualy, the flame was carried by runners in these ways. First, in 1948, it traveled across the English Channel by boat. Next it was carried by rowers all the way to Canberra. It was then taken to Hong Kong by dragon boat in 2008 when finally, went on a plane on its way to Helsinki in 1952.

What do the Olympic rings symbolise?

The 5 Olympic rings symbolise the 5 contenents. there is Asia, Europe, Oceana, America (both North and South) and Africa. The colours ofthe rings symbolise flags of the countries that participate in the Olympics. Every flag of the contries have either the colour blue, red, black, green or yellow.

The Olympic Motto

The Olympic motto is "Swifter, Higher, Stronger" which come from the three Latin words, "Citius, Altius, Fortius". A man named "Baron de Coubertin" thought that those three words described the goals of our Great athletes all over the world.

Modern Olympics

In 1896, a French man named "Pierre de coubertin" decided to start up the Olympics again. In the same year, the first modern Olympic games were statred but rather than being chosen to be in the Olympics, anyone competed. Even some tourists entered while they were visiting the country.