07 06 sports u3b

Module

3B

Be a Sport!

The Olympic Games, an international sports
festival, occurs every four years in different
places of the world. Numerous athletes compete
in team and individual sports for the gold, silver
and bronze medals. There are many rules for this
event and the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) is in charge of formulating them.
Concerning the location of the event, the
IOC is responsible for choosing the host city.
The selected place must follow the rules
formulated by the International Committee for
the organisation of the Olympic Games. One
requirement is that the Organising Committee
must provide competitors and team personnel
with accommodation. For this reason, they
stay together in an Olympic Village during the
competition. Regarding duration, the Games
should last sixteen days but they may be
extended with the approval of the IOC.
The Committee also decides which sports form
part of the Olympic Programme. Thus, if an
activity is not included, those athletes will not
have a chance of contending. Otherwise, the
Olympic Committee must send the invitations
to the National Olympic Committees one year

before the opening ceremony. And each National
Committee, in turn, must investigate the validity
of the entries proposed by national federations.
One condition, for instance, is that a competitor

who has two or more nationalities must choose
only one of the countries to represent in the
Olympics.
Since there is a limit on the number of
participants, entrants must satisfy all the
requirements if they want to be in the contest.
Thus, they must train an average of eight hours
a day to be prepared for high level competition.
Moreover, they must pass a drug testing regime,
established by the International Olympic
Committee due to banned substance abuse in
previous contests. Failing these tests means
disqualification.
Apart from the IOC’s regulations, competitors
must obey the rules formulated by the
International Federation of the specific sport in
which they are involved. One criterion which
depends on each IF is age limit. For example,
FIFA, the Fédération Internationale de Football
Association, imposes an age limit of 23 with
three over age players allowed in every team.
There are certainly many other regulations
established by the International Committee and
all the organisations that work for the Games.
Without these rules, it would be difficult to

ensure fair play in the most outstanding sporting
event.

Activities
1Tick (3) the correct answer.
aThe International Olympic Committee...

bCompetitors must pass a drug test

1 ...investigates the validity of the

entries.

administered by...

2 ...chooses the host city.

1 ...the International Olympic

Committee.

3 ...imposes age limit on competitors.

2 ...each International Federation.
3 ...each National Olympic Committee.

English Toolkit 1 - Sports

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The Olympics


Module

3B
c Competitors...

dIn relation to sports,

1 ...may represent more than one

country.

1 ...they are all included in the Olympics.

2 ...can’t represent only one country.

that appear in the Olympic Programme.

3 ...must represent only one country.

3 ...there have always appeared the same
sports in the Olympic Programme.

2 ...there is a previous selection of those

2Read the text and find synonyms for these words.
arules:

dplace:

bOlympic Games:

eactivity:

c requirement:

aTrain 8 hours a day:
bHave a healthy diet:
c Sleep well:
dAdd two more sentences using should.



4Olympic records! Read the sentences about the best athletes and
complete them with superlatives.
aThe

(fast) man ran 100 metres in less than ten seconds.

bYelena Slesarenko, from Russia, performed the
c Andrei Ribakov lifted the

(high) jump in 2004.
(heavy) weight in his category in 2008.

He lifted 394 kg!
dMartina Hellman, from Germany, holds the record for the
discus throw.

5In groups, write a report about the most
recent Olympic Games. These questions
are given as a guide.
Which was the host city? What was the number of sports
included in the Olympics? How many athletes were there
in the Olympics? Was there a new rule? In which sports
did athletes from your country compete?
Did your country win any medals? Which one(s)? In
which sports?
English Toolkit 1 - Sports

(long)

Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A. / Richmond 2011

3One of your friends wants to become a professional athlete. What’s your advice?
Use the information below and make sentences using should or shouldn’t.