History of the Olympic Games

Once every four years pass Olympic Games- this is the name of sports competitions in which the best athletes from different countries peace. Each of them dreams of becoming Olympic champion and receive a medal - gold, silver or bronze as a reward. Almost 11 thousand athletes from over 200 countries of the world came to the 2016 Olympic competitions in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.

Although in these sports games ah mainly adults participate, but some sports, as well as the history of the Olympic Games for children, can also be very exciting. And, probably, both children and adults would be interested to know when the Olympic Games appeared, how they got such a name, and also what types sports exercises were in the first competition. In addition, we will learn how the modern Olympic Games are held, and what their emblem means - five multi-colored rings.

The birthplace of the Olympic Games is Ancient Greece. The earliest historical records of the ancient Olympic Games were found on Greek marble columns engraved with the date 776 BC. However, it is known that sports in Greece took place much earlier than this date. Therefore, the history of the Olympics has been around for about 2800 years, and this, you see, is quite a lot.

Do you know who, according to history, became one of the first Olympic champions? - This was ordinary cook Korybos from the city of Elis, whose name is still engraved on one of those marble columns.

The history of the Olympic Games is rooted in ancient city- Olympia, whence the name of this sports festival. This settlement is in a very beautiful place- near Mount Kronos and on the banks of the Alpheus River, and it is here from ancient times to the present day that the ceremony of lighting the torch with the Olympic flame takes place, which is then relayed to the city of the Olympic Games.

You can try to find this place on a world map or in an atlas and at the same time check yourself - can I find Greece first, and then Olympia?

How were the Olympic Games in ancient times?

At first, only locals, but then everyone liked it so much that people from all over Greece and its subordinate cities began to come here, as far as from the Black Sea itself. People got there as best they could - someone rode a horse, someone had a wagon, but most people went to the holiday on foot. The stadiums were always crowded with spectators - everyone really wanted to see sports competitions with their own eyes.

It is also interesting that in those days when Ancient Greece they were going to hold Olympic competitions, a truce was declared in all cities and all wars stopped for about a month. For ordinary people, it was a calm peaceful time, when they could take a break from everyday affairs and have fun.

For a whole 10 months, the athletes trained at home, and then for another month in Olympia, where experienced coaches helped them prepare as best as possible for the competition. At the beginning of sports games, everyone took an oath, the participants - that they would compete honestly, and the judges - to judge fairly. Then the competition itself began, which lasted 5 days. The beginning of the Olympic Games was announced with the help of a silver trumpet, which was blown several times, inviting everyone to gather in the stadium.

What sports were at the Olympic Games in ancient times?

These were:

• running competitions;
• struggle;
• long jump;
• javelin and discus throw;
• hand-to-hand combat;
• chariot racing.

The best athletes were awarded an award - a laurel wreath or an olive branch, the champions solemnly returned to hometown and until the end of their lives were considered respected people. Banquets were held in their honor, and sculptors made marble statues for them.

Unfortunately, in 394 AD, the Olympic Games were banned by the Roman emperor, who did not like such competitions very much.

Olympic Games today

The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896, in the parent country of these games - Greece. You can even calculate how long the break was - from 394 to 1896 (it turns out 1502 years). And now, after so many years in our time, the birth of the Olympic Games became possible thanks to one famous French baron, his name was Pierre de Coubertin.

Pierre de Coubertin the founder of the modern Olympic Games.

This man really wanted as many people as possible to go in for sports and offered to resume the Olympic Games again. Since then, sports games have been held every four years, with the maximum preservation of the traditions of ancient times. But now the Olympic Games began to be divided into winter and summer, which alternate with each other.

Traditions and symbols of the Olympic Games

Olympic rings

Probably, each of us has seen the emblem of the Olympics - intertwined colored rings. They were chosen for a reason - each of the five rings means one of the continents:

• blue ring - a symbol of Europe,
• black - Africa,
• red - America,
• yellow - Asia,
• the green ring is the symbol of Australia.

