As you all are probably aware of now, the 2016 Summer Olympics have officially kicked off in Rio. In honor of the 2016 games, here is a quick and short history of The Olympics with information that can be found on the official website of The Olympics.
The First Games
The first Olympics Games dates back to 776 BCE. These games were dedicated to Olympian gods and took place in Olympia (hence "The Olympics"). These games continued on for 12 centuries until Emperor Theodosius banned them because the games were "pagan cult" activity. While there were far fewer sports during this time than modern times, the ancient games greatly influenced the modern games we have all come to know and love.
The Modern Games
The Olympics occur every two years; Summer and Winter Olympics alternate, with four years in between summer games and four years between winter games (The next summer games will be in 2020, but the next Olympics will be in 2018). This division of the games is rather recent; both summer and winter games were held in the same year until 1994, with the exception of those games that were set to occur during WWII, when the games were paused until the war ended.
The Sports
There are a variety of sports categories that occur in each Olympics, For the Summer Olympics, those categories are: archery, athletics (includes all of track and field), badminton, beach volleyball, boxing, canoe slalom, canoe sprint, cycling BMX, cycling mountain bike, cycling road, cycling truck, diving, equestrian/dressage, equestrian/eventing, equestrian/jumping, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics artistic, gymnastics rhythmic, handball, hockey, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, rugby, sailing, shooting, swimming, synchronized swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, trampoline, triathlon, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, wrestling freestyle and wrestling Greco-Roman.
For the Winter Olympics, those categories are: alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, cross country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, luge, Nordic combined, short track speed skating, skeleton, ski jumping, snowboard and speed skating. Within each category of sports, there are up to several different events that can be participated in.
The Torch
Before the opening ceremony of the Olympics, a torch bearing a flame is relayed from its beginning position to its final destination -- The Olympic Stadium, where the opening ceremony is held. Once inside the stadium, the torchbearer(s) light the Olympic cauldron, which stays lit all the way up to the closing ceremony. No two torches for any of the modern games are the same; each Olympics has a differently designed torch. Traditionally, the flame had been carried by foot, but as time went on, the ways of transporting the flame have become more diverse for both practicality and to showcase the region where the games are being hosted.
The Medals
In 1896, when The Olympics made their comeback after being banned by Emperor Theodosius, the winner didn't receive the standard gold medal. Instead, they were presented with an olive wreath and a silver medal. The gold, silver and bronze medals made their first appearance at the 1904 Games and were awarded according to place. The medals that are placed around the necks of winners were not the original design. The original medal was a colored ribbon with a pin that was fixed to the winner's chest. The around the neck design did not come to be until 1960.
For more information on The Olympics, check out www.olympic.org. Whatever country you're rooting for, enjoy the 2016 Games!
