When were the 1st Olympic Games? Olympic Games

In Paris in Great hall The Sorbonne convened a commission to revive the Olympic Games. Her general secretary became Baron Pierre de Coubertin. Then the International Olympic Committee - the IOC - was formed, which included the most authoritative and independent citizens of different countries.

The first modern Olympic Games were originally planned to be held in the same stadium in Olympia that hosted the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece. However, this required too much restoration work, and the first revived Olympic competitions took place in the capital of Greece, Athens.

On April 6, 1896, at the restored ancient stadium in Athens, the Greek King George declared the first Olympic Games of modern times open. The opening ceremony was attended by 60 thousand spectators.

The date of the ceremony was not chosen by chance - on this day, Easter Monday coincided with three directions of Christianity at once - Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism. This first opening ceremony of the Games established two Olympic traditions - the opening of the Games by the head of state where the competition is taking place, and the singing of the Olympic anthem. However, such indispensable attributes modern Games, like the parade of participating countries, the ceremony of lighting the Olympic flame and the recitation of the Olympic oath, there was no; they were introduced later. There was no Olympic village; invited athletes provided their own housing.

241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the Games of the First Olympiad: Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary (at the time of the Games, Hungary was part of Austria-Hungary, but Hungarian athletes competed separately), Germany, Greece, Denmark, Italy , USA, France, Chile, Switzerland, Sweden.

Russian athletes were quite actively preparing for the Olympics, but due to lack of funds, the Russian team was not sent to the Games.

As in ancient times, only men took part in the competitions of the first modern Olympics.

The program of the first Games included nine sports - classical wrestling, cycling, gymnastics, athletics, swimming, shooting, tennis, weightlifting and fencing. 43 sets of awards were drawn.

According to ancient tradition, the Games began with athletic competitions.

Athletics competitions became the most popular - 63 athletes from 9 countries took part in 12 events. The largest number of species - 9 - were won by representatives of the United States.

First Olympic champion American athlete James Connolly won the triple jump with a score of 13 meters 71 centimeters.

Wrestling competitions were held without uniform approved rules for conducting fights, and there were also no weight categories. The style in which the athletes competed was close to today's Greco-Roman, but it was allowed to grab the opponent's legs. Only one set of medals was played among five athletes, and only two of them competed exclusively in wrestling - the rest took part in competitions in other disciplines.

Since there were no artificial swimming pools in Athens, swimming competitions were held in an open bay near the city of Piraeus; the start and finish were marked by ropes attached to the floats. The competition aroused great interest - by the start of the first swim, about 40 thousand spectators had gathered on the shore. About 25 swimmers from six countries took part, most of them naval officers and sailors of the Greek merchant fleet.

Medals were awarded in four events, all swims were held “freestyle” - you were allowed to swim in any way, changing it along the course. At that time, the most popular swimming methods were breaststroke, overarm (an improved way of swimming on the side) and treadmill style. At the insistence of the Games organizers, the program also included an applied swimming event - 100 meters in sailor's clothing. Only Greek sailors took part in it.

In cycling, six sets of medals were awarded - five on the track and one on the road. The track races took place at the Neo Faliron velodrome, specially built for the Games.

Eight sets of awards were competed for in the artistic gymnastics competitions. The competition took place on outdoors, at the Marble Stadium.

Five sets of awards were awarded in shooting - two in rifle shooting and three in pistol shooting.

Tennis competitions took place on the courts of the Athens Tennis Club. Two tournaments were held - singles and doubles. At the 1896 Games there was no requirement that all team members represent the same country, and some pairs were international.

Weightlifting competitions were held without division into weight categories and included two disciplines: squeezing a ball barbell with two hands and lifting a dumbbell with one hand.

Three sets of awards were competed for in fencing. Fencing became the only sport where professionals were also allowed: separate competitions were held among “maestros” - fencing teachers (“maestros” were also admitted to the 1900 Games, after which this practice ceased).

The highlight of the Olympic Games was the marathon running. Unlike all subsequent Olympic marathon competitions, the marathon distance at the Games of the First Olympics was 40 kilometers. The classic marathon distance is 42 kilometers 195 meters. The Greek postman Spyridon Louis finished first with a result of 2 hours 58 minutes 50 seconds, who became a national hero after this success. In addition to the Olympic awards, he received a gold cup established by the French academician Michel Breal, who insisted on including marathon running in the program of the Games, a barrel of wine, a voucher for free food for a year, free tailoring of a dress and the use of a hairdresser throughout his life, 10 centners of chocolate, 10 cows and 30 rams.

