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The 1936 Olympics

The 1936 Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, were held in Berlin, Germany, from August 1 to August 16, 1936. These Games are historically significant for their political context, the propaganda used by the Nazi regime, and the remarkable athletic achievements that took place.

Background and Preparation:

  1. Selection of Berlin:
    • Berlin was selected as the host city in 1931, before the Nazi Party came to power. However, the Nazi regime, which took control in 1933, used the Games to promote their ideology.
  2. Political Context:
    • Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime aimed to use the Olympics to showcase the supposed superiority of the Aryan race and to promote Nazi propaganda both domestically and internationally.
  3. Venue and Infrastructure:
    • The main venue was the Reichssportfeld, which included the Olympic Stadium (Olympiastadion). The complex could accommodate over 100,000 spectators and was one of the largest sports facilities of its time.
    • Extensive infrastructure improvements were made, including new sports facilities, roads, and a new airport.

Opening and Closing Ceremonies:

  1. Opening Ceremony:
    • The opening ceremony was held on August 1, 1936, at the Olympic Stadium. It featured grandiose displays of Nazi symbolism and pageantry, with Adolf Hitler officially opening the Games.
    • A significant innovation was the first use of the Olympic torch relay, with the flame being transported from Olympia, Greece, to Berlin.
  2. Closing Ceremony:
    • The closing ceremony took place on August 16, 1936, marking the end of the Games with a display of fireworks and celebratory events.

Notable Events and Highlights:

  1. Jesse Owens:
    • American athlete Jesse Owens became the star of the Games, winning four gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump, and 4×100 meters relay. Owens’ achievements were a significant counterpoint to Nazi racial ideology, as he was an African American athlete excelling in front of Hitler.
  2. Luz Long:
    • German long jumper Luz Long famously helped and congratulated Jesse Owens, demonstrating sportsmanship despite the political tensions. Long’s gesture is remembered as a symbol of the Olympic spirit.
  3. Political Boycotts and Protests:
    • There were calls to boycott the Berlin Olympics due to the Nazi regime’s policies, but most countries chose to participate. Spain did not compete due to the Spanish Civil War.
    • The Games were marked by Nazi propaganda, with extensive use of swastikas and other symbols of the regime.
  4. Innovations in Broadcasting:
    • The 1936 Olympics were the first to be televised, with broadcasts shown on large screens around Berlin and to limited television sets in Germany. This was a significant advancement in sports broadcasting.
  5. Other Athletic Achievements:
    • Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi, who had previously won nine gold medals, was controversially banned from competing due to accusations of professionalism.
    • The German team performed well, topping the medal table with the most gold medals and total medals.

Impact and Legacy:

  1. Propaganda and Image:
    • The Berlin Olympics were a major propaganda success for the Nazi regime, showcasing a peaceful and prosperous Germany to the world, despite the underlying reality of oppression and militarization.
    • The Games helped to temporarily soften the image of Nazi Germany internationally.
  2. Athletic Legacy:
    • Jesse Owens’ triumphs challenged racial stereotypes and left a lasting legacy in sports history.
    • The introduction of the torch relay and advancements in sports broadcasting set precedents for future Olympic Games.
  3. Historical Context:
    • The Berlin Olympics are often seen as a prelude to World War II, highlighting the tensions and ideologies that would soon lead to global conflict.
    • The Games demonstrated how sports can be manipulated for political purposes, a lesson that resonates in discussions about the relationship between sports and politics today.

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Getting the right ice skates

Ice sporting activities are generally popular as a means of activity, interacting, getting more fit as well as a competitive sport for example speed skating, figure skating as well as ice hockey. Specific equipment and specialist establishments are generally required for the majority of ice connected pursuits, except, perhaps in areas in which it really is cold enough for streams and bodies of water to freeze over. Probably the most critical items for ice related endeavours are the ice skates. Accurately fitting ice skates is vital for comfort and ease, efficiency, along with protection of the skater. However , your feet have not been intended to be crammed in to the rigid upper of the skate and shoelaces tied firmly to hold the feet solidly in position, therefore the potential for difficulties is substantial if its not accomplished adequately.

