Why are the Olympic Games so popular? – YouTube Dictation Transcript & Vocabulary

1.hi it's Jay what are you best at on the playground are you a fast runner awesome at hand clapping games a hula hoop hero well think about this whatever you love to do most there are probably other kids around the world who love doing that too what if you could get all those kids together to play in one place then you could try your skills against the best Runners hand clappers or hola hoopers out there I wonder who would win someone named ya has a question about something a little like this let's call ya now hi Jay hi ya I have a question for you why are the Olympic games so popular that's a great question every few years the best athletes from around the world gather together in one city to comp compete in sports that test speed strength and skill these games are called the Olympic and Par Olympic Games and they are a big deal any City hosting the games prepares for years crowds flock from all over to watch thousands of athletes compete in dozens of events the athletes who compete here are the best in the world at their Sports the best swimmers the best long jumpers ERS the best weightlifters and more the winner of each event gets a medal gold for first place silver for second and bronze for third right now athletes all over the world are getting ready to go to the Olympics imagine what it would be like to be one of them if you were getting ready to compete in the Olympics how do you think you'd feel now would be a good time to pause the video and discuss okay you ready if you about to compete in the games you might be pretty nervous what if you mess up in front of thousands of people what if your competitors are really good it's a lot of pressure but you'd probably be pumped too you get to meet amazing athletes from all all over the world you get a chance to compete against the very best for gold medal Glory sounds pretty fun okay but what if instead of heading to the games today you were heading to the first Olympic Games a long long time ago how would that be different the earliest Olympic Games took place in ancient Greece thousands of years ago if you were an Olympic Athlete back then then you'd be getting ready to travel to a place in Greece called Olympia where the games were held that's where the Olympic Games get their name once you got there you'd compete in sports like foot races or Chariot racing you probably wouldn't have much special equipment or clothing Runners ran Barefoot and if you won you wouldn't get a gold medal instead you might get one of these a crown of wild ol branches still even back then winning at the Olympics was a huge deal thousands of people traveled from all over Greece to compete or watch the games winners sometimes had statues made of them in their hometowns poets wrote songs about their accomplishments the Olympics today are a tribute to those ancient Greek Olympic games but that doesn't mean they are exactly the same as they were thousands of years years ago back in ancient Greece only some Greek men were allowed to compete in the Olympics mostly soldiers today women and men from more than 200 different countries can and do compete athletes with disabilities also compete in games alongside the Olympics called the Paralympics the Paro Olympics did not begin in ancient Greece the games that became the par Olympics began in the 1940s when a hospital in Europe held a competition for athletes who used wheelchairs over the years this competition grew and grew and became more and more popular and competitive until it became such a big deal that it started being held alongside the Olympics because of these changes and more the way athletes compete at the games also looks really different now than it did in ancient Greece Runners don't run races Barefoot anymore far from it check out these specially designed shoes for Olympic sprinters they help Runners grip the track run faster and keep from getting injured similarly some paralympians use specially designed prosthetic legs like these to help them run fast the Olympics and Par Olympics today also include some sports that the ancient Greek Olympics didn't have at all one of the biggest changes they've made over the years is this winter sports back in ancient Greece Sports were only included if you could play them outdoors in the summer today the Olympics and Paro Olympics have a whole separate competition in the winter for snowy and icy sports like figure skating skiing and snowboarding also every few years the organizers of the Olympics and Par Olympics consider brand new sports to add to the games even in the the summer some sports have been added that the ancient Greeks never imagined from surfing to this sport called breaking or this one called gold ball so in summary the Olympics and Paro Olympic games are international athletic competitions the Olympics today are a tribute to the huge athletic competitions held thousands of years ago in ancient Greece but who plays and how we play has changed a lot a lot since then those changes have made the games more interesting and more competitive that's why so many people still love watching them today what changes would you want to see in the future that's all for this week's question thanks for asking ya now we'll be back with new Mini lessons in the fall but in the meantime here are some older questions from the question jar you can vote on which one you think we should send out next week you can choose from how are pencils made how do phones work or how did cotton candy get its name so submit your vote when the video's over we want to hear from all of you watching there are Mysteries all around us stay curious and see you next week