And the fact that the rings are intertwined with each other means the unity and friendship of people on all these continents, despite the different skin colors.

olympic flag

The white flag with the Olympic emblem was chosen as the official flag of the Olympic Games. White is a symbol of peace during Olympic competitions, just as it was in ancient Greece. At each Olympics, the flag is used at the opening and closing of sports games, and then transferred to the city in which the next Olympics will take place four years later.

olympic fire

Even in ancient times, a tradition arose to light a fire during the Olympic Games, and it has survived to this day. It is very interesting to watch the ceremony of lighting the Olympic flame, it is reminiscent of an ancient Greek theatrical production.

It all starts in Olympia a few months before the start of the competition. For example, the fire for the Brazilian Olympic Games was lit in Greece back in April of this year.

In Greek Olympia, eleven girls gather, dressed in long white dresses, as they used to be in Ancient Greece, then one of them takes a mirror and, with the help of sunlight, lights a specially prepared torch. This is the fire that will burn throughout the entire period of the Olympic competition.

After the torch lights up, it is passed to one of the top athletes, which will carry it further, first through the cities of Greece, and then deliver it to the country in which the Olympic Games will be held. Further, the torch relay passes through the cities of the country and, finally, arrives at the place where sports competitions will be held.

A large bowl is installed in the stadium and a fire is lit in it with the torch that came from distant Greece. The fire in the bowl will burn until all sports are over, then it goes out, and this symbolizes the end of the Olympic Games.

Opening and closing ceremony of the Olympics

It is always a bright and colorful sight. Each country hosting the Olympic Games tries to surpass the previous one in this component, sparing no effort or means. For the production, the latest achievements of science and technology are used, innovative technologies and development. In addition, a large number of volunteers are involved. The most famous people countries: artists, composers, athletes, etc.

Awarding of winners and prize-winners

When the first Olympic Games were held, the winners received a laurel wreath as a reward. However modern champions are no longer awarded with laurel wreaths, but with medals: first place - Golden medal, second place - silver, and third - bronze.

It is very interesting to watch the competitions, but it is even more interesting to see how the champions are awarded. The winners go to a special pedestal with three steps, according to their places, they are awarded medals and raise the flags of the countries where these athletes came from.

That's the whole history of the Olympic Games, for children, I think, the above information will be interesting and useful

Five rings and the slogan "Faster. Higher. Stronger” are some of the most recognizable symbols in the world. The Olympic Games are criticized for being politicized, pompous, expensive, doping scandals, but they are always eagerly awaited. The modern Olympic Games are 120 years old this year, but of course their history goes much, much deeper into antiquity.

According to one of the myths, King Enomai, the ruler of the city of Pisa, organized sports competitions for those who wanted to marry his daughter Hippodamia. Moreover, the conditions of these competitions were obviously losing - all because Enomai was predicted that his son-in-law would become the cause of his death. Young people lost their lives one after another, and only the cunning Pelops managed to overtake the future father-in-law in chariot races, so successfully that Enomai broke his neck. The prediction nevertheless came true, and the new king, in joy, ordered a sports festival to be held in Olympia every four years.

According to one version, the well-known word "gymnastics" comes from the ancient Greek "gymnos", which means "naked". It was in this form that ancient athletes participated in competitions, so in those days the organizers of the games significantly saved on sportswear. Some, such as wrestlers, were also rubbed with oil to make it easier to slip out of the enemy’s grip

According to another version, the Olympic Games were established by none other than the main ancient Greek superman Hercules. Having cleared the Augean stables, the hero not only did not receive the promised reward, but also received a royal kick in the ass. Naturally, the demigod was offended and after a while returned with a large army. Having destroyed the offender morally and physically, Hercules, in gratitude for the help, made a sacrifice to the gods and personally planted an entire olive grove around the sacred plain in honor of the goddess Athena. And on the plain itself he ordered regular sports competitions to be held.

According to ancient historians, the first Olympic Games took place during the reign of King Ifit (about 884-828 BC). Ifit, the king of Elis, on whose territory Olympia was located, was very concerned about what was happening in the state and beyond. At that time, Greece was a seething cauldron, where many small scattered kingdoms were constantly at war with each other. Ifit went to Lycurgus, the king of Sparta, and said that he no longer wanted to fight, but wanted to organize sports competitions. Lycurgus liked the idea, the other warring rulers also agreed. As a result, Elis received a neutral status and immunity in exchange for the fact that every four years in Olympia will be held nationwide sports tournaments. At the time of the games, all wars stopped. The Olympic Games rallied Greece, tormented by civil strife, which, however, did not prevent the states from fighting each other for the rest of the time before and after the games.

