The Olympic Games history.
Every 4 years, an event draws the attention worldwide : the Summer Olympics, but also the Winter Olympics with 2 years gap between the two. This is a period of peace during which continuous sport contests take place, putting the best athletes from each country in competition. Recently, Beijing (2008) and London (2012) were the host cities of the Summer Games, when Turin (2006) and Vancouver (2010) were the host cities of the Winter Olympic Games.
Origins.
The Olympics dates back to the Antiquity, around 776 BC in Greece. They were named that way because they used to take place in the city of Olympia. Many things differed from the today's Olympics, for example: only rich men and not slaves could participate. The spirit was not the same for victory was the most important during those 7 days of trial (wrestling, horse and chariot races, etc).
But it was also a period of truce to ensure the athletes' safety, as well as the spectators' who came from afar. Unfortunately, this ceremony considered as pagan by the Emperor Theodosius I, was dropped out in the year 393.
It was not until the eighteenth century that people got interested in the Olympics thanks to the discovery of the Olympia ruins. Some attempts to restore the Olympic Games happened here and there in the world. But nothing much convincing.
In 1892, Pierre de Coubertin a French historian and educator, calls for the restoration of the Olympic Games. Without success. He reiterates in 1894 with a Congress for the revival of the Olympic Games, this time with a unanimous vote from the 2,000 people representing more than 12 nations: the Olympics are officially restored.
The modern Olympic Games.
The man we consider as the father of the modern Olympic Games is convinced that sport should be internationalized to be more popular. He wanted to help create a kind of peace in the world by promoting communication, fair play and the gathering of peoples around a same topic: sports. Completely immersed in the concerns of the time, De Coubertin broadly defines the new values of the Olympics that no longer have much to do with the Games from Ancient Greece:
Today, the Olympic program is not fixed for good, but one thing is for sure: there will never be more than 28 sports on the program. We have observed the removal of baseball and softball from the Olympics in Beijing and London, bringing the number of sports to 26 in 2012. These sport withdrawals or additions to the program are related to various criteria such as: the popularity, the perception, the specifications, the history and the future of the discipline. The next Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in 2016 will be the subject of some modifications: sailing and taekwondo are about to disappear... However, golf will reappear in the Olympic programs after more than a century.
Anyway, the Olympics are full of history and strong values. From 14 nations and 241 athletes in 1896, we went to more than 200 delegations and more than 10,500 athletes participating in to the sport events.
The finest sporting moments occur during these Games that are watched worldwide. Certainly, the Olympics are more and more media-centred and commercial, but it remainsE a brief moment of peace in a world in constant motion.
Every 4 years, an event draws the attention worldwide : the Summer Olympics, but also the Winter Olympics with 2 years gap between the two. This is a period of peace during which continuous sport contests take place, putting the best athletes from each country in competition. Recently, Beijing (2008) and London (2012) were the host cities of the Summer Games, when Turin (2006) and Vancouver (2010) were the host cities of the Winter Olympic Games.
Origins.
The Olympics dates back to the Antiquity, around 776 BC in Greece. They were named that way because they used to take place in the city of Olympia. Many things differed from the today's Olympics, for example: only rich men and not slaves could participate. The spirit was not the same for victory was the most important during those 7 days of trial (wrestling, horse and chariot races, etc).
But it was also a period of truce to ensure the athletes' safety, as well as the spectators' who came from afar. Unfortunately, this ceremony considered as pagan by the Emperor Theodosius I, was dropped out in the year 393.
It was not until the eighteenth century that people got interested in the Olympics thanks to the discovery of the Olympia ruins. Some attempts to restore the Olympic Games happened here and there in the world. But nothing much convincing.
In 1892, Pierre de Coubertin a French historian and educator, calls for the restoration of the Olympic Games. Without success. He reiterates in 1894 with a Congress for the revival of the Olympic Games, this time with a unanimous vote from the 2,000 people representing more than 12 nations: the Olympics are officially restored.
The modern Olympic Games.
The man we consider as the father of the modern Olympic Games is convinced that sport should be internationalized to be more popular. He wanted to help create a kind of peace in the world by promoting communication, fair play and the gathering of peoples around a same topic: sports. Completely immersed in the concerns of the time, De Coubertin broadly defines the new values of the Olympics that no longer have much to do with the Games from Ancient Greece:
- The motto "Citius, Altus, Fortius" (Faster, Higher, Stronger) that summarizes the purpose of sport which is always going beyond its limits, a philosophy that worth every victories. Another famous quote linked to the Olympics is "The essential thing is not winning but taking part."
- The Olympic oath that commits all athletes, coaches and referees not to betray the spirit of sport: being fair play, no cheating, being impartial and surpass oneself in any circumstance.
- - The Olympic flag that represents the 5 rings linked to each other, that is to say 5 continents united. The colors of the Olympic flag could be found in every flags of the world, in order to emphasize the universality of this contest.
- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) serves as the supreme authority and legal entity to hold all trademarks and rights, for it is a non-governmental organization.
Today, the Olympic program is not fixed for good, but one thing is for sure: there will never be more than 28 sports on the program. We have observed the removal of baseball and softball from the Olympics in Beijing and London, bringing the number of sports to 26 in 2012. These sport withdrawals or additions to the program are related to various criteria such as: the popularity, the perception, the specifications, the history and the future of the discipline. The next Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in 2016 will be the subject of some modifications: sailing and taekwondo are about to disappear... However, golf will reappear in the Olympic programs after more than a century.
Anyway, the Olympics are full of history and strong values. From 14 nations and 241 athletes in 1896, we went to more than 200 delegations and more than 10,500 athletes participating in to the sport events.
The finest sporting moments occur during these Games that are watched worldwide. Certainly, the Olympics are more and more media-centred and commercial, but it remainsE a brief moment of peace in a world in constant motion.