The History of the Olympics

Intoduction

This book will explain how the Olympics have changed. It will tell you about the Ancient, Modern, and present day Olympics. At the end of this book there will be a timeline that recaps all the information you have learnt so far. I hope you enjoy reading my book!

Contents

The Anceint Oympcis 
Pg 3

The Early - Mid 1900s
Pg 4

The Mid - Late 1900s
Pg 5

The 21st Century
Pg 6

Timeline
Pg 7

The Olympics used to be a much smaller competition. It was created in 776 BC by ancient Greeks. At the first olympics only one event was held, the stadier which was a foot race. It was 600 greek feet long.
At the Ancient olympics all the contestants ran without clothes. They were held in Olympia.

Instead of a medal the winners recived a crown that was made of olive leaves. In 393 AD Emperor Theodosius I, a christan called for a ban on all "pagan" festivals. This ened the Ancient Olympics after nearly 12 centuries. They were then not held for 1,503 years when they were held in Athens in 1896.

Until about 1996 the Olympics used to be held over about five months. The longest Modern Olympics were held in 1908. These games lasted for 187 days, or 6 months and 4 days. In 1916 the Olympics were supposed to be held in London, however due to war they were cancelled. This was the first time they had been cancelled in 20 years.

In 1920 the Olympics were due to be held in Germany however they were instead held in Antwerp Belguim. This was because Germany had started the war a few years back. The Winter Olympics were first held in 1924. They were then held the same ear as the Summer Games until 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer Norway.

The 1992 Games are noted for not only a change in the modern Olympics but a change in the world as well. It was the last time that the Summer and Winter Games would be held in the same year; the next winter competition was scheduled for 1994, while the summer events were slated for 1996. The Games also reflected the changing political climate in central and eastern Europe. Competing as the Unified Team (UT), athletes from the former Soviet republics participated as a single team for the last time.

The 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City were the most politically charged Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin. Ten days before the Games were to open, students protesting the Mexican government’s use of funds for the Olympics rather than for social programs were surrounded in the Plaza of Three Cultures by the army and fired upon. More than 200 protesters were killed and over a thousand injured. At the victory ceremony for the men’s 200-metre run, Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos (gold and bronze medalists, respectively) stood barefoot, each with head bowed and a single black-gloved fist raised during the national anthem. The athletes described the gesture as a tribute to their African American heritage and a protest of the living conditions of minorities in the United States.

In 2004 the olympics were held in Athens, Greece. The first Modern Olympics games in 1896 were also held in Athens. In 2020 it was anoucned were the olympics would be held for the next several years.
2022 - Beijing
2024 - Paris
2026 - Milano Cortina
2028 - Los Angeles
2030 - Vancouver
2032 - Brisbane

In 2020 the Olympics were postponed till 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite a growth in cases the games were held in late July and early August. The pandemic meant that athletes had to wear masks while they were walking up to the podium of stadium.