The Olympic Games were first instituted by the Greeks in the year 776 B.c. It is also the date from which the Greeks began to keep their calendar by "olympiads of four years' span between one round of games and another. These games were combined with other patriotic, religious and athletic festivals held every four years.
These games were held every four years at a place called Olympus in Greece. Atheletes from all over Greece used to go to these games. In the modem age, the Olympic Games were first of all organised in 1896 at Athens, in Greece. The credit for the revival of these Games goes to Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a French educator. The underlying objective of reviving these Games was to create a better international understanding through the universal medium of youth's love for games.
Since 1896 A.D. the Olympic Games have been held more or less every fourth year. The venue of these Games is changed from country to country depending upon the capability and resources of the country to host such Games. These Games have not been held in India so far The olympic Games are held in high esteem by all countries. Thousands of athletes from all over the world assemble to participate in these Games. These Games foster international brotherhood and understanding.
The symbol depicts five rings or circles These rings symbolise the five continents of Europe, Asia , Africa, Australia and America. Each ring is of a different colour i.e., blue, yellow, black, green and red These rings are linked together. The Olympic Flag has interlocking rings on a plain white background. The olympic Flame represents the continuity between the ancient and the modern Games. First of the is lit by the Sun's rays at Olympus in Greece with the help of this torch, the Olympic Flame kindled and carried to the venue of the Games by relays of winners. This flame is kept burning till the last day of the Games.
At the outset, 6very athlete of the host country recites the oath that he will participate' In the Olympic Games respecting and abiding by the rules which govern these games. In ancient times, the Olympic heroes were honoured with Laurel Wreaths. But in modern times, the winners are awarded medals and certificates. Those who stand first are given a gold medal; a silver medal is given to the second and a bronze medal to the player standing third At present, 38 sports are played at the Olympic Games The 24th Olympic Games were held in the year 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. U.S.S.R. topped the medal tally by clinching 55 golds while G.D.R. And U.S.A. secured second and third place respectively by claiming 37 and 36 gold medals each. India failed to win even a single medal Sports persons like Kristine Otto of GD.R. in swimming and Florence Griffith Joyner of U.S.A. in the tracks won the hearts of sports-loving persons throughout the world The other important thing about this olympics was that after a very long time both America and Soviet Union participated in it.
The 25th olympic Games were held at Barcelona 1992, while the 26th Olympic Games were held at Atlanta in U.S.A. 19 to August 4, 1996. It was the centenary year of the Modern olympics. The United States toppe the medal tally by winning 44 golds followed by Russia and Germany. The hero of the Atlanta Olympics was Carl Lewis who jumped to his 9th Olympic gold at the age of 35 India continued its dismal performance in these Olympics too. India participated in 13 events. Barring lawn tennis, the Indians fell by the wayside in all individual events. The 23-year-old Leander Paes won an Olympic bronze for lawn tennis. Paes made a kind of history in India's dismal Olympic record by becoming the only second Indian ever to win a medal for an individual event. The 27th Olympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia from September 15 to October 1, 2000. Australia was indeed the ideal choice to host this big event as it is one of the three countries which have attended every Game since 1896. Sydney Olympics 2000, the first Olympiad of the New Millennium as also of the 21st Century, was the greatest show on Earth with the participation of a record number of athletes(over 10,300) and approximately 5,100 support staff, representing the largest ever number of countries (199) competing in a record number of 300 events in 28 sports disciplines.
The XXVII Sydney Olympics 2000-rated as the "Best olympics ever" by IOC President, Mr. Juan Antonio Samaranch can claim many distinctive features. The 14- toried Stadium Australia, the main olympic Stadium and the largest outdoor venue in Olympic history (which hosted both the opening and Closing Ceremonies) accommodating 1, 10,000 spectators was the main attraction. The Olympic village, a model environment-friendly residential site which housed over 10,300 athletes and over 5000 officials, was the first and the largest solar-powered housing complex where all the participants were accommodated in one Olympic village for the first time in the history of the Games The Opening Ceremony on September 15, 2000 in Sydney Australia was witnessed by over one lakh spectators, while thousands of others were glued to big screens set up across the city and another 3.7 billion sports lover watched the inaugural event of the XXVII Modern Olympics live on their TV sets the world over. The closing ceremony pageant was as spectacular as the opening ceremony Out of the 199 participating countries of Sydney Olympics 2000, 80 made it to the medal chart, topped by the United States with 39 gold, 25 silver and 33 bronze and followed by Russia and China. The New Millennium's first Olympics saw India at the rock bottom, sharing the last position (70th) along with ten other countries in the medal tally.
Athens Olympics 2004 got off to a grand start in Greece's capital, Athens, on August 13, 2004, with an impressive opening ceremony that brought the myths of ancient Greece back to life through the magic of 21st century technology, thus marking the return of the Olympic Games to their spiritual home. The grand show enacted the story of early Greece and the birth of the olympic Games through music, dance and pageantry and provided an insight into Modern Olympics that were revived 108 years ago Athens itself.
In the Olympic Games 2004, U.S.A. topped the final medals tally with a total of 103 medals (35 Gold, 39 Silver and 29 Bronze) followed by and China with 63 medals (32 Gold, 17 Silver, 14 Bronze)and Russia with 92 medal (27 Gold, 27 Silver and 38 Bronze). Major Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore became the first Indian sportsperson to win an individual Olympics Silver medal. The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, were a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 10,708 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) competed in 302 Gold medals in 38 events
Three nations participated in the Olympics for the first time. China became the 22nd nation to host the Olympic Games and the 18th to hold a Summer Olympic Games. In the Olympic Games 2008, China won 51 Gold medals followed by the USA, which got 36 Gold medals Russia bagged 23 Gold medals. On August 11, 2008, Abhinav Bindra won the gold medal in the men's 10m air rifle shooting event. In doing so, he won the first ever individual gold medal for India and the first medal in any event for India the Beijing Games. Sushil Kumar won the second ever wrestling medal (bronze) for India. won a bronze medal in the middleweight boxing category. This was India's first-ever Olympic medal in boxing.
