Sports competitions called the Olympic Games were held back in Ancient Greece, in Olympia (a city in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese, which in the past was the most important religious and sports center in Greece).

Start year Olympic Games is considered to be 776 BC. e., this date is carved on a slab found by archaeologists along with the name of the Olympic winner in the race Corab. The date is also confirmed by the ancient authors Paraballon, Hippias, Aristotle and others. The Greek historian Timaeus (about 352-256 BC) and the mathematician Eratosthenes (about 276-196 BC) developed a chronology from the first Games , according to which until 394 AD. e., when competitions were banned by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I, 293 Olympics took place.

The idea of ​​reviving the Olympic Games was proposed in late XIX century French public figure Pierre de Coubertin in connection with public interest in archaeological discoveries at Olympia. De Coubertin outlined the project for the revival of the Olympic Games in his report on November 25, 1892 at the Sorbonne.

The principles, rules and regulations of the games were determined by the Olympic Charter, approved in June 1894 by the International Sports Congress in Paris. According to the charter, the Olympic Games bring together amateur athletes from all countries in fair and equal competition; Countries and individuals are not discriminated against on racial, religious or political grounds. At the same congress, it was decided to hold the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens. For this purpose, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was created.

At the first Games in Athens on April 6-15, 1896, 43 sets of medals were competed in 9 sports. 241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the competition. At these Games, traditions were established such as the performance of the Olympic anthem, participation in the opening ceremony of the head of state hosting the games, and the awarding of the winners on the last day of the competition. The Athens Olympics became the largest sporting event of its time. Since then, international competitions, known as the Summer Olympics, have been held every four years (with the exception of the First and Second World Wars). The location of the Games is chosen by the IOC, and the right to organize them is granted to the city, not the country.

Since 1900, women have participated in the Games.

In 1908, qualifying competitions were held in London for the first time in the history of the Olympics, and the tradition of a procession of participating teams under national flags was born. At the same time, the unofficial team classification became widespread - determining the place occupied by teams based on the number of medals received and points scored in competitions.

In 1912, a photo finish was used for the first time at the Stockholm Olympics.

In 1920, at the Olympics in Antwerp (Belgium), the Olympic flag was raised for the first time in the history of the games, and the participants took the Olympic oath.

The Winter Olympics have been held since 1924. Before this, some winter sports were included in the programs of the Summer Olympics. Thus, the figure skating championship at the Olympics was first played in London in 1908, and the first Olympic ice hockey tournament took place in 1920 in Antwerp. Initially, the Winter Olympics were held in the same year as the Summer Olympics; in 1992, their dates were shifted by two years. The Winter Olympics have their own numbering.

During the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, the tradition of lighting the flame was established.

At the 1932 Games in Los Angeles, for the first time, an “Olympic village” was built specifically for the participants.

Since 1936, the world has been following the Olympic torch relay.

In 1960, during the Summer Olympics in Rome, an athlete from Denmark, Knud Jensen, died for the first time due to doping.

In 1960, at the Winter Games in Squaw Valley, America, the opening ceremony was for the first time accompanied by a large-scale theatrical performance (Walt Disney was responsible for organizing it).

At the 1972 games in Munich, members of the Palestinian terrorist organization Black September took Israeli team athletes and coaches hostage. During the operation to free them, 11 members of the Israeli team and one West German policeman were killed.

In 2004, during the Athens Olympics, for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the IOC insured itself (for $170 million) in case of cancellation of competitions due to the threat of terrorism or natural disasters

The longest Games were the 1900 Games in Paris and the 1904 Games in St. Louis (USA). They were combined with the World Exhibitions and lasted several months (May-October 1900, July-November 1904). The Olympics in St. Louis also went down in history as “American”: out of 625 participants, 533 were Americans, since many European athletes were unable to come to the competition due to the high cost of travel.

The largest Olympic team ever entered by one country was the Great Britain team at the 1908 Olympics in London - 710 athletes.

Several times certain countries did not take part in the Games political reasons. Thus, Germany and its allies in the world wars were excluded from participation in the games in 1920 and 1948. In 1920, athletes from Soviet Russia were not invited to the Olympics in Antwerp (Belgium). 65 countries boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow due to the introduction Soviet troops to Afghanistan in December 1979. In response, teams from 13 countries of the socialist camp did not attend the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Official reason The boycott was the refusal of the organizers of the 1984 Olympics to provide security guarantees to athletes from the USSR and other Warsaw Pact countries.

