Name __________________

Class __________________

Olympics Research Project

The 2014 Winter Olympics will soon be upon us! The games will be held in
Sochi, Russia, from February 7 to February 23, 2014. The Olympic motto is
Citius-Altius-Fortius, which is Latin for “swifter, higher, stronger.” The
motto has been with the Games since 1894.

The city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has been selected to be the host city of
the Olympic Summer Games in 2016. The Summer Olympics will open on
August 5th and run through August 21st 2016.

Current Olympic Winter Sports

Ice Sports
Bobsled Figure Skating (including Ice Dancing)
Luge Speed Skating
Skeleton Short Track Speed Skating
Ice Hockey Curling

Alpine, Skiing and Snowboarding Events

Alpine Skiing
Freestyle Skiing (Aerials, Moguls and Ski Cross)
Snowboarding

Nordic Events
Biathlon (cross-country skiing and target shooting)
Cross-Country Skiing
Ski Jumping
Nordic Combined (ski jumping and cross country skiing)
 Current Olympic Summer Sports

Archery Field Hockey Swimming

Athletics Football (Soccer) Sync. Swimming
Badminton Gymnastics Table Tennis
Baseball Handball Taekwondo
Basketball Judo Tennis
Boxing Modern Pentathlon Triathlon
Canoeing Rowing Volleyball
Cycling Rugby Beach Volleyball
Diving Sailing Weightlifting
Equestrian Shooting Wrestling
Fencing Softball

The Project
Olympic sports and the people that compete in these games need to be
athletically talented but also need to be hard working and determined.
As the Olympics will soon be taking place, we will be doing a project in
order to learn more about the various sports and the athletes who
compete in them.

Your task is to write a 2-4 page informational report on one of the

Olympic sports (either winter or summer games are fine) including
information about a competing team or athlete. We will be scheduling
some class time to work on this project, as much of the information
may need to be taken from the Internet.
Your report should consist of four parts:

• a written history and explanation of the sport

• written information about the team or individual athlete that will be
competing in the Olympic games
• a poster advertising the team or an individual athlete and the upcoming
Olympic competition (keep it small - no larger than 12 x 18 inches so we
can hang them in the hall)
• a bibliography listing your sources using NoodleBib. Your bibliography
will be completed in Library Class or during our Reading Class. You
need to use at least one print source (a book, encyclopedia or other
reference book or magazine) and one online source - either a website
or one of the school’s online databases such as Groliers or World Book
Online.

Specific Information
The Written Report
The 2-4 page written report should be neatly typed and double-
spaced. It is suggested that you use a size 12 font and either Times
Roman or Comic Sans.

The first part should include: a brief history of the sport, when and
where it began, why it is popular, and an overall explanation of how the
game is played. We don’t need detailed rules and regulations; just give
the reader an understanding of the object of the game and an overview
of how it is played. You don’t need to get too technical!

In the second part of the written report you should choose to report on
either the team or an individual athlete - your choice. Some sports in
the Olympics are team events, while others are individual competitions.
You may report on the whole team in the case of a team event, one
specific individual on the team or an individual competitor in the case of
individual competitions. Try to make this part engaging and interesting
to the reader. If possible, get personal information on the team or
athlete. Personal information is what makes the connection between the
author (you) and the reader!
The Poster
Please limit the size of your poster to no larger than 12 x 18 inches.
This will make displaying the posters in the hallway easier!

Your poster should be colorful, neat, well organized and should include
text as well as graphics (pictures). The graphics may be images
retrieved from the Internet or hand-drawn. The purpose of your poster
is to promote or advertise an Olympic sport or Olympic athlete, so be
creative! You might want to include some interesting facts, past
achievements or awards won by the team or athlete.

Bibliography using NoodleBib

You will need to keep a record of the books and other resources you use
for this project. You need to use at least one print source (a book,
encyclopedia or other reference book or magazine) and one online
source - either a website or one of the school’s online databases
such as Groliers or World Book Online. We will work on this at the
Middle School library, so don’t panic, but be sure to keep a good record
of the materials you use. Be organized and use the resource forms
available in the Middle School Library!
Important Dates to Remember

The due date for this project will be

Thursday, February 6th, the day
before the opening of the Olympic games in
Sochi!

Friday, January 17th Return the bottom portion of this page,

signed by you and a parent. This tells me that you have shown this
project to one of your parents and that they are aware of this project.
Returning this on time is worth 10 points!

