The Olympics are leading international sporting events that are on during the summer and winter sports competitions. In this event, a large group of athletes from different parts of the world participates. With 200 nations participating together, the Olympics are known to be the world’s leading sports competition.

The Olympic games are held every four years with the summer and winter themes being alternated.

The Olympics are known to have started in Olympia in ancient Greece. The earliest date recorded for Olympics taking place for the first time was 776 B.C., though it is assumed that the games began well before then. In the summer of 776 B.C., a contest was held in Olympia in order to honor their god Zeus, who was known to be the most important god in Greek history. All wars would cease during the Olympics.

At that time there were not a multitude of games that we see today, but instead only one footrace. The start and end points coincided with the length of the stadium and would be elongated as the years went by. The Olympics would be conducted on only one day in which only local men would participate. This changed when the Spartans joined in. The 18th Olympics game included wrestling, running, jumping, spear throwing, and boxing. The Games continued to expand with chariot racing also being added to the list.

The growth of the Games promoted religiousness and professionalism amongst the competitors. But as the royalty began to join the Games and compete for personal gain the Olympic ideals seemed to have diminished. The winners would then be treated like gods and have their statues erected in order to glorify them. In 934 A.D the games had officially been ended by the Roman emperor Theodosius I, who felt that the Olympics had started to include pagan connotations.

The Games saw a revival in 1896 with the help from French nobleman Pierre de Coubertin. He wished to institute the ancient Greek games as an educational program since the Olympics helped with the balanced development of the mind and body. The Greeks had also tried to revive the games in the 1800s but with little success. However, De Coubertin was much more successful beginning in 1896. This year the games included cycling, fencing, gymnastics, lawn tennis, shooting, swimming, etc. Thirteen countries participated this year and the games were a huge success. Olympic games tradition was established at this event and continues to this day.

The Olympics have a rich history that started in Olympia, Greece. People have participated and enjoyed watching the games since ancient times. Olympic Games bring people and countries together and foster understanding and friendship among nations.

A fitness enthusiast, Amita Vadlamudi likes to exercise, swim and stay physically fit. Amita Vadlamudi also enjoys learning about the rich history of the sports and games and their contribution to physical and mental fitness.