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What makes the Olympic Games different from other sporting events ?
The Games take place every four years. They are the world¡¯s largest sporting event, in terms of the number of sports on the programme, the number of athletes present, and the number of different countries reunited in a single geographical area.
The Olympic Games are set in the wider context of the Olympic Movement. The purpose of the Olympic Movement is to :
- link sport with culture and education
- promote the practice of sport and the joy found in exertion
- help to build a better world through sport practised in a spirit of fair play and friendship.
HISTORY
It was Pierre de Coubertin of France who dreamt up this ambitious project [see sheets ¡° Pierre de Coubertin and the revival of the Games ¡±]. Drawing inspiration from the ancient Olympic Games, Coubertin decided to create the modern Olympic Games, and founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894 in Paris. This new committee set itself the objective of organising the first Olympic Games of modern times.
The date of the first Games, 1896, marked the beginning of an extraordinary adventure that has now lasted for over a century !

The development of the Games£¨°ÂÔË»áµÄ·¢Õ¹£©

THE LEGACY OF THE PAST
The first modern Olympic Games in 1896 featured many references to Greek Antiquity.
They were held in Athens as a reminder that the Olympic Games originated in Greece.
The majority of the competitions took place in the ancient stadium (the Panathenaic Stadium), which was restored for the occasion.
Most of the sports on the programme of the ancient Olympic Games were echoed in the modern Games. The organisers even went as far as inventing a new race, inspired by a legendary event : the marathon race.
INNOVATIONS
Although the modern Olympic Games were inspired by the past, they have made some radical departures :
GAMES AROUND THE GLOBE
In contrast with the Olympic Games of Antiquity, each edition of the modern Games takes place in principle in a different city and country.

ATHLETES FROM ALL OVER
The ancient Olympic Games were the preserve of Greek citizens, whereas the modern Games are open to all. The 245 participants in Athens in 1896 came from 14 different
countries.
The Stockholm Games in 1912 were the first to boast the presence of national delegations from the five continents. The universality of the Olympic Games was assured.
WOMEN JOIN IN
Following on from the traditions of Ancient Greece, the Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 were an exclusively male preserve. When women made their Olympic debut four years later at the Paris Games in 1900, only two sports were open to them : tennis and golf.
In early 20th century society, women athletes had to deal with a great deal of prejudice : there were fears that they would lose their femininity, grow unattractively muscular, or become sterile. Pierre de Coubertin himself was not in favour of the participation of women
in the Olympic Games :
¡° ¡­ the true Olympic hero, in my view, is the individual adult male. ¡±
Le Sport Suisse, 31st year, 7 August 1935, p. 1.
This was the type of preconception the first female athletes were faced with. Gradually, they earned their place at the Games, sport by sport, and event by event.

Two important occasions for women at the Summer Games were :
¨C the first appearance of women swimmers at the 1912 Games in Stockholm
¨C the first female athletics competitions, at the Amsterdam Games in 1928 (the 800 m race was considered too difficult for women and was discontinued
after 1928, not to be reintroduced until 1960).
From canoeing (1948) to volleyball (1964), from cycling (1984) to football (1996), women Olympians have gone from strength to strength !

At the turn of the third millennium, over 40 % of athletes at the 2000 Games in Sydney (Australia) were women. This was the largest proportion of female participants in the history of the Olympic Games. For the first time, women took part in the modern pentathlon and in weightlifting events.
The only sports now not open to women on the programme of the Summer Games are boxing
and baseball, as female wrestlers are making their Olympic debut at the 2004 Games in Athens. Several sports include mixed events (e.g. equestrian, badminton, sailing). One sport, softball, is practised only by women, along with two disciplines : synchronised swimming and rhythmic gymnastics.
GAMES IN WINTER£¨¶¬°Â»á£©
When Coubertin revived the Olympic Games, only summer sports were included. In the 1920s, however, snow and ice sports began to enjoy soaring popularity. A number of IOC members decided to react to this new phenomenon. In 1924, it was decided to hold an International Winter Sports Week in Chamonix (France) : 258 athletes from 16 countries (mainly in Europe and North America) attended.

The week was a great success and, two years later, it was retroactively named the first Olympic Winter Games. The future of an Olympic event dedicated exclusively to snow and ice sports was assured.
At the Winter Games in Salt Lake City (United States of America) in 2002, a total of 2399 participants came together from a range of countries as diverse as Jamaica and Australia !

The rewards£¨½±Àø£©

The moment of victory is often symbolised by the athlete stepping onto the podium to receive his or her medal. Yet this ceremony has not always existed ! The different elements of the ceremony entered Olympic history at different times.
THE SUMMER GAMES MEDALS
In the beginning, Olympic medals varied from one Olympiad to the next. At the first modern
Games in Athens in 1896, winners were rewarded with an olive wreath and a silver medal, while the runners-up received a bronze medal and a laurel wreath. Gold, silver and bronze medals were not awarded until 1904.
From 1928 the medals were standardised. The obverse must show a figure of Victory holding
a wreath in one hand and a palm frond in the other. The reverse had to show a victorious
athlete being borne upon the shoulders of the crowd.
Since 1972, only the obverse of the medal has remained the same. The reverse is modified for each Olympiad.
THE WINTER GAMES MEDALS

The Winter Games medals are not subject to the same constraints. There are no rules stipulating a particular shape or design. Other materials may even be introduced along with the basic gold, silver and bronze : the medals of the Albertville Games (France) included a crystal disc ; the Lillehammer (Norway) medals had a granite element, and the medals of the Nagano Games (Japan) were partially worked in lacquer. In fact, every Olympic Winter Games has seen an original medal design.
PRESENTATION OF THE MEDALS£¨°ä½±£©
The medals ceremony takes place soon after the competitions.
The first eight in each event receive a diploma and their names are read out. Only the first three receive a medal.
Since the Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid in 1932 (USA), the medals have been awarded on a podium. The winner takes the centre spot, on the highest step. He or she receives a gold medal and the title of Olympic champion. The second placegetter is to the winner¡¯s right and receives a silver medal. The third is to the winner¡¯s left and receives a bronze medal.
The national flags of the three winners are hoisted in the stadium and the national anthem of the Olympic champion is played.

Questions:

1. Who is "the Father of modern Olympics"?

2. Can women take part in the modern Olymmpics?

3. When did the first morden Olympics begin?