The 2014 FIFA World Cup saw the introduction of a new goal-line technology. However, it was only needed once. For the first time FIFA allowed referees to call out breaks during the game in which players could drink, due to the high temperatures and humidity.
In the end, Germany proved to be the most stable team of the tournament. After crushing Portugal 4:0 in the opening game, the Germans went on to win their group. In the knockout phase, they had many problems with underdog Algeria but won after extra time. Victories against France and Brazil gave the Germans their eighth final in football history. Argentina was a tough match in a fairly even game. Mario Götze scored the only goal in the 113th minute of the final, giving Germany the fourth World Cup in history.
The Europeans arguably had the best team in the World Cup. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was the centrepiece of German defence. Even without an outstanding superstar, like Brazil’s Neymar or Argentina’s Messi, a good mixture of offensive and defensive players allowed the Germans to vary the speed of the game. In the end, the substitutes made the difference and won matches for Germany.
Goetze scores winning goal for Germany in the final match High-tech is entering the world of football. For the first time in history goal line technology is being used at a major tournament. GoalControl, provided by a German company, will be used in all stadiums of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The new technology is similar to the "Hawkeye" in tennis, which has been used since 2005. 14 cameras posted high around the stadium track every object. Cables connect the cameras to a main computer, which calculates the ball's exact position when it is near the goal lines. When the ball crosses the goal line within the goal posts, a signal is sent to the referee's watch saying "GOAL". In addition, the scene can be shown on a giant video wall in the stadium. But it is still the referee’s decision to accept a goal or not.
FIFA has chosen to use the GoalControl system after Frank Lampard had scored a goal for England against Germany at the 2010 World Cup. The referee decided against a goal because he was not sure if the ball had passed the line. Video footage of the scene shows that the decision was wrong.
By allowing goal-line technology FIFA hopes to make the game fairer and eliminate some wrong decisions made by referees. Football’s ruling body claims there is too much money in the game and it cannot afford to make wrong decisions.
GoalControl won the bid to install the technology in Brazil against three other bidders. It costs FIFA $3.2 million dollars for the 2014 World Cup, a small amount compared to the millions that the organization will earn during the tournament.
GoalControl technology
As the 30th Olympic Summer Games in London come to an end the United States turned out to be the most successful Olympic team with a total of over a hundred medals, almost half of them in gold. China was the second most successful country. Host Great Britain came in a surprising third in the rankings.
The London Games produced many superstars. The most successful was Michael Phelps, who won six medals and raised his Olympic total to 22. Usain Bolt won both Olympic sprint competitions, the 100-meter and 200-meter dash and helped set a new world record in the Jamaican 4 X 100 meter relay team.
The Olympics also produced major upsets. The United States have long dominated amateur boxing. In the 1984 Los Angeles games the US boxing team won gold in almost all of the weight classes, however, in London they failed to win even one single medal.
The crowds at the events were fantastic, creating a unique atmosphere at each of the Olympic venues: the Olympic Stadium where there was not a single free seat at the athletics competitions, the Aquatics Center, where the world’s fastest swimmers competed in front of roaring crowds or the Velodrome, home of world class cyclists.
The games will also be remembered for many firsts. Women’s boxing was Olympic for the first time. South African Oscar Pistorius, called the “Blade Runner” became the first athlete to run at track events with artificial legs.
London Olympics opening ceremony
On the closing day of the Olympic Games the USA’s basketball dream team won its 5th gold medal since NBA professionals were allowed in 1992.
Spectators from around the world as well as Britons themselves welcomed the flawless organization in a city of over 8 million. Throughout London there were signs and info centers telling visitors how to get around. International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge praised the organization committee for its nearly perfect planning. It apologized for the chaos that emerged during the first two days when many empty seats were found in various places.
The organizers of London 2012 have also ensured that the Olympic sites will be used in the future. The Olympic Village will be turned into apartments. The Olympic Stadium will be used for athletics events; local clubs and the general public will be able to use the other venues. Only a few are scheduled to be dismantled completely.
Now the world is looking forward to Rio de Janeiro, where the next summer Olympics will be staged in 2016.
The world’s fastest runners come from Jamaica. In the past decade most of the sprint events have been dominated by male and female runners from the Caribbean island. Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell and Verona Campbell-Brown are among Jamaica’s world record holders and Olympic gold medalists.
Running has changed in Jamaica. In former times sprinters were poor people who came from the slums. When they saw they had talent they got scholarships at American colleges. They experienced world class training there but, nevertheless, did not feel at home. Today, Jamaica has the money to employ top coaches, so Jamaican sprinters stay at home. Here they are more relaxed and can perform better.
In Jamaica, children start running at a very early age. When they get to school teachers and athletic coaches watch them run and walk. Then, depending on their talent they are sent to track and field clubs. Most of the country’s world class runners started out in the two leading track clubs. At school track meets crowds of teenagers get together to compete with each other. Running is very important in Jamaica and winning a national title or a school championship is something really big.A tough competition may be one of the reasons Jamaicans are so good.
Usain Bolt at the Berlin World Championships in 2009
Another reason for Jamaica’s success on tracks around the world is food. A typical breakfast includes salt fish with yams, bananas and maybe a cup of tea. It contains carbohydrates which runners need to perform well. Nutritionists argue that the diet of Jamaican children is one of the keys to success.
Jamaican athletes are also built differently than non-blacks. They have long legs and little fat. Their narrow hips allow them to lift their knees higher when they run. Many scientists have been researching African and Caribbean runners in order to find out if they have a special gene that makes them faster than the others. However, there is no evidence of such a gene.
The success of Bolt, Powell and others has triggered hype among Jamaican children. These are their idols and they want to be just like them. Hard training and iron will is essential to be among the best in the world.