Origin And History Of The Olympic Games

Origin And History Of The Olympic Games. It begins more than a thousand years ago. There may be some gaps in the past, But the Games have definitely come back. Ancient Greek events held in the past showed the values that are still at the heart of the Olympics Spirit today. Also, In ancient times. Warring nations agreed to stop fighting during sports events. This is still done today, with the Olympic Truce being approved by the UN General Assembly before each Games. The past of the Games is very long and goes back thousands of years.

The earliest known written record of the official Olympic Games dates back to 776 BC. When the Greeks adopted the Olympiad system of time measurement. Which denoted the interval between successive Olympic Games editions. In remembrance of the deity Zeus. The Olympic Games were conducted quarterly. Subsequently, The Pythian or Delphic Games ,incorporated a variety of artistic pursuits, including singing, dance, poetry, and performance. This established an early connection between sport and culture.

The Olympic Games were banned by Roman Emperor Theodosius I in 393 AD. On religious grounds They claimed they promoted paganism. Several attempts were made at the close of the 19th century to reestablish an international sporting event. However, They were unsuccessful due to a lack of coordination within the global sporting community. It wasn’t until one individual made the decision to convene the key stakeholders in Paris that these efforts were successful. The inaugural Olympic Congress, Orchestrated by Baron Pierre de Coubertin and conducted from 16 to 23 June 1894 at the Grand Amphitheatre of the Sorbonne University, Thus reignited the Olympic Games.

Women And Olympics

In April 1896, the first modern Olympic Games were conducted in Athens. These games were held in the same country where the first Games were held in ancient times. In 1900, the second Games were held in Paris. There were first-ever Olympic games for women in Paris in 1900. Charlotte Cooper, A British tennis player who won Wimbledon five times, Was the first woman to win the Olympics. Out of the 997 players, only 22 were women, and they only competed in five sports: golf, tennis, sailing, and croquet. Golf and tennis were the only sports with events just for women.

It has been over 20 years that the IOC has been working with foreign federations and the Olympic Games Organizing Committees to add more events for women. By adding a boxing event for women, the 2012 Olympics in London were the first to have women compete in all 12 sports. 45% of the athletes at the 2016 Olympics in Rio were women, making up 5,059 of the 11,238 athletes. With 48.9% women players, the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were the most fair yet.

Evolution of the Olympic Games

The inaugural gold, silver, and bronze medal ceremonies took place at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri. Notably, the event also welcomed George Eyser, the first recognized disabled athlete to partake in an Olympic competition. In gymnastics, he obtained six medals, three of which were gold.

1912 marked the inaugural Olympic Games in Stockholm, where athletes from each of the five continents were represented by an Olympic ring. Additionally, the year marked the debut of women in the swimming disciplines.

Artistic competitions were incorporated into the modern Olympic Games from 1912 to 1948, at Pierre de Coubertin’s initiative. Artwork pertaining to sports was honored with medals in the following five categories: literature, architecture, sculpture, painting, and music. Resuming in 1920, the Games were halted in 1916 as a result of World War I.