All about the Olympic Games

Every few years, thousands of the finest athletes in the world gathered together to
compete in the Olympic Games, They come from hundreds of countries from all parts of the globe
and for the link of the games the world comes together on a common ground in the celebration of
peace and unity, but what are the Olympics?.

The first Olympic Games took place in Greece, nearly 3 thousand years ago in 776 pc, they were
athletic competitions held in honor of Zeus the King of the Gods. The games happen every 4 years
and during the games there was an Olympic truce where wars and battles were not allowed so
that the athletes from different cities could travel safety to infront the games.

Originally The Olympic Games only have a one event a short race across the stadium, but through
the years more events were added including boxing, wrestling, long jump, throwing javelin and
discos, and chariot racing. In the ancient Olympics only men were allowed to compete, the
winners were awarded a wreath or a crown of olive branches which was a great honor and often
received money and others prices.

The final games of the ancient Olympics were held in 393 ad ending a tradition of over a thousand
years. It wasn’t until almost 1500 years later that someone tried to hold the Olympics again.
Small events modern after the ancient Olympics were held in various places in Europe often on for
over a hundred years, until the International Olympic Committee was created 1894 by Baron
Pierre de Coubertin of France. The first games organized by the IOC took place in Athens, Greece
in 1896 and featured 241 athletes from 14 countries, since that small beginning many things have
changed, women first compete in the Olympics in 1900. The Olympics were expanded to include
winter sports like skiing and figure skating and special Winter Olympics were held to make that
possible. Paralelolympics, now known as the Paralympics began to be held for athletes with
disabilities. Not so long ago youth games were introduced which allows athletes between the age
of 14 to 18 to compete. Today The Olympics Games are held every 2 years with Summer Olympics
and Winter Olympics alternating, so there are 4 years between each Summer Olympic Games and
4 years between each Winter Olympic Games. These are only some of the differences between
the ancient Olympics and the modern Olympic games. While the ancient Olympic were held in the
same place each time, the modern Olympics are held in different cities around the world. In the
ancient Olympics winners were awarded olive branches, but in the modern Olympics the victories
receive medals, Third place wins bronze, second place wins silver and first place gets a gold medal.
The gold medals are not actually made of solid gold however, they are made of silver cover with a
thin layer of gold. Another important symbol of the Olympics is the Olympic Rings, five
interlocking rings are blue, yellow, black, green and red on a white background; the colors of the
rings were chosen because every flag in the world at the time had at least one of those colors on
it. Each of the five rings represents one of the inhabited continents of the world, north and South
America are counted as one, along with Africa, Asia, Europe and Australia.

After the rings, one of the most important symbols of the Olympics is The Olympic Flames or
Torch, the lighting of the torch is a reminder of the ancient Greek myth when Prometheus stole
fire from the God Zeus to give it to humans. Before each Olympics the torch is lit in a special
ceremony at the site of the ancient Olympics in Olympia, Greece. It travels around Greece and
then begins a special journey to the city that will host the Olympics. During the opening ceremony
at the games the torch is used to light a huge cauldron which stays burning until the Olympics last
day, when the flame is put out, it means the official end of the games.

The goal of the Olympics is to help built a better more peaceful world, through international
cooperation, friendship and the love of the games. The most important thing in the Olympic
Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but
the struggle, the essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well. I hope you
enjoyed learning about the Olympics today. Good bye till next time!