The Olympic Games is an international sports competition in which competitors from different countries participate in a variety of sports during the summer and winter seasons. With the participation of more than two hundred countries, the Olympic Games are considered to be the largest and most prestigious competitions in the world. The concept of the modern Olympic Games originates from the ancient Olympic Games, which began in Olympia in ancient Greece in the eighth century BC. Perhaps the main difference between the ancient and modern Olympics is that the former was to greet the gods of the ancient Greeks, although the modern games are a way of saluting the athletic talents of citizens of all nations. In 1894, Baron Pierre de Kubertan formed the first International Olympic Committee (IOC). This IOC regulates all activities related to the Olympic Games. The revival of the Olympic Games took place in 1896 and since then they have been staged every fourth year except for World War I and World War II (1916, 1940, 1944).
Olympic Games of the Ancient World
In ancient Greece, Olympia was held in Olympia, the abode of the god Zeus, with religious rites. Originally, representatives of the ancient Greek city-states participated in the sport. It is known from various ancient writings that even if there was a conflict or war between different city states, it would have been postponed during the competition. The temporary cessation of hostilities was called the “Olympic Ceasefire Policy.” Although this ancient idea may be a myth because the Greeks never made a ceasefire. However, this practice helped Olympic pilgrims to move freely through the various warring city-states. Because they thought Zeus protected all pilgrims.
When it was started?
The birth of the Olympics is still a mystery and legend to people today. However, according to a popular story, the god Zeus and his son Heracles or Hercules are the fathers of the Olympic Games. According to this story, Heraclius named the event the Olympics and introduced the Games every four years. According to this story, Heracles built the Olympic Stadium in honor of his father Zeus after his twelve epic expeditions. After completing this work, Heraclius walked straight 200 steps and declared it as Staden. Later it became known as the unit of measurement of distance. According to an ancient inscription on the Olympics, the Olympics began around 6 BC. The inscription recorded the names of the winners of the races held four years in a row. Running, wrestling, boxing and horse racing are known to be held in this ancient sporting event. According to folklore, a cook from the town of Ellis named Coribus became the first Olympic champion.
King Pilopus
Originally, the Olympics was a traditional sporting event honoring Zeus and the Olympian king and legendary hero Pilopus, according to religious rites and ceremonies. King Pilopus was famous for his chariot race with Winous. Olympic winners would be honored. Songs and poems were written for them. The ceremony was held every four years, and the four-year period was called the Olympiad, which was a unit of Greek time. The Olympic Games were at their peak of popularity in the sixth and fifth centuries BC. However, as Rome’s power increased and its influence over Greece increased, its effectiveness began to decline. Although no reliable sources are known for when the Olympic Games ended, it is generally believed that the Games ended in 393 AD when Emperor Theodosius I banned all pagan activities. However, there was no direct reference to the Olympics in Theodosius’ order. According to many, the games ended when Theodosius II ordered the destruction of all Greek temples in 427 AD.
Modern Olympics
Pierre de Freddy, Baron de Curtin are the founders of the modern Olympic Games. Unlike the original Games, the restoration of the Olympic Games in 1896 has a clear and simple history. The Games of the I Olympiad, officially known as the Summer Olympics of 1896, were the first international Olympic Games held in modern history. It was held in Athens, Greece, from April 6 to 15, 1896, and was organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which was founded by French nobleman Pierre de Coubertin. In 1896, thirteen countries competed in the Athens Games. Cycling, fencing, gymnastics, lawn tennis, shooting, swimming, track and field, weight lifting, and wrestling were among the nine sports on the schedule. The 14-man United States team dominated the track and field competitions, winning nine of the twelve events. The Games were a huge success, and a second Olympiad was planned for France. The Olympic Games were held in 1900 and 1904, and by 1908, the number of contestants had more than quadrupled from 311 to 2,082 — more than quadrupling from Athens.
After the success of the 1896 Games, the Olympic Games went through a period of speed less and its existence was in jeopardy. The Olympics started in 1896 with only 241 athletes from 14 countries. Both the 1900 and 1904 Olympic Games are celebrated as a follow-up to the famous Paris Exhibition in France and the World’s Fair in St. Louis, USA, respectively.
The first Winter Olympic Games were held in Chemnix, France in 1924. The Winter Olympic Games are a large-scale international multi-sport competition held every four years. The Winter Olympics are not like the Summer Olympic Games, in that the sports are practiced on snow and ice. Around 1,600 athletes from 38 countries competed in a programme that comprised Alpine and Nordic skiing, biathlon, ice hockey, figure skating and speed skating, bobsled, and luge at Lake Placid, New York, in 1980.
