The country where the ancient Olympic Games were held. The first modern Olympic Games were held

If so, you might be very interested to know impressive details of the origin of the Olympic races. The history of the Olympic Games is exciting and full of surprises. So, let's dive into the unknown distances of the world Olympiads?

How it all began

The famous Olympic Games in honor of Olympian Zeus originated in ancient Greece and have been held since 776 BC. e. every 4 years in the city of Olympia. Sports competitions were such a tremendous success and great importance for society that at the time of the Olympicohraces stopped wars and established ekekhiriya - a sacred truce.

People came from everywhere to look at the competitions in Olympia: some traveled on foot, some on horseback, and some even sailed ships to distant lands, just to have at least one eye on the majestic Greek athletes. Entire tent settlements grew up around the city. To watch the athletes, spectators completely filled the hillsides around the Alfei river valley.

After the solemn victory and the award ceremony (presenting a wreath of sacred olive and palm branches), the Olympionist lived in clover. Holidays were held in his honor, hymns were sung, statues were made, in Athens the winner was exempted from taxes and burdensome public duties. And the winner was always left the best place in the theater. In some places, even the children of an Olympian enjoyed special privileges.

Interesting, that women were not allowed to compete in the Olympics under pain of death.

Brave Hellenes competed in running, fisticuffs (which Pythagoras once won), jumping, javelin throwing, and so on. The most dangerous, however, were the chariot races. You will not believe it, but the owner of the horses was considered the winner of the equestrian competition, and not the poor driver who risked his life for the sake of winning.

There are many legends associated with the Olympic Games. One of them says that Zeus himself allegedly organized the first competition in honor of the victory over his father. True or not, but in literature it was Homer who first mentioned the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece in the poem The Iliad.

Archaeological excavations show that in Olympia, 5 rectangular or horseshoe-shaped stadiums with stands for fans were built specifically for the competition.

Unfortunately, nothing is known about the time of the champions at the moment. It was enough to be the first to reach the finish line to get the right to light the sacred fire. But the legends tell us about the Olympians who ran faster than hares, and what is the talent of the Spartan Ladas, who did not leave footprints in the sand while running.

Modern Olympic Games

The modern international sporting events known as the Summer Olympics have been held every four years since 1896. Initiated by the French baron Pierre de Coubertin. He believed that it was precisely insufficient physical fitness that prevented French soldiers from winning the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. Youth should measure their strength on sports fields, not on battlefields, the activist argued.

The first Olympic Games were held in Athens. To organize the competition created International Olympic Committee, whose first president was Demetrius Vikelas of Greece.

Since that time, the World Olympiad has become a good tradition. Against the backdrop of impressive excavations and archaeological finds The idea of ​​Olympism spread throughout Europe. More often European states organized their own sports competitions, which were watched by the whole world.

What about winter sports?

To fill a gap in winter sports competitions that were technically impossible to host in the summer, Since January 25, 1924, the Winter Olympic Games have been held. The first were organized in the French city Chamonix. In addition to figure skating and hockey, athletes competed in speed skating, ski jumping, etc.

293 athletes, including 13 women, from 16 countries of the world expressed their desire to compete for the championship in competitions. Ch. Juthrow from the USA (speed skating) became the first Olympic champion of the winter games, but in the end the teams of Finland and Norway turned out to be the leaders of the competition. The races lasted 11 days and ended on February 4th.

Attributes of the Olympic Games

Now a symbol and emblem The Olympic Games have five rings intertwined, which symbolize the unification of the five continents.

Olympic motto, proposed by the Catholic monk Henri Didon: "Faster, higher, stronger."

At the opening ceremony of each Olympiad, they raise flag- white cloth with the emblem (Olympic rings). Burning throughout the Olympiad Olympic the fire, which is brought to the venue each time from Olympia.

Since 1968, each Olympiad has its own.

