The first
Olympics Games
The first Olympic
Games were held in Olympia in Greece in 776 BC. In these early games the events
were very traditional and included running, javelin throwing, wrestling and
boxing. The games were held every four years and were for men only. Women could
not compete in them or even watch them. The athletes didn’t wear any clothes
and there were no medals or trophies for the winners. The prizes were crowns
made of olive leaves.
The Olympic flame
The Olympic flame
is an important symbol of the Games. A few months before the games start, the
flame is carried from Greece to the country holding the Olympics. Often it is
carried by runners with torches. On the first day of the Olympic Games the
flame is used to light a much bigger fire usually at the centre of the Olympic
stadium and it will burn for as long as the games last.
The flag
The flag of the
Olympic Games is white with five rings: blue, yellow, black, green and red. The
rings represent the union of the five continents: Africa, America, Asia,
Oceania and Europe.
The modern
Olympics Games
Baron Pierre de
Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894. The IOC
has since become the governing body of the Olympics and the first modern event
took place in Athens in 1896. The Games are still held every four years and
nowadays there are about 26 Olympic sports which are broken down into different
events or disciplines. These include badminton, baseball, basketball,
gymnastics, boxing, judo, tennis, football and even beach volleyball. Today,
billions of people watch the Olympic Games around the world.