However, even ancient Greek historians were not sure of the exact date, so they considered the first Olympics to be competitions about which they had more or less accurate information. These games took place in 776 BC. e., and Koreb from Elis won the race.

The only type of ancient Olympic competition for the first thirteen games was running. Then - pentathlon, including running, long jump, javelin throwing, discus throwing and wrestling itself. Later fisticuffs and chariot races were added. The program of the modern Olympic Games includes 28 summer and 7 winter views sports, respectively 41 and 15 disciplines depending on the season.

Much has changed since the arrival of the Romans. If before only Hellenic athletes could take part in the games, then after Greece was annexed to the Empire, the national composition of the participants expanded. In addition, gladiator fights were added to the program. The Hellenes gritted their teeth, but had to endure. True, not for long - after Christianity became the official religion of the empire, the event, as pagan, was banned by Emperor Theodosius I. In 394 AD. e. the games were canceled, and a year later, many Olympic buildings were destroyed during the war with the barbarians. Olympia, like Atlantis, disappeared from the face of the earth.

Olympia today

However, the Olympic Games have not sunk into oblivion forever, although they had to stay in oblivion for fifteen long centuries. Ironically, the first step towards the revival of the Olympic Games was made by a church leader, the Benedictine monk Bernard de Montfaucon, who was very interested in the history of Ancient Greece and was convinced that excavations should be carried out at the site where the legendary Olympia used to be. Soon, many European scientists and public figures of the 18th century began to talk about the need to find her.

In 1766, the English traveler Richard Chandler discovered the ruins of some ancient structures near Mount Kronos in Greece. It turned out that the find was part of the wall of a huge temple. In 1824, the archaeologist Lord Stanhof began excavations on the banks of the Alpheus, then in 1828-1829 French archaeologists took over. In October 1875, the excavations of Olympia were continued by German specialists under the leadership of Ernst Curtius. Inspired by the results of archaeological research, public and sports figures read whole lectures on the charms of Olympic Movement and the need for its revival. Government officials listened to them attentively and nodded in agreement, but for some reason they refused to allocate funds for the games.

And yet, finally, there was someone who managed to convince everyone: the Olympic Games are exactly what humanity needs. It was the French public figure Pierre de Coubertin. He was sincerely convinced that the ideas of the Olympic movement carry the spirit of freedom, peaceful competition, harmony and physical perfection. Coubertin found many supporters around the world. On November 25, 1892, he gave a lecture in Paris entitled "Olympic Renaissance", the main idea of ​​which was that sport should be international. Coubertin called his contemporaries the heirs of the great Hellenic civilization, which elevated the harmonious development of man, intellectual and physical perfection into a cult.

At the end of the 19th century, the international sports movement gradually began to gain momentum. With the growth of cultural and economic ties between countries, international sports associations began to appear, organized international competitions. It was the perfect moment for the realization of Coubertin's ideas. Together with friends and associates, he organized the Constituent Congress, where supporters of the Olympic movement from all over the world were to gather. A meeting of two thousand delegates from twelve countries was held in June 1894 at the Sorbonne. It was there that a unanimous decision was made to revive the Olympic Games and establish the International Olympic Committee. At the same time, national Olympic committees were created. And it was decided to hold the first international competitions in 1896 in Athens. The Olympic Games were revived in the same place where they originated - in Greece.

The first renewed games became the largest sporting event of his time. The Greek authorities, inspired by the success, offered to constantly hold the games on their territory, but this clearly contradicted the spirit of internationalism, and the IOC decided to choose a new place for the Olympics every four years. Gradually, the attributes and rituals of the games appeared, which have now become familiar: the emblem and flag, the Olympic oath and talismans, the parade, the opening and closing ceremonies, the Olympic torch relay. It is already difficult to imagine these competitions without them.