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad is an international multi-sport competition. The International Olympic Committee organizes the competition every four years. There are one or more events for each sport and for each event the first place winner is awarded a gold medal, the second place winner a silver medal and the third place winner a bronze medal. The tradition of the Summer Olympic Games began in 1904. Basketball, boxing, canoeing and kayaking, cycling, equestrian arts, fencing, field hockey, gymnastics, modern pentathlon, rowing, shooting, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo, weight lifting, wrestling (freestyle and Greco-Roman), and yachting are just a few of the traditional sports.
Summer and Winter Games were previously held in the same year, but in 1992, the Winter Games were moved to a separate timetable due to the growing scale of both Olympics. Lillehammer, Norway hosted them in 1994, Nagano, Japan in 1998, Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002, Turin, Italy in 2006, and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 2010.
Politics and the Olympics
Many changes have taken place in the Olympic Games in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries since the Olympic movement. Among these changes are the introduction of the Winter Olympics, the Paralympics for the disabled and the Youth Olympic Games for teenage athletes. To make these changes a reality, the IOC has had to acquire a wide range of economic, political and technical skills. As a result, Pierre de Kubertan moved away from the concept of amateurism and created the opportunity for professional athletes to participate in the competition. The competition was closed during World War I and World War II, and was held on a limited scale during the Cold War. The Olympic Games are organized by the International Sports Federation, the National Olympic Committee, and a special committee for each event. The IOC reserves the right to select the host country for each event. According to the Olympic Charter, the host country will bear the cost of organizing the Games and raise funds. However, all decisions regarding the Olympic Games are taken by the IOC. In addition to sports competitions, the Olympic Games have other customs and traditions such as Olympic torches, flags, opening and closing ceremonies. The Summer and Winter Olympics are attended by about 13,000 athletes in 400 divisions of 33 sports. The first, second and third place athletes in each category were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals respectively. In the course of time, the Olympic Games have reached a point where almost every country participates in them today. This has led to years of controversy over boycotts, drugs, bribery and terrorist activities. Every two years, the Olympics and related campaigns bring an unnamed athlete an opportunity for national and even international fame overnight. The host countries of the Olympic Games also get a chance to express themselves all over the world by organizing such events.
Money and the Olympics
It is money that has the most influence on the cutting edge Olympic Games. “Corporate greed” and “fellowship” go hand-in-hand. In Los Angeles in 1984, it became clear that a city hosting the Olympics could anticipate a monetary boost, as spectators and customers converged. This has led to a political approach to picking host cities, and there is a lot of room for debasement. An accusation that IOC officials had been paid off soured Salt Lake City’s bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Especially in the “glamour sports,” sportsmen like gymnasts, ice skaters, and track and field athletes may make a lot of money from sponsorships and personal appearances. Rule: Athletes are prohibited from making money by endorsing brands or promoting other people’s goods IOC came to recognise that many world-class athletes were already working as professionals in the late 20th century, and began to encourage them to do so. For an elite athlete to work full-time in numerous Olympic sports, it is practically impossible.
Athletes were supported by the state, but remained called amateurs in communist nations in the 1960s. When non-communist nations sought corporate sponsors during the 1970s and 1980s, athletes became “workers” for their sponsors. In the late 1980s, prize money-earning athletes were allowed to win more prize money. There was a provision in the Olympics that enabled professional athletes to compete in the Games. “Dream Team” of NBA players that dominated the 1992 Olympics is now included in the list of athletes. Several medal-winning athletes have taken advantage of their Olympic notoriety by obtaining commercial endorsements or embarking on performance tours after the IOC lifted its amateurism rules.
Olympic symbol
The motto of the Olympic Games is Citius, Altius, Fortius. This Latin sentence means “faster, higher, stronger”. It was proposed by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894 when the International Olympic Committee was formed. Cobartin borrowed the word from his Dominican priest friend, Henry Didon, a sports-curious man. In Cobartin’s words – “These three words express the moral beauty of sports. The beauty of sports is incomparable and indescribable.” The message was introduced at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games. Another less used but well-known saying – “Participation is more important than winning”. Its creator is Cobartin. Cobartin received this statement in a moral discourse by the Bishop of Pennsylvania at the 1906 London Games.“The rings are five interlocking discs in blue, yellow, black, green and red on a white background, more commonly known as Olympic rings. The symbol was created by de Coubertin in 1912. [5] He traditionally represented the five continents of Asia, Africa, America, Australia, and Europe together in this symbol. [6] According to him, the six colors of the flag (including white background) are all partnered. Shows the country. In the introductory part, Cobertin wrote in the August 1912 edition of the Olympique.