The 2016 Olympic Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the Ukrainian team will present their champions to the world. By the way, the first Olympic champion figure skater became an independent Ukraine Oksana Baiul.

The opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games are always a spectacular sight, which once again emphasizes the prestige and planetary importance of these world competitions.

Sports competitions called "Olympic Games" were held in ancient Greece, in Olympia (a city in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese, which in the past was the most important religious and sports center of Greece).

The year of the beginning of the Olympic Games is considered to be 776 BC. e., this date is carved on a plate found by archaeologists along with the name of the Olympic winner in the Koreb run. The date is also confirmed by the ancient authors Paraballon, Hippias, Aristotle and others. The Greek historian Timaeus (about 352-256 BC) and the mathematician Eratosthenes (about 276-196 BC) developed the chronology from the first Games , according to which until 394 AD. e., when the competition was banned by the Roman emperor Theodosius I, 293 Olympiads took place.

The idea of ​​reviving the Olympic Games was proposed in late XIX century by the French public figure Pierre de Coubertin in connection with the public interest in the archaeological discoveries in Olympia. The project for the revival of the Olympic Games de Coubertin outlined in his report on November 25, 1892 at the Sorbonne.

The principles, rules and regulations of the games were determined by the Olympic Charter, approved in June 1894 by the International Sports Congress in Paris. According to the charter, the Olympic Games bring together amateur athletes from all countries in fair and equal competition; countries and individuals should not be discriminated against on racial, religious or political grounds. At the same congress, it was decided to hold the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens. For this, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was created.

At the first Games in Athens on April 6-15, 1896, 43 sets of medals were played in 9 sports. 241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the competition. At these Games, such traditions as the performance of the Olympic anthem, participation in the opening ceremony of the head of state hosting the games, and awarding the winners on the last day of the competition were laid. The Athens Olympics became the biggest sporting event of its time. Since then, international competitions, known as the Summer Olympics, have been held every four years (with the exception of the periods of the First and Second World Wars). The location of the Games is chosen by the IOC, and the right to organize them is granted to the city, not the country.

Women have been participating in the Games since 1900.

In 1908, for the first time in the history of the Olympics, qualifying competitions were held in London, and the tradition of participating teams marching under national flags was born. At the same time, an unofficial team standings became widespread - determining the place occupied by teams by the number of medals received and points scored in competitions.

In 1912, the photo finish was used for the first time at the Stockholm Olympics.

In 1920, at the Olympics in Antwerp / Belgium / for the first time in the history of the games, the Olympic flag was raised, and the participants in the competition took the Olympic oath.

The Winter Olympics have been held since 1924. Prior to this, some winter sports were included in the programs of the Summer Olympics. Yes, the championship figure skating skating as part of the Olympics was first played in London in 1908, and the first Olympic ice hockey tournament took place in 1920 in Antwerp. Initially, the Winter Olympics were held in the same year as the Summer ones, but in 1992, the timing of their holding was shifted by two years. The Winter Olympics have their own numbering.

During the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, the tradition of lighting a fire was laid.

At the 1932 games in Los Angeles, for the first time, an "Olympic village" was built specifically for the participants.

Since 1936, the world has been watching the Olympic torch relay.

In 1960, during the Summer Olympics in Rome, for the first time, an athlete, a cyclist from Denmark, Knud Jensen, died due to doping.

In 1960, at the Winter Games in the American Squaw Valley, the opening ceremony was for the first time accompanied by a large-scale theatrical performance (Walt Disney was responsible for its organization).

At the 1972 Games in Munich, members of the terrorist Palestinian organization Black September took hostage athletes and coaches of the Israeli team. During the operation to free them, 11 members of the Israeli team and one West German policeman were killed.

In 2004, during the Olympics in Athens, for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the IOC insured itself (for $ 170 million) in case of cancellation of the competition due to the threat of terrorism or natural disasters.

