History of Olympics

Whenever the word Olympics is heard, everyone recalls it as an international multi-sport event with athletes from all over the world gathering at a particular venue to compete with each other in order to make their nations proud in the medals tally. The game and its fancy ceremonies may not be the same today compared to ancient times, but the focus remains on the Olympic motto “Citius, Altius, Fortius”. Let us take a look at the history of the game in the ancient, as well as modern times.

According to Greek mythology, the ancient Olympic Games were held at Olympia, Greece by Heracles (Hercules), a son of Zeus. However, written records suggest that the inception of the Ancient Olympics held in 776 BC. In ancient Greece, winners of the Olympic Games were admired as heroes and were honored with statues in Athens and their home towns.

The event started to decline when Greece was conquered by the Roman Empire in 146BC. The rise of Christianity also contradicted with the Greek mythology, which has many Gods. In 393AD, Roman Emperor Theodosius I made Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire and abolished the Olympic Games, which were a part of the Greek mythology.

After a hiatus of more than 1500 years, Evangelos Zappas, a wealthy Greek philanthropist, revived the Olympic Games in 1859. The re-establishment of the Olympic Games was conducted in Athens, Greece. Even after Zappas died in 1865, the Olympic Games were held in 1870 and 1875 with a large part of his fortune.

One can’t eliminate the name of Baron Pierre De Coubertin, a French historian, when it comes to modern Olympics. Coubertin believed that the lack of physical skills and vigor was the cause of France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. After much work, Coubertin founded the Union des Societes Francaises de Sports Athletiques in 1890. Later in 1894, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was formed in Paris. The IOC, which is the governing body of the event, consists of 203 National Olympic Committees.

After many hardships, the Olympic event started to gain attention and was successful till now. The main aim of the Olympic Games was to develop brotherhood and amicability between various nations. The event, which links culture and education, will definitely help the world to overcome their differences and enjoy the game in the spirit of friendship and brotherhood.