Olympics Essay, Research Paper

Originally the Olympic games were known to be religious festivals from 776 B.C.

until 393 A.D. This was so because the Roman emperor Theodosius I banned all pagan

festivals. These festivals celebrated the Greek god Zeus. The ancient Olympic Games

lasted nearly 1,200 years until it ceased. Then in the late 1800 s a frenchman by the name

of Baron Pierre de Couhbertin practically revived the Olympics into what we know today

as the modern Olympics. In 1896 his hard work paid off, the first modern Olympics was

held in Athens Greece.

The Olympic Games now was open internationally and many nations could

compete in the Games. The Olympics now regained the ideals of excellence

of body, mind, and spirit that was shown in the classic Greek Olympic Games. The

Athen s Games of 1896 consisted mostly of track and field and the United States won 9 of

the 12 events. Couhbertin would continue as President of the Olympics until 1925 and

paved the future of the Games. Peace Couhbertin said would be furthered by the

Olympic Games … but peace could be the product only of a better world; a better world

could be brought about only by better individuals; and better individuals could be

developed only by the give and take, the buffeting and battering, the stress and strain of

fierce competition. Now the Olympics are held in Olympiads which consist of four years.

(See the charts for the year and location of the Olympic Games.)

THE SUMMER OLYMPICS

1896 I Athens, GRE 1948 XIV London, GBR

1900 II Paris, FRA 1952 XV Helsinki, FIN

1904 III St. Louis, USA 1956 XVI Melbourne, AUS

1906 IV Athens, GRE 1960 XVII Rome, ITA

1908 V London, GBR 1964 XVIII Tokyo, JPN

1912 VI Stockholm, SWE 1968 XIX Mexico City, MEX

1916 VII Berlin, GER 1972 XX Munich, W. GER

1920 VIII Antwerp, BEL 1976 XXI Montreal, CAN

1924 IX Paris, FRA 1980 XXII Moscow, USSR

1928 X Amsterdam, NET 1984 XXIII Los Angeles, USA

1932 XI Los Angeles, USA 1988 XXIV Seoul, S. KOR

1936 XII Berlin, GER 1992 XXV Barcelona, SPA

1940 XIII Tokyo, JPN 1996 XXVI Atlanta, USA

1944 XIV London, GBR 2000 XXVII Sydney, AUS

2004 XXVII Athens, GRE

Similar to yet different in some ways, the Ancient Olympics and Modern Olympics

have given many different nations the equality needed for unity and fair play in the

Olympic Games. Even though it started out with one nation, one man quickly molded the

Games into an entire group of nations competing, not just for the gold, but also for the