Olympics originated in Ancient Greece in 776 BC and the 19th century, and they were revived. It was recorded in the form of written records from nearly 3,000 years ago. The name “Olympics” was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia from the 8th century BC- the 4th century AD. The revival of the Olympics Games took place in 1896, and since then they have been staged every fourth year, except during World War- 1 and World War 2 (1916,1940,1944). The entire credit for reviving the Olympics Games goes to a French Nobleman “Pierre de Coubertin” who is rightly called the ‘Father of Modern Olympics’.
Origin of Olympics
The first modern Olympics was held under the auspices of the IOC (International Olympic Committee). It was hosted in the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens in 1896. The Games brought together 14 nations and 241 athletes who competed in 43 events. Athletes of different countries participate in the game. The modern Olympics are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions.
Thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions to represent their countries. The Olympic Games are considered the world’s foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Olympic Games are held every four years, occurring every four years but two years apart.
Paralympics
For physically disabled people IPC ( International Paralympics Committee), a body recognized by IOC (International Olympic Committee) also held an event known as the Paralympics. It is an international multi-sports event involving athletes with a range of disabilities. Paralympics include impaired muscle power, impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency, leg length differences, etc.
It is a type of event where disabled athletes participate and demonstrate to the world that despite their shortcomings, they do possess exceptional skills which are to be taken note of and encouraged. The first Paralympics was held in 1960 in Rome. A total of 400 athletes from 23 countries took part in this game. It was earlier only open for the athletes who are in wheelchairs. Later in the year 1976, (the Summer Paralympics game), other disabilities were also included by IOC.
There are several Olympic rituals and symbols, such as the “Olympic flag” and “torch” as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Over 13,000 athletes compete at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games in 33 different sports and nearly 400 events. Olympics teaches us the importance of sport. Olympics has become a way for different countries to show their soft power to the world. Generally, the first, second, and third-place finishers in each event receive Olympic medals: gold, silver, and bronze, respectively.
The important thing in the Olympics is not to win but to take part. The motto of the Olympics games is Citius- Faster, Altius- Higher, and Fortius- Stronger.
Also read: https://olympics.com/en/