The Olympic games

The biggest stars, the most prestigious medals, the largest crowd of spectators...sports doesn't get any better than the Olympics. With the Sydney 2000 games around the corner, this is as good a time as any to familiarize yourself with the history of the Olympic games. Read these 'Frequently Asked Questions' and know more about the event which inspires the human body to new levels of achievement.

Who revived the Olympics?

A French educater, Baron Pierre de Coubertin had the idea of reviving the ancient Olympics. He spoke about it at a gathering of international sports leaders in Paris on June 23, 1894. His original thought was to start the modern Games in 1900 in Paris itself. The excited delegates from 34 countries however convinced him to move the games up to 1896 and have Athens serve as the first host. The first Olympics were held in Athens, where 245 athletes from 14 nations competed in the ancient Panathenaic Stadium in front of large crowds. Greece topped the winners list with 47 events!

How did the winter Olympics start?

The move toward a winter version of the Olympics began in 1908 when figure skating made an appearance at the Summer Games in London. The International Olympic Committee sanctioned an "International Winter Sports Week" at Chamonix, France, in 1924. The 11-day event, which included nordic skiing, speed skating, figure skating, ice hockey and bobsledding was a huge success and was retroactively called the first Olympic Winter Games.

Did you know? Not everyone wanted to see the winter Olympics happen. The founder of modern Olympics Baron Pierre de Coubertin and the Scandinavian countries, which had their own Nordic championships were among those who were against the idea of having a winter version of the world's most popular games. Since 1994 the two Summer and Winter games have been held alternatively every two years. The last winter Olympics were held in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. The 2002 winter games will be held in Salt Lake City, USA.

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