Hosting the first modern Olympic Games. How did the Olympic Games come about?

In time immemorial, Hercules organized it in the 1210s. They were held once every five years, but then for unknown reasons this tradition was interrupted and was revived under King Ifite.

The first Olympic Games in Greece were not numbered, they were called solely by the name of the winner, and in the only type of competition at that time - running over a certain distance.

Ancient authors, based on materials, began counting the competition from 776 BC. e., it was from this year that the Olympic Games became known by the name of the athlete who won them. However, there is an opinion that they simply failed to establish the names of the earlier winners, and therefore the holding itself could not be considered a valid and reliable fact in those days.

The first Olympic Games took place in Olympia, a town located in southern Greece. Participants and tens of thousands of spectators from many cities of Hellas traveled to the place by sea or by land.

Runners, as well as wrestlers, discus or spear throwers, jumpers, and fist fighters took part in competitions in agility and strength. The games were held in the hottest month of summer, and at this time wars between policies were prohibited.

Throughout the year, heralds spread the news throughout the cities of Greece that the sacred peace had been declared and that the roads leading to Olympia were safe.

All Greeks had the right to participate in the competition: the poor, the noble, the rich and the ignorant. Only women were not allowed to attend them, even as spectators.

The first, like the subsequent ones, in Greece were dedicated to the great Zeus; it was an exclusively male holiday. According to legend, one very brave Greek woman in men's clothing secretly entered the city of Olympia to watch her son perform. And when he won, his mother, unable to restrain herself, rushed to him in delight. According to the law, the unfortunate woman should have been executed, but out of respect for her victorious son, she was pardoned.

Almost ten months before the start of the Olympic Games, everyone who was going to participate in them was required to begin training in their cities. Day after day, for ten months in a row, the athletes continuously trained, and a month before the opening of the competition, they arrived in Southern Greece and there, not far from Olympia, continued their preparation.

Typically, most of the participants in the games were usually wealthy people, because the poor could not afford to train for a whole year and not work.

The first Olympic Games lasted only five days.

On the fifth day, a table made of ivory and gold was installed in front of the temple of the main god Zeus, and awards for the winners - olive wreaths - were placed on it.

The winners approached one after another to the supreme judge, who placed these award wreaths on their heads. In front of everyone, he announced the name of the athlete and his city. At the same time, the audience exclaimed: “Glory to the winner!”

The fame of the Olympic Games has survived many centuries. And today, every inhabitant of the planet knows the five rings that signify the unity of the continents.

The first Olympic Games of modern times marked the beginning of a tradition: taking the oath. There is another wonderful tradition: to light the Olympic flame in Greece, as in ancient times, and then carry it as a relay across countries in the hands of people devoted to sports, to the site of the next Olympics.

And although as a result of a strong earthquake all the Olympic buildings of antiquity were wiped off the face of the earth, in the 18th century, as a result of excavations in ancient Olympia, many attributes of the then games were found.

And already at the end of the 19th century, the permanent and first Baron de Coubertin, inspired by the works of the archaeologist Curtius, revived the games and also wrote a code defining the rules for their conduct - the “Olympic Charter”.

The history of the ancient Olympic Games dates back to the 9th century BC. In those days, there were endless ruinous wars between the ancient states. One day, King Iphit of Elis went to Delphi to the oracle and asked him what could be done to help his people avoid robberies and wars. The Delphic oracle was known for its precise and absolutely correct advice and predictions. He advised Iphit to establish sports Games pleasing to the gods on the territory of his country.

Iphit immediately went to the king of neighboring Sparta, the powerful Lycurgus, and agreed with him to establish Elis as a neutral state. According to the agreement, athletic Games were to be held in Olympia every 4 years. This treaty was established in 884 BC. e.

The first Olympic Games in Ancient Greece

The first Olympic Games in human history took place in 776 BC. e. Only two Elis cities took part in them at that time - Pisa and Elisa. The names of the winners of the Olympiads were carved by the Greeks on marble columns that were installed on the banks of the Alpheus River. Thanks to this modern world, the names of Olympians are known, including the very first of them: it was a cook from Elis named Coreba.