To fit skates the right way, both feet really should be assessed as they are sized in a different way to everyday shoes. Skates can be found in different widths (narrow, standard, wide), and that means you really need to consider the width of your foot and pick skates accordingly. Use the socks you’ll be skating in when trying the skates on. When standing up, there ought to be a little space (around a finger’s thickness) in between your lengthiest toe and the front of the skate. You are looking for some gap for movements but not an excessive amount of in order to avoid rubbing. Your rearfoot ought to sit firmly up against the back of the skate. Lift your heel to check for the comfy fit. If the heel lifts considerably, the ice skates might be too large. Lace up the ice skates firmly although not so restricted they stop blood flow. The skates must provide good ankle joint support without having to be overly restricted. Walk about and take note of any pressure spots or discomfort. Make certain there are no places that the ice skate is digging into your foot. Bend your knees just like you will whilst ice skating as this makes certain that your feet are properly located within the ice skate and that the ice skate offers the important support. If you’re not sure in regards to the fit, talk to a professional at a skate store. They are able to provide guidance and may also heat mould the ice skates to be able to better adapt to the feet. Ice skates may require some time to be broken in after purchase, so make sure the skates are fitted properly.

Some of the issues that might go wrong in ice skates are usually pressure from the firm upper of the ice skate on bony lumps, for example the top of the foot in which it is known as a saddle bone deformity. This can in addition come about at the back of the heel when there is a bony lump there known as Haglund’s deformity. Ice hockey players label this a Bauer bump, named after the most frequent brand of skates. Another problem which could develop is referred to as lace bite. This is where the laces is too tight on the front of the ankle joint region and the force irritates the tendons there. Most of these issues such as the saddle bone deformity, Bauer bump along with lace bite may be avoidable with a good fitting of the ice skates along with the usage of protecting cushions over the area to reduce the pressure.

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The Bauer Bump in Ice Hockey

The one point that lots of ice hockey participants grumble regarding and that is a thing that is known as the Bauer Bump. Bauer are one of the largest brands of ice hockey skates, hence the problem is called after them, even though the problem can happen in almost any model of ice hockey skate. The problem is usually what is called Haglund’s deformity or maybe a retrocalcaneal bursitis. It also can get called the pump bump. This means there’s an enlargement on the calcaneus bone at the back that almost any type of footwear such as an ice hockey skate will probably irritate as well as contribute to an inflammatory reaction with the bursa there. It’s not an issue that is exclusive to ice hockey and Haglund’s deformity could happen to anyone in almost any shoes if the shoes irritates an enlargement behind the heel bone.

Frequently, the growth can be viewed at the rear of the calcaneus bone and it’s clear to understand how any boot or shoe will probably irritate this swelling. This continuous irritation will inflame a bursa that is over the bone at the back of the heel and it will turn out to be reddish and enlarged through that. This swelling can occasionally get so painful that anti-inflammatory medicines may be required to relieve the pain and also the inflammation.

Just what mainly could an ice hockey participant do for the Bauer’s Bump? From time to time just shifting the brand name of ice hockey boots will be that’s required, and you can see a few testimonials from ice hockey players that this is what they did and this resolved them. A very good skate boot retailers will likely have the equipment to cut out a cavity from the heel counter part of the skate boots. Many may also use a heat gun and extend the heel counter region out a little over the region. There’s also several patches that you can use to keep the pressure off of the painful bursa. This can include silicon gel protective patches, occasionally integrated into a sock. A lot of players feedback that this is very useful and highly recommend this. Other types of paddings shaped like a horseshoe, or a doughnut might be fashioned to go around the enlarged region and stop the skate from pressing on the swollen region at the back of the heel bone. This can be an ongoing issue as the swelling from the bursa is often minimized with such approaches, but the enlarged heel bone is still likely to be there long term, so may be easily irritated again. The best option to get rid of the bone and Bauer’s bump forever is surgery to clear out the bone. Although this is a good option long term it can be somewhat challenging as the Achilles tendon requires to be taken off to access the calcaneus to clear out it and after that the tendon is attached back into the location. The issue with that is the much longer rehabilitation that is required due to the need to push the tendon move away.

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There was a running boom during the COVID-19 pandemic

There isn’t any doubt that the COVID-19 epidemic has had harmful consequences not just economically but also with mental health issues. It has pushed individuals to become far more ingenious and take steps to take care of those around them and themselves. One particular positive outcome of the epidemic could be the number of people who have adopted running as a means of fitness and to benefit mental health. Fairly recently, quite a few athletic shoes corporations are generally confirming about their greater sales while in the COVID-19 lockdowns.