The winners were awarded on the closing day of the Games - April 15, 1896. Since the Games of the First Olympiad, the tradition of singing the national anthem and raising the national flag in honor of the winner has been established. The winner was crowned with a laurel wreath, given a silver medal, an olive branch cut from the Sacred Grove of Olympia, and a diploma made by a Greek artist. Second place winners received bronze medals.

Those who took third place were not taken into account at that time, and only later the International Olympic Committee included them in the medal standings among countries, but not all medalists were determined accurately.

The Greek team won the largest number of medals - 45 (10 gold, 17 silver, 18 bronze). Team USA came second with 20 medals (11+7+2). The third place was taken by the German team - 13 (6+5+2).

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

A Brief History of the Olympic Games

The world's largest competition originated in Ancient Greece in the city of Olympia. The very first Olympic Games were held in the second half of the 8th century BC, as evidenced by the inscription on the slab found by archaeologists. The competition was dedicated to the cult of the thunder god Zeus and was held every four years. During the games, all wars and turmoil ceased. One of the most difficult, but at the same time spectacular types of wrestling was the pentathlon - a combination of five sports at once (running, javelin throwing, long jump, all-around and discus throwing).

The significance of the Olympics faded with the arrival of the Romans, as it was considered a manifestation of paganism. Thus, in 394 AD Emperor Theodosius I banned them. Throughout its history, ancient games were held more than 290 times. The idea to revive such competitions on a global scale came to the mind of the French public figure Pierre de Coubertin in late XIX centuries. His aspirations did not immediately captivate the whole world, but in June 1894 year, a special organization was created to promote the Olympic movement - the IOC Commission (International Olympic Committee), which included representatives of several European countries.

It was this committee that was involved in attracting athletes to participate in the new Olympic Games and choosing a venue for this large-scale event. As a sign of respect for tradition, the Greek philanthropist Demetrius Vikelas was elected the first president of the committee. The first games held in Athens in 1896 year, involved about 240 athletes from 14 countries. This Olympics became the largest sporting event of the century. Since then, they have tried to maintain the tradition of holding international games every four years. The exceptions were the years of the First and Second World Wars.

Starting from the second Olympics, women began to take part in the games. IN 1908 year, the tradition of a command procession under the national flag appeared, and with 1920 year, participants began to take the Olympic oath. Soon the Winter Olympic Games appeared. It is noteworthy that competitions in some types of winter sports have already been held previously. The first official Winter Games were held in the homeland of P. Coubertin in the city of Chamonix in 1924 year. After 4 years, the tradition of lighting the Olympic flame appeared, and after another 4 years, the first “Olympic village” was built in Los Angeles.

The Olympics brought important innovations 1956 of the year. For the first time, Soviet athletes participated in these winter competitions with a triumphant debut. And also, thanks to the development of television, games were broadcast throughout Europe for the first time. The history of the Olympic Games has not always been rosy. So, for example, during games 1960 The first athletes who used doping appeared, one of whom died. IN 1972 year, Palestinian activists attacked the Israeli team during the games in Munich. This event was later called “Black September”, as more than 10 people died.

Games were recognized as the longest in history 1900 years spent in Paris. Due to the fact that they coincided with the World Exhibition, they were held for several months. The largest participating team was Team Great Britain in 1908 year during the games in London. More than 700 athletes were involved in it. And finally, the most “American” was the Summer Olympics in St. Louis. Due to high travel costs, many European countries were unable to participate. Thus, 90% of the participants were American.

Five rings and the slogan “Faster. Higher. Stronger" - one of the most recognizable characters in the world. The Olympic Games are criticized for being politicized, pompous, expensive, and doping scandals, but they are always eagerly awaited. The modern Olympic Games turn 120 this year, but of course their history goes back much, much further.

According to one of the myths, King Oenomaus, the ruler of the city of Pisa, organized sports competitions for those who wanted to marry his daughter Hippodamia. Moreover, the conditions of these competitions were obviously losing - all because Oenomaus was predicted that his son-in-law would be the cause of his death. The young people lost their lives one after another, and only the cunning Pelops managed to overtake his future father-in-law in chariot races, so successfully that Oenomaus broke his neck. The prediction nevertheless came true, and the new king, to celebrate, ordered a sports festival to be held in Olympia every four years.

