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The success of a sports event

The recently concluded commonwealth games are a testament to the spirit of sports events. The commonwealth is one of the greatest sporting events other than the Olympics. There were 71 nations participating in the event, though this number may vary from year to year depending on various circumstances.

The success of the event depends on various issues. The most important factor that determines the success is the fact that the games had athletes competing with each other at their best. There are many mediocre performances, but the best ones are those that are completed by the athletes, with all their heart and mind. The performance of the athletes is remembered for a long time by the people who watch the event.

Another important factor that determines if the sports event was a successful one depends on whether the event went on smoothly without any incidence of doping or substance abuse by the participants. This has become a serious issue these days with many people getting caught in major events. The sports event that has no incidence of such problems will surely be considered to be the best event ever.

There are also other factors like the spectator involvement and other factors that play a role in the success of the sports event. The Commonwealth games seemed to have heralded a new chapter in the sports history of various countries. Though many of the powerhouses of sports events including United States, China and Russia did not participate because of the fact that they are not part of the commonwealth countries, the Olympic Games are just around the corner. It will surely be another great sports event to remember for a long time to come! The media also plays a major role in the success of the event as they are the ones who bring the event home to millions of viewers all over the world.

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The Sports of Scotland

With its luscious green hills, its temperate climate, and its sequestered attitude, Scotland is the perfect breeding-ground for true sportsmanship and competition. Though many of the sports native to Scotland have an acutely Scottish hue, many of them have been adopted worldwide as legitimate sporting pursuits. When it comes to many of these sports, like Rugby, Golf, and Football (Soccer), Scotland is king.

Golf historically has its roots on the island of Scotland, with its first officially recognized course located at Leith Links, where people have been golfing since the mid 1400s. The rules of golf have changed over the centuries, but the basic look and feel of the game are still fully intact. Many people will say, in fact, that you haven’t golfed until you’ve golfed in Scotland. It’s no sunny Miami golf-course, but in Scotland you get the real thing, and not a plastic imitation.

Then, of course, you have Rugby in Scotland. The sport of Men (and the occasional group of women). Watching a Rugby match in Scotland puts American Football to shame. There are no pads, helmets or visors. It truly is a free-for-all and though the rules are confusing to foreigners, it is always thrilling to watch. The game is violent, fast-paced, end employs a mixture of hands, feet, and outright tackles. Not for the faint of heart or the frail of body.

The other sport dominating Scotland is football (or what Americans call soccer, which is really just a colloquial way of saying (football association). With the world cup craze recently ended and put to rest for the next four years, it will give Scotland ample time to prepare to dominate the next world competition, though in the meanwhile Scotland’s football players keep busy with their own leagues and drawing in stadiums full of screaming fans.

The Scottish take their sports seriously. You wouldn’t ever want to get between a rugby player and the game ball.

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Get Back in Touch With Nature With Outdoor Sports

As cities continue to build upwards and suburbs continue to span outwards, it’s easy for us in this modern age to lose touch with the world that gives us our home in the first place. Out there is what we call Nature. The Wild Blue Yonder. The miles of trees, the beasts, the elements. Nature regulates itself. Nature simply is, and we, as its dancing, meddling children have a tendency to forget this. We impose order and structure on a World who operates on its own time.

For this reason, people who practice outdoor sports may be a little more clued in to their primordial selves than the rest of us, with our $500 running shoes and Nalgene Plastic bottles. Outdoor sports, like kayaking, mountain climbing, trail running, mountain biking, and even caving and canyoning get us back in touch with the nature –  from whence we came. ‘ They teach us to respect the elements, that we are just as much in service to them as they are to us. Experiencing over 11,000 miles of rivers and waterways during a Florida vacation home rentals is a great way to get back in touch with nature. There are so many ways to stay active on the water including fishing, swimming, or boating to burn off calories.

Outdoor sports also require a different psychological mindset. Whereas some competitive sports have their own extra elements to deal with, like baseball’s relationship with rain, or football’s relationship with snow, outdoor sports are very contingent upon the elements in nature with which they are concerned. For the mountaineer, snow presents a challenge merely. Changes in nature represent the dynamism in outdoor sports, and the versatility that outdoor athletes must be prepared to expend over the courses of their training and competition.

One of the other attributes unique to outdoor sports is how respectable they are to the surrounding elements. An off-road marathon does not require a massive, 100,000-seat stadium or 500 mega-watts of electricity to power. Outdoor sports are much more holistic, and some may argue, they are much more self-aware. Nature is for us to enjoy, not destroy. When we were younger, we played in the woods. Outdoor sports are merely an expression of this.

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Evolution of the Olympic Games

The five Olympic rings represent the five cont...
Image via Wikipedia

In the first Olympics, young male athletes from Ancient Greece came together to challenge one another in a “stade” or short sprint across the stadium.  Throughout the early years of the games, other events were added. Boxing, chariot racing, long jump, and the javelin and discus throw all made their way into the arena.

According to Wikipedia, “The athletes usually competed naked, not only as the weather was appropriate, but also as the festival was meant to celebrate, in part, the achievements of the human body.”

Boy oh boy, have the Olympics come a long way. Not only in sporting events, but uniforms as well.

Over the years there have been events added and removed from the Olympic program. The International Olympic Committee has an Executive Committee who votes on which events make it into a program and which sports are removed. Decisions are based on whether or not an event is practiced around the world and how many countries are able to participate.

Did you know that floorball, lifesaving, tug of war, and wushu are all games that are recognized by the IOC? “Floorball, hmm,” you may scratch your head and wonder, “what exactly is floorball?” It’s a type of indoor hockey developed in the 1970’s. It is mainly played in European countries as a year round sport.

Softball and baseball have officially made their way off of the Olympic program. Coming from the American Continents that may flabbergast you. How could a defining American sport be removed from the Olympic program? That’s just it. It’s an American sport that is not played universally across the globe.  That’s not to say that it won’t make a return in future games. There just needs to be more countries willing to play ball.

What is interesting is that as of late, golf and rugby have made it back onto the Olympic program, and you will be seeing these athletes perform in future Olympic games.

What can you make of this? That evolution is absolute.  Even as the world around us continues to evolve, so do the Olympic games.

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