In the history of the Games, there were several cases when competitions in some sports were held both before the opening of the games and after they closed. Thus, the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp were officially held on August 14-29, but competitions for figure skaters and hockey players took place in April, yachtsmen and shooters - in July, football players - in August and September. In 1956, at the Games in Melbourne, due to quarantine rules, equestrian competitions were held not only six months earlier than the Olympics itself, but also in another country and on another continent - in Stockholm.

The Olympics first appeared on television at the games in Berlin in 1936. So that the competition of athletes can be seen as much as possible more people, screens were installed throughout the city. Games were first broadcast to Londoners' home televisions in 1948. In 1956, the Olympic Games were already transmitted to everyone European countries, and since 1964 - to all continents. /TASS-DOSSIER/

Modern society is spoiled by the huge variety of available entertainment and is therefore demanding. It easily gets carried away by new amusements and just as quickly loses interest in them in pursuit of new, still unusual toys. Therefore, those pleasures that managed to hold the attention of the windy public for a long time can be considered truly strong attractions. A striking example is sports competitions. of different nature, from team games to paired martial arts. And the title of chief “guard” is rightfully borne by the Olympic Games. For several millennia, these multi-type competitions have attracted the attention of not only professional athletes, but also fans of various sports disciplines, as well as simply lovers of a colorful, memorable show.

Of course, the Olympic Games weren't always as expensive and high-tech as they are today. But they have always been spectacular and fascinating, starting from their very appearance during Antiquity. Since then, the Olympic Games have been suspended several times, they have changed their format and set of competitions, and have been adapted for athletes with disabilities. And to date, a regular two-year organizational system has been established. How long? History will show this. But now the whole world looks forward to each new Olympic Games. Although few spectators, watching the intense rivalry of their sports idols, guess how and why the Olympic Games appeared.

The Birth of the Olympic Games
The cult of the body inherent in the ancient Greeks became the reason for the appearance of the first sports games on the territory of ancient city-states. But it was Olympia that gave the holiday its name, which has stuck for centuries. Beautiful and strong bodies were glorified from theater stages, immortalized in marble and displayed in sports arenas. The most ancient legend says that the Games were first mentioned by the Delphic Oracle around the 9th century. BC e., which saved Elis and Sparta from civil strife. And already in 776 BC. The first pan-Greek Olympic Games were held, founded by the godlike hero Hercules himself. It was truly a large-scale event: a celebration physical culture, religious worship and simply affirmation of life.

Even the wars sacred to the Hellenes were suspended during the Olympic competitions. The seriousness of the event was arranged accordingly: the date of its holding was set by a special commission, which, through ambassadors-spondophoros, notified the inhabitants of all Greek city-states about its decision. After this, their best athletes went to Olympia to train and polish their skills for a month under the guidance of experienced mentors. Then, for five days in a row, the athletes competed in the following types of physical exercises:
This set can be considered the first composition Olympic events sports from Antiquity. Their champions, winners of the competition, received truly divine honors and, until the next Games, enjoyed special respect from their compatriots and, according to rumors, from Zeus the Thunderer himself. At home, they were greeted with songs, sung in hymns and honored at banquets, making obligatory sacrifices on their behalf to the supreme gods. Their names became known to every Greek. But the competition was tough, the competition was serious, and the level of physical fitness of the competitors was very high, so few managed to retain the laurels of the winner the following year. Those same unique heroes, who three times turned out to be the best of the best, had a monument erected in Olympia and equated to demigods.

A distinctive feature of the ancient Olympic Games was the participation in them not only of athletes, but also of artists. The ancient Greeks did not categorize human achievements at all and enjoyed life in all its manifestations. Therefore, the Olympic Games were accompanied by performances by poets, actors and musicians. Moreover, some of them did not refuse to show themselves in sports - for example, Pythagoras was a champion in fist fighting. Artists sketched key events and images of athletes, spectators admired the combination of physical and spiritual beauty, and enjoyed an abundance of delicious food and drinks. Sounds like a modern day workout, doesn't it? But the original Olympic Games were still far from the modern level of organization. This is confirmed by the unfortunate cessation of their history, albeit temporary.

