In news– It was on April 6, 1896, the inaugural Olympic Games kicked off in Athens, Greece.
History of modern Olympics-
- The Olympic Games, which originated in ancient Greece as many as 3,000 years ago, were revived in the late 19th century and have become the world’s preeminent sporting competition.
- From the 8th century B.C. to the 4th century A.D., the Games were held every four years in Olympia, located in the western Peloponnese peninsula, in honor of the god Zeus.
- Most people know little about the genesis of the modern Games beyond the fact that it was the brainchild of French Baron Pierre de Coubertin.
- The history of the modern Olympic Games predates de Coubertin, beginning all the way back in 1830s Greece.
- However, what de Coubertin can be credited for is organising the “Congress for the Revival of the Olympic Games” in 1894 in Paris.
- This conference, which had delegates from across Europe, would last several days and it was here that the first International Olympic Games, to be held in Athens in 1896, were proposed.
- It was Evangelos Zappas, a veteran of the Greek War of Independence, had proposed to the Greek government in 1856 to hold the Olympics which he would fund from his own pocket.
- Finally, in 1859, after three years of lobbying the Greek government, Zappas’s Olympics were held in a city square in Athens. A bunch of competitions were organised, including running, discus, javelin throwing, wrestling, jumping, and pole climbing – all events described to have taken place in Ancient Greek Olympics. Zappas promised cash prizes to winners.
- Zappas left his fortune for funding future Olympiads and such games were repeated in 1870, 1875, and 1888, held in the newly-built Panathenaic Stadium (again, funded by Zappas).
- The first modern Olympics took place in 1896 in Athens, and featured 280 participants from 12 nations, competing in 43 events.
- The Athens Olympics, held under the aegis of the newly founded International Olympic Committee, would be a rousing success.
- Held in the Panathenaic stadium, it was the first international sports meet of its scale to ever be organised.
- Since 1994, the Summer and Winter Olympic Games have been held separately and have alternated every two years.
