There are 95 Days left before the Olympics begin (This is from Monday April 23 rd )

The History of…

The Olympic Games The Olympic Games are an international multi - sport events, occurring every four years,, organized by the International Olympic Committe. In these games we can observe thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions.

Origin of the Olympic Games Once every four years, men from all over Greece came to compete in a great athletic festival in Elis, in western Greece (Women were not allowed to compete). This was called the Olympic games because the place was called Olympia. It was a religious festival to honor the Greek gods Zeus and Hera. GreeceZeusHera

 He is considered the father of the modern Olympic Games and the creator of the International Olympic Committe.  The design of the flag had been received by the French educator Pierre, Baron de Coubertin, who developed the modern Olympic Games.  The five rings represent the five continents. They are interlaced to show the universality of Olympism and the meeting of the athletes of the world during the Olympic Games.  On the Olympic flag, the rings appear on a white background. Combined in this way, the six colours of the flag (blue, yellow, black, green, red and white) represent all nations.  These five rings represent the five (inhabited) continents of the world: Africa, Europa, Asia, America y Oceanía (including Australia) Pierre de Coubertin and the Olympic Flag.

Some Olympic Symbols Winer´s Medals : Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that started in Olympic Flame: Months before each Games, the Olympic flame is lit in Olympia in a ceremony that reflects ancient Greek rituals.

Olympic sports  The Olympic Games program consists of 26 sports, 30 disciplines and nearly 300 events  The Summer Olympics program includes 26 sports, while the Winter Olympics program features 15 sports.  Athletics, swimming, and artistic gymnastics are the only summer sports that have never been absent from the Olympic program.  Cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, ski jumping, and speed skating have been featured at every Winter Olympics program since its inception in1924.  Current Olympic sports, like badminton, basketball, and volleyball, first appeared on the program as demonstration sports, and were later promoted to full Olympic sports.

Host Nations  The host city for an Olympic Games is usually chosen seven years ahead of their celebration. The process of selection is carried out in two phases that span a two- year period.  These Games also constitute a major opportunity for the host city and country to promote and showcase themselves to the world.  The next Winter Games will be in Sochi, Russia in 2014, which will be the first time this nation has hosted.  Also, the next summer games will be in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,

Video: Barcelona 1992 One of the most memorable moments in Olympic Games opening ceremony history kIBhC-zqE kIBhC-zqE

Recent Photographs Olympic Rings on the River Thames

Olympic Rings at Kew Gardens made out of plants

Olympic Park Developments

Paralympic Symbol The new Paralympic Symbol consists of three elements in red, blue and green - the three colours that are most widely represented in national flags around the world. "Spirit in Motion" is the new Paralympic Motto, expressing the inspirational character of the Paralympic Movement as well as elite performance of Paralympic athletes. It also stands for the strong will of every Paralympian.

The Olympic motto is made up of three Latin words :  FASTER — HIGHER — STRONGER  These three words encourage the athlete to give his or her best during competition.  To better understand the motto, we can compare it with the Olympic creed :  The most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight ;  the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well.  Together, the Olympic motto and the creed represent an ideal that Coubertin believed in. Olympic Motto