Unlike ancient games, during which armed conflicts ceased, the modern Olympic Games were not held three times due to world wars - in 1916, 1940 and 1944. A Summer Olympics 1972 in Munich was overshadowed by a terrorist attack: Palestinian terrorists took hostage members of the Israeli team. The release operation, due to poor organization, completely failed - eleven athletes were killed.

Since 1924, Winter has been added to the classic Olympic Games - Summer. At first the games were held in one year, but since 1994 the Winter and Summer Games began to rotate every two years.

In our country, the Olympic Games were held twice. The first Olympics took place in 1980 in the USSR, the second, Winter, in 2014 in Sochi. Hosting the games has always been very important for the prestige of any state, so there is always a tense struggle for the right to host athletes from all over the world. And, of course, there is a fight for medals - only the best representatives of their country go to the competitions. And although the games are considered individual competitions between individual athletes, the result is invariably determined by the amount of "precious metals" earned by the entire team. The funny thing is that according to the original plan of Pierre de Coubertin, these were competitions exclusively for amateur athletes, but now the Olympics are purely professional sports. And, of course, a spectacular show and big money - where without it?

Modern youth devotes little time to sports, not only at the professional, but also at the amateur level. There is an extensive network of competitions to promote sports. Today we will consider in which country originated olympic competitions when they were held, the situation today.

In contact with

Sports competitions of antiquity

The date of the first Olympic Games (hereinafter referred to as the Olympic Games) is unknown, but preserved theirs is ancient greece. The heyday of Hellenic statehood led to the formation of a religious and cultural holiday, which for a time united the layers of an egoistic society.

The worship of the beauty of the human body was actively cultivated, enlightened people sought to achieve the perfection of forms. It is not for nothing that most of the marble statues of the Greek period depict beautiful men and women of that time.

Olympia is considered the first "sports" city of Hellas, here the winners of the championships were revered as full participants military operations. In 776 B.C. the festival was revived.

The reason for the decline of the Olympic Games is the Roman expansion into the Balkans. With the spread of the Christian faith, such holidays began to be considered pagan. In 394, Emperor Theodosius I banned sports competitions.

Attention! Sports competitions included several weeks of neutrality - it was forbidden to declare or wage war. Every day was considered sacred, dedicated to the gods. It is not surprising that the Olympic Games originated in Hellas.

Prerequisites for the revival of the Olympic Games

The ideas of world championships never completely died out; England held tournaments and sports competitions of a local nature. The history of the Olympic Games of the 19th century is characterized by the holding of Olympia, the forerunner of modern competitions. The idea belongs to the Greeks: Sutsos and public figure Zappas. They made the first modern Olympic Games possible.

Archaeologists discovered in the country of origin sports competitions accumulations of ancient monumental structures of unknown purpose. those years was very interested in antiquity.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin considered it inappropriate physical training soldier. In his opinion, this was the reason for the defeat in the last war with the Germans (the Franco-Prussian confrontation of 1870-1871). He sought to instill in the French a desire for self-development. He believed that young people should "break spears" on sports arenas rather than through military conflicts.

Attention! Excavations in Greece were carried out by a German expedition, so Coubertin succumbed to revanchist sentiments. His expression is “The German people found the remains of Olympia. Why does France not restore the fragments of its former power? ”, often serves as fair evidence.

Baron with a great heart

is the founder modern Olympic Games. Let's devote a few words to his biography.

Little Pierre was born on January 1, 1863 in the capital of the French Empire. The youth passed through the prism of self-education, attended a number of prestigious colleges in England and America, considered sports an integral part of the development of a person as a person. He was engaged in rugby, was a judge of the first final of the French championship.

The history of the famous competitions was of interest to the then society, so Coubertin decided to hold world-class competitions. November 1892 was remembered for a speech at the Sorbonne University with a report. He was dedicated to the revival of the Olympic movement. The Russian general Butovsky was imbued with Pierre's ideas, as he held the same views.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) appointed de Coubertin as Secretary General, subsequently - organization president. Work went hand in hand with an imminent marriage. In 1895, Marie Rothan became a baroness. The marriage brought two children: first-born Jacques and daughter Rene suffered from diseases nervous system. The Coubertin family ended after Marie's death at the age of 101. She lived with the knowledge that her husband revived the Olympic Games, held a prominent position.

