History of the Olympics
- The Olympic Games are said to have originated in the ancient Greek civilization.
- The first recorded and documented Olympic Games were held in 776 BC.
- A runner named Coroebus was the first person to receive an Olympic championship.
- Even in ancient times, Olympic Games were held once in four years.
- They were abolished for 1200 years by Roman Catholic rulers.
- The Olympic Games were revived in 1896 due to the persistent efforts of a Frenchman.
Modern Olympic Games:
- The very first modern Olympic Games were held in April 1896.
- The events took place at a renovated Panathenaic Stadium.
- 300 athletes from 13 countries participated in the 1896 Olympics.
Some of the sports included at the first Olympic Games were:
- Pole vaulting, sprints
- Shot put
- Weight lifting
- Swimming
- Cycling
- Target shooting
- Tennis
- Marathon
- Gymnastics
Host Countries for Olympics:
Since the first Olympic Games in Athens, the following countries have hosted the games:
- 1896 Olympic Games - Athens
- 1900 Olympic Games - Paris
- 1904 Olympic Games - St. Louis
- 1908 Olympic Games - London
- 1912 Olympic Games - Stockholm
- 1916 Olympic Games - Not held
- 1920 Olympic Games - Antwerp
- 1924 Olympic Games - Paris
- 1928 Olympic Games - Amsterdam
- 1932 Olympic Games - Los Angeles
- 1936 Olympic Games - Berlin
- 1940 Olympic Games - Not held
- 1944 Olympic Games - Not held
- 1948 Olympic Games - London
- 1952 Olympic Games - Helsinki
- 1956 Olympic Games - Melbourne
- 1960 Olympic Games - Rome
- 1964 Olympic Games - Tokyo
- 1968 Olympic Games - Mexico City
- 1972 Olympic Games - Munich
- 1976 Olympic Games - Montreal
- 1980 Olympic Games - Moscow
- 1984 Olympic Games - Los Angeles
- 1988 Olympic Games - Seoul
- 1992 Olympic Games - Barcelona
- 1996 Olympic Games - Atlanta
- 2000 Olympic Games – Sydney
History of Athletic Events Added to the Olympic Games
The events of the Olympic Games were added to the program in the following chronological order:
Year |
Olympiad |
Event |
776 BC |
1st Olympiad |
Stadium race |
724 BC |
14th Olympiad |
double-stadium race |
720 BC |
15th Olympiad |
long-distance race |
708 BC |
18th Olympiad |
Pentathlon |
708 BC |
18th Olympiad |
Wrestling |
688 BC |
23rd Olympiad |
Boxing |
680 BC |
25th Olympiad |
4-horse chariot race |
648 BC |
33rd Olympiad |
horse race |
648 BC |
33rd Olympiad |
Pentathlon |
520 BC |
65th Olympiad |
race in armor |
408 BC |
93rd Olympiad |
2-horse chariot race |
Modern Olympic Games Purpose:
The Olympic Games are intended to promote the concept of “sound mind in a sound body”.
- The Olympic Games event also helps in building trust and friendship between nations.
Olympic Summer Sports:
Olympic summer sports include:
- Archery
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Canoeing
- Cycling
- Equestrian Events (Horseback Riding)
- Fencing
- Field Hockey
- Gymnastics
- Handball
- Judo
- Rowing
- Shooting
- Soccer
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Track And Field Events
- Volleyball
- Water Polo
- Weight Lifting
- Wrestling
- Yachting
Olympic Winter Sports:
Olympic winter sports include:
- Skating
- Skiing
- Bobsledding
- Lunge
- Tobogganing
- Ice Hockey
- Biathlon (Skiing-Shooting)
The Decathlon
- The Decathlon involves ten different sporting events.
- These may be running, jumping or sporting events.
- Whoever has the grandest total is awarded the championship.
The Pentathlon:
- The Pentathlon consists of five events.
- It was discontinued form 1924-1948.
- It includes the five military skills- fencing, riding, shooting and swimming.
Women’s Olympic Events:
Summer and winter events are held separately for women.
Women’s events include:
- Marathon
- Cycling
- Heptathlon- hurdles, throws and races
- Biathlon- walk, baseball and Judo.
Important Landmarks in Olympic History:
- 1896: United States track and field team won nine out of twelve events.
- 1912: A Native American, Jim Thorpe, won the Decathlon and the Pentathlon in the same year.
- 1936: Jesse Owens won four gold medals including a team medal.
- Fanny Blinkers- Koen of The Netherlands was the first woman to win three individual gold medals.
- The first athletes to win the decathlon twice were Bob Mathias of the United States, in 1948 and 1952, and Daley Thompson of Great Britain, in 1980 and 1984.
- 1976: Nadia Comaneci of Romania scored a perfect 10.00 in gymnastics and got seven perfect scores and three gold medals.
- 1964: Linda Skoblikova from Russia became the first speed skater to win four individual gold medals.
- 1972: American swimmer Mark Spitz won seven gold medals in a single year.
- The all-time individual medal winner was the American track athlete Ray C. Ewry, who won eight events in the 1900, 1904, and 1908 Games.
- 1972: 11 Olympic team members were killed in terrorist attacks in Munich, West Germany.
- Due to boycott by 30 African nations, 1976 Olympics in Montreal were called off.
- 1988: Drug related controversies came to light as many athletes were charged with steroid abused. Some were even suspended from the games.
- 1992: There were no Soviet teams as the Soviet Union had split up.
International Olympic Committee:
International Olympic Committee (IOC) is in charge of the development and organization of the games.
- The International Olympic Committee was founded in Paris in 1894.
- Its headquarters for International Olympic Committee are in Lausanne, Switzerland.
- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) comprises of about 70 members today.
- The members of International Olympic Committee are responsible for promoting new talent form their respective countries.
- There are only one member from each country in International Olympic Committee.
- Every participating nation must have its own National Olympic Committee
- There are 167 National Committees at present.