History

The Olympic Games are an invention of the ancient Greeks, they were dedicated to the Greek god Zeus. At Olympia, some mythological accounts credit Zeus with beginning the Games to celebrate his victory over Kronos.

Ancient Olympic Games

Historically, the Games were created to provide unity to the Hellenic world, which, at that time, was split into city-states which were constantly at war. These Games were held every four years. This four-year period acquired the name “Olympiad”

The Panhellenic Games

• The Games at Olympia (Olympic Games): every four years
• The Games at Delphi (Pythian Games), 582 B.C.: every four years 
• The Games at the Isthmus of Corinth (Isthmian Games), from 580 B.C.: every two years
• The Games at Nemea (Nemean Games), from 573 B.C.: every two years

The first modern Olympic Games

The modern International Olympic Games credit as their founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937), IOC president in 1896. He wrote the Olympic Charter, protocol, and athletes’ oath, and he also planned the ceremonies. Coubertin was of the belief that ‘organised sport can create moral and social strength’.

The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece — a fitting place to rekindle the spirit of the early Greek Games. The second modern Olympic competition was relegated to a sideshow of the World Exhibition, which was being held in Paris in the summer of 1900.

In 1924, the first truly successful Olympic Games were held in Paris, involving more than 3,000 athletes, including more than 100 women, from 44 nations.

Modern Olympic Games – HISTORY

2020		Tokyo - Japan	XXXI Olympiad
2016		Rio de Janeiro - Brazil	XXX Olympiad
2012		London - Great Britain	XXIX Olympiad
2008		Beijing - China	XXVIII Olympiad
2004		Athens - Greece	XXVII Olympiad
2000		Sydney - Australia	XXVI Olympiad
1996		Atlanta - United States	XXV Olympiad
1992		Barcelona - Spain	XXIV Olympiad
1988		Seoul - South Korea	XXIII Olympiad
1984		Los Angeles - United States	XXII Olympiad
1980		Moscow - Russia	XXI Olympiad
1976		Montreal - Canada	XX Olympiad
1972		Munich - Germany	XIX Olympiad
1968		Mexico City - Mexico	XVIII Olympiad
1964		Tokyo - Japan	XVII Olympiad
1960		Rome - Italy	XVI Olympiad
1956		Melbourne - Australia	XV Olympiad
1952		Helsinki - Finland	XIV Olympiad