The Olympic Games

An artist's impression of ancient Olympia Ancient Olympic Games The first Olympic Games were held in Greece in Olympia. First it was mentioned in 776 B.C. According to the legend, it was Heracles who first called the Games "Olympic" and established the custom of holding them every four years. Stadium in Olympia, Greece An artist's impression of ancient Olympia

Modern Olympic Games In the the 19 century Pierre de Coubertin gave the idea to held the Olympic Games again. To show the link with the past the games were organized in Greece, in the Panathenaic stadium in Athens, in 1896. Pierre de Coubertin The opening ceremony in the Panathenaic Stadium

The first modern Olympic Games had a great success though 241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the competitions. Since that time the Games have been held every 4 years. A poster of the first modern Olympic Games Gold medal game between Russia and the Czech Republic, Nagano, 1998 Ice hockey game during the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz

Olympic Games Host Cities

Olympic Sports The Olympic sports comprise all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. The Summer Olympics include 26 sports with 36 disciplines and about 300 events. The Winter Olympics include 7 sports with 15 disciplines and about 80 events. Archery competition held during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics. Curling was promoted to official Olympic sport at the Nagano 1998 Winter Olympics.

Olympic Symbols Altius, Fortius” “Citius, The motto was proposed by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894. The Olympic Hymn, also known informally as the Olympic Anthem, is played when the Olympic Flag is raised. It is a musical piece composed by Spyridon Samaras with words written from a poem of the Greek poet and writer Kostis Palamas. The five Olympic rings on the Olympic flag represent the five continents Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania (including Australia) and were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920.

The Olympic Emblems

The Olympic Mascots Олли, Сид и Милли (Olly, Syd & Millie) – кукабарра, платипус (утконос) и ехидна Sydney, 2000 Snowman Снеговик Олимпиямандл (Olympiamandl) Innsbruck, 1976 Athens, 2004 Beaver Бобер Амик Montreal, 1976 Beibei (рыба), Jingjing (панда), Huanhuan (Олимпийский огонь), Yingying (тибетская антилопа) и Nini (журавль) Pekin, 2008 Иззи (Izzy, от фразы Whatizit – что это такое?) – сгенерированный компьютером персонаж Atlanta, 1996

The Olympic Awards Torino, Italy, 2006 Moscow, Russia,1980 Seoul, South Korea, 1988 Nagano, Japan,1998 Vancouver, Canada, 2010 Albertville, France, 1992 Athens, Greece, 1896 Lillehammer, Norway, 1994

The Paralympic Games The source of the term "Paralympic" is unclear. Probably it derives from the Greek preposition παρά, pará ("beside" or "alongside") and thus refers to a competition held in parallel with the Olympic Games. Or maybe it’s connected with the word “paraplegic”. Wheel-chair competitions Oscar Pistorius at a track meet on 8 July 2007 The Swedish goalball team at the 2004 Summer Paralympics.