Topic recap sheet n°O : Change through sports Content / Documents : Pictures : Women’s Rugby 7 Olympic final / refugees on the road / nationalism on the rise Video : Olympics open up world of new possibilities Audio : Caster Semenya and the sensitive question of inter-sex athletes Texts : How a French feminist staged of own games + Women at the Olympics (translation) Society / Culture : History of the Olympic Games / Gender equality / The ‘refugee crisis’
Pictures (description & meaning) -first women's Olympic rugby tournament -overcame stereotypes -after a long history of bans, they had their revenge this summer
-Massive exodus of the Syrian people, seeking asylum in Europe -Nationalism on the rise in the EU / UK / spike in hate crimes
Vocabulary :
English
French
English
French
A sport(ing) competition / event To forbid / ban To have one's revenge To flee
Une compétition sportive
An official request
Une demande officielle
Interdire Prendre sa revanche Fuire (son pays)
To stage / hold an event A slate A fully equal slate
It is on the rise To deem someone unfit
En augmentation Considérer comme incapable L’athlétisme
An opponent One of the hall-marks of the olympic spirit Billions of people The medals awarded in Rio
An oddity It’s difficult to fathom today To be spooked out To sweat To host the Olympics The right to vote In the realm of exhausted The finish line To be abused
Participer à une compétition Une bizarrerie Difficile à comprendre / imaginer Avoir la frousse transpirer accueillir Le droit de vote Dans le domaine de Épuisé(e) La ligne d’arrivée Être insulté
Organiser un événement Une ardoise Une situation totalement égalitaire Un adversaire Un des piliers de l’esprit olympique Des milliards de personnes Les médaille remises à Rio
The pursuit of happiness A mere competition On behalf of A fellowship 65 million refugees A contestant An injury They would often receive…
Ils retournent... Un pays dévasté par la guerre La recherche du bonheur Une simple compétition Au nom de Une communauté 65 millions de réfugiés Un compétiteur Une blessure Elles recevaient souvent
Hate mail An olympic medal
Du courrier haineux Une médaille olympique
politics A political evolution
La politique Une évolution politique
Track and field To compete
They are headed back to… A war-torn country
Key expressions (grammar, syntax, translation...) - To wipe the slate clean means ‘to forget the past, and start anew’ -At the turn of the century means ‘at the beginning of the century’ - Since + present / past perfect : Women have been discriminated against since the dawn of time Since + starting point (date / event / period of time) = depuis For + time spent : She has trained for a while / for 15 years = depuis /cela fait…. Que (cela fait 15 ans que….) During + event : during the presidency / the election / the Olympics = pendant (For + time : for years, for a while + past event = pendant) The more / the more : The more they play, the better they are Conditional : If I knew, I would tell you (conditional) If Clinton had won, she would have be the first female US president. (past conditional) (►prediction : If Semenya wins again, she will be abused)
Recent events, historical & cultural references mentioned in the documents: - The question of intersex athletes is controversial ; it makes journalists, athletes and the public uncomfortable. It raises the question of equal opportunity and fair-play in sports. Why is it all right for the swimmer Michael Phelps to be naturally advantaged, and not for Semenya ? Is it because her appearance doesn’t correspond to the Western female stereotype? Nb : Caster Semenya is an ‘intersex’ athlete who runs the women’s 800 metres, and who won the Gold Medal at the latest Olympics in Rio. It is said that her high testosterone levels might give her an unfair advantage over other women. Michael Phelps is a male swimmer, who broke multiple world records, and whose body has often been described as ‘fish-like’. His victories have never been disputed. -the text about women’s participation at the first Olympics shows that they have suffered from prejudice and stereotypes for a long time. However, a lot of progress has been made since the 1900s, and many athletes are professionals. More and more sports are played by both men and women (boxing, football, rugby). -Olympic Team Refugee was a helpful experience, because it showed the refugees in a new light. They are not only poor people asking for help, but also fighters & athletes, who wish to inspire the 60 million world refugees and asylum seekers. Related topics : - Gender gap in cinema / the movie industry : no female heroes, or very few ; or not alone : a partner of the main (male) character (notable exception : the Bride, in Kill Bill) ; in children’s movies, girls are often portrayed as a princess, waiting for prince charming (notable exception : Mulan, the Scottish princess who never wants to get married) Very few female directors = film-makers in Hollywood (an interesting article about Jessica Chastain)
-fewer women than men in science (mathematics and physics, engineering, but also biology in top ranking universities. If no affirmative action measures are taken, full equality will not be reached before 2050) (an ‘audio article’ about the role of black women in the US space programme)
