This year, the winter olympics will be held in Torino, Italy. Here is the Olympics history:
The Olympic Games, or Olympics, is an international multi-sport event taking place every four years and comprising summer and winter games. Originally held in ancient Greece, they were revived by a French nobleman, Pierre Frèdy, Baron de Coubertin in the late 19th century. The Games of the Olympiad, also known as the Summer Olympics, have been held every fourth year since 1896, with the exception of the years during the World Wars.
A special edition for winter sports, the Olympic Winter Games, was established in 1924. Originally these were held in the same year as the Summer Olympics, but starting with 1994 the Winter Games are in between, two years after the Games of the Olympiad.
Ancient Olympics
Athletes trained in this Olympia facility in its ancient heyday.Main article: Ancient Olympic Games
The origin of the ancient Olympic Games has been lost, although there are many legends surrounding its origins. One of these legends associates the first Games with the ancient Greek concept of εκεχειρία (ekecheiria) or Olympic Truce. The first recorded celebration of the Games held in a sacred valley, approximately five hundred kilometres south-west of Mount Olympus, was in 776 BC, although this was certainly not the first time they were held.
From then on, the Games slowly became much more important throughout ancient Greece, reaching their zenith in the sixth and fifth centuries BC. The Olympics were of fundamental religious importance, contests alternating with sacrifices and ceremonies honouring both Zeus (whose colossal statue stood at Olympia), and Pelops, divine hero and mythical king of Olympia famous for his legendary chariot race, in whose honour the games were held. The number of events increased to twenty, and the celebration was spread over several days. Winners of the events were broadly admired and were immortalised in poems and statues. The Games were held every four years, and the period between two celebrations became known as an Olympiad. The Greeks used Olympiads as one of their methods to count years. The most famous Olympic athlete lived in these times: The sixth century BC wrestler Milo of Croton is the only athlete in history to win a victory in six Olympics.
The Games gradually lost in importance as the Romans gained power in Greece. When Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, the Olympic Games were seen as a pagan festival and in discord with Christian ethics, and in 393 the emperor Theodosius outlawed the Olympics, ending a thousand year period of Olympic Games.
During the ancient times normally only young men competed. Performers were usually naked, not only as the weather was appropriate but also as the festival was meant to be, in part, a celebration of the achievements of the human body. Upon winning the games, the victor would get not only the prestige of being in first place but also a crown of olive leaves.
During competition for some of the events, many of the participants would use oils to keep their skin smooth, as well as provide an appealing lustre to anyone who saw them.
Even though the bearing of a torch formed an integral aspect of Greek ceremonies, the ancient Olympic Games did not include it, nor was there a symbol formed by interconnecting rings. These elements were introduced during the 1936 Berlin games.
Revival of the Olympic Games
Pierre de Coubertin wanted better physical education and foreign relations and so spurred the modern Olympic Games into existence.The Olympic Games did not permanently die out in 393. It was revived in 1896. Already in the 17th century a sports festival, the "Olympick Games" was held in England. Over the next few centuries, similar events were organised in France and Greece, but these were all small-scale and certainly not international. The interest in reviving the Olympics grew when the ruins of ancient Olympia were uncovered by German archaeologists in the mid-19th century.
In a congress at the Sorbonne University, in Paris, held from June 16 to June 23, 1894 he presented his ideas to an international audience. On the last day of the congress, it was decided that the first modern Olympic Games would take place in 1896 in Athens, in the country of their birth. To organise the Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was established, with the Greek Demetrius Vikelas as its first president.
The first modern Olympic Games were a success. Although the total number of athletes was less than 250, the games were the largest international sports event ever held. The Greek officials and public were also very enthusiastic, and they even proposed to have the monopoly of organising the Olympics. The IOC decided differently, however, and the second Olympic Games took place in Paris, France.
Modern Olympics
After the initial success, the Olympics struggled. The celebrations in Paris (1900) and St. Louis (1904) were overshadowed by the world's fair exhibitions in which they were included. The so-called Intercalated Games (because of their off-year status, as 1906 is not divisible by four) were held in 1906 in Athens, as the first of an alternating series of Athens-held Olympics. Although originally the IOC recognised and supported these games, they are currently not recognised by the IOC as Olympic Games, which has given rise to the explanation that they were intended to mark the 10th anniversary of the Modern Olympics. Most contemporary Olympic historians, however, consider them to be official Olympic Games. Either way, the 1906 Games again attracted a broad international field of participants — in 1904, 80% had been American — and great public interest, thereby marking the beginning of a rise in popularity and size of the Games.
Olympic symbols
The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920.Main article: Olympic symbols
The Olympic movement uses many symbols, most of them representing Coubertin's ideas and ideals. The best known symbol is probably that of the Olympic Rings. These five intertwined rings represent the unity of five continents. They appear in five colors on a white field on the Olympic Flag. These colors, white (for the field), red, blue, green, yellow, and black were chosen such that each nation had at least one of these colors in its national flag. The flag was adopted in 1914, but the first Games at which it was flown were Antwerp, 1920. It is hoisted at each celebration of the Games.
The official Olympic Motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius", a Latin phrase meaning "Swifter, Higher, Stronger". Coubertin's ideals are probably best illustrated by the Olympic Creed:
"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."
The Olympic Flame is lit in Olympia and brought to the host city by runners carrying the torch in relay. There it plays an important role in the opening ceremonies. Though torches have played a part historically, the relay was introduced in 1936.
