When did the Olympic Games first appear? Olympic Games. Olympic Games today

If so, you might be very interested to know impressive details of the origin of the Olympic races. The history of the Olympic Games is exciting and full of surprises. So, let's dive into the unknown distances of the world Olympiads?

How it all began

The famous Olympic Games in honor of Olympian Zeus originated in Ancient Greece and were held from 776 BC. e. every 4 years in the city of Olympia. Sports competitions were such a tremendous success and great importance for society that at the time of the OlympicOhraces stopped wars and established ekekhiriya - a sacred truce.

People came from everywhere to look at the competitions in Olympia: some traveled on foot, some on horseback, and some even sailed ships to distant lands, just to have at least one eye on the majestic Greek athletes. Entire tent settlements grew up around the city. To watch the athletes, spectators completely filled the hillsides around the Alfei river valley.

After the solemn victory and the award ceremony (presenting a wreath of sacred olive and palm branches), the Olympionist lived in clover. Holidays were held in his honor, hymns were sung, statues were made, in Athens the winner was exempted from taxes and burdensome public duties. And the winner was always left the best place in the theater. In some places, even the children of an Olympian enjoyed special privileges.

Interesting, that women were not allowed to compete in the Olympics under pain of death.

Brave Hellenes competed in running, fisticuffs (which Pythagoras once won), jumping, javelin throwing, and so on. The most dangerous, however, were the chariot races. You will not believe it, but the owner of the horses was considered the winner of the equestrian competition, and not the poor driver who risked his life for the sake of winning.

There are many legends associated with the Olympic Games. One of them says that Zeus himself allegedly organized the first competition in honor of the victory over his father. True or not, but in literature it was Homer who first mentioned the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece in the poem The Iliad.

Archaeological excavations show that in Olympia, 5 rectangular or horseshoe-shaped stadiums with stands for fans were built specifically for the competition.

Unfortunately, nothing is known about the time of the champions at the moment. It was enough to be the first to reach the finish line to get the right to light the sacred fire. But the legends tell us about the Olympians who ran faster than hares, and what is the talent of the Spartan Ladas, who did not leave footprints in the sand while running.

Modern Olympic Games

The modern international sporting events known as the Summer Olympics have been held every four years since 1896. Initiated by the French baron Pierre de Coubertin. He believed that it was precisely insufficient physical fitness that prevented French soldiers from winning the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. The youth should measure their strength on the sports grounds, not on the battlefields, the activist argued.

The first Olympic Games were held in Athens. To organize the competition created International Olympic Committee, whose first president was Demetrius Vikelas of Greece.

Since that time, the World Olympiad has become a good tradition. Against the backdrop of impressive excavations and archaeological finds, the idea of ​​Olympism spread throughout Europe. Increasingly, European states organized their own sports competitions, which were watched by the whole world.

What about winter sports?

To fill a gap in winter sports competitions that were technically impossible to host in the summer, Since January 25, 1924, the Winter Olympic Games have been held. The first were organized in the French city Chamonix. Besides figure skating and hockey, athletes competed in speed skating, ski jumping, etc.

293 athletes, including 13 women, from 16 countries of the world expressed their desire to compete for the championship in competitions. Ch. Juthrow from the USA (speed skating) became the first Olympic champion of the Winter Games, but in the end the teams of Finland and Norway turned out to be the leaders of the competition. The races lasted 11 days and ended on February 4th.

Attributes of the Olympic Games

Now a symbol and emblem Olympic Games there are five intertwined rings that symbolize the unification of the five continents.

Olympic motto, proposed by the Catholic monk Henri Didon: "Faster, higher, stronger."

At the opening ceremony of each Olympiad, they raise flag- white cloth with the emblem (Olympic rings). Burning throughout the Olympiad Olympic the fire, which is brought to the venue each time from Olympia.

Since 1968, each Olympiad has its own.

The 2016 Olympic Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the Ukrainian team will present their champions to the world. By the way, the first Olympic champion figure skater became an independent Ukraine Oksana Baiul.

The opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games are always a spectacular sight, which once again emphasizes the prestige and planetary importance of these world competitions.

The Olympic Games are the biggest sport's event loved by many. They are watched by millions of people on TV, thousands flock to the cities where the competition is held to see the strongest, most agile and fastest athletes with their own eyes. Each professional sportsman dreams of not only winning, but at least getting into the Olympic arena. However, not many people know how they were created games when they first passed and what the original concept of this competition was.

