In what years were the Olympiad games not held? History of Olympic Games. What sports were at the Olympic Games in ancient times?

History of the Olympic Games

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

Although these sports games are mainly played by adults, some sports, as well as the history of the Olympic Games, can also be very exciting for children. And, probably, both children and adults would be interested to know when the Olympic Games appeared, how they got their name, and also what types of sports exercises were in the very first competitions. In addition, we will find out 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, where the date 776 BC was engraved. However, it is known that sports competitions in Greece took place much earlier than this date. Therefore, the history of the Olympics goes back about 2800 years, which, you see, is quite a long time.

Do you know who, according to history, became one of the first Olympic champions? - This was ordinary cook Koribos 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 of Olympia, where the name of this sports festival originated. This settlement is located in a very beautiful place - near Mount Kronos and on the banks of the Alpheus River, and it is here that from ancient times to the present day the ceremony of lighting the torch with the Olympic flame takes place, which is then passed along the relay 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 test yourself - can I find Greece first and then Olympia?

How were the Olympic Games held in ancient times?

At first, only local residents took part in sports competitions, 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 - some rode a horse, some had a cart, but most people walked to the holiday. 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 they could take a break from everyday affairs and have fun.

The athletes trained for 10 months at home, and then another month in Olympia, where experienced trainers 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 fairly, and the judges - that they would judge fairly. Then the competition itself began, which lasted 5 days. The start of the Olympic Games was announced with 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 throwing;
• hand-to-hand combat;
• Chariot racing.

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

Unfortunately, in 394 AD, the holding of the Olympic Games was banned by the Roman emperor, who really did not like such competitions.

Modern Olympic Games

The first Olympic Games of our time took place in 1896, in the ancestral 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- founder of the modern Olympic Games.

This man really wanted as many people as possible to engage in sports and proposed resuming the Olympic Games. Since then, sports games have been held every four years, preserving the traditions of ancient times as much as possible. But now the Olympic Games have begun to be divided into winter and summer, which alternate with each other.

Traditions and symbolism 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 - African,
• 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 different skin colors.

Olympic flag

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

Olympic flame

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

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

In the 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 the sun's rays, lights a specially prepared torch. This is the fire that will burn throughout the entire period of 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 where the Olympic Games will be held. Then the torch relay passes through the cities of the country and finally arrives at the place where the sporting competitions will be held.

A large bowl is installed at the stadium and a fire is lit in it with the torch that arrived from distant Greece. The fire in the bowl will burn until all sports competitions are over, then it will go 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 neither effort nor money on the presentation. The latest achievements of science and technology, innovative technologies and developments are used for the production. In addition, a large number of people are involved - volunteers. The most famous people of the country are invited: artists, composers, athletes, etc.

Awards ceremony for winners and runners-up

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

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

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

It was founded back in 1896. From the very beginning, games were played in both summer and winter of the same year. We will look at how the modern Olympic Games are held in this article.

Already in the 20th century, the gap between the winter and summer games was two years. used to take place in Olympia and were of great importance to local residents. Previously, the games had only one competition - sprinting. A little later they began to hold competitions for horses and running in full uniform. Only local residents and Mediterranean guests could take part in the games. We all know very well how the modern Olympic Games are held today: athletes from all over the world take part in the competitions.

The Olympic Games are held each time in a new place. A certain country and city are selected and all athletes go there to compete. There are cases when competitions are held again in certain countries, for example in Greece. Since it was in Greece that such competitions originated, after a certain period the Olympiad is held there again. Athens is a fabulous city, which is why the locals have been hosting the Olympic Games with pride and dignity since 1896 (the first competitions were held here).

How the modern Olympic Games are conducted is known to all spectators, but they should know one thing - the current version is very different from the past. Today the Olympic Games are the most exciting and largest in the world. The programs are constantly changing, improving and mainly consist of twenty or more different sports. As a rule, personal records and achievements are set at competitions. The potential of a certain team is very rarely assessed; basically, it’s every man for himself. Games are judged by three medals: gold, silver and bronze.