Banning the Olympic Games
So, cheerfully and amicably, exactly 293 ancient Olympics were held over 1168 years. Until in 394 AD. The Roman Emperor Theodosius the First “Great” did not ban the Olympic Games by decree. According to the Romans, who brought and imposed Christianity on the Greek lands, shameless and noisy sports competitions were the embodiment of a pagan, and therefore unacceptable, way of life. You could even say that they were right in their own way. After all, religious ceremonies in honor of the gods of Olympus were an integral part of the Games. Each athlete considered it his duty to spend several hours at the sacrificial altar, offering prayers and making sacrifices to the divine patrons. Mass ceremonies accompanied the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games, as well as the awarding of the winners and their triumphant return home.

The Greeks even adjusted the calendar to accommodate their favorite sports, cultural and entertainment event, creating the so-called “Olympic calendar.” According to him, the holiday should have been held in " holy month", beginning on the first full moon after summer solstice. The cycle was 1417 days, or Olympiad - that is, the ancient Greek “Olympic year”. Of course, the warlike Romans were not going to put up with this state of affairs and free-thinking in society. And although the Olympic Games still continued after Rome conquered the lands of Hellas, but the pressure and oppression Greek culture inevitably affected them, gradually leading to complete decline.

A similar fate befell other, less significant, but similar in principle, sporting events. They start from about the 6th century. BC. regularly held in honor different gods and were called after the place where they were held: Pythian Games, Isthmian Games, Nemean Games, etc. Mention of them, along with the Olympic Games, can be found in Herodotus, Plutarch, Lucian and some other ancient authors. But none of these competitions went down in history so firmly or influenced the development of European culture so much so that they were not subsequently restored to their rights as the Olympic Games.

Revival of the Olympic Games
Christian dogmas ruled over the European continent for more than one and a half thousand years, during which there was no question of holding the Olympic Games in their classical format. Even the Renaissance, which revived ancient values ​​and cultural achievement, was powerless in this matter. And only at the end of the 19th century, that is, relatively recently, the restoration of the ancient Greek traditions of physical culture became possible. This event is associated with the name of Pierre de Coubertin. This 33-year-old French baron, who succeeded in his teaching and literary career and social activities, considered regular sports competitions an excellent opportunity to strengthen mutual understanding throughout the world in general and increase the national consciousness of his compatriots in particular.

In June 1894, de Coubertin spoke at the international congress at the Sorbonne with a proposal to revive the Olympic Games. The proposal was received with enthusiasm, and the International Olympic Committee was created at the same time. general secretary who was appointed by de Coubertin himself. And after two years of preparation, in 1896, the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, the capital of the cradle of the Olympic Games. And with great success: 241 athletes from 14 countries, and the leaders of these countries, and the flattered Greek government were very pleased with the sporting event. The IOC immediately established a rotation of Olympic venues and a 4-year interval between the Games.

Therefore, the second and third Olympic Games were held already in the twentieth century, in 1900 and 1904, in Paris (France) and St. Louis (USA), respectively. Even then, their organization adhered to the Charter of the Olympic Games, approved by the International Sports Congress. Its main provisions remain unchanged today. In particular, those related to the serial numbering of the Games, their symbols, venues and some other technical and organizational issues. As for Olympic sports, their list is not constant and changes from time to time, sometimes including or excluding some individual items. But basically today there are 28 (41 disciplines) sports:

1. Rowing
   
2. Badminton
   
3. Basketball
   
4. Boxing
   
5. Struggle
   
6. Freestyle wrestling
   
7. Greco-Roman wrestling
   
8. Cycling
   
9. Cycling track racing
   
10. Mountain bike (Mountain bike)
    
11. Road cycling
    
12. Swimming
    
13. Water polo
    
14. Diving
    
15. Synchronized swimming
    
16. Volleyball
    
17. Beach volleyball
    
18. Handball
    
19. Gymnastics
    
20. Gymnastics
    
21. Jumping on a trampoline
    
22. Golf
    
23. Kayaking and canoeing
    
24. Rowing slalom
    
25. Judo
    
26. Dressage
    
27. Show jumping
    
28. Triathlon
    
29. Athletics
    
30. Table tennis
    
31. Sailing
    
32. Rugby
    
33. Modern pentathlon
    
34. Archery
    
35. Tennis
    
36. Triathlon
    
37. Taekwondo
    
38. Weightlifting
    
39. Fencing
    
40. Football
    
41. Field hockey
    

By the way, modern pentathlon was also created on the initiative of de Coubertin. He also founded the tradition, later enshrined in the Olympic Charter, of holding demonstration competitions in 1-2 sports not recognized by the IOC. But the baron’s idea to hold art competitions at the Olympic Games did not catch on. But the personal Pierre de Coubertin Medal is still awarded by the International Olympic Committee for “outstanding manifestations of the Olympic sports spirit.” This award is a special honor for an athlete, and many value it much higher than an Olympic gold medal.

