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Olympics

The modern Olympic games are organized as a group of modern international athletic contests held as separate winter and summer competitions every four years in a different city. The Olympian games in ancient times were a Pan-Hellenic festival in ancient Greece consisting of athletic games and contests of choral poetry and dance (Olympic Games: American Heritage). I think the Olympic games are a way to bring the world together. It was first celebrated in 776 B.C. and held periodically until A.D. 393 on the plain of Olympia in honor of the Olympian Zeus (Crystal). The ancient Olympic games and the tradition it created in Greece had a great impact on the tradition, ceremony, and spirit of the modern Olympic games. The Olympics blends sport with culture and education, and creates a way of life based on the happiness found from putting forth one‘s greatest efforts in physical competition. The games also represent a good example of respect for worldwide basic moral principles. At time political rivalries have disrupted the games but over time it's major emphasis has given support to the games.
"The ancient Olympic games began in 776 B.C. and the only contest was the foot-race for men"(Ludwig 26). "In 724 B.C., a double-stade race was added and then, four years later, a distance race of approximately three miles. During the next century, the schedule broadened considerably. Wrestling, boxing, chariot races, races in armor, the grueling pentathlon, and the crippling pankration became Olympic events"(Schaap 29). The games slowly declined and were eliminated around 400 A.D., but they were revived in the late 19th century by Pierre de Coubertin (Mandell 71). The first ancient and modern games were held in Athens, Greece. The modern Olympic movement and the regulation of the games are directed by the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland (Olympic Games: Britannica 7). This is where the competitions in the games changed and now some of the...