International Sport

The aim of this lesson is to learn about international sporting competitions, their advantages and disadvantages and the attitudes of different countries (Equivalent to UK GCSE Physical Education)

The 19th century saw the start of international competitions. These have continued to grow and become more popular ever since. Just about every sport is played on an international level, from football, to show jumping to chess! Here are some of the big ones:

The Olympic Games - The biggest modern day international competition. There are both summer and winter Olympics every four years

The Pan-American Games - These are also held every four years (but so they fall in a different year!) and are competed by countries in North, South and Central America

The Commonwealth Games - The commonwealth is the group of countries which used to make up the British Empire. These competitions are also held every four years

World Cups - A lot of sports have world cups, like Football, Cricket and Rugby

Most sports now have their own world championships like athletics and gymnastics.

These huge international competitions obviously have positives, but they also have their negatives:

Positives

The mix of cultures and ways of life which occurs when lots of people from different countries get together
When the best athletes in the world compete against each other the standard improves - which is why you often see new records being set
International events encourage lots of people to get involved in sport

Negatives

These big events are very costly which means many poorer countries cannot afford to host them
Even bigger countries need help from big businesses in the form of sponsorship which makes events like this very commercialised
Some countries want to be successful at sport to prove they're better than a rival country!

Attitudes

Every country wants their sports people to succeed because it brings the country pride and status amongst the top sporting countries. It can also help bring a nation together and encourage people to start exercising and become healthier. However, different countries promote sport in different ways:

UK - Here, PE is compulsory in schools and we have introduced sport for all campaigns to get more people involved after they leave school. For our top competitors there are grants and sponsorships available.

USA - Again PE is compulsory in schools and school and college sport has a very high profile which attracts sponsorship. There are a lot of scholarship schemes to help athletes get into college, from where they can be drafted into professional leagues.

Former Eastern Bloc (countries once dominated by the USSR) - Sport was controlled by the state and talented children started training for sport at a very young age. They were also given token jobs in the army or industry so they could spend more time training. Since the collapse of the USSR in 1989, sport has been more open.

Third World Countries - Sports which cost the least money are promoted, like football and athletics. If athletes succeed on an international stage this brings more money into the country. Athletes are often supported by giving them token jobs within the government

Resources: