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The Middle Primary Class has spent the past three weeks looking into the history of the Olympics. The class began looking into the first Ancient Olympic Games held in Olympia, Greece in 776BC. In 1896, Athens hosted the first Modern Olympics. Since then, the class have been looking at the various countries who have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games over the past 125 years.  

Throughout our unit of inquiry, students have started developing a greater understanding of the core values that the Olympics has. The founder of the modern Olympic Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin was a massive fan of sport. He believed sport could help people excel and also bring them together in ways that could help them better understand each other. It was from here, that the beliefs were forged to create the core Olympic values of friendship, respect and excellence.  

One of the most significant pieces of information that the students came across was that the Olympic rings were designed with the five competing continents in mind. At least one colour from the national flag of every country competing at the time was included. The continents are now represented by the following colours: Africa (yellow), the Americas (red), Asia (green), Europe (black), and Oceania (blue). To symbolise athletes from all over the world coming together for the games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin designed the rings to be linking.  

Reflecting on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the class discussed how important mindset really is. We discussed the resilience shown by Cate Campbell as she showed great determination in her swimming events after experiencing disappointment in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Emma McKeon was another stand out for the class, as she took home seven medals, consisting of four gold and three bronze. Jessica Fox’s determination to win gold in the female canoe slalom and perseverance she displayed throughout her previous Olympic journeys was one to be highly commended.  

As the Tokyo Olympics Games have drawn to a close, the students continue to ask questions and reflect on the success that not only Australian athletes experienced but the success of their competitors. The Olympic encompasses much more than just a world-wide sporting event, it teaches us to value honesty, determination, hard work, self-discipline, and the importance of an individual’s mindset. These are all important values that we as a class continue to develop amongst one another daily.