HISTORY OF OLYMPIC GAMES

The Olympic Games were a series of competitions which took place in kingdoms and city-states of the Ancient Greece. During the Olympic Games all the wars that they had were postponed until the games were finished. 

One of the most popular myths of why these games started shows Heracles and his father Zeus as the progenitors of the Games. According to this, it was Heracles who called them Olympic Games and established the custom of having them every four years. Another myth associates the first Games with the ancient Greek concept of Olympic truce. The most widely accepted date for the inception of the Ancient Olympics is 776 BC; this is based on inscriptions, found at Olympia, of the winners of a footrace held every four years starting in 776 BC.  The Ancient Games featured running events, a pentathlon (a jumping event, discus and javelin throws, a foot race and wrestling), boxing, wrestling, and equestrian events.

The Olympics were very important events because they had a religious influence, featuring sporting events with ritual sacrifices honoring Zeus and Pelops.  

The Modern Olympic Games started in 1896 after Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894. These Games brought to Athens (the seat of the 1896 Olympic Games) 241 athletes who competed in 43 events.

The Games should show different values such as collaborative work, honesty, humility…

The Sports that are played in the Modern Games are a lot. They include archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, diving, equestrian, fencing, field hockey, football, gymnastics, handball, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, synchronized swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, water polo, wrestling and weightlifting.
Mauro Fernández