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Origin Legends

Many legends and myths about the origin of these competitions have come down to us, which have a different plot and history. However, one thing is known for sure: their homeland is Ancient Greece.

How were the first competitions held?

The beginning of the first of them dates back to 776 BC. This date is very ancient, and it could not have survived to this day, if not for the tradition of the Greeks: they engraved the names of the winners of the competitions on columns specially erected for this. Thanks to these buildings we know not only the time when the games began, but also the name of the first winner. This man's name was Koreb, and he was a resident of Ellis. It is interesting that the concept of the first thirteen games was very different from the subsequent ones, because initially there was only one competition - running at a distance of one hundred and ninety-two meters.

At first, only the indigenous inhabitants of the city of Pisa and Elis had the right to take part. However, the popularity of the competition soon increased so much that other major policies began to contribute to their development.

There were laws according to which not every person could take part in the Olympic Games. Women didn't have this right., slaves and foreign residents called barbarians. And those who wanted to become a full participant had to submit an application to the meeting of judges a whole year before the start of the competition. Moreover, before the actual start of the competition, potential candidates were required to provide proof that all the time since the moment of registration they had been working hard on their physical training performing various kinds of exercises, training in running on long distance and maintaining athletic form.

The concept of ancient games

Starting from the fourteenth, they began to actively introduce into the program of games different kinds sports.

The winners of the Olympiads got literally everything they wanted. Their names are immortalized in history for centuries, and during their lifetime they were honored as demigods until old age. Moreover, after the death of each Olympiad was ranked among the lesser gods.

For a long time, these competitions, without which it was impossible to imagine life before, were forgotten. The thing is that after the coming to power of Emperor Theodosius and the strengthening of the Christian faith, games began to be considered one of the manifestations of paganism, for which they were abolished in 394 BC.

rebirth

Fortunately, the games have not sunk into oblivion. We owe their revival to the well-known writer and public figure, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the creator of the modern concept of the Olympic Games. It happened in 1894 when, at the initiative of Coubertin, an international athletic congress was assembled. During it, it was decided to revive the games according to the standard of antiquity, as well as to establish the work of the IOC, that is, the International Olympic Committee.

The IOC began its existence on June 23 of the same year, and Demetrius Vikelas was appointed its first head, and Pierre Coubertin, already familiar to us, was its secretary. At the same time, the Congress developed the rules and regulations on which the games will exist.

First Modern Olympic Games

It is not surprising that Athens was chosen to host the first games of our time, because Greece is the ancestor of these competitions. It is interesting to note that Greece is a country, in which they were held in three centuries.

The first major competitions of modern times were opened on April 6, 1896. More than three hundred athletes took part in them, and the number of sets of awards exceeded four dozen. At the first games, competitions were held in the following sports disciplines:

Finished the games by the fifteenth of April. The awards were distributed as follows:

• The absolute winner with the most medals, namely forty-six, of which ten were gold, was Greece.
• Second place by a decent margin from the winner was taken by the United States, collecting twenty awards.
• Germany scored thirteen medals and finished third.
• But Bulgaria, Chile and Sweden left the competition with nothing.

The success of the competition was so huge that the rulers of Athens were immediately invited to hold the games on their territory. However, according to the rules established by the IOC, the venue must change every four years.

Unexpectedly, the next two terms were quite difficult for the Olympiads, because their venues hosted world exhibitions, which made it difficult to receive guests. Due to the combination of these events, the organizers were afraid that the popularity of the games would quickly subside, however, everything was quite the opposite. People fell in love with such major competitions, and after that, on the initiative of the same Coubertin, traditions began to form, their flag and emblem were created.

Traditions of the Games and their symbols

most famous symbol has the form of five rings, having the same size and intertwined with each other. They go in the following sequence: blue, yellow, black, green and red. Such an unpretentious emblem carries a deep meaning, showing the union of five continents and the meeting of people from all over the world. Interestingly, each Olympic Committee has developed its own emblem, however, five rings are certainly its main part.

The flag of the games appeared in 1894 and was approved by the IOC. The white flag features the five traditional rings. And the motto of the competition is: faster, higher, stronger.

Another symbol of the Olympics is fire. The lighting of the Olympic flame was traditional ritual before the start of any games. It is lit in the city in which the competitions are held, and burns there until they are over. This was done in ancient times, however, the custom did not return to us immediately, but only in 1928.