The longest were the Games of 1900 in Paris and 1904 in St. Louis (USA). They were combined with the World Exhibitions and lasted several months (May-October 1900, July-November 1904). The St. Louis Olympics also went down in history as "American": out of 625 participants, 533 were Americans, because many European athletes could not come to the competition due to the high cost of travel.

The largest Olympic team ever fielded by a single nation was the Great Britain team at the 1908 London Olympics with 710 athletes.

Several times certain countries did not take part in the Games political reasons. Thus, Germany and its allies in the world wars were excluded from participation in the games of 1920 and 1948. In 1920, athletes were not invited to the Olympics in Antwerp (Belgium) Soviet Russia. 65 countries boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow in connection with the introduction of Soviet troops to Afghanistan in December 1979. In response to the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, the teams of 13 countries of the socialist camp did not come. official reason boycott was the refusal of the organizers of the Olympics-84 to provide security guarantees to athletes from the USSR and other Warsaw Pact countries.

There have been several cases in the history of the Games when competitions in some sports were held both before the opening of the games and after they closed. So, the Antwerp Olympics of 1920 was officially held on August 14-29, however, the competitions of figure skaters and hockey players were held in April, yachtsmen and shooters - in July, football players - in August and September. In 1956, at the Games in Melbourne, due to quarantine rules, equestrian competitions were held not only six months earlier than the Olympics itself, but also in another country, and on another continent - in Stockholm.

The Olympics first appeared on television at the Berlin Games in 1936. So that athletes can see the competition as much as possible more people, screens were installed throughout the city. Games were first broadcast on home televisions to Londoners in 1948. In 1956, the Olympic Games were already transmitted to all European countries, and since 1964 - to all continents. /TASS-DOSIER/

Five rings and the slogan "Faster. Higher. Stronger” are some of the most recognizable symbols in the world. The Olympic Games are criticized for being politicized, pompous, expensive, doping scandals, but they are always eagerly awaited. The modern Olympic Games are 120 years old this year, but of course their history goes much, much deeper into antiquity.

According to one of the myths, King Enomai, 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 Enomai was predicted that his son-in-law would become the cause of his death. Young people lost their lives one after another, and only the cunning Pelops managed to overtake the future father-in-law in chariot races, so successfully that Enomai broke his neck. The prediction nevertheless came true, and the new king, in joy, ordered a sports festival to be held in Olympia every four years.

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

According to another version, the Olympic Games were established by none other than the main ancient Greek superman Hercules. Having cleared 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 the 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 Ifit (about 884-828 BC). Ifit, 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 scattered kingdoms were constantly at war with each other. Ifit 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, the other warring rulers also agreed. As a result, Elis received a neutral status and immunity in exchange for the fact that once every four years nationwide sports tournaments would be held in Olympia. At the time of the games, all wars stopped. The Olympic Games rallied Greece, tormented by civil strife, which, however, did not prevent the states from fighting each other for 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. e., and Koreb from Elis won the race.

