Children’s University Australia

Olympic Activity Pack

Each activity in this booklet is worth half an hour in your passport – complete as many as you can and return them to your schools CUA coordinator!

Activity 1: Word Find

Activity 2: Design a Tracksuit The Olympics begin with the traditional Opening Ceremony where the leader of the host country officially opens the Games. The athlete parade is another important part of the ceremony, and during the parade the athletes all wear tracksuits representing their country. On the template below, design a tracksuit you think the Australian athletes could wear in Brazil this year.

Activity 3: Olympic Questions! Use your research skills to answer the questions below:

1) Who won the 100m sprint at the 2012 London Olympics?

2) Which country hosted the 2004 Olympic Games?

3) How many medals did Australia win at the 2000 Sydney Olympics?

4) Which athlete holds the record for most gold medals ever at a single Olympic Games?

5) In which country did the first Olympic Games take place?

6) How often are the summer Olympics held?

7) How many times has Australia hosted an Olympic Games?

8) What do the letters I.O.C. stand for?

9) How many Olympic gold medals has Dawn Fraser won?

Activity 4: Medal Graphs! The medals are a very important part of the Olympic Games – every country strives to win as many medals as possible. In 2012, Australia won 35 medals in total. Seven of these were Gold, sixteen were Silver and twelve were Bronze. Use the space below to display this result as a column graph.

Activity 5: Match the flags

Flags plays an important part in the Olympic Games as every athlete is there representing their country. Match the flags below with their correct country New Zealand Canada Greece Vietnam Scotland Chile

Iraq Nigeria India South Africa

Activity 6: Your favourite Olympian Thousands of athletes from around the world compete at each Olympics! Many of them are heroes in their own countries and even idolised around the world. Below, write two paragraphs about your favourite athlete. You may want to talk about where they’re from, what sport they play and why you like them.

Activity 7: What’s missing? There are 47 different events at the Summer Olympics – but not every game is represented. Below, write a letter to the International Olympic Committee about a game or sport you want to be included in the next Olympics.

Activity 8: Your Olympic Mascot In 1972 the first Olympic mascot was designed for the Munich games. An original image, the mascot has the job of giving concrete form to the Olympic spirit; spreading the values highlighted at each edition of the Games; promoting the history and culture of the host city; and giving the event a festive atmosphere. In the space below, you have the opportunity to design an Olympic mascot for your home town! Think about native animals, colours or other characteristics that might help show where the mascot is from.

Activity 9: Comprehension Read the passage below and answer the questions on the next page The Greek Olympics, thought to have begun in 776 BC, inspired the modern Olympic Games (begun in 1896) The Games were held in honour of Zeus, king of the gods, and were staged every four years at Olympia, a valley near a city called Elis. People from all over the Greek world came to watch and take part. At the first one-day Olympic Games, the only event was a short sprint from one end of the stadium to the other. Gradually more events were added to make four days of competitions. They included wrestling, boxing, long jump, throwing the javelin and discus, and chariot racing. In the pentathlon, there were five events: running, wrestling, javelin, discus and long jump. The running track was much wider than a modern one. Twenty people could run at once. About 50,000 people could sit in the stadium. Away from the arena, most spectators had to find somewhere to pitch their tents or sleep rough, but important visitors and athletes had hotel rooms. It was hot and overcrowded, and the water supply was poor, at first not even a proper drinking fountain. This didn't stop people coming though! Only men, boys and unmarried girls were allowed to attend the Olympic Games. Married women were not allowed into the Olympic Games. Any women caught sneaking in were punished! Women could own horses in the chariot race though. Unmarried women had their own festival at Olympia every four years. This was the Heraia, held in honour of Hera, wife of Zeus. Women could compete in running races, though only unmarried girls took part. Winners were awarded crowns of sacred olive branches, the same as men. As a rule Greek women did not go in for sport, unless they were Spartans.

Question 1: The Greek Olympics were first held in 776BC, but when were the first modern Olympics?

Question 2: How many days did the first Olympics last for?

Question 3: Which events were in the pentathlon?

Question 4: Over 50,000 spectators could attend the Olympics – where did most of them sleep?

Question 5: Did winners of Olympics events receive medals? If not, what did they receive instead?

Question 6: What was the Olympic festival for unmarried women known as?

Activity 10: Reporter for a day! The 2016 Rio Olympics will begin on August 5 2016. Watch an event (any event!) from this years Olympics, and write a newspaper article about it in the space below – don’t forget to include a picture!