Post by wareagle on May 13, 2008 11:39:48 GMT -6
Net This Week
A Brief History of the Olympic Games
The 2008 Olympic Games are rapidly approaching with opening ceremonies to be held in Beijing on August 4th. The games will showcase the talents of the richly diverse athletes who participate. The history of the modern Olympics is no less rich and diverse.
In the Beginning
The first recorded Olympic Games took place in 776 BCE in Olympia, Greece and consisted of only one running event. The games expanded and continued to be held every four years for nearly 1200 years until they were abolished in 393 CE by the Christian Roman emperor Theodosius because of their pagan influences.
Nearly 1500 years later, after several failed attempts to spark interest in reviving the Olympic Games, Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin met with delegates from nine countries and was successful in generating attention. The matter was put to a vote and the delegates were unanimous in both their approval of reviving the games and the need for the formation of an overseeing body that would become the International Olympic Committee.
The Modern Olympics
The first Olympic Games held in modern times opened in Athens, Greece in April of 1896. They were held in the Panathenaic Stadium which was originally constructed in 330 BCE and was renovated for the Olympic Games. Athletes were not nationally sponsored as they are today and participated in the games individually and at their own expense. Approximately 300 athletes represented thirteen countries at the 1896 Games.
Because of poor publicity and organization, the next two gatherings of Olympic athletes (Paris, France in 1900 and St. Louis, Missouri in 1904) suffered from poor turnout and dwindling enthusiasm. In an effort to rekindle the interest in the Games, the IOC started interstitial games in 1906 that were to be held every four years in between the regularly scheduled Olympics. The IOC hit their mark. The new games were a success and there was renewed interest in the Olympics in general. Sadly, due to civil unrest in Greece around 1910 when the next interstitial games were scheduled, they were canceled and never held again.
With the exception of the games being called off in 1916, 1940, and 1944 (because of the World Wars), the modern games have been held every four years just as the organizers of the ancient games had intended.
Modern Olympic Games Firsts:
• The exact distance for the modern marathon (26 miles, 365 yards) was specified at the 1908 games in London, England.
• Electric timing devices and public address loudspeakers were first used in 1912 in Stockholm, Sweden.
• The first Olympic Games flag was flown at the games in Antwerp, Belgium in 1920.
• The first Winter Olympic Games were held in January and February of 1924, several months before the typical games in Paris, France.
• The Olympic flame debuted in 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• The 1932 Games in Los Angeles, California saw the first Olympic Village for the athletes as well as the first photo-finish camera and first winners’ podium.
• The 1936 games in Berlin, Germany were the first to be televised and also saw the introduction of the Olympic torch relay. The 1960 Games in Rome were the first to be wholly covered by television.
• The 1984 Games in Los Angeles, California were the first to see corporate sponsorship and hence the first games to turn a profit.
• For the games in Barcelona, Spain in 1992 Baseball was recognized as an official Olympic sport.
Visit the AT&T Olympics channel for more in depth coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
my.att.net/s/editorial.dll?eetype=Article&eeid=5861835&render=y&ck=&Table=&_lid=332&_lnm=todays
A Brief History of the Olympic Games
The 2008 Olympic Games are rapidly approaching with opening ceremonies to be held in Beijing on August 4th. The games will showcase the talents of the richly diverse athletes who participate. The history of the modern Olympics is no less rich and diverse.
In the Beginning
The first recorded Olympic Games took place in 776 BCE in Olympia, Greece and consisted of only one running event. The games expanded and continued to be held every four years for nearly 1200 years until they were abolished in 393 CE by the Christian Roman emperor Theodosius because of their pagan influences.
Nearly 1500 years later, after several failed attempts to spark interest in reviving the Olympic Games, Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin met with delegates from nine countries and was successful in generating attention. The matter was put to a vote and the delegates were unanimous in both their approval of reviving the games and the need for the formation of an overseeing body that would become the International Olympic Committee.
The Modern Olympics
The first Olympic Games held in modern times opened in Athens, Greece in April of 1896. They were held in the Panathenaic Stadium which was originally constructed in 330 BCE and was renovated for the Olympic Games. Athletes were not nationally sponsored as they are today and participated in the games individually and at their own expense. Approximately 300 athletes represented thirteen countries at the 1896 Games.
Because of poor publicity and organization, the next two gatherings of Olympic athletes (Paris, France in 1900 and St. Louis, Missouri in 1904) suffered from poor turnout and dwindling enthusiasm. In an effort to rekindle the interest in the Games, the IOC started interstitial games in 1906 that were to be held every four years in between the regularly scheduled Olympics. The IOC hit their mark. The new games were a success and there was renewed interest in the Olympics in general. Sadly, due to civil unrest in Greece around 1910 when the next interstitial games were scheduled, they were canceled and never held again.
With the exception of the games being called off in 1916, 1940, and 1944 (because of the World Wars), the modern games have been held every four years just as the organizers of the ancient games had intended.
Modern Olympic Games Firsts:
• The exact distance for the modern marathon (26 miles, 365 yards) was specified at the 1908 games in London, England.
• Electric timing devices and public address loudspeakers were first used in 1912 in Stockholm, Sweden.
• The first Olympic Games flag was flown at the games in Antwerp, Belgium in 1920.
• The first Winter Olympic Games were held in January and February of 1924, several months before the typical games in Paris, France.
• The Olympic flame debuted in 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• The 1932 Games in Los Angeles, California saw the first Olympic Village for the athletes as well as the first photo-finish camera and first winners’ podium.
• The 1936 games in Berlin, Germany were the first to be televised and also saw the introduction of the Olympic torch relay. The 1960 Games in Rome were the first to be wholly covered by television.
• The 1984 Games in Los Angeles, California were the first to see corporate sponsorship and hence the first games to turn a profit.
• For the games in Barcelona, Spain in 1992 Baseball was recognized as an official Olympic sport.
Visit the AT&T Olympics channel for more in depth coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
my.att.net/s/editorial.dll?eetype=Article&eeid=5861835&render=y&ck=&Table=&_lid=332&_lnm=todays
