Olympic Games are the leading international sporting event featuring summer and winter sports competitions. The Olympic Games are considered the world’s important sports competition with more than 200 nations participating

Pierre de Coubertin

In 1894, Pierre de Coubertin, a young French nobleman, had an idea to bring the Olympic Games back to life.

He addressed all the sports governing bodies and pointed out the significance of sports and its educational value.

With the help of the people who supported him he managed to organize the first modern Olympic Games.

Baron de Coubertin had planned to hold the Olympic Games in France,

but the representatives from the nine countries that supported his idea

decided that Greece was the right place to host the first Olympic Games

to symbolize the continuation of the centuries-old tradition.

The nine countries were Belgium England, France, Greece, Italy, Russia,

Spain, Sweden and the United States.

They agreed that every four years the Olympics would move to other

great cities of the world.

The Athens Games in 1896 were a success.

In 1896 the International Olympic Committee

( IOC) was set up. It is situated in Lausanne, Switzerland. IOC is the central policy-making body of the Olympic movement.

It is formed by the representatives of all countries

which take part in the Olympic Games.

The International Olympic Committee decides upon the programme of the games, the number of the participants and the city-host for the Games.

Over 150 countries are represented in it.

Each country has its own National Olympic Committee

Winter Games

Beginning in 1926 The Winter Olympic Games were included. They were created to feature snow and ice sports that were logistically impossible to hold during the Summer Games. They were held in the same year as the Summer Games, but starting in 1994, the Winter Olympics are held two years after the Summer Games.

Since the Modern Olympics began in 1896, there have been 28 Summer Olympic Games held in 22 different cities and 21 Winter Olympic Games held in 18 different cities.

There are always several cities wishing to host the Games. The most suitable is selected by the International Olympic Committee, usually seven years in advance.

After that the city of the Games starts preparations for the

competitions, construct new sports facilities, stadiums, hotels, press centres.

Thousands of athletes, journalists and guests come to the Games and it takes great efforts to arrange everything.

There is always an interesting cultural programme of concerts,exhibitions, festivals for each Games.

Olympic sports

The Olympic Games program consists of 35 sports, 30 disciplines and nearly 400 events. The Summer Olympics program includes 26 sports, while the Winter Olympics program features 15 sports.

Olympic Symbols

The Olympic Flag

Five interlocked rings of blue, black, red, yellow and green colours symbolize the five continents united into the Olympic movement. The blue ring symbolizes Europe, the black ring – Africa, the red ring – America, the yellow ring – Asia, the green ring – Australia.

Months before each Games, the Olympic flame is lit in Olympia in a ceremony that reflects ancient Greek rituals.

The Olympic Flame

The Olympic mascot, an animal or human figure representing the cultural heritage of the host country.

The Olympic mascot