As for the comparative characteristics of the games, previously only Greeks and Mediterranean guests took part, but now all well-proven athletes from all over the world took part. Today women compete equally with men and have the right to fight for it, but in Greece this was simply impossible. At the Olympic Games, athletes compete for awards, the honor of their country, showing their physical abilities, and in ancient times they were even awarded for spiritual abilities. Nowadays it is considered a competition, but in the past this was not the case. When the games were held at Olympia, all hostilities ceased and all time was devoted to competitions. As before, the games are held every four years, but the break between the summer and winter games is two years.

Everyone has the opportunity to watch the modern Olympic Games on TV and read about the results in the newspaper. Visiting the country that hosts them is the dream of every sports fan. We were luckier, because in Greece almost everyone knew about the games, but only a few could get there, but now the doors of the Olympic Games are open to all interested spectators!

OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES, complex competitions in winter sports held by the IOC once every 4 years. The decision to regularly hold independent Olympic Winter Games was made in 1925 at the IOC Session in Prague. This was facilitated by the success of world winter sports competitions - the International Sports Week on the occasion of the VIII Olympic Games (1924, Chamonix, France), to which the IOC gave the name “I Olympic Winter Games”; The term "Olympiad" in connection with the Olympic Winter Games is not accepted, but in sports and popular literature the name "White Olympics" is sometimes used. Until 1992, the Olympic Winter Games were held in the year of the Summer Olympic Games, since 1994 - in the middle of the Olympic cycle. The program includes 7 olympic sports .

In 1924–2014, 22 Olympic Winter Games were held - in the USA (4), France (3), Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Japan, Italy, Canada (2 each), Germany, Yugoslavia, Russia (1 each). Most often the capitals of the Olympic Winter Games were St. Moritz, Lake Placid and Innsbruck (2 times each). In 1968, an Olympic mascot appeared for the first time at the Olympic Winter Games in Grenoble. The same ceremonies are held at the Olympic Winter Games as at the Summer Games. Olympic Games, lighting of the Olympic flame, raising the Olympic flag (with the same emblem), opening and closing parades, awarding of Olympic champions and medalists, etc. Olympic records are recorded only in speed skating. The high prestige of the competition is evidenced by the list of statesmen and crowned heads who officially opened them: Chamonix, 1924 - Gaston Vidal (Deputy Secretary of State of France); St. Moritz, 1928 – Edmund Schultes (President of Switzerland); Lake Placid, 1932 – Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Governor of New York, USA); Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 1936 – Adolf Hitler (Reich Chancellor of Germany); St. Moritz, 1948 – Enrico Celio (President of Switzerland); Oslo, 1952 – Princess Ragnhild (Her Royal Highness of Norway); Cortina d'Ampezzo, 1956 - Giovanni Gronchi (President of Italy); Squaw Valley, 1960 - Richard Nixon (Vice President of the USA); Innsbruck, 1964 - Adolf Scherf (Federal President of Austria); Grenoble, 1968 - Charles de Gaulle (President France); Sapporo, 1972 - Hirohito (Emperor of Japan); Innsbruck, 1976 - Rudolf Kirschhagler (Federal President of Austria); Lake Placid, 1980 - Walter Mondale (US Vice President); Sarajevo, 1984 - Mika Shpiljak (President of Yugoslavia) ; Calgary, 1988 - Jeanne Mathilde Sauvé (Governor General of Canada); Albertville, 1992 - Francois Mitterrand (President of France); Lillehammer, 1994 - Harald V (King of Norway); Nagano, 1998 - Akihito (Emperor of Japan); Salt Lake City, 2002 – George W. Bush (US President); Turin, 2006 – Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (President of Italy); Vancouver, 2010 – Michael Jean (Governor General of Canada); Sochi, 2014 – Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (President of Russia) In the entire history of the White Olympiads, women have opened them only twice (Oslo, 1952; Calgary, 1988).