Wednesday, January 29th Submit a status report to your teacher.

What do I mean by a status report? I want a few neatly written
sentences (see the next page) telling me how far you are with your
project. Handing in your status report on time is worth another 10
points!

Thursday, Februay 6th Olympic projects are due! Students will

present their project to the class.
****************************************************  
Olympics Research Project

I, __________________________, have chosen the following Olympic

sport to research:_______________________________________.

I will also be reporting on _________________________________

(choose either the team or give the name of the individual athlete). I

will prepare a status report by and will have my project done by

February 6th.

_______________________________________                  ____________________________________________  
Student Signature Parent Signature
Status Report - due January 29th

Name ________________________________

Date ________________________________

 
I am researching the following sport for the Olympics Research Project:
___________________________________________________________________________________________  
 
This is what I am doing for my project:
 
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________  
 
 
We are aware that the Olympics Research Project is due in class on
February 6th.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
_________________________________________                    _________________________________________  
Student Signature Parent Signature
 A Brief History of the Olympics
(From Enchanted Learning)

The Ancient Olympics

The ancient Greeks dedicated the Olympic games to the god Zeus. The
original games were held on the plain of Olympia in Peloponnesus,
Greece. The Greeks held the first Olympic games in the year 776 B.C.
(over 2,700 years ago) and had only one event, a sprint (a short run).
The race was run by men who competed in the nude. A wreath of olive
branches was placed on the winner’s head. The olive tree was the
sacred tree of Athens, Greece.

Women were not allowed to compete in the games or even to watch

them, because the games were dedicated to Zeus and were therefore
meant for men.

The four-year period between the Olympic games was called an

Olympiad. Every four years, for 1,170 years, the Greeks held an
Olympics, which continued to grow and change. Many other sports were
added, including other races, wrestling, boxing, pentathlon (five events,
including the long jump, javelin throw, discus throw, foot race and
wrestling), and equestrian events (events with horses and people, like
chariot races and horse races). The Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II,
however, banned the Olympic games in the year A.D. 394.

The Modern Olympic Games

Over 1,500 years later, a French educator and sportsman by the name
of Pierre de Fredy, Baron de Coubertin revived the Olympic games. An
all-male Olympic games were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece. The first
winter Olympics were held in 1924 in France.
The Flag of the Olympic Games
The flag of the Olympic games has five
interlocking rings (blue, yellow, black, green,
and red) on a white background. The rings
represent the five parts of the world that were
joined together in the Olympic movement:
Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia and
Europe. Baron de Coubertin designed the flag
in 1913-1914.

The Olympic flag was first used in the 1920 Olympic games in Antwerp,
Belgium. The Olympic flag is paraded during the opening ceremony of
each Olympics. At the end of an Olympics, the mayor of the host-city
presents the flag to the mayor of the next host-city. The flag will
remain in the town hall of the next host-city until the next Olympics,
four years later.

History of the Olympic Flame

The tradition of the Olympic flame began during the ancient Olympic
games, over 2,700 years ago in Greece. A flame was lit for each
Olympics, every four years, and it burned throughout the games. The
flame symbolized the death and rebirth of Greek heroes. There was no
torch relay in the ancient Olympics. The first torch relay took place at
the 1936 games in Berlin, Germany.

The Torches of the Olympics

For each Olympics, a new flame is started in the ancient
Olympic stadium in Olympia, Elis, Greece, using a parabolic
mirror to focus the rays of the sun. This flame begins its
Olympic Torch Relay by touring Greece. The flame is
normally taken to the country where the games will be held
(usually by airplane). Following that, the flame is then carried around
the country where the games are to be held, using a series of torches
carried by people running, walking, riding horses and camels, scuba diving
and using other means of human conveyance. The last runner uses a
torch to light the large Olympic torch, which burns throughout the
games. The flame is extinguished during the closing ceremony. A new
Olympic torch is designed for each of the games.

The Olympic Motto is “Citius, Altius, Fortius,” which means “Swifter,

Higher, Stronger.”

Olympic Medals
At the ancient Olympics, a wreath of olive branches called a kotinos was
placed on the winner’s head. At the modern Olympics, each first-place
winner receives a gold medal, each second-place winner receives a silver
medal and each third-place winner receives a bronze medal. Different
medals are designed for each new Olympics. Certificates called victory
diplomas are also given to many top winners in each sport.