Over the centuries the governing bodies had to develop to meet the changes of sport and societies needs.
Development of the Governing of Sport
The governing of sport has developed over the years. All associations have changed their rules so many times; this has affected the effiency of the way the sport has been run, but in a positive way.
The Ancient Games (history)
All games has developed over time, an example of a sport that has changed is the Olympics. Their governing body is recognised over the world it is named the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which represents the most important amateur sport festival in the world, The Olympic Games.
But before the IOC was the Modern Olympic Games, which were started in 1896 at Athens, Greece, under the initiation and leadership of a French educationalist Baron Pierre de Coubertin.
The Olympic Games have been around since 776 BC, and differ from today’s Olympic Games. The Ancient Olympic Games lasted for five days, all athletes and trainers, brothers and families, had to swear at the statue of Zeus, that they would not cheat at the games.
Here are the following events that took place in the Ancient Olympic Games:
- A contest for heralds and trumpeters
- Running
- Wrestling
- Boxing
- Chariot Races
- Pentathlon (consisted of Discus, jumping, javelin, running and wrestling)
- Hoplite race (Race in armour)
The games related religion with sport; they performed funeral rites for people which reinforce the relationship between religion and sport which was ever a feature of the ancient games.
This is not like the Olympic Games of today, the governing body (IOC) have developed since then.
How Sport has Changed
Many years ago sports were played with simple unwritten rules, and no referrers or umpires. The aim of a game would be to win, score as many points as possible etc. Playing with all sorts of objects ranging from animals organs to weaved balls out of tree bark.
Different groups in communities would get together and form folk games, this usually involved violence. By the 19th century many if these games were banned due to the consequence of the violence. Some of the games stayed alive as annual events in some communities. There is a difference between folk games and today’s games. Here is a table showing some of the differences:
Changes in Society
Society has changed radically over years, and it keeps on changing. Every year a new generation is born, it changes the way we think, act and respond.
Our society has many influences, such as politics, money, trends, peers, and international influences.
With this, sport has been affected. For example, football use to be a game for the lads, now it is played by professional women. A long time ago, this would have not been accepted, but gradually over the years, generations look upon football has changed. Professional women football is being recognized more and more, even their games are starting to appear on Sky TV.
Sport is a very competitive within individuals and teams, and even countries competing against each other. Individuals would so desperately want to win that they would cheat, by taking performance enhancing drugs, back then this was known but not tested on individuals, as it came into light in society it was feared to be unfair to the sport, nowadays everyone is tested, and if found with drugs will be disqualified and even banned from the sport. This is another example of how society has influenced sport. To play cricket, polo and other high class sports, you had to be wealthy and in high class society, nowadays this is still true with some sports, such as polo. So in some ways society has not changed.