What I'm teaching this week: Geopolitics and the Olympics

My adult ESL students and I have been buzzing about the Paris Olympics for the past couple of weeks, so I chose an article about the controversies surrounding the Games. It should give us plenty to talk about in class this week.

If you'd like to read about how I structure my conversation classes and why, click here for the post.

This week's article: "What the 2024 Olympics tells us about global geopolitics" by Simon Chadwick and Paul Widdop, published August 2, 2024 on The Conversation. 

Click here for the article


Vocabulary list from the article:


BALK: Example from article: Those from the extreme left balk at what they see as Macron’s globalist tendencies.


PLACATE: Example: Paris Olympic organizers have since issued an apology, though this is unlikely to have placated Muslim communities around the world.


BREACH: Example: The justification for [the decision to ban hijabs at the Olympics] was that it would breach the country’s secularist principles, which create a clear separation between religion and state.


CAST A SHADOW: Example: The war in Gaza continues to cast a shadow over the Games. 


STEP IN: Example: This followed Paris quickly stepping in to stage the match after Uefa removed St Petersburg’s right to host the game following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine


THUGS: Example:  Riot police teargassed spectators while failing to protect them from being attacked by local thugs.


Related idioms:


PASS THE BUCK

PUSH THE ENVELOPE

FAN THE FLAMES

STIR THE POT

ROCK THE BOAT


Conversation questions:

  • Do you think the opening ceremony accurately reflected French culture? In what ways?(This question is for my French students)
  • How did the depiction of The Last Supper create controversy? What are your thoughts on the French Catholic Church's reaction to it?
  • How important is it for the IOC to placate all participating countries and avoid any potential culturally offensive decisions? Is it possible to do so?
  • What do you think about the decision to ban Muslim women from wearing hijabs while competing for France at the Olympics? 
  • How do political tensions affect international events like the Olympics? What recent political events have cast a shadow over the Paris Olympics, and why?
  • Do you agree with the decision to ban certain countries from participating in the Olympics? in your opinion, what are some legitimate reasons to exclude a country?
  • Do you think it's reasonable for an athlete to withdraw from a competition rather than competing against an athlete from a particular country, such as Israel?
  • Do you think Russia's World Friendship Games will be successful? Could it actually pose a threat to the future of the Olympics? If so, why?
  • Due to all of controversies surrounding the Paris Olympics, some people have decided to boycott the Olympics by not watching it. Do you think this is a rational decision? Would you ever consider boycotting the Olympics? If so, for what reason?


Did you cover this topic with your students? Leave me a comment and let me know how it went! Which question(s) generated the best discussion?


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