C ompetitions Participation in international sports competitions like Olympic Games, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games help people to know each other and provide opportunities to the participants to see others. It promotes friendship among people of all the continents. Importance of sports participation in international competitions . Participation in sports develops unity of mind and body by which optimum health is achieved.
. It helps in promoting social peace and justice. . It helps in promoting social democracy.
. It helps in breaking the barriers between social classes and nations. There are different types of competitions being organised at International, National, State or Zone and University levels. These competitions are being discussed here.
Ancient Olympic Games First Ancient Olympic Games were held in B.C. These games were regularly held once in four years. A sequence of Olympics was terminated in A.D. by the Roman Emperor Theodosius.
Modern or Summer Olympic Games Baron Pierre de Coubertin was the founder of the Modern Olympic Games. Modern Olympic Games are also held once in four years and were first held in Athens (Greece) in . But during the two world wars, the Olympic Games (i.e., VIth, XIIth and XIIIth Olympiads respectively in the year , and ) were not held. International Olympic Committee is the supreme controlling body of the Modern Olympic Games which was formed in Paris on 25th June with its headquarter in Lausanne (Switzerland).
IOC is a permanent and self-elected body, which has at least one member from each country that has National Olympic Committee. From India, Sir Dorabji Jamshedji Tata, G.D. Sondhi and Raja Bhalindera Singh had the honour of being members of IOC. India first participated in the Olympic Games in with Norman Pitchard winning two Silver Medals in m and m hurdles.
Indian Men’s Hockey team has won gold medals (six successive gold from – , and ), silver medal ( Rome Olympic games) and bronze medals ( , Mexico and , Munich Olympic games). In Helsinki (Finland) Olympic Games, Khashaba Jadhav won bronze medal in