8/08/2012

The Olympic Games for Political Propaganda


(Activity Prepared by Debbie Frankish. Thanks Debbie!)

Before you watch: QUIZ

1) In which year was the first Olympic Games recorded?
          a) 776 AD                       b) 352 AD             c) 776 BC                    d) 352 BC

2) In which Olympic sport are all events open to both me and women?
          a) horse riding              b) fencing                            c) gymnastics            d) rifle shooting

3) In which year were the first modern Olympic Games held?
          a) 1896                            b) 1926                                 c) 1886                         d) 1906

4) Where will the 2016 Olympic Games be held?

5) In the London Olympics in 1948, which 2 countries were not invited?
          a) China and Japan     b) Germany and Japan    c) France and Spain  d) Russia and Germany

6) What do the 5 Olympic rings represent?

7) Historically, how many Olympic medals has Argentina won?
          a) 30                                 b) 102                                    c) 66                             d) 127

8) In which sport has Argentina won most medals?
          a) rowing                        b) swimming                        c) shooting                 d) boxing

9) Which country leads the medals table of the most won?
          a) USA                              b) Russia                              c) China                       d) Germany

10) How many medals did Argentina win in Beijing in 2008?
          a) 5 gold 2 silver            b) 4 gold 2 bronze             c) 2 silver 4 bronze   d) 2 gold 4 bronze


Video 1: Jesse Owens (Berlin Olympics 1936) 

Discuss:

What do you know about Germany in1936?
What was Hitler’s theory on the superiority of race?
How might events like the Olympic Games be used as political propaganda? Can you think of examples of this happening?


Watch for main ideas:


Watch and listen for the answers to the following :

1) Why would the summer Olympics of 1936 be important for Hitler?
2) How many countries participated in the Berlin Olympics?
3) How did the events in the games refute Hitler´s theories?
4) Which 4 events did Jesse Owens win? What do we find out about his background?
5) How many medals did Afro-Americans win?

Video 3:  Munich  Olympic Games 1972: Massacre of Israeli Athletes.

Match up the collocations

1. heavy                a. a building        
2. meet the           b. fire to             
3. set                     c. an alarm
4. give                   d. reprisal
5. sound               e. demands
6. open                 f. criticism
7. break into        g. in to sb's demands
8. in                       h. consideration
9. take into           i. fire

Watch and say if the statements below are True or False.



1) 5 Israeli sportsmen were killed on September 11th 1972.
2) The athletes were attacked by an Arab terrorist group.
3) Due to a coach, many Israelis were unhurt.
4) The terrorists wanted the German government to set Palestinian prisoners free.
5) It was agreed that the prisoners would be released.
6) Both hostages and terrorists were taken to an airport in Germany.
7) The outcome at the airport was a tragedy.
8) As a result of what happened the Olympics were called off.
9) The German police were blamed for the poor security.
10) Because of the events the Israeli government bombed strategic Palestinian sites.
11) The man being interviewed felt that the Israeli government committed a mistake.
12) The narrator felt that it was inevitable that such an event took place at the Olympics.


Paraphrasing

Paraphrase the following sentences, including the word in capitals :

1)  People repudiated Hitler's ideas of superiority..  WERE 
     Hitler's ideas  ……….......................………………………………………………………………………………....
2) Jesse Owens is famous for winning 4 gold medals and proving Hitler wrong.  BUT
     Jesse Owens not only ………………………………………………………………………………………………
3) The tragic events meant the games were postponed for a time.  MADE
     The tragic events  ……………….................................…………………………………………………………….
4) The German police received heavy criticism for the lack of security.  BLAMED
     The German police …………………………………………………………………………………………………….
5) Possibly the German government didn´t imagine something so terrible could occur.  MIGHT
     The German government ……………………… ……………………………………………………………..
6) Israel refused to do what the terrorists wanted.  DEMANDS
     Israel refused ………………………………………………………………………………………………………
7) The government didn´t want to allow the terrorists to leave the country.  LET
     The government ……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Final general discussion :

1) We have seen 2 different examples of political beliefs being displayed during the Olympic
     games, a sports competition that has nothing to do with politics.
     In your opinion is it acceptable for this to happen at such events?
2) Is the motto ‘Faster,Higher, Stronger’ a good one for the Olympics?
3) Would you consider the Olympics to be a ‘fair’ competition, or does money play an important role? Is this inevitable in international sports?
4) Are you watching the games in London? Which sports are you particularly interested in?
5) What benefits does hosting the Olympic Games bring to a country? Are there any disadvantages?

POSSIBLE FOLLOW UPS


- Listening: The business of the Olympics 
- Vocabulary: Sports Idioms commonly used in business

KEY (Quiz)

1-c   2-a   3-a   4-Brazil   5-b(afterWW2)   6-the union of the 5 continents that participate   7-( the word 'gold'should be removed) the answer is c (12 gold  23 silver  26 bronze)
8-d   9-a(2549 medals)   10-d

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