When the Olympic Games were approaching, Elis messengers traveled to all cities, reporting on the upcoming holiday and announcing a “sacred truce.” The messengers were greeted with joy not only by the Greeks themselves, but also by the Greeks living in other cities.

The establishment of a unified calendar took place somewhat later. According to him, the games were to be organized once every 4 years during the harvest and grape harvest. The festival of athletes included numerous religious ceremonies and sports competitions, the duration of which at first was one day, after some time - five days, and then as much as thirty days. Slaves, barbarians (that is, those who were not citizens of the Greek state), criminals, and blasphemers had no right to participate in competitions.

Video about the history of the ancient Olympic Games

The procedure for introducing various competitions into the Olympic Games

1. The first thirteen games took place only in competitions in the stadium - athletes competed in distance running.
2. But since 724 BC, the history of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece has changed somewhat: athletes began to compete in a double race over a distance of about 385 meters.
3. Even later, in 720 BC. e., another competition was added - the pentathlon.
4. In 688 BC. e., after seven more Olympics, fist fights were added to the program.
5. After another 12 years - chariot competitions.
6. In 648 BC. e., at the 33rd Olympiad, pankration was added to the program list. This was the most difficult and cruel type of games, which was a fist fight, which participants carried out in bronze caps placed on their heads. Leather belts with metal spikes were wrapped around their fists. The fight did not end until one of the fighters decided to admit defeat.
7. After some time, the race of heralds and trumpeters, the race of armed warriors, competitions in chariots drawn by mules, as well as some types of children's competitions were added to the list of competitions.

After each Olympics, marble statues of the winners were erected between the Alpheus River and the stadium, which were made at the expense of the cities in which the Olympians lived. Some of the statues were made with funds collected from fines who violated the established rules of the Olympic Games. The ancient Greeks left quite a lot of monuments, statues, and various records, thanks to which modern people know the history of the Olympic Games.

Modern Summer Olympics

The history of the Summer Olympics is quite complex. For a long time, the Olympics were banned, but Great Britain, France, and Greece still held sports competitions, which were secretly called “Olympic.” In 1859, the Olympic Games resumed in Greece under the name Olympia. Such competitions have been held for 30 years.

When German archaeologists discovered the remains of sports facilities in Greece in 1875, Europe began to talk more and more often about the revival of the Olympics.

The history of the development of the Summer Olympic Games began thanks to the French baron Pierre de Coubertin, who believed that their revival would contribute to:

• Improving the level of physical fitness of soldiers.
• The cessation of national egoism, which was inherent in the Olympic idea.
• Replacement of military actions with sports competitions.

Thus, thanks to Coubertin's initiative, the Olympic Games were officially revived in 1896. The Olympic Charter, adopted in 1894, established the rules and principles by which the Summer Games should be held. Each Olympics is assigned its own serial number, and its location is determined by the International Olympic Committee.

Winter Olympic Games of our time

The history of the Winter Olympic Games begins with the French city of Chamonix, which hosted the first Winter Olympic sports event - the Olympics - in 1924. About 300 athletes from 16 countries took part in it. It was from 1924 that the chronology of the Olympics began to include both winter and summer games. In 1994, the summer and winter games began to be held 2 years apart.

The ideological inspirer and organizer of the winter games is Pierre de Coubertin. To implement his idea, he had to show great perseverance and all his diplomatic abilities. First, he created a commission to organize the Winter Olympics. Then Coubertin managed to organize a Week in the French Chamonix, after which the following Olympiads began to be held:

• 1928 - Swiss St. Moritz.
• 1932 - Lake Placid (America).
• 1936 - German Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It was during this Olympics that the tradition of lighting the Olympic flame was revived.

This is the history of the Winter Olympic Games. The further geography of the Winter Olympics included many European countries, the American continent and eastern countries. In 2014, the next Winter Olympics was held in the Russian resort city of Sochi, and the next Olympic flame will be lit in South Korea in 2018.

Do you follow the Olympic Games? Which ones do you like best: winter or summer? Share your opinion on

Greetings, my curious readers! You all, of course, know about the Olympic Games, and even from time to time, I’m sure, you cheer for our Russian athletes in front of the TV screens. But has anyone ever wondered why these sporting competitions are so named, where they were held for the first time and how old they are?

