The Olympics By Sarah Surmeier

The First Olympic Games  The first Olympic Games were held in 776 BC.

Olympiad  An Olympiad is the modern revival of the ancient games held once every 4 years in a selected country

The First Modern Olympic Games  The first modern Olympic games were held in Athens, Greece in 1896.

Olympic Rings  The five Olympic rings represent the five continents participating in the games.

Olympic Motto  The Olympic motto is “Citius, Altius, Fortius.” These three Latin words mean “Swifter, Higher, Stronger.”

2000 Summer Olympic Games  The triathlon, trampoline, and women’s weightlifting made their debut at the 2000 summer Olympic games in Sydney.

Founder of the Olympic Games  Baron Pierre de Coubertin was a French man who founded the modern Olympic Games.

Gold Medals  The gold medal is actually pure silver with about 6 grams of gold plating.

The Marathon  The 1896 Olympic marathon distance was 24.8 miles. This was the first modern Olympics, which took place in Athens Greece. According to a famous Greek legend, a Greek foot-soldier (thought by many to be Philippines) was sent from the plains of Marathon to Athens with the news that an army of Athenian hoplites had fought and driven off the vastly larger invading Persian army. As he approached the leaders of the city-state of Athens, he staggered and exclaimed, "Rejoice! We Conquer!" and then collapsed and died. The distance from the plains of Marathon to Athens is 24.8 miles. The marathon distance was later changed as a result of the 1908 Olympic Games in London, England. That year, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria requested that the marathon begin at Windsor Castle (20 miles west of central London), so that the Royal family could view the start. The course distance between the castle and the Olympic Stadium in London was 26 miles. Event organizers added an extra 385 yards around the stadium track, so the competitors would finish directly in front of the King and Queen's royal viewing box. Every Olympic marathon run since the 1908 Games has been a distance of 26 miles, 385 yards, or miles.

The Athletic Event  The marathon was the only ancient event at the first ancient Olympic Games.

Women In The Olympics  Women were first allowed to play in the Olympics at the 1900 Games in Paris when women participated in golf, tennis, and croquet.

Olympic Games CANCELED!  The Olympic Games in 1916 games were cancelled due to World War 1. Later on they were cancelled again in 1940 and 1944 due to World War 2.

Olympiad XX  Munich, Germany hosted the Olympiad XX in 1972.

Olympic Torch  " The Olympic Torch today is ignited several months before the opening celebration of the Olympic Games at the site of the ancient Olympics in Olympia, Greece. Eleven women, representing the roles of priestesses, perform a ceremony in which the torch is kindled by the light of the Sun, its rays concentrated by a parabolic mirror. "

Prizes For The Winners  The winners were given crowns of olive branches. Each wreath varied, depending on where the games were held.  Olympia - Crown of wild olive leaves Delphi - A Laurel crown Corinth - A pine crown Nemea - A Wild Celery crown  Also, the goddess Nike, was also found to fly down to the winner and him a red woolen ribbon. Nike also meant, Victory, so it was a great honor for this.

THE END