The first mention of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece dates back to 776 BC. The games were held in the holy city of Olympia and lasted 5 days. There were several kinds of competitions at those games. Among them are running, fighting, running with a gun, chariot race, fist fighting, javelin and discus throwing. In subsequent years, not only athletes, but also politicians, poets and musicians could participate.
Of course, for successful performances, legends were composed in honor of the winners, they wrote laudatory odes, and monuments were erected. They were very warmly welcomed at home. Also, the winners were exempted from taxes and ate free of charge at the expense of the state.
The main feature of the Olympic Games was that it was a holiday of peace. During the competition, all wars between the warring Greek states stopped.
This was a brief digression and historical background, because our topic is closely related to the Olympic Games. Let’s finally figure out where, when, and under what circumstances the Olympic system for conducting competitions appeared. Consider this topic in more detail.
What does the term Olympic system mean?
The Olympic system is a elimination game. That is, if in a certain round, or at some stage, the team loses, it leaves the fight for the main trophy.
The word "playoffs" comes from the English playoff: play - game, off - drop out. The format of the elimination games depends on a number of factors, such as the type of sporting events, the sport, the country of the event, the essence of the tournament.
Draw order
A prerequisite for holding the elimination games is the number of participants that is a multiple of two (that is, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2). The circles that teams pass are usually called by the number of pairs of teams. For example, for one pair - the final, for two - the semi-finals, for four - the quarter-finals, for eight couples - one eighth of the finals and so on.
In each sport and, of course, in different leagues, respectively, there are different principles for the playoffs. Teams can play as one match in order to advance to the next round, or they can play a series of matches. In this scenario, no one is.
The team or the athlete who won the final stage automatically becomes the winner. Likewise, a final participant who loses a match or series of matches for first place receives silver medals. If the format of the competition requires it, then the third place is played. It assumes that two participants from the semi-finals who did not qualify for the final (that is, losers) will meet each other in the game for bronze.
The principles of selection for the first round of competitions for the departure may be different. Sometimes a draw is held, sometimes teams go through a qualification in the form of a tournament championship on points and so on.
There is a concept of a “rigid grid”. This rule is used by most of the organizers of sports competitions. It implies that teams from certain groups that take certain places will fight among themselves. That is, the fate of the teams that took places, suitable and giving the right to fight to the end, is already a foregone conclusion by the organizers.
Sometimes the form is held in the form of a special playoffs. The essence of such competitions is that the teams that took the best places in the qualification, showed the best performance among others, begin their bracket right away from the second round.
Shootout Rules for the NHL and NBA
For example, in the world-famous NHL (national hockey league) and NBA (national basketball association), the format of playoff games is as follows. From each conference, 8 teams are selected, which, respectively, occupy the first eight lines in the final table. The team that won first place in their conference plays with the team that finished last, and so on.
Features of the Champions League
For another example, take the Champions League football. Competitions at the first stage are held in groups where four teams compete among themselves. After the end of the group stage, the time comes for the Olympic system of competitions. What it is? Two best teams go to the playoffs, taking first and, accordingly, second place in their groups. Unlike the NHL and NBA, a draw is held in the Champions League. In total, 16 teams fall into the final part of the tournament, which implies that the format of the relegation games will start from one eighth of the final. Teams play two matches, one at home and the second away. By the sum of two meetings, the team that scored more goals against the opponent’s goal wins.
Tennis competition grid
The international Olympic system has not spared tennis.
In tennis, there are athletes included in a special privileged list. In order to exclude any high-profile battles in the first rounds of the competition, they are placed in different parts of the grid. Usually, participants in the first seeding number are placed at the top, and the second at the bottom. Only under such conditions can these two athletes meet only in the final of the competitions. If there are many participants, and the grid consists of two parts, then the favorites can be scattered in different halves.
The highlight of this kind of competition
Let's say the organizers urgently need to hold a tournament for the shortest possible time. How to do it? Everything is very simple, the Olympic system of holding competitions for departure comes to the rescue. The advantages of this species are that it is characterized by uncompromisingness. That is, there is no point in holding fake, contractual or any other matches.
If the number of teams is large, then competitions can be held in several arenas at the same time. The initial stages of the playoffs can be scattered across several sites. And the final to spend on the main or largest arena.
But, as in any business, the Olympic system for departure also has its drawbacks. And one of them is the strict scope of the number of participants in the competition. Here you have to resort to the selection of teams by rating, or conduct preliminary competitions between the invited.
Also, the lot does not always show the true competitiveness of all participants in the tournament. That is, a team that is considered one of the strongest in terms of strength can meet a team of the same strength and already lose in the first round. Similarly for teams that are weaker.
In conclusion, I would like to add that at the moment many sports use the Olympic system of competitions. Since, firstly, it is convenient, and, secondly, it does not take a lot of time and effort to conduct this event.