With the beginning, Pierre went to the front, leaving social activities. Both of his nephews died en route to victory.

As head of the IOC, Coubertin often faced criticism. The public resented the "wrong" interpretation of the first Olympic Games, excessive professionalism. Many claimed that he abused power in dealing with issues of various kinds.

Great public figure died September 2, 1937 year in Geneva (Switzerland). His heart became part of a monument near the ruins of Greek Olympia.

Important! The Pierre de Coubertin medal has been awarded by the IOC since the death of the Honorary President. Worthy athletes are honored with this award for their nobility and adherence to the spirit of Fair Play.

Olympic revival

The French baron revived the Olympics, but the bureaucratic machine delayed the championship. Two years later, the French Congress made a historic decision: the first modern Olympic Games will pass on Greek soil. Reasons for this decision include:

• the desire to "wipe the nose" of the German neighbor;
• make a good impression on civilized countries;
• championship in the undeveloped area;
• the growing influence of France as a cultural and sports center Old World.

The first modern Olympic Games took place in the Greek city of Antiquity - Athens (1896). sports were crowned with success, 241 athletes expressed their desire to participate. The Greek side was so pleased with the attention from the world states that they offered to hold competitions “forever” in their historical homeland. The IOC also decided to rotate between countries in order to change the host every 4 years.

The first achievements were replaced by a crisis. The flow of spectators quickly dried up, as the competitions were held for several months. The first Olympiad in 1906 (Athens) saved the plight.

Attention! The national team of the Russian Empire arrived in the capital of France for the first time, women were allowed to participate in competitions.

Irish-born Olympian

James ConnollyJames Connolly - first Olympic champion peace. Working hard from an early age, he was fond of contact sports.

He studied at Harvard University, without asking went on a cargo ship to the shores of Greece. Subsequently, he was expelled, but the first Olympiad succumbed to him.

With a score of 13 m and 71 cm, the Irishman was the strongest in the track and field triple jump. A day later, he won bronze in long jump and silver in high jump.

At home, he was waiting for the restored title of student, popularity and universal recognition as the first champion of modern famous competitions.

He was awarded the title of Doctor of Science in Literature (1949). He died at the age of 88 (January 20, 1957).

Important! The Olympic Games are held under the supervision of a unique symbol - five fastened rings. They symbolize the unity of all in the movement of sports excellence. Above are blue, black and red, below are yellow and green.

Situation today

Modern competitions are the founder of the culture of health and sports. Their popularity and demand is beyond doubt, and the number of participants and spectators of the competition is growing every year.

The IOC is trying to keep up with the times, has established many traditions that have taken root over time. Hosting sports competitions now filled with atmosphere"ancient" traditions:

1. Grand performances at the opening and closing ceremonies. Everyone tries to hold them on a grand scale, and someone overdoes it.
2. Solemn passage of athletes of each participating country. The Greek team always goes first, the rest are in alphabetical order.
3. An outstanding athlete of the host country must take an oath of fair play for everyone.
4. Ignition of a symbolic torch in the temple of Apollo (Greece). It runs through the participating countries. Each athlete must overcome his part of the relay.
5. The awarding of medals is filled with centuries-old traditions, the winner rises to the podium, above which the state flag is raised, the national anthem is played.
6. A prerequisite is the symbolism of the "first Olympiad". The host country is developing a stylized symbol of the sports holiday, which would reflect the national flavor.

Attention! The release of souvenir products can cover the costs of the event. Many European countries will share their experience on how to gain without losing anything.

Many are interested in when the Olympic Games will take place, we hasten to satisfy the interest of readers.

The ceremony of lighting a symbolic torch in the temple

What year is the new championship

First Olympiad 2018 take place on the territory South Korea. Climatic features and rapid development have made it an ideal contender for the Winter Games.

Summer takes Japan. The country of high technologies will provide safety and comfortable conditions for athletes from all over the world.

Football confrontation will be on the fields Russian Federation. Now most of the sports facilities have been completed, work is underway to equip hotel complexes. Improving infrastructure is a priority for the Russian government.