On Global Running Day, 2nd June 2021, World Athletics put out a press release confirming this rise in interest in running. World Athletics commissioned an investigation from Nielsen’s. The survey was conducted in ten different countries. Neilsen’s found out that a large number of individuals have adopted running throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and every one of those propose to maintain their running and the passion for it when the pandemic is over. They outlined how runners have increased their involvement along with the variety of health benefits that they gain from running. They found that today 4 in ten people consider themselves to be runners and thirty % of them run at least one day each week. Of most runners, 53% are men and 47% are women. This break up differs to what’s seen in a lot of various other sports activities. In addition, they learned that about a 5th of all runners run more often than they did earlier because of the COVID-19 lockdowns and the majority in that group say they are going to keep going more frequently once the pandemic is finished.

There are many advantages of running which are both mental and physical. One feature is referred to as a ‘runner’s high’. It has long been identified as starting with a “peace of mind and then a increased ease of motion, a sense of power along with confidence, optimism and hope, and you may often hear runners explain feeling loving and connected to others and everything”. The final results with the study reflects this ‘runners high’ experience, with 75 percent of all runners accepting that running is ‘good for my mind as well as my body’. Those who were aged 25-34 are likely to be passionate about their running, with half agreeing that it is a part of who they are. Runners will probably consider themselves to be much more warm and friendly, more family oriented, positive and passionate, showing greater confidence to affiliate themselves with positive personality characteristics compared to those who aren’t runners. This supports the substantial mental health advantages of running.

For individuals who are present runners, one of the primary variables with the decision to take up running are health and wellbeing motives as well as the ability to run at your own tempo and not requiring much gear. This will make running can be a great deal simpler to participate in with the only essential item of equipment being a good pair of running shoes, although plenty of athletes do spend money on GPS devices along with other pieces of equipment.

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Why is the parkrun so popular?

The parkrun (written with a small “p”) is a collection of in excess of 2000 5-kilometre (or 3.1 mile) events for walkers and runners which are held every Saturday morning in twenty two countries around the world. In addition to that there is a childrens parkrun over 2 kilometres (1.25 miles) for kids aged 4 to 14 on a Sunday morning. These parkrun’s happen to be free to take part and are staffed and run by volunteers, even though there can be a a few employed personnel at its headquarters. The parkrun was launched by Paul Sinton-Hewitt with the initial run getting put on at Bushy Park in London, England on 2 October back in 2004. The event grew from there becoming duplicated in many other Great Britain venues. They were at first referred to as UK Time Trials with the label, parkrun, initially getting used in 2008 when expansion began to take place in other countries. The parkruns occur in various sorts of locations including parks, nature parks, woodlands, estuaries and rivers, lakes, beaches, as well as prisons. Those participants that have completed 50, 100, or 500 of the runs are given a free tee shirt. Once a participant has registered on the parkrun website and gets a bar code, they’re able to travel to and take part in any throughout the world where they are usually referred to as “tourists”. The record holder of the run for men is Andrew Baddeley with a time of 13 minutes and 48 seconds and the woman’s fastest is Lauren Reid who has a time of 15 minutes and 45 seconds.

The founder, Paul Sinton-Hewitt was granted a CBE by the Queen for his services to grassroots sports activity in 2014 for that which parkrun has become. At the moment you will find nearly 7 million participants registered worldwide with parkrun. This amazing fast growth is mainly due to its simpleness and accessibility. Participants only need to signup on the web just once after which they basically turn up at any parkrun event and run. The inclusive viewpoint can also be almost certainly one factor as participants cover anything from competitive and fast club athletes to those that just walk the 5km. Wheelchair users, individuals pushing strollers with young children and individuals running with their animals are welcome. The events happen to be acclaimed among the list of greatest public health initiatives of our time for promoting exercise as well as as being a social movement to the common good.

Each parkrun event is staffed and administered by volunteers with the important equipment furnished by the parkrun head office. These volunteers are considered the heart of the parkrun movement and their efforts are credited on the parkrun’s web site every week. A short while ago the writer, Eileen Jones journeyed around the UK and stopped at a lot of the 730 parkrun venues there and spoke with runners and walkers and discussed the way a 5km event on a Saturday morning had changed their life. Jone’s work was published in a book having the title of “how parkrun changed our lives”.

At the start of March in 2020, the vast majority of parkrun gatherings ended up cancelled around the world as a consequence of the COVID crisis. At the beginning of 2021 some events started to return, primarily since the pandemic began to be controlled in some countries around the world.