The Olympics is an international sporting event held every four years, and this year, the opening date for the Olympic Games is set for July 27th! The best athletes from over 200 nations will come together and participate in various events and competitions. Luckily, the Olympics are aired on television, so the rest of us can watch in amazement. Who’s excited? I know I am!
The Olympic Games are held every four years, but there are both winter and summer Olympics which alternate. Different sports are played at each one and they are held in a different city each time! In 2008 the Summer Games took place in Beijing, and the 2010 Winter Games were held in Vancouver. This year the Summer Games will be in the city of London, England!
Some of the sports that occur during the Summer Games are gymnastics, aquatics, archery, basketball, cycling, football, golf, rowing, rugby, sailing, tennis, volleyball, triathlons, weightlifting and more. Winter Games feature the bobsleigh, ski jumping, ice hockey, skiing, figure and speed skating, luge, snowboarding, etc. Even with all that though, the games generally only last about two weeks!
The Olympic tradition comes from the city of Olympia in ancient Greece, where every four years they held an event to honor the Greek gods. These events not only held sports competitions, but also supported poets, artists, and playwrights. They were held for many years, but then vanished for almost 2,000 years. However, in 1894 they made a comeback when the International Olympic Committee was formed and the official games began again 2 years later!
The five rings in the Olympic symbol are said to represent the 5 sets of continents that participate; Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania, (representing the islands in the Pacific Ocean, Australia, and New Zealand) and the Americas (North and South America). The colors; blue, black, yellow, red and green on a white background, were chosen because at least one of these colors appear in each of the flags of the participating nations in the Olympics. During the opening ceremony, the symbolism continues. Eight people carry in the flag where five of the flag bearers represent the continents and the other three people stand for the Olympic ideals: sport, environment and culture.
For most sports, you’re not aloud to wear jewelry... what a bummer! However, it is a safety precaution. If you’re involved in sports but have body piercings, a good option might be to wear bioplast jewelry or a retainer. These options will help in the safety and hiding of the piercing. This would probably not be acceptable for the Olympics, but for a small-town softball game or a friendly soccer match, bioplast jewelry or retainers are great.
Bioplast is a medical material that is commonly used for body piercings because it is bio-compatible (which means it is non-toxic and hypo-allergenic). Bioplast doesn’t contain any metals, so it won’t cause any allergic reactions like other jewelry that contains nickel might. The material can also withstand high temperatures, so it can be autoclaved or sterilized, which reduces the chances of piercing-related infection. Bioplast is also good for piercings because it’s a flexible material that can move with your body. Another feature is that it can be cut easily to any length, so it can be adapted to fit many different piercings. Bioplast is also self-threading, meaning that it can be attached to any screw-on balls of the proper size once the material is cut to the desired length. Bioplast jewelry is used for nose studs, tragus piercings, labrets and monroes, and many others. It’s the perfect companion to sun and sportsmanship!
