The ancient Greeks were competitive. They started the first Olympic Games. Each city-state sent their best athletes to compete every four years. The prize given was an olive wreath. The athletes competed for honor. However, winners were given a hero's welcome back home. Winners also got free meals and receive invitations to special parties. The Games were held to honor Zeus the most powerful god. The ancient Olympics started in 776 BC and ended in 393 AD when Rome took over Greece and said "no more Olympic games."
At the first Olympic Games the only event was a short sprint. Gradually more events were added like wrestling, boxing, long jump, throwing the javelin and discus, and chariot racing. The running track was much wider than a modern one. Twenty people could run at once. About 50,000 people could sit in the stadium. Pankration was the nastiest event. It was like a tough man contest. There were hardly any rules. Boxing was difficult too. The fighters wore leather gloves but boxers were allowed to go on hitting their opponent even after he'd knocked him to the ground.
The sacred truce was during the month of the ancient Olympics. The word truce means to stop fighting. Special messengers carried the word of the truce and announced the date of the games all over the Greek city-states. The truce called for an end to all fighting for a period of one month to allow for the safe travel of athletes. During this sacred truce all city-states had to stop any kind of fighting or war.
In the games today a special torch is lit and travels around the world as a reminder of how important it is to be positive and peaceful. The Olympic flame represents peace, friendship, and hope. The torch always starts in the city Olympia in Greece since that's were the ancient games were held. The flame is carried by relay all the way to its' final destination which is the host city. It travels through many countries along the way but not every country in the world. Many different people get to carry the flame on its way to the games as many as 8,000 each time. Although it is usually carried by runners on foot, other types of transportation can be used.
The highlight of the opening ceremony of the Olympics is the entrance of this torch into the stadium. To be chosen as the final torchbearer in this “relay” is a great honor. It is often a super athlete. The host country gets to pick this person. Muhammad Ali a boxer, Steve Nash a basketball player, and Wayne Gretzsky a hockey player have done this in the U.S. The final carrier does a lap around the stadium before lighting the special cauldron (bowl) with the Olympic flame. The flame inside this bowl remains lit for the duration of the Games and is only put out at the closing ceremony.
It took 1,503 years for the Olympics to start again. In 1896 the games were revived and included all countries. Today, the best athletes in the world compete. Almost every country sends a team. Today, the games last about 16 days. The Winter Games were added in 1924.
World War I and World War II forced the Olympics to be cancelled three times. The sacred truce is no longer used and sometimes there is war going on during the games. Boycotting the games, which means a country refuses to attend, happens when a country is mad at another country and wants to try to prove a point. For example, the U.S. boycotted the games in 1980 and did not send any athletes to the summer Olympics in Russia. The US was mad Russia had invaded the country of Afghanistan.
After 1992 the Winter and Summer Games were no longer held in the same year. Instead, the Winter Games were scheduled for 1994 and the Summer Games for 1996. They are still done this way - alternating every two years.
Countries that want to host the games apply way in advance. They submit their plan for hosting, advantages for having it in their city, and how they would make the games a success. A lot of planning takes place for this. An Olympic committee chooses the location far in advance from all the entries because it can take a city 5 or more years to get ready. The games can bring lots of money and tourism to a city and country so it can make them money to host. However, it also takes a lot of planning and money to get ready to host. This year, Italy will hosted the winter Olympics. The US has hosted the Olympics nine times in the past and will host the summer Olympics in 2028.