History of the Olympics

According to historical records the first ancient Olympic games can be traced back to 776 BC. The evolution of the Olympic movement during the 20th and 21st centuries has resulted in several changes to the Olympic games. The Olympic games began over 2,700 years ago in Olympia, in southwest Greece. In the Olympics they used to fight naked. About 50,000 people could sit in the stadium, and most people had to pitch there tents.The famous wrestler called Milo was said to be carrying a calf everyday, as the calf grew heavier his muscles grew stronger. women were strictly not aloud to take part or watch at the old Olympics.

The Olympic games were held in honour of Zeus. An athlete called Exinetos won the short sprint two Olympics in a row. At the first recorded games in 776 BC, a man called Coroebus won the stadion or foot race.

The Greeks invented athletics contests and held them in honour of their gods.No women were allowed to watch the games and only Greek nationals could participate.One of the ancient wonders was a statue of Zeus at olympia, made of gold and ivory by a Greek sculptor Pheidias. This was placed inside a temple, although it was 42 feet high. The games at Olympia were greatly expanded from a one day festival of athletics and wrestling to, in 472 BC five days with many events. Horse racing involved lots of falling of because the Greek riders had no styrips.

Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games, is in the western part of the Peloponnese which, according to Greek mythology, is the island of "Pelops", the founder of the Olympic Games. Imposing temples, votive buildings, elaborate shrines and ancient sporting facilities were combined in a site of unique natural and mystical beauty. Olympia functioned as a meeting place for worship and other religious and political practices as early as the 10th century B.C. The central part of Olympia was dominated by the majestic temple of Zeus, with the temple of Hera parallel to it.

According to the legend, the ancient Olympic Games were founded by Heracles (the Roman Hercules), a son of Zeus. The games were staged in the wooded valley of Olympia in Elis. Here the Greeks erected statues and built temples in a grove dedicated to Zeus, supreme among the gods his father was called Cronus.

The city-states of Greece were often at war. This made travel between them dangerous. So messengers sent out from Elis announced a 'sacred truce' (peace) lasting one month before the Games began. This meant people could travel to Olympia in safety. The Olympic Games were more important than wars because they were a religious festival. The messengers went all over the Greek world, as the map shows.

The Olympic Games, which originated in ancient Greece as many as 3,000 years ago, were revived in the late 19th century and have become the world’s preeminent sporting competition. From the 8th century B.C. to the 4th century A.D., the Games were held every four years in Olympia, located in the western Peloponnese peninsula, in honor of the god Zeus. The first modern Olympics took place in 1896 in Athens, and featured 280 participants from 13 nations, competing in 43 events. Since 1994, the Summer and Winter Olympic Games have been held separately and have alternated every two years.

According to Hippias of Elis, who compiled a list of Olympic victors c.400 BC, at first the only Olympic event was a 200-yard dash, called a stadium. This was the only event until 724 BC, when a two-stadia race was added. Two years later the 24-stadia event began, and in 708 the pentathlon was added and wrestling became part of the games. This pentathlon, a five-event match consisted of running, wrestling, leaping, throwing the discus, and hurling the javelin. In time boxing, a chariot race, and other events were included.