I think everyone can give a short answer to one or two questions. Well, so that you can freely talk about the history of the Olympics, I suggest you take a closer look at the topic called “The First Olympic Games in History.”

Lesson plan:

How it all began?

Ancient history will always remain a mystery to us, which even historians are not able to fully reveal. So it is in this matter. There is no reliable information about who actually founded the first Olympic Games in human history and when. Everything connected with ancient times is always shrouded in myths.

The king of the small country of Elis named Iphit was concerned with one question: how to save his people from robbery and war, and came to a fortuneteller for advice. The oracle's answer was a little strange: “We need to establish games that please the gods!” And Iphit went to his neighbor, the ruler of Sparta, voiced the prediction, negotiated peace and, in gratitude, promised to organize athletic competitions.

The ancient Greek rulers established the order of the games and entered into a sacred alliance. The established competitions were to be held once every four years in the ancient Greek town of Olympia. This is how the competition got its name Olympic.

There is another version of the appearance of the Olympic Games, according to which they began to be held thanks to the son of the god Zeus, Hercules, who brought a sacred olive branch to Olympia, marking the victory of his father over his fierce grandfather.

According to other information, the same Hercules, with the help of athletic competitions, immortalized the memory of King Pelops for his victory in chariot races.

Which version is better for you?

Organization of the first games

Whatever myth about the appearance of the first Olympic Games we are more inclined to believe, according to documents, the date when they took place for the first time is attributed to 776 BC. On the bronze disk of King Ifit, the rules of the competition were written down and a clause was introduced on a mandatory military truce for the duration of the competition. The words of the text of reconciliation are inscribed around the disk.

The venue for the competition, Olympia, was declared sacred and could only be entered without weapons. Anyone who encroaches on a shrine while holding a sword was proposed to be considered a criminal.

It was decided to hold competitions between the harvest and the grape harvest, in the sacred month that began after the summer solstice. The sports festival initially lasted for one day, then the competition was extended for five days, and later they began to compete for a month.

A specially created commission set the day for the start of the Olympic Games, and messengers traveled from Elis in different directions to report the beginning of the truce and the date of the holiday. A month before the start of the competition, athletes from different ancient Greek states came to Olympia to train. Envoys from the warring states of Ancient Greece gathered together to conduct peace negotiations and resolve conflicts.

Who could participate in ancient Greek competitions?

In order to apply for participation in the Olympic Games, one could not be a slave, a barbarian, or a criminal. The ancient Greeks considered everyone who was not a citizen of their state to be barbarians. There was no age limit for participants in the competition - they could be either an adult man or a young man under the age of 20.

At first, only athletes from Elis took part in the competition. After a dozen games were held, residents of other policies of Ancient Greece began to be admitted to the number of participants, and then athletes from the ancient Greek colonies joined them.

Olympic sports

Various sports were gradually included in the programs of the Olympics of Ancient Greece.

At first, the athletes' competitions included only running.

These were short distance competitions where athletes ran from one end of the stadium to the other. Subsequently, a double run was added when the distance included a round trip. The fifteenth Olympic Games already included long-distance running in their program. The sixty-fifth competition was distinguished by a weighted running competition - the athletes were equipped with shields, helmets, and leggings.

In the second decade of the Olympic years, the competition program included chariot riding, as well as the pentathlon, which included wrestling, running, long jump, javelin and discus throwing.

During the thirty-third Olympiad in Ancient Greece, such a sport as pankration appeared - martial arts with kicks, punches, and choking techniques. By this time, athletes were already skillfully competing in fist fights, for which they protected their heads with a bronze cap and their hands with leather belts with metal tips. Around the same time, horse racing was added to the Olympic program.

Ancient Greek Olympic winners

Why did athletes try so hard, enduring physical stress and training annually? Of course, for the sake of glory, to glorify both themselves and the city they came from!

The tradition that existed in Ancient Greece of carving the names of the winners of the Olympics on marble columns that were installed along the banks of the Alpheus River played an invaluable role - the name of the first winner has reached the present day. He became a cook from Elis named Coreba.

All winners of the competition were called Olympians. For their victory, the athletes received a wreath of olive leaves and money as a reward.

