Ancient Games

Ancient GamesThe first record of the Olympic Games goes back many centuries to 776 B.C. The ancient games were part of a religious festival to honor the Greek god Zeus—who was considered king of the gods in those times.

Archaeologists have found the ruins of Olympia which was the place in Greece where ancient games were held every four years for at least a thousand years! Eventually, however, the ancient games came to an end sometime after 261 A.D.

Model of what

Olympia might

have looked like

about 100 B.C.

Temple of Zeus

A drawing of Zeus

The Olympics Reborn

The Olympics RebornMore than 1,500 years after the ancient Olympic Games ended, a Frenchman named Pierre de Coubertin suggested to an international sports committee that the Olympic Games be reborn. As a result, the International Olympic Committee was formed and the first modern Olympic Games took place in Athens in 1896.

The Greeks built a monument at Olympia to honor Baron Pierre de

Coubertin, the Founding Father of Modern Olympics. The Baron’s last wish

was to have his heart remain at Olympia—so it is buried beneath the

monument!

Pierre de Coubertin

No Gold

No GoldMore than 60,000 people watched the first Modern Olympics in Athens in 1896. But the event wasn’t exactly a showcase for the world’s best athletes. Why not? Any male could enter. In fact, some tourists signed up at the last minute to compete.

Unlike today’s Olympic Gold, the medals that the winners received back in 1896 were silver. First place athletes were also given an olive branch and a certificate.

1896 winner’s medal

Extinct Events

Extinct EventsSome of the events that were held in the early days of the Modern Olympics were short-lived. Shooting live pigeons was a competition in the 1900 Paris games. But pigeon shooting was quickly dropped because it killed too many birds.

Another event, the tug-of-war, didn’t last too long, either. The event made its last appearance in 1920.

What About Women?

What About Women?Although there were no events for women at the original 1896 games, women did participate in the 1900 games. A British tennis player, Charlotte Cooper, became the first female to win an individual championship. Today, most sports include both men’s and women’s events.

Sonja Heine was a Norwegian

figure skater who entered the

Olympics in 1924 when she

was only 12 years old.

Nadia Comaneci won three Olympic

titles and was the first gymnast to

ever be given a perfect mark of 10.

A Symbol of Friendship

A Symbol of FriendshipOne of the main goals of the Modern Olympic Games—even to this day—is to promote friendship between nations.

The rings on the Olympic flag are a symbol of this unity. The flag is raised at the beginning of each Olympic ceremony. At the closing ceremony, the flag is given to the host country of the next Games.

The Olympic flag has flown over Modern Games since 1920.