Everyone famous word“Gymnastics,” according to one version, comes from the ancient Greek “gymnos,” which means “naked.” It was in this form that ancient athletes participated in competitions, so in those days the organizers of the games significantly saved on sportswear. Some, such as wrestlers, also rubbed themselves with oil to make it easier to slip out of the opponent’s grip.

According to another version, the Olympic Games were founded by none other than the main ancient Greek superman, Hercules. Having cleared the Augean stables, the hero not only did not receive the promised reward, but also received a royal kick in the ass. Naturally, the demigod was offended and after a while returned with a large army. Having destroyed the offender morally and physically, Hercules, in gratitude for his help, made a sacrifice to the gods and personally planted an entire olive grove around the sacred plain in honor of the goddess Athena. And on the plain itself he ordered regular sports competitions to be held.

According to ancient historians, the first Olympic Games took place during the reign of King Iphitus (approximately 884–828 BC). Iphit, the king of Elis, on whose territory Olympia was located, was very concerned about what was happening in the state and beyond. At that time, Greece was a seething cauldron, where many small, disparate kingdoms were constantly at war with each other. Iphit went to Lycurgus, the king of Sparta, and said that he no longer wanted to fight, but wanted to organize sports competitions. Lycurgus liked the idea, and the other warring rulers also agreed. As a result, Elis received neutral status and immunity in exchange for the fact that nationwide sports tournaments would be held at Olympia every four years. During the games, all wars stopped. The Olympic Games united Greece, tormented by civil strife, which, however, did not stop the states from fighting with each other the rest of the time before and after the games.

However, even ancient Greek historians were not sure about exact date, therefore, they considered the first Olympics to be competitions about which they had more or less accurate information. These games took place in 776 BC. BC, and Korebus of Elis won the race.

The only type of ancient Olympic competition for the first thirteen games was running. Then - the pentathlon, which includes running, long jump, javelin throw, discus throw and wrestling itself. Later, fist fighting and chariot racing were added. The program of the modern Olympic Games includes 28 summer and 7 winter species sports, respectively 41 and 15 disciplines depending on the season.

With the arrival of the Romans, a lot changed. If previously only Hellenic athletes could take part in the games, then after Greece was annexed to the Empire, National composition participants has expanded. In addition, the program added Gladiator fights. The Hellenes gritted their teeth, but had to endure it. True, not for long - after official religion Christianity became the empire; the event, as pagan, was banned by Emperor Theodosius I. In 394 AD. e. the games were cancelled, and a year later many Olympic buildings were destroyed during the war with the barbarians. Olympia, like Atlantis, disappeared from the face of the earth.

Olympia today

However, the Olympic Games did not sink into oblivion forever, although they had to remain in oblivion for fifteen long centuries. Ironically, the first step towards the revival of the Olympic Games was made by church leader- Benedictine monk Bernard de Montfaucon, who was very interested in the history of Ancient Greece and was convinced that it was necessary to carry out excavations at the site where the legendary Olympia had previously been located. Soon, many European scientists and public figures of the 18th century began talking about the need to find her.

In 1766, the English traveler Richard Chandler discovered the ruins of some ancient structures near Mount Kronos in Greece. It turned out that the find was part of the wall of a huge temple. In 1824, archaeologist Lord Stanhof began excavations on the banks of the Alpheus, then French archaeologists took up the baton in 1828–1829. In October 1875, German specialists under the leadership of Ernst Curtius continued the excavations of Olympia. Inspired by the results of archaeological research, public and sports figures gave entire lectures about the delights of the Olympic movement and the need for its revival. Government officials listened to them attentively and nodded in agreement, but for some reason they refused to allocate funds for the games.

And yet, finally, there was someone who managed to convince everyone: the Olympic Games are exactly what humanity needs. It was the French public figure Pierre de Coubertin. He was sincerely convinced that the ideas of the Olympic movement carried within them the spirit of freedom, peaceful competition, harmony and physical improvement. Coubertin found many supporters around the world. On November 25, 1892, he gave a lecture on “The Olympic Renaissance” in Paris, the main idea which was that sport should be international. Coubertin called his contemporaries the heirs of the great Hellenic civilization, which elevated the harmonious development of man, intellectual and physical perfection into a cult.

