Hosting a major international sporting event can bring a nation or city global recognition, a injection of tourism money, and the opportunity for economic transformation. But it also carries great risk and high costs.
Major international sports include: the Summer Olympics held every four years; the Winter Olympic Games, held every two years; and the FIFA World Cup in soccer.
The Olympics
The Olympics are major international sports events that feature athletes from all over the world competing in different disciplines. The games are held every four years and are organized by the International Olympic Committee. The Olympics were first held in ancient Greece and were reintroduced after a gap of almost two thousand years with the London Games in 1908. The modern Games have since grown to include winter and summer games, Paralympics for disabled athletes, and Youth Olympic Games for teenagers.
To qualify as an Olympic sport, the sports must be governed by an international sporting federation and must meet a variety of criteria. These criteria include whether the sport is popular in the country hosting the Games, how much it would cost to broadcast, and other factors.
Track-and-field athletics
Track and field are a diverse set of sports featuring running, jumping, and throwing. They are governed by a set of rules and competed at various levels, from elite competitions like the IAAF Diamond League series to basic all-comers track meets, inter-sport club meetings, and schools events.
Whether it’s eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt’s lightning-fast sprints or Mo Farah’s slow-burn 5000m and 10000m runs, athletes are constantly pushing the limits of human endurance. Meanwhile, the likes of South African Wayde van Niekerk, Blanka Vlasic, or Neeraj Chopra are displaying incredible flexibility and physical prowess in jumping events.
Finally, there are the throwing events, which include shot put, discus, and javelin. These events use a stadium track to measure distance and require a high level of accuracy.
Soccer
Soccer, also known as association football, is a team sport in which 11 players on each team try to control and move a ball into their opponent’s goal. A ball is kicked with feet and hands, and the game is played on a field that is rectangular in shape and covered with either natural or artificial turf.
In the early years of the 19th Century, a form of organized soccer was begun in American colleges. The first intercollegiate match was held in 1872 between Rutgers and Princeton universities in New Brunswick, NJ.
Injuries in soccer are common, and can range from minor aches and pains to severe injuries such as head concussions, broken bones, knee ligament tears (medial and lateral), ankle sprains, and torn rotator cuffs.
Tennis
Tennis is a global sport with an international governing body that oversees the Grand Slam tournaments and Davis Cup (men’s) and Fed Cup (women’s) team events. The sport also has two major professional tours, the ATP Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
The sport’s global reach has only grown in recent years, with countries like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan now producing top-50 players, something that seemed impossible just a few years ago. Even Russia, once the world’s tennis black spot, now produces a steady stream of elite players. There are more info on this at 해외스포츠중계.
The ITF is responsible for the Olympics (tennis re-joined in 1988), as well as Grand Slam tournaments, men’s and women’s team events, and a wide range of junior, wheelchair, senior and lower-level professional events. It has 205 member National Associations and six Regional Associations that work together to promote the game.
Golf
Golf was first included as a modern Olympic sport at the 1900 Paris Games, where it featured both a men’s and women’s competition. However, it was not until the 1920s that golf gained real world prominence, driven by increasing financial rewards for both professional and amateur players.
The sport has a detailed set of rules, but it is largely governed by a single overwhelming principle: play the ball as it lies and treat the course with fairness and respect. The sport is also played at a variety of venues, including high school and college level competitions around the world. In addition, golf is a popular spectator sport and is enjoyed by millions worldwide. Its tournaments are often broadcast on a global scale and attract large audiences on social media.