The international Olympic Games that are held every four years were originally hosted in ancient Greece in 1896. From the beginning when the Olympic Games first started, till now, has made athlete's skill, strength and honour for their country visible. Also, at every Olympic game, athletes take the Olympic oath at the opening ceremony to remind them of the ideals and values of the true spirit of sportsmanship, and that participating in the games is more important than winning. Canadians in most part have adopted these values within our own society. Too many Canadians, the Olympics present national pride, sportsmanship, hard work, honesty and excellence. But over the years, many scandals have occurred that have decreased Canadians' faith and belief in their athletes and judges in the non-political nature of the games as well as the financial benefits of hosting the Olympic Games. As a result of these scandals, therefore, the Olympics have had a negative impact on Canadian society.
English: The Bird's nest, Beijing, during the clos...
English: Commemorative stamp of Greece, The First ...
English: The Olympic Flag flying in Victoria, Brit...An event that drastically decreased Canadians' faith in their athletes was the scandal with Ben Johnson. Prior to the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympic games with Johnson and his drug use, most Canadians believed that athletes won the games because of the heart and hard work they put into their training. When Johnson won gold for being the fastest man on earth, nationally, Canadians' felt proud of Johnson's accomplishment. When Johnson was stripped of his gold medal due to drug use, the faith that Canadians had in their athletes was destroyed. The once fastest runner, who created such an amazing accomplishment, disappointed his country and shattered the Olympic oath to pieces. This scandal not only had an negative impact because of the shocking news that shattered Canadians' national pride fro knowing the fastest man in the world as a cheater, but...