But the most important reward awaited them at home, in their city, when the heroes received various privileges. They gained fame throughout Ancient Greece and were respected at the level of great warriors. If an athlete won Olympic competitions three times, then a bust was erected in his city of residence and entered into the book of outstanding citizens.

If you already know such philosophers as Pythagoras and Plato, then you will be interested to know that at one time the former was a champion in fist fighting, and the latter in pankration.

Why did it end?

The Olympic Games in Ancient Greece began to lose their significance in the 2nd century BC. They began to turn into ordinary local competitions.

The reason for this is the conquest of the country by the Romans, who did not care about the spirit of sports, they saw only a spectacle in the games. The change of religion to Christianity put an end to the Olympics. Many scholars say that the competition was officially banned by the Roman Emperor Theodosius in 393 AD with his code of laws against paganism.

Only after centuries, in 1896, the Olympics were revived again thanks to the initiative of the Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin.

5 Interesting Facts About the Ancient Olympic Games

1. Women were not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games, not only as participants, but also as spectators. An exception was made only for the priestess and chariot drivers.
2. All athletes taking part in the first Olympic Games competed completely without clothes. Yes, yes, they ran around naked!
3. An athlete who violated the rules in a pankration competition was hit with a stick by the judge.
4. The Olympic Games were to be repeated every 1417 days. This period of time was called the “Olympic year.”
5. It is noteworthy that the athletes used dumbbells to achieve a standing jump. Apparently, with them I jumped into the distance more confidently.

And in 1978, an animated film was made about how the Cossacks became Olympians. Want to watch it? Then run and turn on the video)

This is such an interesting sports story. Now you can easily show off your knowledge in class. I look forward to seeing you again on the ShkolaLa blog, come back for new interesting stories.

Good luck in your studies!

Evgenia Klimkovich.

The history of the Olympic Games goes back more than 2 thousand years. They originated in Ancient Greece. At first, the games were part of festivals in honor of the god Zeus. The first Olympics took place in ancient Greece. Once every four years, athletes gathered in the city of Olympia in the Peloponnese, a peninsula in the south of the country. Only running competitions were held over a distance of one stadium (from the Greek stade = 192 m). Gradually the number of sports increased and the games became an important event for the entire Greek world. It was a religious and sports holiday, during which obligatory “sacred peace” was declared and any military actions were prohibited.

History of the first Olympics

The period of truce lasted a month and was called ekeheiriya. It is believed that the first Olympics took place in 776 BC. e. But in 393 AD. e. Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned the Olympic Games. By that time, Greece lived under the rule of Rome, and the Romans, having converted to Christianity, believed that the Olympic Games, with their worship of pagan gods and the cult of beauty, were incompatible with the Christian faith.

The Olympic Games were remembered at the end of the 19th century, after excavations began in ancient Olympia and the ruins of sports and temple buildings were discovered. In 1894, at the International Sports Congress in Paris, the French public figure Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937) proposed organizing the Olympic Games on the model of the ancient ones. He also came up with the Olympians’ motto: “The main thing is not victory, but participation.” De Coubertin wanted only male athletes to compete in these competitions, as in Ancient Greece, but already in the second Games women also participated. The emblem of the Games was five multi-colored rings; We chose the colors that are most often found on the flags of various countries around the world.

The first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896 in Athens. In the 20th century The number of countries and athletes participating in these competitions grew steadily, and the number of Olympic sports also increased. Today it is difficult to find a country that does not send at least one or two athletes to the Games. Since 1924, in addition to the Olympic Games, which take place in the summer, winter Games began to be organized so that skiers, skaters and other athletes who engage in winter sports can compete. And since 1994, the Winter Olympic Games are held not in the same year as the Summer Olympics, but two years later.

Sometimes the Olympic Games are called the Olympics, which is incorrect: the Olympics is a four-year period between successive Olympic Games. When, for example, they say that the 2008 Games are the 29th Olympics, they mean that from 1896 to 2008, 29 periods of four years each passed. But there were only 26 Games: in 1916, 1940 and 1944. There were no Olympic Games - world wars interfered.

