History of Olympic Games

The history of the Olympic games is a long one that is full of myth and legend. While modern history of the Olympic games may not seem that distant, the games actually began in ancient Greece. A study of the history of the Olympic games begins with a look at the ancient Olympiad.

Ancient History of the Olympic Games

The ancient Greeks are known for their admiration of the human body, not in a sensual way, but in an artistic way. The history of the Olympic games began at around 776 BC at Olympia. This was the first known athletic tournament, per se, that was repeated on a regular basis, and it laid the foundation for the history of the Olympic games.

Soon the history of the Olympic games grew, as more competitive events were added to the race at Olympia. The early history of the Olympic games included sports like boxing, wrestling, chariot and horse races, javelin and discus throwing, the long jump, and the pentathlon. Throughout the history of the Olympic games, the sports have changed, but the spirit of friendly competition has not.

In the early history of the Olympic games, winners were rewarded not with medals, as they are today, but with a wreath of garland that they wore as a crown. The games continued to grow, and the next step in the history of the Olympic games occurred in 472, when the games were extended from a one-day event to a five-day festival. Much religious symbolism was included in the early history of the Olympic games. The games continued in this fashion until 393 AD, when Theodosius, a Christian emperor, put an end to them on religious grounds.

Modern History of the Olympic Games

The modern history of the Olympic games began in 1896, when the first tournament was held in Athens, Greece. Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin was largely responsible for the rebirth of the games. The 1896 games were only open to men, and the first winner recorded in the modern history of the Olympic games was James B. Connolly. He won the triple jump and represented America. In 1900 in Paris, women were allowed to enter the games. Since 1896, the history of the Olympic games has continued to unfold. Every four years, the world's greatest athletes meet at a predetermined location. There have been a few exceptions. The history of the Olympic games paused in 1916 due to World War I. The games were also cancelled in 1940 and 1944 due to the Second World War. Other notable years in the history of the Olympic games include: 1956: The first games to be held in the southern hemisphere are played in Melbourne.
1980: The United States refuses to participate in the Moscow games in protest to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
1994: The first year the Summer and Winter Olympic Games were not held in the same year. This year the Winter Games were played, and two years later the Summer Games were played.

History of Olympic Torch Running

The history of the Olympic games would not be complete without a history of Olympic Torch running. Each year the games begin with the lighting of the Olympic Torch, a symbol of the games. The Olympic Flame is kept burning continuously in Greece, and each time the games are played a torch relay brings a torch lit from the official flame all the way to the city hosting the games.

The history of Olympic Torch running started in ancient times, when a flame was kept burning throughout the ancient games. The flame tradition was revived in 1928 at the Amsterdam Summer Olympics, and since that time has been a part of the modern history of the Olympic games. The torch relay began in 1936 at the Berlin Olympics. Throughout the history of Olympic Torch relays, many honorable individuals have carried the torch through their cities, including community servants, celebrities, and famous athletes.

History of the Olympic Flags

The history of the Olympic flags likely began in ancient Greece, when banners were flown to represent the various territories that had athletes at the games. Today, the Olympic flag is passed from the mayor of the host city to the mayor of the next host city at the closing ceremony of the games. The modern history of the Olympic flags began in the mind of Pierre de Coubertin in 1914. He introduced the first Olympic flag at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp Belgium.

The history of the Olympic flags revolves around the symbolism of the flags. There have been four official flags in the history of the Olympic flags, but all carried the same design. The white background has five interlocking rings in the center in blue, yellow, black, green, and red. According to the history of the Olympic games, the design represent the five continents that play in the Olympics, and the six colors on the flags are the six colors that were found on the flags of the world in 1914 when the first flag was made.

Famous Olympic Track and Field Records

Olympic track and field records are some of the most famous Olympic records of winners. What seems humanly impossible is often performed on the track or in the field, and many spectators enjoy following the Olympic records of winners from their countries. Here are some popular Olympic track and fields records to consider.

The United States holds the Olympic games records for the most medals in the track and field category since records were introduced to the games.

One of the oldest standing Olympic games records belongs to American long-jumper Robert Beamon, who jumped 8.90 meters at the Mexico Olympics in 1968. The record has not been broken in an Olympics, but was broken in the World Championships in Tokyo.

The oldest standing women's track and field Olympic games records belong to three groups. Nadezhada Olizarenko of Slovenia ran a 1:53.43 800-meter race in 1980. That same year, East Germany won the 4x100 meter relay with a time of 41.60. The shot put record was also established that year by Ilona Slupianek of East Germany, with a distance of 22.41 meters.

Each of these amazing Olympic games records still stands to be broken, a task modern athletes strive toward.

Olympic Games Records Controversies

Sometimes Olympic games records are broken with quite a bit of controversy. Perhaps athletes are under suspicion of using an illegal substance, or maybe the conditions of the playing field seem unfair.

For example, in the 2008 summer games there were several miniature controversies surrounding the Olympic games records. In the marathon race, the pollution level in the air of Beijing was so high that it was almost impossible for athletes to strive toward breaking the current standing Olympic games records.

There was also some talk about the pool at the National Aquatics Center, and some stated that the reason Michael Phelps won so many world and Olympic games records was because the water conditions were faster than in previous years. In that year, 28 new Olympic games records were set, which has been unprecedented. Better water quality, a new water re-circulating process, and less error tolerance all led to the surprising number of Olympic games records set that year, and many feel it gave the athletes an unfair advantage over those who participated in earlier games.

Even in spite of controversies like these, Olympic athletes will continue to press toward glory by beating past Olympic games records. As the technology used to build fields, courts, and swimming facilities continue to improve, you can expect even greater Olympic games records to hit the record books in the near future. As Olympic records of winners in the past years are shattered, they can hold onto the glory they once held as an Olympic record-breaking champion.