Brief History of Sport in Canada

Brief History of Sport in Canada

1600-present

Early Canada (1600-1850)

Games were important to early native culture Games focused around ceremonial & religious practices Baggataway – lacrosse

Arrival of British (1763) brought sports like cricket, horse-racing,

fox-hunting, & snow shoeing “Under classes” like farmers & settlers did not have time or $ for recreation Sporting clubs centered around drinking (Scottish merchants began the Montreal CC)

Victorian Period (1850-1920)

Industrialization (following WWI) provided “free time” Main focus – socialization No leagues or competitions 1860 – 24 clubs in 4 sp; 1894 – 234 in 15

Emergence of Sport as a Commodity (1920-1960)

WWII ended poverty & unemployment of Great Depression Amateur & professional sport emerged and contributed to nationalism TV (1950s) changed sport forever 1917 – NHL (1926 – 10 teams; 2 divisions)

Sport & Canadian State (1960 – present)

Improved legislation in sports following WWII Government involvement 1950s – Diefenbaker (success in sport needed to boost national pride)

Bill C–131 – 1st time federal gov was officially involved in promotion & dev of fitness & amateur sport 1961-$30,000 Today - $5 million+ Canada Games

History of the Olympic Games

Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937) Founder of the Olympic Games Body is buried at Olympia in Greece Games emphasize peace, international understanding, & whole development (body, mind, spirit) of human body

776 BC

First Olympic event takes place with only 1 event Stade race – a sprint of 600 feet (192.28m)

Athens, 1896

1st modern “Olympic Games” held in Athens, Greece 13 countries 9 sports 311 male participants

Paris, 1900

A near disaster, these games were poorly organized & received little attention 13 new sports added Women competed in golf & tennis

St

Louis, 1904

Held at same time as World Fair Only 12 countries participated, with majority of competitors being American 1st Canadian to win GOLD – Desmarteau (Montreal policeman)

London, 1908

Use of proper rules but all judges were British so animosity existed among all teams Figure skating first introduced as a sport

Stockholm, 1912

Games well-organized & involved twice as many competitors 2490 male athletes 57 female athletes Women participated in swimming No incidents or protests

1914-1918

Olympic Games were cancelled because of WWI

Antwerp, 1920

Hosted by Belgium following WWI 29 countries (but Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria & Turkey were not allowed) Ice hockey introduced as sport

Paris, 1924

Large increase in participating countries 44 countries 3092 competitors Summer & Winter games began to be held separately

Amsterdam, 1928

Women participated in athletics & gymnastics Several women collapsed at end of 800m race 48 countries took part

Los Angeles, 1932

Travel costs reduced # participants More spectators attended than ever; 100,000 at opening ceremonies 1st Olympic Village to accommodate participants

Berlin, 1936

IOC insisted Games take place despite persecution of Jews by Hitler’s Nazi party Hitler used Games to show German superiority as a race Jesse Owens (black American) won 4 gold medals

1939 - 1945

Games cancelled because of WWII

London, 1948

London still recovering from war 59 countries 4500 participants Germany, Japan, & Soviet Union did not attend

Helsinki, 1952

“Friendly Games” b/c of Germany’s absence Soviet Union returns after 40 years away Beginning of East-West rivalry that still exists

Melbourne, 1956

Unexpected events & political turmoil Foreign horses could not enter country Equestrian events took place in Sweden Several countries withdrew b/c of political unrest

Rome, 1960

No political problems All-white team represented South Africa (apartheid) Events witnessed on television Danish cyclist died after using drugs to enhance performance

Tokyo, 1964

Very expensive Games 94 countries despite several being banned (S Africa, N Korea, & Indonesia)

Mexico City, 1968

East & West Germany entered as separate teams Violent demonstration over cost of Games & poverty (people killed) 1st time drug testing “Black power” salute by 2 USA athletes

Munich, 1972

Black American athletes staged protests during medal ceremonies again Palestinian terrorists killed several Israeli athletes & officials Some teams/competitors left the Games

Montreal, 1976

$2 billion spent in preparation French Canadians upset b/c Queen Elizabeth II opened ceremonies Issues with Africa & apartheid; 32 nations walked when IOC refused to ban NZ

Moscow, 1980

Games were successfully organized 81 teams took part Boycott by Western countries, spearheaded by USA Security was very heavy

Los Angeles, 1984

Most commercialized games to date Enormous profit 140 countries Soviet Union, Cuba, & most East European countries boycotted

Seoul, 1988

Superbly organized & turned large profit No boycotts, disruptions or protests took place Ben Johnson disqualified for banned substances Pro tennis players

Barcelona, 1992

Peaceful games without incident S Africa permitted after 30-yr ban USA “Dream Team” participates in b-ball 12 separate teams represent USSR

1994

Winter & Summer Games begin to be held at 2-yr intervals to each other.

Atlanta, 1996

Almost every country participated in these Games 197 countries 10,788 athletes Dark side – small bomb in a public place

Sydney, 2000

Games flawlessly organized No incidents 10,651 athletes 300 events

The Olympic Games…

- have survived more than 100 yrs, 2 World Wars, boycotts, bombs, killings, & numerous political demonstrations