TARGET AUDIENCES
14-18 year old children
ACTIVITIES
Olympic quiz “Olympic sports’ connoisseur”
HIGHLIGHTS
A quiz is composed of educational and entertaining activities aimed to spread Olympic knowledge in an attractive form and on a competitive basis. It is specially developed to accompany the "Your first Olympic Guidebook.
Summary
Since 2004, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, the Olympic Academy of Ukraine and the National University of Ukraine on Physical Education and Sports have been working over a quiz based on Olympic facts, events and history. In fact it has become a real Encyclopaedia of Olympic Games in questions and answers. According to the plan the whole material was spilt into 5 thematic parts: “Olympic Games in Ancient Greece”, “Revival of the Olympic Games”, “Organization and conducting of the Olympic Games”, Olympic movement in Ukraine”, and “Olympic sports”. First each of the parts is published as a separate book for approbation. Then they are united in a one book. The materials of the quiz are widely proposed for use at schools and colleges.
Objectives
- To test the knowledge obtained during Olympic lessons.
- To make students be interested in the Olympic Games, Olympic movement, and Olympism.
Approach
The Quiz was created taking in compliance with the current scientific knowledge about the cognitive aptitudes, interests and logic of 14-18 year-olds.
The Quiz contains materials on the history of the Olympic Games, the host cities of the different editions of the Games, the signs and symbols of Olympism, important sports events and the personalities who have left their mark on Olympism, etc. The students can test their knowledge in a fun way and to get additional Olympic information. It is a good opportunity to screen the knowledge obtained at Olympic lessons and to understand that the notions learnt will be well memorised and used appropriately.
The Quiz "Olympic Sports Connoisseur" is a good complement to the "Your first Olympic Guidebook" book, used in Ukraine for spreading of Olympic education. To add more to their knowledge on the Olympic Movement, the students also use various information sources: Internet, libraries, and meetings with outstanding sports personalities, for example, S. Bubka, Yana Klochkova, etc.
Results
The project was launched in 2004. There are published 5 thematic parts in separate books: “Olympic Games in Ancient Greece”, “Revival of the Olympic Games”, “Organization and conducting of the Olympic Games”, Olympic movement in Ukraine”, and “Olympic sports”. At the pilot stage of every consequent year there were published 1,000 copies of each book which were distributed free to secondary schools in 29 regions of the country.
Each region then decided which schools would receive this material as a priority, according to their degree of involvement in Olympic education, and how active they were in this area.
The materials of this “Encyclopedia of Olympic Games in Questions and Answers” for 14-18 year-old were used in 2008 by 485 687 schoolchildren who took part in the Quiz at their schools throughout Ukraine.
Its full edition both in Ukrainian and English will be presented at the 13th Olympic Congress, Copenhagen, October 3-5, 2009.A sample of some pages from that educational and entertaining book illustrated with a lot of pictures is attached.
Practical advice
The book “Olympic quiz “Olympic sports’ connoisseur” is a series of five separate books published one volume after another per each following year titled as “Olympic Games in Ancient Greece”, “Revival of the Olympic Games”, “Organization and conducting of the Olympic Games”, Olympic movement in Ukraine”, and “Olympic sports”. It is some kind of Olympic history in questions and answers. Each page layout contains the body of the question, option of four possible answers, historical comments, some facts for fun, and answer keys to the previous page tasks which are intended for 14-18 year-old.
E. g.: Task 11
In what events did athletes compete at the first Olympic games ?
a. foot race
b. boxing
c. jumping
d. horse race
Historical comment:
In antiquity the Olympic games were considered as a national festivity when there was announced a sacred truce. Any hostilities were stopped. Nobody was allowed neither to use weapon nor bring it to the area of Elis. The Olympic truce was established as a result of the sacred treaty between three kings – Iphitos of Elis, Kleosthenes of Pisa and Lykourgos of Sparta. It lasted as long as it was necessary for athletes to arrive in Olympia, to prepare for the Games, to take part in the competitions and to return home.
Facts for fun
An ancient Greek poet Pindar in one of his odes told us about appearance of the Olympic games in connection with a name of a hero – the son of Zeus, who cleared away the dung from Augeas’s stables and won a victory in the war against that king of Elis after his refusing to reward the hero for his labor. The hero selected a place for games to pay homage to his father – so that he instituted the Olympic Games. Name the hero.
The book can be used during in-class and out-class educational activities at secondary school and college levels, at Olympic Lessons, Days, Weeks, and as some kind of family leisure. The material from the book can be used in a form of a contest to define the best connoisseur in Olympic sports during art and literature contests and Olympiads. A person who answers the largest number of questions becomes a winner. The most effective application of the Quiz is reached by obtaining some previous information in the field of Olympic knowledge.
Downloads and useful links
On the Ukraine National Olympic Committee's web site, you can download the English version of "Your first Olympic Guidebook", which is used in schools throughout the country. http://www.noc-ukr.org/en/olimpyc_library/guidebook.html
PROJECT INFORMATION
Country:
Ukraine
Organisation:
National Olympic Committee of Ukraine
Contact:
Dr. Prof. Maria Bulatova, Head of Culture and Education Commission, President of Olympic Academy of Ukraine
Address:
42, Esplanadna,
01601, Kiev, Ukraine
Phone:
+380-44 246-62-33/ 287 -68-21
Fax:
+380-44 246-62-33/ 287-31-52
Email:
info@noc-ukr.org
Website:
http://www.noc-ukr.org/en/