At the end of the 19th century, the international sports movement gradually began to gain momentum. With the growth of cultural and economic ties International sports associations began to appear between countries, and international competitions were organized. This was the ideal moment to implement Coubertin's ideas. Together with friends and associates, he organized the Founding Congress, where supporters of the Olympic movement from all over the world were to gather. A meeting of two thousand delegates from twelve countries took place in June 1894 at the Sorbonne. It was there that a unanimous decision was made to revive the Olympic Games and establish the International Olympic Committee. At the same time, national Olympic committees were created. They decided to hold the first international competitions in 1896 in Athens. The Olympic Games were revived in the same place where they originated - in Greece.

The first resumed games became the largest sporting event of their time. The Greek authorities, inspired by the success, proposed to permanently hold the games on their territory, but this clearly contradicted the spirit of internationalism, and the IOC decided to choose a new location for the Olympics every four years. Gradually, attributes and rituals of the games appeared that have now become familiar: the emblem and flag, the Olympic oath and mascots, the parade, the opening and closing ceremonies, the Olympic torch relay. It’s hard to imagine these competitions without them.

Unlike ancient games, during which they stopped armed conflicts, the modern Olympic Games were not held three times due to world wars - in 1916, 1940 and 1944. And the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich was overshadowed by a terrorist attack: Palestinian terrorists took Israeli team members hostage. The liberation operation completely failed due to poor organization - eleven athletes were killed.

Since 1924, the Winter Olympics have been added to the classic Olympic Games - Summer. At first the games were held in one year, but since 1994 the Winter and Summer Games began to alternate every two years.

In our country, the Olympic Games have been held twice. The first Olympics took place in 1980 in the USSR, the second, Winter, in 2014 in Sochi. Hosting the Games has always been very important for the prestige of any state, so there is always a tense struggle for the right to host athletes from all over the world. And, of course, there is a fight for medals - only the best representatives of their country go to the competition. And although the games are considered individual competitions between individual athletes, the result is invariably determined by the number of “precious metals” earned by the entire team. The funny thing is that, according to the original plan of Pierre de Coubertin, these were competitions exclusively for amateur athletes, but now the Olympics are a purely professional sport. And, of course, a spectacular show and big money - where would we be without it?

Olympic Games are international sports competitions that are held every four years in different cities. Thousands of athletes from all over the world compete against each other in individual and team sports. More than 1 billion people watch games on TV.

Modern Olympic Games

The first Olympic Games were held in Greece in 776 BC. They were called ancient games and continued until the 4th century AD. Modern Olympic Games began in 1896, when Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin revived the games to bring peace and friendship to the world. There are summer and winter games. Until 1994, both games were played in the same year, but now they are staged two years apart from each other.

The modern Olympic Games begin with an opening ceremony. Athletes from all participating countries enter the stadium. Greece comes out first because it was the first country to host the Olympics and the host of the competition comes out last. The Olympic flag is raised and the selected athlete lights the Olympic flame. It is a symbol of spirit, knowledge and life. The fire burns from the opening until the end of the games.

The Olympic rings were created in 1913 and represent the five continents (Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and South America). All athletes must take the Olympic oaths. One of them must promise that all athletes will compete in a fair manner. After each event, medals are given to the first three athletes. They receive gold, silver and bronze medals. Their flags are raised and the national anthem of the victorious country is played.

International Olympic Committee

The IOC is the organization that governs the modern Olympic Games. He decides what sports and events will be held at the games. The IOC also selects the host city for summer and winter games. Cities that want to host the games must show that they have enough stadiums for all events, they have enough space for all athletes, they can provide safety for athletes, they can transport athletes and spectators from one event to another. They also need to build an Olympic village where all the athletes will live during the games.

How can athletes participate?

As a rule, each country decides which athletes will take part. Athletes must be eligible for the Games by winning competitions held before the start of the Olympic Games. Athletes who are sent to games from their country must be citizens of that country. For many years, only amateurs could compete in the games, but in the modern Olympic Games today the majority of athletes are professionals who earn money through the sport.

