The Olympic Games are an annual international event involving athletic competitions originating from the classical Greek Olympics. Regarded as the greatest international sporting event, Olympics have evolved through many stages, whilst preserving the essence of the amateur athletic event.

Some facts about the beginning of the Ancient Olympic Games

The original Olympics were first held in 776 BCE in Olympia, Greece and were dedicated to the immortal gods. These games were held every four years between August 6 and September 19 and were conducted for almost twelve centuries when Emperor Theodosius I decided to stop the games in 393 AD citing that he wanted to eradicate Christianity from the Roman Empire. 

The origin of Olympics lay in religious festivals held in honor of Zeus – the king of gods in Greek mythology. There were new happenings each day for a total of 200, but the most distinguished was the Stadion footrace. Some of the other events were wrestling, long jump, running with the spear and discus, boxing, chariot racing and pankration, a no-holds-barred event which was a precursor to the modern day Ultimate Fighting Championship. 

The qualifications for participation were that the man had to be free born, a Greek and had to speak the language only Greek was allowed and women were not allowed to participate or even watch.

Return of the Olympics

During the nineteenth century, the spirit of enlightenment and romanticism influenced scholars and historians to rediscover the Greek antiquity and its Olympiad. Some of the early enthusiasts therefore started to demand the resurrection of the Olympics into a sporting event that is aimed at fostering world peace and understanding. The foremost advocate was Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a French aristocrat, and an athlete at that.

Coubertin formed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, which would go on to serve as the organizing committee of the modern Olympic Games. The first modern Olympics however took place two years later in 1896 in Athens-Greece. The first Games which commenced in 18 April featured more than 280 participants across 13 countries as they participated in 43 events. Although this was thought to be successful, women were still barred from participation in the competition. 

Some of the most recent Olympic Games were held in the early twentieth century.

International athletic competitions such as the Olympic Games had become more popular during the early part of the 20th century. The first Interim Games, which were staged in Athens in 1906 in honor of the 10-year anniversary of the modern games, produced strong fields of new international athletes from over 20 nations. It took the females until 1900 Paris Games to be allowed to compete and the first Winter Olympics of were held in 1924 in France.

Following the World War I cancellation, the 1920 edition in Antwerp marked the start of what is often referred to as the ‘Golden Age of the Olympics,’ an era that spans the period between the two world wars. Interest increased internationally and athletes of the likes of swimmer Johnny Weissmuller, runner Paavo Nurmi and Jesse Owens among others received global attention. The event that took place in the summer of 1936 specifically in Berlin was noted to have been tainted with the Nazi influence, particularly the German delegation that paraded theories of Aryan supremacy.

Later 20th Century: Olympics Post World War II 

It continued to move forward after being canceled again because of World War II happening at that time. During the Cold War for instance, world powers such as USSR and USA often staged shows of power to outdo the other; an aspect that showcased this power in the face of competition. The Olympic Games in Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964 and Mexico city 1968 had many memorable moments including Cassius clay who bagged gold in boxing, Beamon who scored an amazing world record in long jump.

More professional demeanor and commercialization are evident in this time as the massive costs of hosting were putting pressure on the host cities to seek sponsorship from various companies. Constriction on professional athletes were gradually lifted until the elimination of all constraints. Other areas that also benefited from the growth of women’s events included swimming, track and field, and gymnastics.

The Modern Olympic Era

In the last decades the summer and Winter Olympic Games has been held two years apart. Host cities invest tremendous amount of money into state-of-the-art venues and services necessary for over 10,000 athletes of more than 200 countries which participate in the games now.

These Games too have had a plenty of successes and scandals in the contemporary world. It is hard to overlook the US men’s ice hockey victory over the heavily-favored Soviet Union in 1980, or even the breathtaking show of China’s Opening Ceremonies for Beijing Olympics in 2008. However, there is a darker side to the Olympics as well as it has not entirely been free from security threats and criminal scandals; such as the Black September terror attacks in Munich 1972 and bombs in Atlanta 1996 and the institutionalized cheating by Russia in the Olympics from 2012 to 2015.  

Despite the fact that commercialization increases as well as mind-boggling technologies which help athletes to perform at their best, the Olympic Games are still held every four years for over 125 years since the revival. They may be said to symbolize the most significant coming together of countries across political divides and remain the spirit of achievement, contest and amity. Being one of the oldest traditions in history which spans over a hundred years and has billions of fans and participants globally, one might have expected that the Olympic Movement has faded away.