2018 Olympics in South Korea

prospects

Modern ways of development of these competitions suggest:

1. Increasing the number of sports disciplines.
2. propaganda healthy lifestyle life, social and charitable events.
3. The introduction of advanced technologies for the convenience of holding festivities, enhancing the safety and comfort of participating athletes.
4. Maximum distance from foreign policy intrigues.

First Olympic Games

1896 Olympics

Conclusion

Pierre de Coubertin is the founder of the modern Olympic Games. His obsession has helped save millions of lives as countries openly compete in the sporting arena. Preservation of peace was a priority at the end of the 19th century, and it remains so today.

Greece - truly Wonderland. There, the wind plays in the olive groves, the waves gently caress the shores, and the generous sun allows nature to turn green and bloom even in winter. It seems that this fertile land is saturated with some kind of extraordinary ether that helps people create beautiful and eternal things. Greece, ancient Hellas gave the world so many great scientists, architects, poets, thinkers! There is nothing surprising, therefore, in the fact that it was there that the very first Olympics in the world took place.

Olympian gods and the ancient Hellenes

Ancient Hellas was a pagan country. The people there worshiped various gods, the most powerful of which was Zeus. He and his "colleagues" in the heavenly pantheon lived on Mount Olympus and were called Olympians. The Greeks built temples for them, arranged ritual ceremonies and even sacrifices. Zeus was especially revered. At the time when the first Olympics was held, Hellas often fought. We had to repel the attacks of the invaders, and seize new lands ourselves. Yes, and internecine skirmishes constantly occurred, because Hellas was divided into dozens of regions. Each of them considered itself a small state with its own rules and ambitions. The people in those years were very much appreciated physical strength, agility and endurance, because without them it was difficult to survive in battles. Therefore, men were extremely proud of their muscular bodies and wore clothes that did not hide their biceps. In Hellas there was even a certain cult of a strong and healthy body. It was the thirteenth century BC...

How the Olympic Games were born

The history of the first Olympics is rich in myths and legends. The most popular of them is about King Ifit. He was a brave Argonaut and a good king who wished prosperity for his people. Around 885-884 BC, a plague swept through Hellas, claiming thousands of lives. And then there were endless strife overcame. Ifit decided to go to Delphi to the oracle. He wanted to know how to achieve peace in Hellas, even for a a short time. The oracle advised the warlike Hellenes to engage in competitions pleasing to the gods. During their conduct, no one had to take up arms, and the competitions themselves had to be held honestly and openly. Ifit rushed to Sparta to the local king Lycurgus. The Spartans attached great importance exercise, and Lycurgus, although he did not favor Ifit, agreed to measure his strength. Having agreed, the two rulers drew up an agreement, the text of which was minted on an iron disk. This great event happened in 884 BC. It is a pity that Hercules subsequently threw such a good king off a cliff.

and Hercules

There is another myth about how the first Olympics came about. The year then was 1253 BC. Elida, a small region in the Peloponnese, was ruled by the treacherous and deceitful Augeas. He owned a huge herd, but he never cleaned his animals. Hercules was instructed to clean the stables from tons of dirt accumulated there in one day. He demanded a part of the herd for this, and Avgiy agreed. No one believed that Hercules could handle it, but he did. To do this, he sent rivers to the stables, changing their channels. Augeas was pleased, but he did not deliver what he had promised. The hero left with empty hands and a desire for revenge. After a while, he returned to Elis and killed Avgii. To celebrate, Hercules made sacrifices to the gods, planted an olive grove and organized competitions in honor of the mighty Zeus. This was the first Olympics in Greece. There are other myths about this event, for example, that the Olympias was arranged by Hercules in honor of his victory over Kronos, who swallowed his sons.