Ancient games

The ancient Olympic Games were held in Olympia and Greece every four years. They were held in honor of the god Zeus. Back then, only Greek men were allowed to participate. The games consisted of races, wrestling, boxing, pentathlon and horse racing. The last were, as a rule, chariot races. When the Romans conquered Greece in 140 BC, the games began to lose their religious meaning and in 393 the Roman Emperor banned the event.

Summer Games take place during the summer season in the host country. They lasted 16 days. Today there are more than 270 competitions. More than 15,000 athletes from 190 countries take part in them.

The first Winter Olympic Games were held in France in 1924. They usually took place in February. Currently, the Winter Olympic Games include more than 60 competitions. Athletes from more than 60 countries participate in them.

The modern Olympic Games have become very successful, and more and more more people can watch them on TV, TV stations spend everything more money for the right to broadcast games. The IOC is making more money than ever before. With this money they help athletes in poor countries.

Sochi 2014 Olympic Flame Lighting Ceremony

The Olympic Games are the largest sporting event loved by many. Millions of people watch them on TV, thousands come to the cities where the competition is held to see the strongest, most dexterous and fastest athletes with their own eyes. Every professional athlete 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 took place and what the original concept of this competition was.

Legends about the origin

Many legends and myths have come down to us about the origin of these competitions, which have different plots and histories. However, one thing is certain: their homeland is Ancient Greece.

How the first competitions were held

The beginning of the first of them dates back to 776 BC. This date is very ancient, and it might not have survived to this day if not for the tradition of the Greeks: they engraved the names of the winners of the competition 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 Korab, and he was a resident of Ellida. 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 a distance of one hundred and ninety-two meters.

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

There were laws according to which not every person could take part in the Olympic Games. Women did not have this right, slaves and foreign inhabitants called barbarians. And anyone who wanted to become a full participant had to submit an application to the meeting of judges even before whole year before the start of the competition. Moreover, before the actual start of the competition, potential participants were required to provide proof that all the time from the moment of registration they had worked hard on their physical fitness, performing various kinds exercise, training for long-distance running and staying in athletic shape.

Ancient games concept

Starting from the fourteenth, they began to actively introduce different kinds sports

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

For a long time these competitions, without which it was previously impossible to imagine life, were forgotten. The thing is that after Emperor Theodosius came to power and strengthened Christian faith, games began to be considered one of the manifestations of paganism, for which they were abolished in three hundred and ninety-four BC.

Renaissance

Fortunately, the games have not sunk into oblivion. We owe their revival to the famous writer and public figure, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, creator modern concept Olympic Games. It happened in 1894, when, on the initiative of Coubertin, an international athletic congress was convened. During it, a decision was made 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, Congress developed the rules and regulations under which the games would exist.

The first modern Olympic Games

It is not surprising that Athens was chosen to host the first modern games, since Greece is the origin of these competitions. It's interesting to note that Greece is a country, in which they were carried out 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:

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

• The absolute winner, who collected greatest number Greece won medals, namely forty-six, of which ten were gold.
• The USA took second place with a decent margin from the winner, collecting twenty awards.
• Germany collected thirteen medals and finished in third place.
• But Bulgaria, Chile and Sweden left the competition with nothing.

The success of the competition was so enormous that the rulers of Athens immediately offered 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 Olympics, because the venues where they were held 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 decline, however, everything was quite the opposite. People fell in love with such large competitions, and then, 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 looks like five rings of the same size and intertwined with each other. They come in the following sequence: blue, yellow, black, green and red. Such a simple emblem carries with it deep meaning, showing the union of five continents and the meeting of people from all over the world. It is interesting that each Olympic committee has developed its own emblem, however, the five rings are certainly its main part.

The games flag 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 has become a traditional ritual before the start of any games. It is lit in the city where the competition is held and remains there until it ends. This is how they did it back 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 Olympic mascot. Each country has its own. The issue of the appearance of mascots arose at the next IOC meeting in 1972. By committee decision it could be any person, animal or any mythical creature, which would not only fully reflect the identity of the country, but also speak about modern Olympic values.

The emergence of 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 move them two years relative to the summer ones. France became the host of the first Winter Games. Surprisingly, only half as many spectators were interested in them as expected, and not all tickets were sold out. Despite previous failures, the Winter Olympics became more and more popular with the fans, and they soon gained the same popularity as the summer ones.

Interesting Facts from the history