The largest number of medals in the entire history of the Olympic Winter Games (as of January 1, 2018) were won by athletes from the following national teams: Russia; Norway (22; 118, 111, 100); USA (22; 96, 102, 83); Germany; Sweden (22; 50, 40, 54); Finland (22; 42, 62, 57).

For the dates and main results of all Olympic Winter Games, see table 1. For athletes who won the largest number of Olympic awards at the Olympic Winter Games, see table 2. For athletes who took part in 6 or more White Olympics, see table 3.

Table 1. The main results of the Olympic Winter Games (Chamonix, 1924 - Sochi, 2014)

* United German team.

** United team of the countries of the former USSR.

Table 2. Athletes who won the most victories at the Olympic Winter Games (Chamonix, 1924 - Sochi, 2014).

* In 2006 (Turin) he played for the national team of the Republic of Korea.

St. Petersburg won 3 Olympic gold medals at the Olympic Winter Games. 50 athletes (as of January 1, 2018), including representatives of Russia (including the USSR): K. S. Boyarskikh, E. V. Vyalbe, N. V. Gavrylyuk, V. S. Davydov, V. G. Kuzkin , A. P. Ragulin, A. A. Reztsova, I. K. Rodnina, V. A. Tretyak, A. V. Firsov, A. V. Khomutov, Yu. A. Chepalova.

Table 3. Athletes who competed at 6 or more Olympic Winter Games (as of January 1, 2018)

*The athlete also competed at the Olympic Games.

The history of the Olympic Games goes back more than 2 thousand years. They originated in Ancient Greece. At first, the games were part of festivals in honor of the god Zeus. The first Olympics took place in ancient Greece. Once every four years, athletes gathered in the city of Olympia in the Peloponnese, a peninsula in the south of the country. Only running competitions were held over a distance of one stadium (from the Greek stade = 192 m). Gradually the number of sports increased and the games became an important event for the entire Greek world. It was a religious and sports holiday, during which obligatory “sacred peace” was declared and any military actions were prohibited.

History of the first Olympics

The period of truce lasted a month and was called ekeheiriya. It is believed that the first Olympics took place in 776 BC. e. But in 393 AD. e. Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned the Olympic Games. By that time, Greece lived under the rule of Rome, and the Romans, having converted to Christianity, believed that the Olympic Games, with their worship of pagan gods and the cult of beauty, were incompatible with the Christian faith.

The Olympic Games were remembered at the end of the 19th century, after excavations began in ancient Olympia and the ruins of sports and temple buildings were discovered. In 1894, at the International Sports Congress in Paris, the French public figure Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937) proposed organizing the Olympic Games on the model of the ancient ones. He also came up with the Olympians’ motto: “The main thing is not victory, but participation.” De Coubertin wanted only male athletes to compete in these competitions, as in Ancient Greece, but already in the second Games women also participated. The emblem of the Games was five multi-colored rings; We chose the colors that are most often found on the flags of various countries around the world.

The first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896 in Athens. In the 20th century The number of countries and athletes participating in these competitions grew steadily, and the number of Olympic sports also increased. Today it is difficult to find a country that does not send at least one or two athletes to the Games. Since 1924, in addition to the Olympic Games, which take place in the summer, winter Games began to be organized so that skiers, skaters and other athletes who engage in winter sports can compete. And since 1994, the Winter Olympic Games are held not in the same year as the Summer Olympics, but two years later.

Sometimes the Olympic Games are called the Olympics, which is incorrect: the Olympics is a four-year period between successive Olympic Games. When, for example, they say that the 2008 Games are the 29th Olympics, they mean that from 1896 to 2008, 29 periods of four years each passed. But there were only 26 Games: in 1916, 1940 and 1944. There were no Olympic Games - world wars interfered.