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

Much has changed since the arrival of the Romans. If before only Hellenic athletes could take part in the games, then after Greece was annexed to the Empire, National composition participants has expanded. In addition, gladiator fights were added to the program. The Hellenes gritted their teeth, but had to endure. True, not for long - after Christianity became the official religion of the empire, the event, as pagan, was banned by Emperor Theodosius I. In 394 AD. e. the games were canceled, 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 have not sunk into oblivion forever, although they had to stay in oblivion for fifteen long centuries. Ironically, the first step towards the revival of the Olympic Games was made by a church leader, the Benedictine monk Bernard de Montfaucon, who was very interested in the history of Ancient Greece and was convinced that excavations should be carried out at the site where the legendary Olympia used to be. Soon, many European scientists and public figures of the 18th century began to talk 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, the archaeologist Lord Stanhof began excavations on the banks of the Alpheus, then in 1828-1829 French archaeologists took over. In October 1875, the excavations of Olympia were continued by German specialists under the leadership of Ernst Curtius. Inspired by the results of archaeological research, public and sports figures gave lectures on 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 French public figure Pierre de Coubertin. He was sincerely convinced that the ideas of the Olympic movement carry the spirit of freedom, peaceful competition, harmony and physical perfection. Coubertin found many supporters around the world. November 25, 1892 he gave a lecture in Paris "Olympic Renaissance", 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 between countries, international sports associations began to appear, international competitions were organized. It was the perfect moment for the realization of Coubertin's ideas. Together with friends and associates, he organized the Constituent Congress, where supporters of the Olympic movement from all over the world were to gather. A meeting of two thousand delegates from twelve countries was held 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. And it was 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 biggest sporting event of their time. The Greek authorities, inspired by the success, offered to constantly hold the games on their territory, but this clearly contradicted the spirit of internationalism, and the IOC decided to choose a new place for the Olympics every four years. Gradually, the attributes and rituals of the games appeared, which have now become familiar: the emblem and flag, the Olympic oath and talismans, the parade, the opening and closing ceremonies, the Olympic torch relay. It is already difficult to imagine these competitions without them.

Unlike the ancient games, during which the 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 the members of the Israeli team hostage. The release operation, due to poor organization, completely failed - eleven athletes were killed.

Since 1924, Winter has 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 rotate every two years.

In our country, the Olympic Games were 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 competitions. And although the games are considered individual competitions between individual athletes, the result is invariably determined by the amount 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 without it?

History of the Olympic Games

Once every four years, the Olympic Games are held - the so-called sports competitions in which the best athletes from different countries peace. Each of them dreams of becoming an Olympic champion and receiving a gold, silver or bronze medal as a reward. Almost 11 thousand athletes from over 200 countries of the world came to the 2016 Olympic competitions in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.

Although in these sports games ah mainly adults participate, but some sports, as well as the history of the Olympic Games for children, can also be very exciting. And, probably, both children and adults would be interested to know when the Olympic Games appeared, how they got such a name, and also what types of sports exercises were in the very first competitions. In addition, we will learn how the modern Olympic Games are held, and what their emblem means - five multi-colored rings.

The birthplace of the Olympic Games is Ancient Greece. The earliest historical records of the ancient Olympic Games were found on Greek marble columns engraved with the date 776 BC. However, it is known that sports in Greece took place much earlier than this date. Therefore, the history of the Olympics has been around for about 2800 years, and this, you see, is quite a lot.

Do you know who, according to history, became one of the first Olympic champions? - This was ordinary cook Korybos from the city of Elis, whose name is still engraved on one of those marble columns.

The history of the Olympic Games is rooted in ancient city- Olympia, whence the name of this sports festival. This settlement is in a very beautiful place- near Mount Kronos and on the banks of the Alpheus River, and it is here from ancient times to the present day that the ceremony of lighting the torch with the Olympic flame takes place, which is then relayed to the city of the Olympic Games.

You can try to find this place on a world map or in an atlas and at the same time check yourself - can I find Greece first, and then Olympia?

How were the Olympic Games in ancient times?

At first, only locals, but then everyone liked it so much that people from all over Greece and its subordinate cities began to come here, as far as from the Black Sea itself. People got there as best they could - someone rode a horse, someone had a wagon, but most people went to the holiday on foot. The stadiums were always crowded with spectators - everyone really wanted to see sports competitions with their own eyes.

It is also interesting that in those days when the Olympic competitions were going to be held in Ancient Greece, a truce was declared in all cities and all wars stopped for about a month. For ordinary people it was a calm peaceful time, when you could take a break from everyday affairs and have fun.

For a whole 10 months, the athletes trained at home, and then for another month in Olympia, where experienced coaches helped them prepare as best as possible for the competition. At the beginning of sports games, everyone took an oath, the participants - that they would compete honestly, and the judges - to judge fairly. Then the competition itself began, which lasted 5 days. The beginning of the Olympic Games was announced with the help of a silver trumpet, which was blown several times, inviting everyone to gather in the stadium.

