THE OLYMPIC GAMES

HISTORY

THE ANCIENT OLYMPICS

The Olympic Games began in 776 BC in Olympia (Greece).They were athletic competitions in honor of Zeus.Only free-men who spoke Greek could compete in the games.The games didn’t travel and they were held in Olympia every four years.The winner had his name written in the official Olympic Record, and he was crowned with a olive wreath.There were only nine sports.They finished 393 AD because the Roman Emperor Theodosius was a Christian and he considered them pagan games.

Ancient Olympic Sports:

• Running• Jumping• Discus Throw• Wrestling• Boxing• Pankration • Equestrian games• Pentathlon: long jump, running, wrestling,

throwing discus and throwing javelin.

Olympia Stadium

MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES

1503 years later, Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the modern Olympic Games in 1896.The first games were in Athens, and male and female athletes competed together.A lot of countries participe, 204 competed in 2008.

Before the beginning of the competition, in Olympia there are some different representations of the ancient Greece in the Olympics.

OLYMPIC SYMBOLS

OLYMPIC TORCH The Olympic Torch is one of the symbols of

the Olympic games. It was a tradition of Olympia about Prometheus myth.

The flame is lighted in Olympia, at the site of the ancient Olympics with an ancient ritual, months before the opening ceremony of the Olympic games.

OYMPIC TORCHS

Olympic medals

There are three different medals: gold, silver and bronze, and they are the prizes for the winners.

They are designed especially for each Games, the medals are what every athlete strives to win.

The medals are a tradition that started in 1904 In Olympia the olive wreath was the symbol of

the winner.

Silver Gold Bronze 2º place 1º place 3º place

All-Time Olympic Games medal table:

1. USA2. Russia3. Germany4. United Kingdom5. France6. Italy

The Olympic flag was designed by Pierre de Coubertin. There are five rings with different colors: blue, black, red, yellow

and green, and a white background.The rings symbolizes the five continents:

America, Africa, Asia, Australasia and Europe

Olympic Sports

• Archery• Athletics• Badminton• Basketball• Beach volleyball• Boxing• Canoe slalom• Canoe sprint• Cycling-BMX• Cycling- Mountain

Bike• Cycling road• Cycling track• Diving

• Equestrian• Fencing• Football• Gymnastics –

Artistic• Gymnastics –

Rhythmic• Judo• Rowing• Sailing• Shooting• Swimming• Synchronised

Swimming

• Table tennis• Taekwondo• Tennis• Trampoline• Triathlon• Volleyball• Water polo• Weightlifting• Wrestling• Handball• Hockey

STADIUMS

One of the most popular myths says

that Heraclo built the Olympic Stadium in honor of

Zeus.But now the stadium is only used for the Olympic Games.

MASCOTS

The Olympic mascot is a symbol of the olympic games, usually an animal or a figure native to the area where the Olympic and Paralympic Games are taking place.

Since the 1968 in Grenoble (France) the Olympic Games have had a mascot.In the summer games, there began to be Olympic mascotsin 1972.

CONTRIBUTIONS OF FAMOUS PEOPLE

Some famous, have already contributed to the Olympic Games as Walt Disney , Montserrat Caballe or Freddie Mercury.

Walt Disney made the Olympic mascot Sam. A white eagle for the 1984 Summer Olympics games.

Freddie Mercury made a song that devoted to Montserrat Caballé ( Barcelona ) . The 8 October 1988 with the arrival of the Olympic flag to the city of Barcelona , became a festival where they sang together this song.

After Freddie Mercury´s death at the olympic games in 1992, the main theme was Barcelona .

LONDON 2012

The official logo of the Olympics and Paralympics is in the bodies of pets, in the case of the first symbolizing being the heart of the games, and the second appears in the hip of the pet, showing power The official logo of the Olympics and Paralympics is in the bodies of pets, in the case of the first symbolizing being the heart of the games, and the second appears in the hip of the pet, showing power.

The Olympics Cities and the Olympics

pets

ATHENS (GREECE) 1896

PARIS (FRANCE)

1900

SAINT LOUIS (USA) 1904

LONDON (UK) 1908

STOCKHOLM (SWEDEN) 1912

ANTWERP (BELGIUM) 1920

PARIS (FRANCE) 1924

ÁMSTERDAM(NETHERLANDS) 1928

LOS ANGELES (USA) 1932

BERLIN (GERMANY) 1936

LONDON (UK) 1948

HELSINKI (FINLANDIA) 1952

MELBOURNE (1956) AUSTRALIA

ROME (ITALY) 1960

TOKYO (JAPAN) 1964

MÉXICO 1968

MUNICH (GERMANY) 1972

Waldi - 1972

MONTREAL (CANADA) 1976

Amik - 1976

MOSCOW (RUSSIA) 1980

Misha - 1980

LOS ANGELES (USA) 1984

Sam - 1984

SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) 1988

Hodori - 1988

BARCELONA (SPAIN) 1992

Cobi - 1992

ATLANTA (USA) 1996

Izzy - 1996

SIDNEY (AUSTRALIA) 2000

Olly, Syd and Millie - 2000

ATHENS (GREECE) 2004

Athenà y Phèvos - 2004

BEIJING (CHINA) 2008

Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini – 2008

LONDON (UK) 2012

Wenlock and Mandeville - 2012

BY:Yemile SelmaniRaquel Aires

Belén Caramés