An integral part of the symbolism of these large-scale competitions is the mascot of the Olympiad. Each country has its own. The question of the appearance of talismans arose at the next meeting of the IOC in 1972. By decision of the committee it could be any person, beast or any mythical creature that would not only fully reflect the identity of the country, but also speak of modern Olympiad values.

The advent of the winter games

In 1924, it was decided to establish winter competitions. Initially, they were held in the same year as the summer ones, however, later it was decided to postpone them for two years relative to the summer ones. France hosted the first Winter Games. Surprisingly, half the number of spectators became interested in them than expected, and not all tickets were sold out. Despite previous setbacks, winter Olympics fans liked it more and more, and soon they gained the same popularity as the summer ones.

Interesting facts from history

The XXXII Summer Olympic Games from June 24 to August 9, 2020 will be held in the Japanese capital Tokyo. Paralympic competitions will be held there from August 25 to September 6.

The 2020 Olympics will be Japan's fourth in history. Twice the country became the mistress Winter Games(Sapporo-74 and Nagano-98) and once held Summer Olympics(Tokyo-64).

Who else bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics?

Official applications for hosting the Games were submitted before September 1, 2011. In the final, three cities competed for the right to host the 2020 Olympics: Madrid (Spain), Istanbul (Turkey) and Tokyo (Japan).

How many countries will take part in the 2020 Olympics?

About 203 countries and over 12,500 athletes from all over the world are expected to take part in the 2020 Summer Olympics.

What is the logo for the 2020 Olympics?

On July 24, 2015, the official presentation of the emblems of the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games took place. They were developed Japanese designer Kenjiro Sano. For the Olympics, he chose the letter "T", made up of geometric shapes in black, red, gold and gray on a white background. The equal sign placed vertically became the logo of the Paralympics. However, a month later it became known that the organizing committee of the Games decided to stop using the emblems designed by Sano, due to accusations of plagiarism. Belgian designer Olivier Déby immediately after the presentation of the emblems of the Games in Tokyo, he said that two years ago he came up with a very similar logo for the theater in the city of Liege.

2020 Olympics logo designed by Kenjiro Sano

Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Kenjiro Sano

Théâtre de Liège logo designed by Olivier Déby

Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Olivier Debie

After the scandal, the indigo checkerboard ring became the new Olympic emblem. Each rectangle symbolizes different countries and cultures, as well as the diversity of the world, united around sports. Logo author designer Asao Tokoro called his work "Harmonious Checkered Emblem".

One of the brightest and most massive events on the planet are the Olympic Games. Any athlete who manages to take the podium at the Olympic competitions receives the status of an Olympic champion for life and his achievements remain in the world history of sports for centuries. Where and how did the Olympic Games originate and what is their history? Let's try to spend brief digression in the history of the origin and holding of the Olympic Games.

Story

The Olympic Games originated in ancient Greece, where they were not only a sports, but also a religious holiday. Information about the holding of the very first games and their origin has not been preserved, but there are several legends that describe this event. The first documented date for the celebration of the Olympic Games is 776 BC. e. Despite the fact that the games were held before, it is generally accepted that they were established by Hercules. In 394 AD, with the advent of Christianity as the official religion, the Olympic Games were banned by Emperor Theodosius I, as they began to be seen as a kind of pagan phenomenon. And yet, despite the ban on games, they have not completely disappeared. In Europe, local competitions were held, somewhat reminiscent of the Olympic Games. After some time, the games resumed thanks to Panagiotis Sutsos, who proposed this idea, and thanks to the public figure Evangelis Zappas, who brought it to life.

The first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896 in the country where they originated - in Greece, in Athens. To organize the Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was created, whose first president was Demetrius Vikelas. Despite the fact that only 241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the first modern Games, they were a huge success, becoming a significant sporting event Greece. Initially, it was meant to always hold the Games in their homeland, but the Olympic Committee introduced a decision that the venue would change every 4 years.

The II Olympic Games of 1900, held in France, in Paris, and the III Olympic Games of 1904, held in the USA, in St. Louis (Missouri), were less successful, as a result of which Olympic Movement as a whole experienced the first crisis after significant success. Since the Games were combined with the World Exhibitions, they did not arouse much interest among the audience, and the sports competitions lasted for months.

