During 2012 everyone had the “Olympic Games Fever”. The games were celebrated in London and we were all very
excited supporting Argentina.
But do we you know what the Olympic Games are?
The
Olympic Games are an international event featuring summer and winter
sports, in which thousands of athletes from all around the globe
participate in different competitions.
Ancient Olympic Games
They
were first held in Olympia, Greece in 776 BC. They were celebrated
along with rituals, ceremonies and sacrifices honouring Zeus (the most
important god of Greek mythology). The competitors were from all over
Greece. And the winners of the events were admired and immortalized in
poems and statues. They were thought to be gods.
The
ancient games featured running events, pentathlon (jumping, discus and
javelin throws, foot race and wrestling), boxing, wrestling, pankration
and equestrian events.
The games were held every 4 years, and this period was known as an Olympiad.
Nearly the 5th and 6th century
the Romans started gaining power against the Greeks, and in 393 A.D.
the Roman emperor Theodosius I eliminated pagan cults, so the games
finished.
Modern Games
Baron
Pierre de Coubertin was the first man who tried to emulate the ancient
Olympic Games in France. The competition included not only disciplines
from the ancient games but also modern disciplines. Since then different
sports competition were held trying to be like the Olympic Games. And
in 1894 the first International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded by
Coubertin. And the modern games started being celebrated every four
years. The disciplines that are part of the event are:
Archery
Athletics
Badminton
Baseball
Basketball
Beach Volleyball
Boxing
Canoe /Kayak Flat water
Canoe /Kayak Slalom
Cycling BMX
Cycling Mountain Bike
Cycling Road
Cycling Track
Diving
Equestrian
Fencing
Football
Gymnastics Artistic
Gymnastics Rhythmic
Trampoline
Handball
Hockey
Judo
Modern Pentathlon
Rowing
Sailing
Shooting
Softball
Swimming
Synchronized Swimming
Table Tennis
Taekwondo
Tennis
Triathlon
Volleyball
Water Polo
Weightlifting
Wrestling
The Paralympic Games
This
is a sport competition held internationally for disables people. The
athletes participate in these events have physical disabilities.
Its
origins are in 1948 when Sir Ludwing Guttmann organized a multi-sport
event with soldiers from World War II that needed rehabilitation.