The Olympic Games

Иванович

in 777 ВС in Greece and took place every four

years for nearly twelve centuries at Olympia.  The Olympic games originate in athletic contests to  honor of Zeus Only men competed and they wore no clothes in order to have greater freedom of movement.

Statue of Olympic Zeus

the full moon of midsummer. That date was chosen so the games

could last into the night.  The time between games was called an Olympiad, and each Olympiad was named for an athletic victor at the previous contests.   The Greeks used the Olympiads as a way to establish historical chronology.  

or sacrilege were eligible to participate.  Training began as early as

one year before the games in the athlete's home city.  A month before the games, the athletes were the obligated to move to Elis or Olympia for their final training.  It was here that the athletes were taught the rules of fair-play and honorable competition.

of any sacrileges could attend.  Women, especially married women were not

allowed to watch nude contests between men.  Only the priestess of Demeter Chamyne, seated on the altar of the goddess, was allowed to watch the contests in the stadium.

was a chance to sell goods, recite poems for money,

negotiate business deals, and even sign peace treaties between cities.  Visitors slept in the open air or tents due to overcrowded small residential quarters.

over the centuries the games became numerous and complicated.  At most,

a total of fourteen contests were held over a  period of four days.  The games were divided into two classes:  physical contest were held in the stadium nude, and those on the race tracks with chariots.

sports governing bodies and pointed out the significance of sport

and its educational value. Two years later the first modern Olympic Games took place. Of course, the competitions were held in Greece to symbolize the continuation of the centuries-old tradition.

etc. All the cities in Greece sent their best athletes

to Olympia to compete in the Games.

is the central policy-making body of the Olympic movement. It

is formed by the representatives of all countries, which take part in the Olympic Games. On 6 April 1896, the American James Connolly won the triple jump to become the first Olympic champion in more than 1,500 years.  For these first Olympics, winners were awarded a crown of olive branches and a silver medal.

events.  For the longer race, the competitors were shipped out

into the lake and then swam back to shore.  According to Hajos, 'I must say that I shivered at the thought of what would happen if I got a cramp from the cold water. My will to live completely overcame my desire to win.'

So the Olympic Games became the symbol of peace and

friendship. In 394 AD the Games were abolished and were not renewed until many centuries later.

the Athens.  For the next 60 year a variety of

musical compositions provided the backgrounds to the Opening Ceremonies, then in 1960, the Samaras composition became the official Olympic Anthem

race legend tells us that Phedippedes ran from Marathon on

one coast, over the hills to Athens and brought word of a great victory for the Greeks lead by Callimachus over the Persians lead by Darius.
They call the race the 'Marathon' not the 'Athens'.  The crucial point is that Marathon is on the opposite coast from Athens and was the site of a famous Greek victory against the Persians (Modern Turkey / Iran).
No wonder they refer to these legends as Greek tragedies; in this instance sadly, the Spartans hit a religious time-out and would not help the Athenians, and Phedippedes himself, hit a terminal 'Blue Screen' when he returned to Athens to tell of the tell Sparta of the impending Persian 490 BC.

Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad,

was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13th to August 29th, 2004 with the motto "Welcome Home".

Olympics that all countries with a National Olympic Committee were

in attendance.  It was also the first time since 1896 that the Olympics were held in Greece.

Janeiro
2012 London
2008 Beijing
2004 Athens
2000 Sydney
1996 Atlanta
1992 Barcelona
1988 Seoul
1984 Los Angeles
1980

Moscow

1928 Amsterdam
1924 Paris
1920 Antwerp
1912 Stockholm
1908 London
1904 St. Louis
1900 Paris
1896 Athens

1976 Montreal
1972 Munich
1968 Mexico City
1964 Tokyo
1960 Rome
1956 Melbourne
1952 Helsinki
1948 London
1936 Berlin
1932 Los Angeles