Family and Friends 6 (Extensive reading: The Olympic Games)
The Olympic Games
The Early Games
The first Olympic Games were held at a place called Olympia in Greece in 776 BC. At first, there was only one race. It was a 170 metre running race called the
'Stade'. In the race, local athletes ran across a piece of ground and the whole event was finished in one morning. However, it was very popular and athletes spent weeks practising and training for the event.
Soon more races and competitions were introduced and people began to travel from other countries to take part in them. However, when the Romans invaded Greece, some Greek traditions ended.
Then, in AD 393, the new Roman Emperor decided to stop the Games completely. Gradually, earthquakes and floods buried the site of the ancient festival.
The First Modern Games
For hundreds of years, the Games were forgotten.
Then, in 1896, a French sportsman called Baron de Coubertin decided to bring them back. He believed that sport was an important part of peoples' education and that it made them better people. He studied the history of the Ancient Games and decided to organize an international event with many of the traditions from the original Games. He finally created the International Olympic Committee in 1894. Two years later, in 1896, the first modern Olympic Games took place in Athens and fourteen countries took part. Their motto was
'Citius, Altius, Fortius' which is a Latin expression that means 'Faster, Higher, Stronger'. Baron de | Coubertin believed the Games would be a great way to bring people from lots of different countries together to compete against each other and work to be the best sports people that they could be.
The Olympic Rings
The Olympic flag was first flown in the 1920 Olympics. It has become the most famous symbol of the Olympic Games. The five rings represent five world continents. The flag has a white background and each ring is a different colour: red, blue, green, yellow and black. These colours were chosen because every country has one of these colours in its national flag. It is a symbol of the way that all the countries come together to take part in an international sporting competition.
The Olympic Flame
In Ancient Greece a flame was always lit and then kept burning until the end of the Olympic Games.
In the modern Games, the Olympic Torch is lit at the ancient site of Olympia in Greece. Then it's taken from Olympia to the city where the Games are hosted.
The Games are hosted in a different city each time. The torch is passed from runner to runner as it travels from Olympia to the Olympic stadium in the hosting city.
When it passes through cities, hundreds of people come out onto the streets to watch.
Often, of course, the flame is transported by train or plane. The flame is then kept alight until the Games have ended.
The Olympic Medals
Olympic medals are designed for each Olympic Games. So every year, the medals are completely different. There is a medal ceremony after each Olympic event. They raise the flags of each winning athlete's country and play the national anthem of the gold medallist. Then they give the three athletes their medals: bronze, silver and gold.
The Opening Ceremony
Today every Olympic Games starts with an opening ceremony. There are fantastic, colourful displays of music, singing and fireworks and people dancing in traditional costumes. The opening ceremony shows the culture and the traditions of the country in which the Olympic Games are being hosted. There is a procession of athletes in their teams, which is always led by the Greek team. There are speeches. Then the Olympic flag is raised and, finally an athlete brings the Olympic torch into the stadium and lights the Olympic flame. When the Olympic flame has been lit, the Games can begin!
The Paralympic Games
There have been many changes to the Olympic Games over the years. One of the most important is the introduction of the Paralympic Games. This is the Games for people with disabilities. In 1948, Sir Ludwig Guttmann organized a sports competition for people with disabilities at a hospital in England Four years later, competitors from Holland joined them. Then, in 1960, Olympic style games for athletes with physical and visual disabilities were organized for the first time in Rome. Today, the Paralympic Games are a world-famous sporting event for athletes with disabilities. They take place after the Olympic Games have finished, in the same city. Events that take place include swimming and wheelchair basketball. The Paralympic Games are a fantastic opportunity for people with disabilities to compete at a high level with other athletes with disabilities from all over the world.