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Olympic Games: Athletes
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As a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games, GE is the exclusive provider of a wide range of innovative products and services that are integral to staging a successful Games. GE works closely with host countries, cities and organizing committees to provide infrastructure solutions for Olympic venues, including power, lighting, water treatment, transportation and security. The company ... supplies hospitals with ultrasound and MRI equipment to help doctors treat athletes.
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In the 1896 Olympic Games there were fewer than 500 athletes representing 13 nations. In 1988 the Seoul games drew entries from a record total of 160 countries. While the number of athletes who competed in Los Angeles did not surpass the high of 10,000 set at Munich in 1972, the 1984 games set records for the largest total attendance--almost 5.8 million people--and the most gold medals for one country--83 for the United States.
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For the first time ever, NBC's television coverage of the 2004 Olympic Games will include a nightly primetime content feature, presented by AT&T Wireless that will invite subscribers to vote for the "Athlete of the Games" via text messaging. Final results will be revealed during NBC's primetime broadcast on August 28, the final Saturday of the Games.
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The IOC oversees such functions as determining the site of the Olympic Games, the establishment of worldwide Olympic policies, and the negotiation of Olympic television broadcast rights. The IOC works closely with the NOCs and with the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF—the international governing body for track and field), and other international sports federations (ISFs) to organize the Olympics. The ISFs are responsible for the international rules and regulations of the sports they govern.
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Aside from catapulting the athletes to media stardom, the Olympic games are a ratings boon for their host network. Customarily, that network captures 50% of the television audience each night for the two-and-a-half weeks of the Olympic telecast. Furthermore, this habitual pattern establishes a relationship between the viewers and the network which translates into increased ratings for regularly scheduled programming. This springboard into the new season, along with the hefty sums commanded by Olympic advertising time are the reasons that the broadcast rights are so sought after and so expensive.
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Image:Ray Ewry.jpg Image:Larisa Latynina.jpg Template:Main For all events held at the Olympic Games, a classification is made up. The athletes (or teams) who place first, second, or third receive medals. The winners receive what are called "gold medals". (Though they used to indeed be of solid gold, they are now actually gilted silver, making the description somewhat inaccurate.) The runners-up receive silver medals, and the third-place athletes bronze medals. In some events contested by a single-elimination tournament (most notably boxing), third place might not be determined, in which case both semi-final losers receive bronze medals. The practice of awarding medals to the top three competitors was introduced in 1904; at the 1896 Olympics only the first two received a medal, silver and bronze, while various prizes were awarded in 1900. However, the 1904 Olympics ... awarded silver trophies for first place, which makes Athens 1906 the first games that awarded the three medals only.
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