From OLYMPICS to WORLD CUP GLORY The formation of FIFA in 1904 and the establishment of the World Cup Tournament in 1930 consolidated football’s position as the world’s most widely watched and played game.Olympic champions Uruguay were the first winners of the WORLD Cup. 1948 – 1952 OLYMPICS In the 1948 and 1952 OLYMPIC GAMES, the Jamaican-Identity was established/globalized in the international sphere of sport with the ‘medalling’ of our athletes: Mckenley, Laing, Wint, and Rhoden. The culture of Track and Field Athletics and participation at the OLYMPIC GAMES have played critical roles in the success of Jamaica at the regional and international level. In 1952 Africa’s NIGERIA first participated in the Olympic Games, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since then, except for the boycotted 1976 Summer Olympics. Nigeria ‘Super Eagles’ created ‘waves’ in the 1994 World Cup and qualified for the Round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. TOKYO 1964 OLYMPICS- Africa’s GHANA Olympic football team known as the Black Meteors, appeared in the quarter-final of the Olympic games in 1964 where they were beaten by Romania in the quarter-final. They played in the 1968, 1972 Olympic tournaments, but never progressed further than the Group stages. They also qualified in 1976 then withdrew. The team qualified for five straight Olympic Games Football Tournaments when the tournament was still a full senior national team competition. In 1992, Ghana reached the semi-final for the first time, defeated Australia 2-0 to claim their first bronze medal in the event, and thus became the first African country to win a medal at football. Ghana reached the quarter-finals of the Olympics football tournament in 1996 for the second time, they lost 4-2 against Brazil. In the Athens 2004 tournament Ghana were eliminated in the Group stages after they lost a must win game 1-0 against Japan. The team was not able to qualify for Beijing 2008 and London 2012.Ghana qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. MUNICH OLYMPICS 1972 The final was played between Poland and Hungary, the 1964 and 1968 champions. Poland was coached by Kazimierz Górski, who also managed the Polish national team. Hungary tried to make it three straight in West Germany, but fell to midfielder Kazimierz Deyna and Poland in the final, 2-1. Two years later in 1974, Gorski led the Polish team to a third place at the World Cup - with many of the players (Lato,Deyna, etc.) that took the gold medal in Münich. CONCACAF: 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES The United States have practically dominated Olympic soccer (men and women) in the CONCACAF. Regional powerhouse Mexico ended their wait for an Olympic medal in style as they overcame Brazil 2-1 at Wembley Stadium to claim gold at London 2012. Mexico reached the knock out stage of the 2014 World Cup Final in Brazil. SCHOOLBOY FOOTBALL in JAMAICA The Inter Secondary School Sports Association (ISSA) is the governing body for secondary/high school football sport in Jamaica. It is staffed by Principals who operate under the aegis of the Ministry of Education. Jamaica is the only member of FIFA whose secondary school football competitions are more organized, financed, and sponsored than club and national teams.The spirit and ethos of the Olympic Movement must be synthesized within the matrix of amateur-based local school boy football. It was and still remains inevitable that anything built from the top-down will eventually collapse…under its own weight. With no ‘real foundation’ set below Jamaica’s U17 squad/program..and no ‘middle ground’ for professional development. ..Collapse of the ‘system’ was inevitable as the “demands of the top” would/could simply not be met without a joint JFF/JOA on-going OLYMPIC developmental program. The OLYMPIC GAMES is the middle ground and serves as a launch pad ‘foundation’ for World Cup Glory.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 06:11:56 +0000
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