Olympia - the birthplace of the first Olympics

The venue for the Olympics was Olympia. This is a territory in Elis, hundreds of kilometers from Mount Olympus. The legendary olive grove of Altis with the altar of the mighty Zeus was located here. It was bordered by a wall and was considered sacred. Also, there was already a temple of Zeus, where rituals were held for hundreds of years. Later, already by the fifty-second Olympiad, a new temple was founded. It provided for training palestras, gymnasiums, houses for guests and athletes, prototypes. Also, statues of the winners were installed there. The date 776 was carved on one of them. That is how scientists who unearthed Olympia in the 19th century established when the first Olympiad took place. The stadium for the competition was located at the foot of Mount Kronos. Tribunes were arranged on its slopes, accommodating up to 45 thousand spectators. This grandiose complex was completed after more than a hundred years, somewhere around 460 BC. The new temple stood safely for 8 centuries, and in 406 was destroyed by Theodosius II, who hated everything pagan. Nature completed the defeat of Olympia, destroying everything that still remained with two powerful earthquakes, and then flooding with an unprecedented flood of rivers.

The rules of the first Olympics, which are still in force today

The modern Olympics are significantly different from those that were held more than 3,000 years ago. However, some rules are still kept. The main one is the fairness of the competition. Now athletes take an oath of allegiance to the Olympic traditions. Previously, there were no oaths, but if an athlete was caught cheating, he was expelled in disgrace, and copper was cast for the fine money that he had to pay. Before the start of the competition, they were shown to the participants as a sign of edification. The second immutable rule is to hold the Olympics every four years. Then the Greeks introduced a special chronology called Olympic year. It was exactly equal to four ordinary ones. And one more important rule of the past and present Olympics is to stop hostilities for the duration of them. Unfortunately, both when there was the first Olympics, and now they do not adhere to it at all. Otherwise, the first Olympics are very different from the current ones.

Rules of the first Olympics, no longer in existence

Now representatives of all countries and peoples can compete. When there was the first Olympics, the rules forbade non-Greeks, the poor, as well as slaves and women to participate in competitions. The latter were not even allowed to attend the competitions. IN otherwise they could be thrown off the cliff.

In the entire ancient history of the Olympics, only one Fereniya was able to get there. She was her son's fistfighting coach. Fereniya dressed up in a men's suit for the games. Her son won, and the woman gave herself away in a surge of joy. She was not thrown off a cliff just because the people interceded. But since then, all coaches of athletes, the so-called Hellanodiki, had to be naked to the waist. An athlete who wished to participate in the competition reported about it for a year. All this time he trained intensively, passed the established standards, and if he passed, he trained for another month with a special trainer. Interestingly, there was no Olympic flame at the first Olympics; this “ancient” tradition was invented in the 20th century. In Hellas, they held a race with torches, but not in Olympia, but in Athens - on various holidays.

Types of competitions of the first Olympics

The first Olympics in Greece took place only one day and included a run of 192.14 meters, the so-called one stage, equal to 600 feet of Zeus. According to legend, Hercules himself measured the distance. From the 14th Olympiad, races were introduced for the 2nd stage, and from the 15th - for endurance. The distance included from 7 to 24 stages. From the 18th, wrestling and pentathlon (pentathlon), consisting of wrestling, running, javelin throwing and discus, were included in the regulations. Athletes jumped in length from a place, holding cobblestones in their hands. Landing, they were thrown back. It was believed that this improves the result. The spear was thrown at the target, and the disk was thrown from a special elevation. From the 23rd, fisticuffs appeared in the program, and from the 25th - chariot races. The 33rd Olympiad further expanded the program. Now athletes competed in horse, foal and donkey races and mutilated themselves in pankration (something like our fights without rules). There have been 293 Olympiads in total. Thanks to Theodosius II, they were forgotten, but in 1896 the Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin revived the glorious tradition.

How the Winter Olympics was born

The first Winter Olympics took place in France in 1924. Pierre de Coubertin wanted to include figure skating in the program of the first renewed Olympics, but this happened only in 1908. Figure skating included 4 disciplines. IN free program won our Russian Panin-Kolomenkin. Thus began the history of the first Winter Olympics. The IOC proposed to include a week of winter sports in the program of the Olympic Games. But the Swedes, who hosted the 5th Olympiad, refused, because they already had such competitions. They justified the refusal by the fact that there were no winter competitions in ancient Greece. The 6th Olympiad took place in 1916 and did not take place. At the 7th IOC included in the program figure skating and hockey. The year 1924 has come. The Olympics were hosted by the French, who didn't mind winter sports. The competition aroused crazy interest, and the IOC finally approved the law on the Winter Olympics, and the last competitions were given the status of "I Winter Olympic Games".