By the way, the Olympic medal was also born along with the modern Olympic Games and can be considered the brainchild of de Coubertin’s inexhaustible enthusiasm and ingenuity. After all, the ancient Greeks awarded their athletes not with medals at all, but with any other prizes: olive wreaths, gold coins and other jewelry. One of the kings even granted the winning athlete his state. IN modern world such waste is unthinkable, because all the principles of awarding and the award system of the Olympic Games since 1984 are clearly stated in the Olympic Charter.

Development of the Olympic Games. Paralympic and Winter Olympic Games.
The Olympic Charter is a kind of charter containing the rules of the Olympic Games and the activities of the IOC, as well as reflecting the very concept and philosophy of the Olympics. At the beginning of its existence, it still allowed adjustments and amendments. In particular, since 1924 it has also regulated the holding of the Winter Olympic Games, or “White Olympics,” conceived as a supplement to the main summer games. The first Winter Olympics were held in Sweden, and then for almost a century they were regularly held in the same years as the Summer Olympics. And only in 1994 the tradition began to separate the summer and winter Olympics from each other by a two-year interval. Today, the Olympic Winter Games include the following 7 winter (15 disciplines) sports:

1. Biathlon
   
2. Curling
   
3. Skating
   
4. Figure skating
   
5. Short track
   
6. Skiing
   
7. Nordic combined
   
8. Ski race
   
9. Ski jumping
   
10. Snowboard
    
11. Freestyle
    
12. Bobsled
    
13. Luge
    
14. Skeleton
    
15. Hockey
    

A little earlier, in 1960, the IOC decided to hold competitions among athletes with disabilities. They were called the Paralympic Games due to the general term for spinal diseases. But later it was reformulated into the Paralympic Games and explained by “parallelism”, equality with the Olympic Games, since athletes with other diseases began to compete. By their example they demonstrate the moral and physical strength necessary for a fulfilling life and sporting victories.

Rules and traditions of the Olympic Games
The scale and significance of the Olympic Games has surrounded them with many traditions, nuances and social myths. Each successive competition is accompanied by close attention from the world community, the media and private fans. Over the years, the Games have indeed acquired many rituals, most of which are enshrined in the Charter and strictly observed by the IOC. Here are the most significant of them:

1. Symbol of the Olympic Games– 5 multi-colored rings fastened together, placed in two rows, implies the union of the five parts of the world. In addition to it, there is the Olympic motto “Faster, higher, stronger!”, the Olympic oath and additional symbols that accompany the Games when they are held in each individual country.
   
2. Opening and closing of the Olympic Games- this is a grandiose performance that has become a kind of unspoken competition between the organizers in the scope and high cost of this action. No expense is spared in staging these ceremonies, using expensive special effects, inviting the best scriptwriters, artists and world celebrities. The inviting party makes great efforts to ensure spectator interest.
   
3. Financing of the Olympic Games– the responsibility of the organizing committee of the inviting country. Moreover, income from the broadcast of the Games and other marketing events within their framework are transferred to the IOC.
   
4. A country, or rather the city where the next Olympic Games will be held is determined 7 years before their date. But 10 years before the event, candidate cities provide the IOC with applications and presentations with evidence of their advantages. The acceptance of applications lasts for a year, then, 8 years before the event, the finalists are named, and only then the IOC members, by secret ballot, appoint a new host of the Olympics. All this time, the world has been tensely awaiting a decision.
   
5. Most The Olympic Games were held in the USA - 8 Olympics. France hosted the Olympics 5 times, and Great Britain, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada 3 times each.
   
6. Olympic champion title– the most honorable thing in the career of any athlete. Moreover, it is given forever; there are no “former Olympic champions”.
   
