Olympic Studies
A free short course by Sportal Corporate — not a credit-bearing university award.
1h 50m of video6 videos13 written lessons
The Olympic Games as history, institution and political object — Olympism, governance, host selection, legacy, and the questions the Games cannot avoid.
The course traces the Games from antiquity to the modern revival, then questions that history rather than repeating it. It covers the Olympic Movement and its institutions, reform and the Olympic Agenda, how hosts are chosen, and the documented history of corruption in host selection. Legacy, politics and human rights run through the whole course rather than sitting in a footnote.
It suits students of sport history, policy and international relations, administrators working with the Olympic Movement, journalists, and candidates preparing for competitive examinations where the Olympic Movement appears on the syllabus. Six video lessons are released one at a time, with written notes and key terms. A ten-question quiz at 80% issues a verifiable certificate.
Start learning
Free, self-paced, no payment. Work through the lessons, pass the quiz, and get a certificate you can verify by QR code.
Start free course →You will sign in with Google to save your progress. Already have a Sportal account? The same button signs you in.
What you will learn
19 lessons · 1h 50m- 1How this course works
- 2What Olympism actually means
- 3Video 1 — From antiquity to the modern Games11m
- 4Notes — From antiquity to the modern Games
- 5Video 2 — Olympic history, questioned23m
- 6Notes — Olympic history, questioned
- 7Video 3 — The Movement and its institutions12m
- 8Notes — The Movement and its institutions
- 9Video 4 — Reform and the Olympic Agenda29m
- 10Notes — Reform and the Olympic Agenda
- 11Video 5 — How hosts are chosen12m
- 12Notes — How hosts are chosen
- 13Video 6 — Host selection and its history of corruption23m
- 14Notes — Host selection and its history of corruption
- 15Legacy, and how to assess it
- 16Key terms
- 17Key takeaways
- 18Applied output — Evaluate the legacy and governance of one Olympic Games
- 19Exercise — Follow one host city afterwards
Lessons unlock one at a time. Finish them all, score 80% on the quiz, and your certificate is issued automatically.