A Brief History Of The Olympics

Since the Rio Games have begun, we thought it might be fun to take a look at a brief history.  According to the Greek history, the first Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 BC, although it is thought that they began much earlier.  Dedicated to the 12 Olympian Gods and held on the ancient plains of Olympia, where two magnificently great temples in honor of the gods Zeus and his wife Hera, initially gave the games a tremendous  religious character and a greatlyimportant place in ancient Greek life.  The games combined a number of ancient sporting events, many of which were based on the ancient Greek mythology.

The Olympiad was established with a four-year interval with other regional games held during the off years.  The participants came from every corner of the Greece to compete for the ultimate prize — an olive wreath and the return to their home city-states as heroes.  But the Games held special meaning in addition to competition; it was the effort to combine the body, mind, and will, forming a in a balanced wholeness.  This photo is the site of the Olympic Flame.

The Games continued for almost 12 centuries, until the Roman Emperor Theodosius banned them, in 393 AD, as pagan cults.  In 1896, the new modern Olympic Games were revived by Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin, who also established international committee to organize the Games—the International Olympics Committee (IOC).  It was only appropriate that Athens was named as the locale for the first “new” games.

We wish all the participants, athletes, sponsors, and judges the best of luck and fair games.  Go, USA!