Post on 29-Mar-2015
Brief History of Sport in Canada
1600-present
Early Canada (1600-1850)
• Games were important to early native culture
• Games focused around ceremonial & religious practices
• Baggataway – lacrosse
• Arrival of British (1763) brought sports like cricket, horse-racing, fox-hunting, & snow shoeing
• “Under classes” like farmers & settlers did not have time or $ for recreation
• Sporting clubs centered around drinking (Scottish merchants began the Montreal CC)
Victorian Period (1850-1920)
• Industrialization (following WWI) provided “free time”
• Main focus – socialization
• No leagues or competitions
• 1860 – 24 clubs in 4 sp; 1894 – 234 in 15
Emergence of Sport as a Commodity (1920-1960)
• WWII ended poverty & unemployment of Great Depression
• Amateur & professional sport emerged and contributed to nationalism
• TV (1950s) changed sport forever
• 1917 – NHL (1926 – 10 teams; 2 divisions)
Sport & Canadian State (1960 – present)
• Improved legislation in sports following WWII
• Government involvement
• 1950s – Diefenbaker (success in sport needed to boost national pride)
• Bill C–131 – 1st time federal gov was officially involved in promotion & dev of fitness & amateur sport
• 1961-$30,000• Today - $5 million+• Canada Games
History of the Olympic Games
Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937)
Founder of the Olympic Games
Body is buried at Olympia in Greece
Games emphasize peace, international understanding, & whole development (body, mind, spirit) of human body
776 BC
• First Olympic event takes place with only 1 event
• Stade race – a sprint of 600 feet (192.28m)
Athens, 1896
• 1st modern “Olympic Games” held in Athens, Greece
• 13 countries• 9 sports• 311 male
participants
Paris, 1900
• A near disaster, these games were poorly organized & received little attention
• 13 new sports added• Women competed in
golf & tennis
St. Louis, 1904
• Held at same time as World Fair
• Only 12 countries participated, with majority of competitors being American
• 1st Canadian to win GOLD – Desmarteau (Montreal policeman)
London, 1908
• Use of proper rules but all judges were British so animosity existed among all teams
• Figure skating first introduced as a sport
Stockholm, 1912
• Games well-organized & involved twice as many competitors
• 2490 male athletes• 57 female athletes• Women participated in
swimming• No incidents or
protests
1914-1918
Olympic Games were cancelled because of WWI
Antwerp, 1920
• Hosted by Belgium following WWI
• 29 countries (but Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria & Turkey were not allowed)
• Ice hockey introduced as sport
Paris, 1924
• Large increase in participating countries
• 44 countries• 3092 competitors• Summer & Winter
games began to be held separately
Amsterdam, 1928
• Women participated in athletics & gymnastics
• Several women collapsed at end of 800m race
• 48 countries took part
Los Angeles, 1932
• Travel costs reduced # participants
• More spectators attended than ever; 100,000 at opening ceremonies
• 1st Olympic Village to accommodate participants
Berlin, 1936
• IOC insisted Games take place despite persecution of Jews by Hitler’s Nazi party
• Hitler used Games to show German superiority as a race
• Jesse Owens (black American) won 4 gold medals
1939 - 1945
Games cancelled because of WWII
London, 1948
• London still recovering from war
• 59 countries• 4500 participants• Germany, Japan, &
Soviet Union did not attend
Helsinki, 1952
• “Friendly Games” b/c of Germany’s absence
• Soviet Union returns after 40 years away
• Beginning of East-West rivalry that still exists
Melbourne, 1956
• Unexpected events & political turmoil
• Foreign horses could not enter country
• Equestrian events took place in Sweden
• Several countries withdrew b/c of political unrest
Rome, 1960
• No political problems• All-white team
represented South Africa (apartheid)
• Events witnessed on television
• Danish cyclist died after using drugs to enhance performance
Tokyo, 1964
• Very expensive Games
• 94 countries despite several being banned (S Africa, N Korea, & Indonesia)
Mexico City, 1968
• East & West Germany entered as separate teams
• Violent demonstration over cost of Games & poverty (people killed)
• 1st time drug testing• “Black power” salute
by 2 USA athletes
Munich, 1972
• Black American athletes staged protests during medal ceremonies again
• Palestinian terrorists killed several Israeli athletes & officials
• Some teams/competitors left the Games
Montreal, 1976
$2 billion spent in preparation
French Canadians upset b/c Queen Elizabeth II opened ceremonies
Issues with Africa & apartheid; 32 nations walked when IOC refused to ban NZ
Moscow, 1980
• Games were successfully organized
• 81 teams took part• Boycott by Western
countries, spearheaded by USA
• Security was very heavy
Los Angeles, 1984
• Most commercialized games to date
• Enormous profit• 140 countries • Soviet Union, Cuba, &
most East European countries boycotted
Seoul, 1988
• Superbly organized & turned large profit
• No boycotts, disruptions or protests took place
• Ben Johnson disqualified for banned substances
• Pro tennis players
Barcelona, 1992
• Peaceful games without incident
• S Africa permitted after 30-yr ban
• USA “Dream Team” participates in b-ball
• 12 separate teams represent USSR
1994
Winter & Summer Games begin to be held at 2-yr intervals to each other.
Atlanta, 1996
• Almost every country participated in these Games
• 197 countries• 10,788 athletes• Dark side – small
bomb in a public place
Sydney, 2000
• Games flawlessly organized
• No incidents• 10,651 athletes• 300 events
The Olympic Games…
- have survived more than 100 yrs, 2 World Wars, boycotts, bombs, killings, & numerous political
demonstrations