Further development of the Olympic movement

First winter Olympics had a fairly broad program. It included hockey, curling, figure skating, skating, bobsleigh, several types of cross-country skiing and ski jumping. Now the list of disciplines has been replenished with freestyle, luge and skiing, skeleton, snowboarding and short track. At first, the winter competitions were held simultaneously with the summer ones, but later they were shifted by 2 years. The list of participating countries has also expanded significantly. Now not only northern peoples are competing, but also representatives of African countries. The popularity of the Olympic movement is growing every year. Now spend and regional Olympics and in 2015 Baku will host the first European Olympic Games.

In Paris at Great Hall The Sorbonne met a commission to revive the Olympic Games. Baron Pierre de Coubertin became its general secretary. Then the International Olympic Committee- The IOC, which includes the most authoritative and independent citizens of different countries.

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

On April 6, 1896, at the restored ancient stadium in Athens, the Greek King George declared the first modern Olympic Games open. The opening ceremony was attended by 60 thousand spectators.

The date of the ceremony was not chosen by chance - on this day, Easter Monday coincided in three directions of Christianity at once - in Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism. This first opening ceremony of the Games laid two Olympic tradition- the opening of the Games by the head of state where the competitions are held, and the performance of the Olympic anthem. However, such indispensable attributes modern Games, as the parade of participating countries, the ceremony of lighting the Olympic flame and the recitation of the Olympic oath, was not; they were introduced later. There was no Olympic village, the invited athletes provided themselves with housing.

241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the Games of the I 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 Russian team was not directed to the Games.

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

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

According to ancient tradition, the Games began with athletics competitions.

Athletics competitions became the most massive - 63 athletes from 9 countries took part in 12 events. The largest number of species - 9 - was won by representatives of the United States.

The first Olympic champion was the 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 wrestling, 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 an opponent by the 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 pools in Athens, swimming competitions were held in an open bay near the city of Piraeus; the start and finish were marked with ropes attached to the floats. The competition aroused great interest - by the beginning of the first swim, about 40 thousand spectators had gathered on the shore. About 25 swimmers from six countries took part, most of them are naval officers and sailors of the Greek merchant fleet.

The medals were played in four types, all heats were held in "freestyle" - it was allowed to swim in any way, changing it along the distance. At that time, the most popular swimming methods were breaststroke, overarm (an improved way of swimming on the side) and "trend-style". At the insistence of the organizers of the Games, the program also included an applied type of swimming - 100 meters in sailor's clothes. Only Greek sailors participated in it.

In cycling, six sets of medals were played - five on the track and one on the road. Track races were held at the Neo Faliron velodrome specially built for the Games.

In the competition for gymnastics eight sets of awards were played. Competitions were held outdoors, at the Marble Stadium.

In shooting, five sets of awards were played - two in rifle shooting and three in pistol shooting.

Tennis competitions were held on the courts of the Athens Tennis Club. Two tournaments were held - in singles and doubles. At the 1896 Games, there was not yet a requirement that all team members represent one country, and some couples were international.

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

In fencing, three sets of awards were played. Fencing became the only sport where professionals were also admitted: separate competitions were held among "maestro" - fencing teachers ("maestro" were also admitted to the 1900 Games, after which similar practice stopped).

The culmination of the Olympic Games was the marathon. Unlike all subsequent Olympic competitions in marathon running, the length of the marathon distance at the Games of the I Olympiad was 40 kilometers. classic length marathon distance- 42 kilometers 195 meters. The Greek postman Spyridon Louis finished first with a result of 2 hours 58 minutes 50 seconds, who became a national hero after this success. In addition to the Olympic awards, he received a gold cup, established by the French academician Michel Breal, who insisted on being included in the program of the Games marathon run, a barrel of wine, a coupon for free meals throughout the year, free tailoring of dresses and use of the services of a hairdresser throughout life, 10 centners of chocolate, 10 cows and 30 rams.