What sports were at the Olympic Games in ancient times?

These were:

• running competitions;
• fight;
• long jump;
• javelin and discus throw;
• hand-to-hand combat;
• chariot racing.

The best athletes were awarded an award - a laurel wreath or an olive branch, the champions solemnly returned to their hometown and until the end of their lives were considered respected people. Banquets were held in their honor, and sculptors made marble statues for them.

Unfortunately, in 394 AD, the Olympic Games were banned by the Roman emperor, who did not like such competitions very much.

Olympic Games today

The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896, in the parent country of these games - Greece. You can even calculate how long the break was - from 394 to 1896 (it turns out 1502 years). And now, after so many years in our time, the birth of the Olympic Games became possible thanks to one famous French baron, his name was Pierre de Coubertin.

Pierre de Coubertin the founder of the modern Olympic Games.

This man really wanted as many people as possible to go in for sports and offered to resume the Olympic Games again. Since then, sports games have been held every four years, with the maximum preservation of the traditions of ancient times. But now the Olympic Games began to be divided into winter and summer, which alternate with each other.

Traditions and symbols of the Olympic Games

Olympic rings

Probably, each of us has seen the emblem of the Olympics - intertwined colored rings. They were chosen for a reason - each of the five rings means one of the continents:

• ring of blue color- a symbol of Europe,
• black - Africa,
• red - America,
• yellow - Asia,
• the green ring is the symbol of Australia.

And the fact that the rings are intertwined with each other means the unity and friendship of people on all these continents, despite different colour skin.

olympic flag

The white flag with the Olympic emblem was chosen as the official flag of the Olympic Games. White color- it is a symbol of peace during the Olympic competitions, just like in the days of Ancient Greece. At each Olympics, the flag is used at the opening and closing of sports games, and then transferred to the city in which the next Olympics will take place four years later.

olympic fire

Even in ancient times, a tradition arose to light a fire during the Olympic Games, and it has survived to this day. Behind the Ignition Ceremony Olympic flame It is very interesting to watch, it resembles an ancient Greek theatrical production.

It all starts in Olympia a few months before the start of the competition. For example, the fire for the Brazilian Olympic Games was lit in Greece back in April of this year.

In Greek Olympia, eleven girls gather, dressed in long white dresses, which they used to be in Ancient Greece, then one of them takes a mirror and with the help sun rays lights a specially prepared torch. This is the fire that will burn throughout the entire period of the Olympic competition.

After the torch lights up, it is handed over to one of the best athletes, who will then carry it first through the cities of Greece, and then deliver it to the country in which the Olympic Games will be held. Further, the torch relay passes through the cities of the country and, finally, arrives at the place where sports competitions will be held.

A large bowl is installed in the stadium and a fire is lit in it with the torch that came from distant Greece. The fire in the bowl will burn until all sports are over, then it goes out, and this symbolizes the end of the Olympic Games.

Opening and closing ceremony of the Olympics

It is always a bright and colorful sight. Each country hosting the Olympic Games tries to surpass the previous one in this component, sparing no effort or means. For the production, the latest achievements of science and technology are used, innovative technologies and development. In addition, it uses a large number of people - volunteers. The most famous people countries: artists, composers, athletes, etc.

Awarding of winners and prize-winners

When the first Olympic Games were held, the winners received a laurel wreath as a reward. However, modern champions are no longer awarded with laurel wreaths, but with medals: first place - Golden medal, second place - silver, and third - bronze.

It is very interesting to watch the competitions, but it is even more interesting to see how the champions are awarded. The winners go to a special pedestal with three steps, according to the places taken, they are awarded medals and raise the flags of the countries where these athletes came from.

That's the whole history of the Olympic Games, for children, I think, the above information will be interesting and useful