Unit 5 More practice

Faster,higher,stronger

The Olympic Games have a long history. They began in Greece and lasted for over a thousand years, until 394 AD. The ancient Olympic Games were very different from the Olympics we have today. In ancient times, only the Greeks took part in the Olympics, and women were not allowed to join or even watch them.

The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece in 1896. Every four years, athletes fro m all over the world take part in different sports at the Olympics. Many of these athletes are women.

A large group of athletes at the Olympics takes part  in track and field events. Track events, such as running, test a person’s speed. Field events, such as the high jump, long jump and shot put, test how high or far someone can jump or throw an object.

One of the most exciting events in the Olympics is the 100-metre rac e. More than one hundred years ago, the world record for the men’s 100-metre race was 10.6 seconds. However, athletes have run faster and faster over the years. In 1960, the record was 10 seconds. Then at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the record was set at 9.69 seconds.

The Olympics  motto “Faster, Higher, Stronger” is what the Olympics are all about.