In 1906, again in Athens (Greece), the so-called "intermediate" Olympic Games were held. At first, the IOC supported the holding of these Games, but now they are not recognized as Olympic. There is an opinion of some sports historians that the 1906 Games were a kind of salvation Olympic idea, which did not allow the Games to lose their meaning and become "unnecessary".

All rules, principles and regulations are determined by the Charter of the Olympic Games, approved in Paris in 1894 by the International Sports Congress. The Olympiads are counted from the time of the first Games (I Olympiad - 1896-99). Even if the games are not held, the Olympiad receives its serial number, for example, the VI Games in 1916-19, the XII Games in 1940-43 and the XIII in 1944-47. The Olympic Games are symbolized by five rings of different colors fastened together (Olympic rings), indicating the unification of the five parts of the world - the top row: blue - Europe, black - Africa, red - America, and the bottom row: yellow - Asia, green - Australia. The choice of venues for the Olympics is carried out by the IOC. All organizational issues related to the Games are decided not by the chosen country, but by the city. The duration of the Games is approximately 16-18 days.

The Olympic Games, like any strictly organized event, have their own specific traditions and rituals.

Here are some of them:

Before the opening and closing of the games, theatrical performances are held, presenting to the audience the appearance and culture of the country and city in which they are held;

ceremonial passage through central stadium athletes and members of delegations. Athletes from each country go in separate groups in alphabetical order of country names in the language of the country in which the Games are held, or in the official language of the IOC (English or French). Each group is preceded by a representative of the host country who carries a sign with the name of the respective country. He is followed by a flag bearer carrying the flag of his country. This very honorable mission, as a rule, is granted to the most respected and titled athletes;

Without fail, the President of the International Olympic Committee delivers welcoming speeches. Also, the speech is delivered by the head of state in which the Games are held;

The flag of Greece is raised as the country in which the Olympic Games originated. Her national anthem is played;

The flag of the country in which the Games are held is raised and the performance of its national anthem follows; - one of outstanding athletes the host countries of the Games swear an oath on behalf of all participants about a fair fight and competition that will comply with all the principles and rules of sports;

The opening ceremony ends with the lighting and "relay" of the Olympic flame. The initial part of the relay passes through the cities of Greece, the final part - through the cities of the country in which the games are held. The torch with fire is delivered to the city that organizes the Games on the opening day. The fire burns until the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games;

The closing ceremony is also accompanied by theatrical performances, the speech of the IOC President, the passage of participants, etc. The President of the IOC announces the closing of the Olympics, followed by the performance of the national anthem, the anthem of the Olympic Games, the lowering of the flags. At the end of the ceremony, the Olympic flame goes out.

Each country participating in the Olympic Games develops its own official emblem and mascot of the Games, which become part of the souvenir products.

The following sports are included in the program of the Olympic Games

A: crossbow sport

B: Badminton , Basketball , Running , Skating , Bobsleigh , Biathlon , Billiards , Boxing , Freestyle wrestling , Greco-Roman wrestling

V: Cycling, Water polo, Volleyball

G: Handball , Artistic gymnastics , Rhythmic gymnastics , Alpine skiing , Rowing, Rowing and canoeing

D: Judo

TO: Curling, Equestrian

L: Athletics ,Ski race , skiing

H: Table tennis

P: sailing,swimming, Diving , ,Ski jumping

WITH: luge,

History of the Olympic Games

Once every four years, the Olympic Games are held - the so-called sports competitions, in which the best athletes from around the world participate. Each of them dreams of becoming an Olympic champion and receiving a gold, silver or bronze medal 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? - it 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 the ancient city - Olympia, from where 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?

First in sports competitions only local residents took part, but then everyone liked it so much that people from all over Greece and its subordinate cities began to come here, even 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 the Olympic competitions were going to be held in Ancient Greece, 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 you 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;
• fight;
• long jump;
• javelin and discus throw;
• hand-to-hand combat;
• chariot racing.

The best sportsmen were awarded an award - a laurel wreath or an olive branch, the champions solemnly returned to their hometown and were considered respected people until the end of their lives. 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). 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 to more people engaged in sports and proposed 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 in time Olympic competitions just like 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. Behind the Ignition Ceremony Olympic flame It is very interesting to watch, it resembles 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 handed over to one of the best athletes, who will then carry it 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, innovative technologies and developments are used. In addition, it uses a large number of people - volunteers. 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. but modern champions are no longer awarded with laurel wreaths, but with medals: first place - gold 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