The Greek city of Olympia today attracts crowds of tourists who want to look at the ruins of the ancient city excavated by archaeologists with the remains of the temples of Zeus and Hera and visit the Archaeological Museum of Olympia.

April 6 was the 114th anniversary of the opening of the first modern Olympic Games. The tradition, which existed in Ancient Greece, was revived thanks to the French public figure Pierre de Coubertin. The games took place for 12 days from April 6 to April 15, 1896 in Athens and became the largest international event...

Opening ceremony of the games in Athens, 1896. Hulton Archive, Getty Images

The Olympic Games of Ancient Greece were a religious and sports festival held in Olympia. The first documented celebration dates back to 776 BC. e., they were established by Hercules, although it is known that the games were held earlier. The Olympic Games significantly lost their importance with the arrival of the Romans. After Christianity became the official religion, games began to be seen as a manifestation of paganism and in 394 AD. e. they were banned by Emperor Theodosius I.

Archaeological excavations at Olympia, which began in 1766, uncovered sports and temple structures. At that time, romantic-idealistic ideas about antiquity were in vogue in Europe. The desire to revive Olympic thinking and culture spread quite quickly throughout Europe. French Baron Pierre de Coubertin said then: “Germany has unearthed what remains of ancient Olympia. Why can't France restore its old greatness?

Baron Pierre de Coubertin

According to Coubertin, it was the weak physical condition of the French soldiers that was one of the reasons for the defeat of the French in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. He sought to change the situation by improving the physical culture of the French. At the same time, he wanted to overcome national egoism and contribute to the struggle for peace and international understanding. The “youth of the world” had to measure their strength in sports competitions, and not on the battlefields. Reviving the Olympic Games seemed in his eyes the best solution to achieve both goals.


Members of the International Olympic Committee. Hulton Archive, Getty Images

At a congress held from June 16-23, 1894 at the Sorbonne University in Paris, he presented his thoughts and ideas to an international audience. On the last day of the congress, it was decided that the first Olympic Games of modern times should take place in 1896. Athens was unanimously chosen as the host city, as Ancient Greece was the birthplace of the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded, with the Greek Demetrius Vikelas as its first president and Baron Pierre de Coubertin as its secretary general.


Olympic medals from 1896. Getty Images

The first Games of our time were a great success. Despite the fact that only 241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the Games, the Games became the largest sporting event ever held since ancient Greece. Greek officials were so pleased that they put forward a proposal to hold the Olympic Games “forever” in their homeland, Greece. But the IOC introduced rotation between different states so that every 4 years the Games change their location.


The Olympic Games in Athens were a great success, the stadium was full. London Stereoscopic Company, Getty Images

Initially, Coubertin wanted to make the Olympic Games an amateur competition, in which there was no place for professionals playing sports for money. It was believed that those paid to play sports had an unfair advantage over those who practiced sports as a hobby. Even coaches and those who received cash prizes for participation were not allowed in. In particular, Jim Thorpe was stripped of his medals in 1913 after it was discovered that he was a semi-professional baseball player. After the war, with the professionalization of European sports, the requirement for amateurism in most sports disappeared.

Olympic Stadium in Athens. FPG, Getty Images


At the start of a cycling competition. IOC, Olympic Museum/Allsport


French cyclist Leon Flament Paul Masson. Flament won gold in the 100 km race, while Masson won gold medals in the 2 km and 10 km distances. IOC, Olympic Museum/Allsport


Fencing competition. IOC, Olympic Museum/Allsport


Athletes training before the marathon. Burton Holmes, Henry Guttmann/Getty Images

Greek athlete Spyridon Spyridon Louis - winner of the first Olympic marathon. Allsport IOC, Allsport


At a tennis competition. IOC, Olympic Museum/Allsport

American athletes from Princeton University. IOC, Olympic Museum/Allsport


German gymnast Carl Schumann, who became an Olympic champion. IOC, Olympic Museum/Allsport


Rivals Carl Schumann and Greek Giorgios Tsitas shake hands. Schumann won the gold and Tsitas the silver medal. IOC, Olympic Museum/Allsport

One type of gymnastics competition is rope. OC, Olympic Museum/Allsport

Disco thrower Robert Garrett, who won Olympic gold. Getty Images