7. Olimpic village- This is the traditional habitat of delegations from each country participating in the Olympics. It is being built by the organizing committee according to the requirements of the IOC and accommodates only athletes, coaches and support staff. Thus, you get a whole town, with its own infrastructure, training grounds, post offices and even beauty salons.
   

Olympic Games are international sports competitions, which are held every four years in different cities. Thousands of athletes from all over the world compete against each other in individual and team sports. More than 1 billion people watch games on TV.

Modern Olympic Games

The first Olympic Games were held in Greece in 776 BC. They were called ancient games and continued until the 4th century AD. Modern Olympic Games began in 1896, when Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin revived the games to bring peace and friendship to the world. There are summer and winter games. Until 1994, both games were played in the same year, but now they are staged two years apart from each other.

The modern Olympic Games begin with an opening ceremony. Athletes from all participating countries enter the stadium. Greece comes out first because it was the first country to host the Olympics and the host of the competition comes out last. The Olympic flag is raised and the selected athlete lights the Olympic flame. It is a symbol of spirit, knowledge and life. The fire burns from the opening until the end of the games.

The Olympic rings were created in 1913 and represent the five continents (Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and South America). All athletes must take the Olympic oaths. One of them must promise that all athletes will compete in a fair manner. After each event, medals are given to the first three athletes. They receive gold, silver and bronze medals. Their flags are raised and the national anthem of the victorious country is played.

International Olympic Committee

The IOC is the organization that governs the modern Olympic Games. He decides what sports and events will be held at the games. The IOC also selects the host city for summer and winter games. Cities that want to host the games must show that they have enough stadiums for all events, they have enough space for all athletes, they can provide safety for athletes, they can transport athletes and spectators from one event to another. They also need to build an Olympic village where all the athletes will live during the games.

How can athletes participate?

As a rule, each country decides which athletes will take part. Athletes must be eligible for the Games by winning competitions held before the start of the Olympic Games. Athletes who are sent to games from their country must be citizens of that country. For many years, only amateurs could compete in the games, but in the modern Olympic Games today the majority of athletes are professionals who earn money through the sport.

Ancient games

The ancient Olympic Games were held in Olympia and Greece every four years. They were held in honor of the god Zeus. Back then, only Greek men were allowed to participate. The games consisted of races, wrestling, boxing, pentathlon and horse racing. The last were, as a rule, chariot races. When the Romans conquered Greece in 140 BC, the games began to lose their religious meaning and in 393 the Roman Emperor banned the event.

Summer Games take place during the summer season in the host country. They lasted 16 days. Today there are more than 270 competitions. More than 15,000 athletes from 190 countries take part in them.

The first Winter Olympic Games were held in France in 1924. They usually took place in February. Currently, the Winter Olympic Games include more than 60 competitions. Athletes from more than 60 countries participate in them.

The modern Olympic Games have become very successful and more and more people can watch them on TV, TV stations are spending everything more money for the right to broadcast games. The IOC is making more money than ever before. With this money they help athletes in poor countries.

Sochi 2014 Olympic Flame Lighting Ceremony

BAKU, April 6 – Sputnik. One hundred and twenty years ago, the first modern Summer Olympic Games opened in Athens, Greece. The 1896 Olympic Games were held from April 6 to 15 in Athens, Greece.

On June 23, 1894, a commission to revive the Olympic Games met in the Great Hall of the Sorbonne in Paris. Baron Pierre de Coubertin became its general secretary. Then the International Olympic Committee - the IOC - was formed, which included the most authoritative and independent citizens of different countries.

The first modern Olympic Games were originally planned to be held in the same stadium in Olympia that hosted the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece. However, this required too much restoration work, and the first revived Olympic competitions took place in the Greek capital, Athens.

Already on April 6, 1896, at the restored ancient stadium in Athens, the Greek King George declared the first Olympic Games of our time open. The ceremony was attended by 60 thousand spectators.

The date was not chosen by chance - on this day, Easter Monday coincided in three directions of Christianity at once - Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism. This first opening ceremony of the Games established two Olympic traditions - the opening of the Games by the head of state where the competition is taking place, and the singing of the Olympic anthem. However, such indispensable attributes modern Games, like the parade of participating countries, the ceremony of lighting the Olympic flame and the recitation of the Olympic oath, there was no; they were introduced later. There was no Olympic village; invited athletes provided their own housing.

