Posted on January 31, 2010.
A historical overview of the Olympic Games Olympic Games or the Olympic Games are a multi-sport event held every four years and includes the Winter and Summer Games. It is an international event and almost all countries worldwide to participate in the Games.
The first Olympic game was held in the year 776 BC in Olympia, Greece. The games were held in Greece till 393 AD. Subsequently, in 1896, Pierre Fredy, Baron de Coubertin, a French nobleman revived the games which marked the beginning of the modern Olympics.
From 1896, Games of the Olympiad or the Summer Olympics were held every four years, except during World War 1 and 2.
The Winter Olympics, a special edition of winter sports took place in 1924. Initially, the Summer and Winter Olympic Games were held simultaneously. From the 1944 summer and winter Games were held two years apart.
The origin of the ancient Olympic Games was surrounded by numerous legends. The Greek concept of Olympic Truce is such a legend associated with the Olympics. The Olympic Games have reached their peak during the fifth and sixth century BC.
The Olympic Games were held in honor of Pelops a mythical king and divine hero of the Greeks. Poems were written and statues were created immortalizing the winners of Olympic events. Milo of Croton, a wrestler in the sixth century BC, was the only victorious athlete in six Olympic Games.
After the Romans came to power in Greece, there was a gradual decline in the importance of the Olympic Games. The Emperor Theodosius banned the Olympic Games in 393 CE mentioning the Games as a pagan festival is not for Christian ethics.
Although the Greek ceremonies included the bearing of a torch as its integral part, it has not been included in the Olympic Games of antiquity. This was introduced later as part of the modern Olympic Games.
Games Summer Olympics held in Athens in 2004, nearly 11,100 participants from 202 countries have participated in various events whereas there were only 245 participants from 15 nations in the 1896 edition of the Olympic Games. The Olympics has become one of the biggest events for the media. In the Sydney Olympics took place in 2000, more than 16,000 journalists presented the events in various media formats and 3.8 billion people watched the matches on television.
Munich Olympics of 1972 saw the first act of terrorism in the. Games. Subsequently, Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia in 1996, and the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002 were also subjected to acts of terrorism.
For the Olympic Games will be held in London in 2012, 26 sports are included.
