The first Olympic games were part of a religious festival held every four years in Olympia Greece. The games included chariot races, wrestling, and other athletic competitions between citizens from different city-states. Held at the sanctuary of Zeus pilgrims attending the games received safe passage through hostile territories. Contrary to the modern belief in an “Olympic truce” the Greeks never stopped fighting in observance of the Olympic festival. Based on inscriptions found in Olympia, the first games occurred in 776 BC. For the next several centuries the games continued to grow in popularity and importance. Roman rule reversed the trend. The rise of Christianity ended the ‘pagan’ games by end of the fourth century.
A French aristocrat Baron Pierre de Coubertin, drove the modern Olympic movement. Building on earlier nineteenth century efforts, he led charge at the first Olympic Congress in 1894. He succeeded in creating the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and establishing a four year rotating competition. In a nod to the Greek origins of the Olympics the IOC held their first sponsored games in Athens in 1896. After their initial success the games struggled as virtual sideshows to the Paris Exhibition in 1900 and the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. Several winter sports (figure skating & ice hockey) were featured as Olympic events. To capitalize on their popularity and expand the movement the 1921 Olympic Congress created a winter version of the games. The first Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France in 1924.
Modern Olympic Game Facts:
- Winter and Summer games occurred in the same year through 1992, when the IOC decided to alternate between them every two years. A bonus winter games took place in 1994.
- The first Paralympics sprang from an effort to rehabilitate wounded soldiers as part of the 1960 Rome Olympics.
- More than 10,000 athletes participated in the 2012 London Olympics; 241 participated in the Athens 1896 games.
- War cancelled the games of 1916, 1940, and 1944.
- Boycotts led by the US and the USSR respectively limited the participation in the 1980 (Moscow) and 1984 (Los Angeles) summer games.
- Until 1988 the IOC barred professional athletes from competing in the Olympics. They participate in every sport except wrestling and boxing.
- US television first covered the 1960 summer games in Rome.
- The 2016 games in Rio mark the games’ first visit to South America.
- London has hosted the summer games more times than any other city (1908, 1948, 2012). St. Moritz and Lake Placid have each hosted the winter games twice.
- For more interesting Olympic facts click here
That brings us to our featured map of host cities for the Modern Olympic games courtesy of mapsofworld.com .
As always thanks for reading.
Armen
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