241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the Games of the First Olympiad: Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary (at the time of the Games, Hungary was part of Austria-Hungary, but Hungarian athletes competed separately), Germany, Greece, Denmark, Italy , USA, France, Chile, Switzerland, Sweden.

Russian athletes were quite actively preparing for the Olympics, but due to lack of funds, the Russian team was not sent to the Games.

As in ancient times, only men took part in the competitions of the first modern Olympics.

The program of the first Games included nine sports - classical wrestling, cycling, gymnastics, athletics, swimming, shooting, tennis, weightlifting and fencing. 43 sets of awards were drawn.

According to ancient tradition, the Games began with athletic competitions. Athletics competitions became the most popular - 63 athletes from 9 countries took part in 12 events. Largest quantity species - 9 - won by representatives of the USA.

The first Olympic champion was American athlete James Connolly, who won the triple jump with a score of 13 meters 71 centimeters.

Wrestling competitions were held without uniform approved rules for conducting fights, and there were also no weight categories. The style in which the athletes competed was close to today's Greco-Roman, but it was allowed to grab the opponent's legs. Only one set of medals was played among five athletes, and only two of them competed exclusively in wrestling - the rest took part in competitions in other disciplines.

Since there were no artificial swimming pools in Athens, swimming competitions were held in an open bay near the city of Piraeus; the start and finish were marked by ropes attached to the floats. The competition aroused great interest - by the start of the first swim, about 40 thousand spectators had gathered on the shore. About 25 swimmers from six countries took part, most of them naval officers and sailors of the Greek merchant fleet. Medals were awarded in four events, all swims were “freestyle” - you were allowed to swim in any way, changing it along the course. At that time, the most popular swimming methods were breaststroke, overarm (an improved way of swimming on the side) and treadmill style. At the insistence of the organizers of the Games, the program also included applied view swimming - 100 meters in sailor's clothing. Only Greek sailors took part in it.

In cycling, six sets of medals were awarded - five on the track and one on the road. The track races took place at the Neo Faliron velodrome, specially built for the Games.

Eight sets of awards were competed for in the artistic gymnastics competitions. The competition took place outdoors at the Marble Stadium.

Five sets of awards were awarded in shooting - two in rifle shooting and three in pistol shooting.

Tennis competitions took place on the courts of the Athens Tennis Club. Two tournaments were held - singles and doubles. At the 1896 Games there was no requirement that all team members represent the same country, and some pairs were international.

Weightlifting competitions were held without division into weight categories and included two disciplines: squeezing a ball barbell with two hands and lifting a dumbbell with one hand.

Three sets of awards were competed for in fencing. Fencing became the only sport where professionals were allowed: separate competitions were held among “maestros” - fencing teachers (“maestros” were also admitted to the 1900 Games, after which this practice ceased).

The culmination of the Olympic Games was the marathon running. Unlike all subsequent Olympic marathon competitions, the marathon distance at the Games of the First Olympics was 40 kilometers. The classic marathon distance is 42 kilometers 195 meters. The first to finish with a result of 2 hours 58 minutes 50 seconds was the Greek postman Spyridon Louis, who after this success became national hero. In addition to the Olympic awards, he received a gold cup established by the French academician Michel Breal, who insisted on including marathon running in the program of the Games, a barrel of wine, a voucher for free food for a year, free tailoring of a dress and the use of a hairdresser throughout his life, 10 centners of chocolate, 10 cows and 30 rams.

The winners were awarded on the closing day of the Games - April 15, 1896. Since the Games of the First Olympiad, the tradition of singing the national anthem and raising the national flag in honor of the winner has been established. The winner was crowned with a laurel wreath, given a silver medal, an olive branch cut from the Sacred Grove of Olympia, and a diploma made by a Greek artist. Second place winners received bronze medals. Those who took third place were not taken into account at that time, and only later the International Olympic Committee included them in the medal standings among countries, but not all medalists were determined accurately.

The Greek team won the largest number of medals - 45 (10 gold, 17 silver, 18 bronze). Team USA was second - 20 awards (11+7+2). The third place was taken by the German team - 13.

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 trained continuously, 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 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 mean the unity of the continents.

The first Olympic Games of modern times marked the beginning of a tradition: taking an oath. There is also 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”.