Soccer in the Olympics

For many athletes, going to the Olympics is the highlight of their careers. Winning the Olympic games is like stating to the entire world that you are the best of the world's athletes. Women's Olympic soccer and men's Olympic soccer is no different. The battles in soccer stadiums are fierce as teams made of the best players from each country battle for the gold medal. In the eyes of many, winning the Olympic soccer tournament gives their country bragging rights for the next four years. For individual players, the Olympic soccer tournament can launch a successful professional soccer career.

The Olympic Soccer History
Soccer stadiums have a long history together, beginning in the early 1900s. Men's Olympic soccer had its debut in the 1908 London Games. In this Olympic soccer tournament, Great Britain was the victor over Denmark in the final game, making them the first winners of the coveted gold medal. Since the debut of men's Olympic soccer, the game has been a part of each summer Olympic games, which is not surprising when one considers the fact that more people in the world play and watch soccer than all other major professional sports combined.

However, 1932 was the only year that did not see the men's soccer tournament as part of the summer games. Men's Olympic soccer was not an event in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Two reasons caused this exemption. First, the United States, at the time, still was not very interested in soccer. Soccer stadiums represent a large financial investment from the host city, and Los Angeles did not wish to build a soccer stadium. Second, the years prior had caused quite a bit of bickering among soccer aficionados about the status of amateur and professional players in men's Olympic soccer, and that bickering caused the games to be skipped in 1932.

In fact, it was not until after the 1988 Seoul Games that the restrictions as to which players could play on men's Olympic soccer teams was somewhat cleared up. Until that date, men's Olympic soccer teams could be comprised of any players the country chose to include. In the United States, the men's Olympic soccer team was basically the U.S. National Team. After the 1988 games, regulations were put in place as to the age and experience level of the players allowed on men's Olympic soccer teams. These regulations are updated regularly with the advice of FIFA.

In 1992, men's Olympic soccer history was made when the Olympic Committee required players to be under the age of 23 at the Barcelona Games. This was adjusted four years later to add three "wild card" players, which were players who could be more experienced or older than the regulations dictated. This added interest to the game, especially for European fans who really loved their experienced players.

To date, the United States has not yet won an Olympic soccer tournament for men's soccer. The team made it to the medal round in 2000, but did not place. As soccer is gaining a following in the United States, experts expect to see more victory for their men's Olympic soccer teams in the future.

History of Women's Olympic Soccer
Women's Olympic soccer has a much shorter history than men's Olympic soccer, because the women's game was not introduced until 1996 at the Atlanta Games. That year, the U.S. women's Olympic soccer team took the gold medal. The 1996 Olympic soccer tournament is famous for drawing the most spectators of any women's sport up until that date.

In 2000 at the Sydney Games, the U.S. women's Olympic soccer team took silver, giving up the gold to Norway in overtime. They came back to win in 2004, the last year for several famous women's Olympic soccer players such as Mia Hamm, Joy Fawcett, and Julie Foudy, to play in the tournament.

Soccer Stadiums
One of the most famous soccer stadiums is the Olympiastadion in Munich, which was host to the men's Olympic soccer teams in the 1972 games. Since that time it has hosted the World Cup and Euro finals, so the stadium has seen many of the world's best players come through its gates.

When a city decides to put in a bid for the summer Olympic games, they must put a lot of thought into building the soccer stadium. The game of soccer stadiums draw thousands of spectators, so these structures must be well built with plenty of seating. Many of the stadiums built to accommodate men's Olympic soccer teams are later used to host World Cup and other famous soccer tournaments, because they are so well built that they can handle the crowds that these non-Olympic events draw. With such a rich history and so many fans around the world, the Olympic soccer tournament is sure to continue as the highlight of the summer games for many years to come.