Opening ceremonies
Opening ceremonies climax with the lighting of the Olympic Flame. For lighting the torch, modern games feature elaborate mechanisms such as this cauldron-spiral-cauldron arrangement lit by the 1980 U.S. Olympic ice hockey team at the 2002 Winter Olympics.Various traditional elements frame the opening ceremonies of a celebration of the Olympic Games. The ceremonies typically start with the performing of the host country's national anthem. The traditional part of the ceremonies starts with a parade of nations, during which most participating athletes march into the stadium country by country. One honoured athlete, typically a top competitor, from each country carries the flag of his or her nation, leading the entourage of other athletes from that country. Traditionally (starting at the 1928 Summer Olympics) Greece marches first, because of their historical status as the origin of the Olympics, while the host nation marches last. (Exceptionally, in 2004, when the Games were held in Greece, Greece marched last as host nation rather than first, although the Flag of Greece was carried in first.) Between these two nations, all other participating nations march in alphabetical order of the dominant language of the host country, or in English alphabetical order if the host country does not write its dominant language using an alphabet. After all nations have entered, the president of the host country's Olympic Organising Committee makes a speech, followed by the IOC president, who at the end of his speech, introduces the organising country's head of state, who in turn formally opens the Olympics.
Next, the Olympic Anthem is played, and the Olympic Flag rises in the stadium. The flag bearers of all countries circle a rostrum, where one athlete (since the 1920 Summer Olympics) and one referee (since the 1972 Summer Olympics) speak the Olympic Oath, declaring they will compete and judge according to the rules. Finally, the penultimate runner in the Olympic Flame relay brings the Torch into the stadium, passing the flame to the last carrier. The last carrier of the Torch, often a well-known athlete from the host nation, lights the fire in the stadium's cauldron. (The Olympic Flame has been lit since the 1928 Summer Olympics, but the torch relay did not start until the 1936 Summer Olympics.) The lighting of the Olympic Flame is followed by the release of doves, symbolising peace; this was first done at the post-World War I 1920 Summer Olympics, and discontinued after several doves were burned alive in the Olympic Flame during the opening of the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Apart from these traditional elements, the host nation ordinarily presents artistic displays of dance and theatre representative of that country.
Winter olympics location history
Games overview
Year Host city Country Held Nations Participants Events
1924 Chamonix France January 25 - February 5 16 292 18
1928 St. Moritz Switzerland February 11 - February 19 25 464 14
1932 Lake Placid United States February 4 - February 15 17 252 14
1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Germany February 6 -February 16 28 668 17
1948 St. Moritz Switzerland January 30 - February 8 28 669 22
1952 Oslo Norway February 14 - February 25 30 694 22
1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo Italy January 26 - February 5 32 820 24
1960 Squaw Valley United States February 18-February 28 30 665 27
1964 Innsbruck Austria January 29-February 9 36 1091 34
1968 Grenoble France February 6-February 18 37 1158 35
1972 Sapporo Japan February 3-February 13 35 1006 35
1976 Innsbruck Austria February 4-February 15 37 1123 37
1980 Lake Placid United States February 13-February 24 37 1072 38
1984 Sarajevo Yugoslavia February 8-February 19 49 1272 39
1988 Calgary Canada February 13-February 28 57 1423 46
1992 Albertville France February 8-February 23 64 1801 57
1994 Lillehammer Norway February 12-February 27 67 1739 61
1998 Nagano Japan February 7-February 22 72 2176 68
2002 Salt Lake City United States February 8-February 24 77 2399 78
2006 Torino Italy February 10-February 26
2010 Vancouver Canada February 12-February 28
List of modern Summer Olympic Games
1896 - Games of the I Olympiad - Athens, Greece
1900 - Games of the II Olympiad - Paris, France
1904 - Games of the III Olympiad - St. Louis, United States
1906 - Intercalated Games - Athens, Greece
1908 - Games of the IV Olympiad - London, United Kingdom
1912 - Games of the V Olympiad - Stockholm, Sweden
1916 - Games of the VI Olympiad - Berlin, Germany - Cancelled following the onset of World War I
1920 - Games of the VII Olympiad - Antwerp, Belgium
1924 - Games of the VIII Olympiad - Paris, France
1928 - Games of the IX Olympiad - Amsterdam, Netherlands
1932 - Games of the X Olympiad - Los Angeles, United States
1936 - Games of the XI Olympiad - Berlin, Germany
1940 - Games of the XII Olympiad - Helsinki, Finland - Cancelled following the onset of World War II
1944 - Games of the XIII Olympiad - London, United Kingdom- Cancelled due to the still raging World War II
1948 - Games of the XIV Olympiad - London, United Kingdom
1952 - Games of the XV Olympiad - Helsinki, Finland
1956 - Games of the XVI Olympiad - Melbourne, Australia / Stockholm, Sweden (Equestrian events)
1960 - Games of the XVII Olympiad - Rome, Italy
1964 - Games of the XVIII Olympiad - Tokyo, Japan
1968 - Games of the XIX Olympiad - Mexico City, Mexico
1972 - Games of the XX Olympiad - Munich, West Germany (now Munich, Germany)
1976 - Games of the XXI Olympiad - Montréal, Canada
1980 - Games of the XXII Olympiad - Moscow, Soviet Union (now Moscow, Russia)
1984 - Games of the XXIII Olympiad - Los Angeles, United States
1988 - Games of the XXIV Olympiad - Seoul, South Korea
1992 - Games of the XXV Olympiad - Barcelona, Spain
1996 - Games of the XXVI Olympiad - Atlanta, United States
2000 - Games of the XXVII Olympiad - Sydney, Australia
2004 - Games of the XXVIII Olympiad - Athens, Greece
2008 - Games of the XXIX Olympiad - Beijing, China / Sha Tin, Hong Kong, China (Equestrian events)
2012 - Games of the XXX Olympiad - London, United
Olympics history
Linear Mode
