7–8 CLIL |  Sports history A2

Popular sports events: global TV audiences

1 In pairs, look at the graph and discuss FIFA World Cup Final (715.1 million)
the questions.
1 What information does the graph give us? NFL Super Bowl (114.4 million)
2 Which sport is each event for? UEFA Euro Final (109 million)

Viewers
3 Which sports event is the most popular?
Champions League Final (86 million)
2 Read the text. Which countries Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix (83 million)
are mentioned?
ATP Wimbledon Men’s Final (29 million)

The Origins Big sports events can bring people together, crossing
barriers of language and culture. Here are some of

of Sport
the biggest global sports events that people enjoy
watching on TV.

The Olympic Games™

The Olympic rings represent the five continents where competitors
come from and they also symbolise the unity of athletes all over
the world. The first Olympic Games were in Greece in 776 BC. One
extraordinary thing about these original games is that, even though
there was a war, all fighting stopped. Today, the idea of peace and
international cooperation is still an important principle of the
Games. At the 2012 London Olympics, athletes from 204 countries
took part in events such as athletics, badminton and swimming.
An incredible 600 million people in different countries watched the
opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Games.

FIFA World Cup

This football championship is every four years. The first was in Uruguay in
1930 with 13 teams from South America, Europe and North America. Many
European teams weren’t in the competition because they couldn’t travel to
South America. Today, FIFA has associations in 209 countries and is sometimes
called the ‘United Nations of Football’. In 2010, 700 million people all over the
world watched the final between the Netherlands and Spain at the ‘Soccer City’
stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. The winners were Spain.

NFL Super Bowl

American football evolved from a combination
of rugby and association football. The NFL
(National Football League) Super Bowl is the
final of the annual championship. Many people
from the US take the day off work to watch the
game on TV, and it’s the most popular US TV
broadcast of the year. But American football
is not only popular in the US. It is popular in
Canada and Mexico, and there are more than
400 high school football teams in Japan. Over
100 million viewers all over the world watch
the final every year on TV. However, you don’t
have to have a TV, as lots of people also watch
it online.

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 7–8 CLIL |  Sports history A2

3 Read the text again and then choose PROJECT

T (True) or F (False) for the statements
below. Correct the false statements.
6 In a group, work on a project about a
popular sports event in your own country
1 The Olympic rings represent peace.  T/F
or another country. Choose a sport and
 do some research on the internet to find
2 The original Olympic Games in Greece information about the following:
happened when there was a war.  T/F
 • a popular national or international sports
3 Athletes from 104 countries took part in event: What is it? Where is it?
the 2012 London Olympic Games. T/F • the history of the sports event: When did it
 start? Why did it start?
4 The first FIFA World Cup had teams • How many people watch it on TV? Which
from three continents.  T/F countries do competitors come from? What
is the spirit of the event?

• any interesting or surprising facts about the
5 FIFA is a part of the United Nations.  T/F
sports event.

6 The Super Bowl Final must be a national Work together and discuss what you found out.
holiday in the US.  T/F Decide how to present your information to the
class. This can be a slideshow, a presentation or

a poster.
7 American football is popular in several
countries.  T/F 7 Present your information to the class.


4 Complete the table with the correct VOCABULARY FOCUS

information. If there is no information in association football [n]:  football played according
to FIFA’s official rules
the text write NI.
barrier [n]:  something that separates one thing
The FIFA NFL from another
Olympic World Super championship [n]:  a competition to find the
Games Cup Bowl best team
How many countries combination [n]:  something that combines
take part? several things
When was the first competitor [n]:  someone who takes part in a
event? sports competition
continent [n]:  one of the very large areas of land on
Where was the first
Earth that are divided into countries
event?
cooperation [n]:  a situation in which people work
How many people together to achieve a result
watch it on TV? event [n]:  an organised occasion
5 Work in pairs and discuss the questions. extraordinary [adj]:  very unusual or surprising
opening ceremony [n]:  a formal public event that
1 Which are the most popular/oldest sports in
starts a competition
your country?
principle [n]:  a belief or theory
2 Are there any big sports events in your country?
represent [v]:  to be a symbol of something
3 What big sports events do you like to watch symbolise [v]:  to be a symbol of something
on TV?
take part [v]:  to be involved in an activity
take the day off [v]:  to not go to work or school
DID YOU KNOW? TV broadcast [n]:  a programme on TV
❍ Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the unity [n]:  a situation in which people or countries
join together
world and the only major one played on grass. It
started in 1877 in the Wimbledon area of London.
They need 54,000 yellow tennis balls for each
tournament and 250 ball girls and boys. Spectators
eat 27,000 kilos of strawberries along with
7,000 litres of cream.

Optimise A2 Optimise A2 Teacher’s Resource Centre © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2017.

This sheet may be photocopied and used within the class.
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