Olympic Games facts for kids
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The Olympic Games (also called Jeux olympiques in French) are huge international sports events. They happen every four years, with separate Summer and Winter Games. The first Olympics were held in Ancient Greece in a place called Olympia. This was way back in 776 BC! They continued every four years until the 6th century AD. The "modern" Olympics began again in 1896 in Athens, Greece. Athletes from all over the world compete to represent their countries.
Over time, the Olympics have grown a lot. In ancient times, women were not allowed to compete. Now, there are many events for women. The Winter Games were created for sports like ice skating and skiing. The Paralympic Games were made for athletes with physical disabilities. Also, the Youth Olympic Games were added for teenage athletes. Some Olympic Games were cancelled because of World War I and World War II. These were the Games in 1916, 1940, and 1944. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decides where the Games will be held. They also choose which sports are included. Baron Pierre de Coubertin is known as the founder of the modern Olympics.
The Olympic Games have many special traditions and symbols. These include the Olympic flag and the Olympic torch. There are also big opening and closing ceremonies. The top three athletes or teams in each event win medals. Gold for first place, silver for second, and bronze for third.
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Cool Facts About the Olympics
- Gold medals were made of pure gold until 1912. Today, they are mostly silver with a thin layer of gold on top.
- The medals for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were made from recycled electronics. This included old smartphones, digital cameras, gaming consoles, and laptops!
- In 1908, the Olympics lasted for a very long time – 187 days!
- The youngest person to win an individual medal was Inge Sørensen from Denmark. She was only 12 years old when she won a bronze medal in swimming in 1936.
- The five rings on the Olympic flag stand for the five continents of the world. These are Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. The colors of the rings (blue, yellow, black, green, and red) were chosen because at least one of these colors appears on the flag of every country that competes.
- In the 1912 Olympics, there was a wrestling match that went on for 11 hours!
- Electronic timing devices were first used in 1912 to make sure results were super accurate.
- During the opening ceremony, the host country's team always walks in last. The first country to enter is always Greece, because that's where the Olympics started. This parade tradition began at the 1908 Games in London.
- Nadia Comăneci was the first gymnast to ever score a perfect 10.
- Michael Phelps has won the most Olympic medals of any athlete. He has an amazing 28 medals, including 23 gold!
The Ancient Olympic Games
The ancient Olympics in Ancient Greece mostly featured athletic events. They also had combat sports and chariot racing. During the Games, all fights between cities were paused until the Olympics were over. The exact beginning of these games is a bit of a mystery. Some legends say Heracles first called them "Olympic" and started the four-year tradition. Most historians agree the ancient games began in 776 BC. This is based on records of footrace winners from that time. The ancient games included running, a pentathlon (which had jumping, discus and javelin throws, a foot race, and wrestling), boxing, wrestling, and horse races.
Historians aren't sure when the ancient games officially ended. Many think it was in 393 AD, when Emperor Theodosius I said all old religious practices should stop. Another idea is 426 AD, when Emperor Theodosius II ordered Greek temples to be destroyed. After this, the Olympics stopped for a very long time. They didn't happen again until the late 1800s.
How the Olympics Grew Over Time
People tried to bring back the ancient Olympic Games even before the modern ones. One attempt was L'Olympiade de la République in Revolutionary France. This festival happened every year from 1796 to 1798. It included some sports from the ancient Greek Olympics.
Greeks became interested in bringing back the Olympics after their war for independence in 1821. A poet named Panagiotis Soutsos first suggested it in 1833. Later, a rich Greek man named Evangelis Zappas offered to pay for the Olympics to start again. Zappas sponsored the first modern Olympic Games in 1859 in Athens. Athletes from Greece and the Ottoman Empire took part. Zappas also paid to fix up the old Panathenaic stadium. He wanted it to host all future Olympic Games.
Between 1862 and 1867, the city of Liverpool in England held its own annual Olympic Festival. It was started by John Hulley and Charles Melly. Only men could compete in these games. In 1865, Hulley and others formed the National Olympian Association in Liverpool. This group helped create the rules for the International Olympic Charter.
Dr. Brookes, another person involved, copied the sports from the 1859 Athens Olympics for his own "Wenlock Olympian Games." These games started as a class in 1850 and became an event in 1856. In 1866, Dr. Brookes organized a national Olympic Games in Great Britain. It was held at London's Crystal Palace.
The Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens hosted Olympics again in 1870 and 1875. Many people watched these games. In 1890, Baron Pierre de Coubertin saw the Wenlock Olympian Games. He then decided to create the International Olympic Committee. Coubertin used ideas from Brookes and Zappas. He wanted to create an Olympic Games that would happen every four years in a different country. He shared his ideas at the first meeting of the IOC. This meeting was in Paris in June 1894. At the end of the meeting, they decided the first IOC-controlled Olympic Games would be in Athens two years later. The IOC chose Greek writer Demetrius Vikelas as its first president.
The 1896 Games
The first Games under the IOC were held in the Panathenaic stadium in Athens in 1896. These Games brought together 14 nations and 241 athletes. They competed in 43 different events. Zappas and his cousin Konstantinos Zappas had left money to the Greek government for future Olympic Games. This money helped pay for the 1896 Games. George Averoff paid to fix up the stadium. The Greek government also helped pay, and they got money back by selling tickets. They also sold the first Olympic stamps to raise money.
Greek officials and the public were very excited to host these Games. Many athletes also loved it and even asked for Athens to host the Olympics forever. But the IOC said no. They decided that each Games would be held in a different country around the world.
New Games and Changes
After the successful 1896 Games, the Olympics faced some tough times. The Games held at the Paris Exposition in 1900 and the World's Fair in St. Louis in 1904 were not very popular. They felt like side shows. The Paris Games didn't even have a stadium. However, women competed for the first time in Paris! The St. Louis Games had 650 athletes, but most of them (580) were from the United States. These Games were not very international. The Olympics got back on track with the "Intercalated Games" in Athens in 1906. These Games are not officially recognized by the IOC, and no similar games have been held since. But they helped bring back interest in the Olympics.
Between 1912 and 1948, art competitions were part of the Olympics. Medals were given for art inspired by sports. This included architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture. These art competitions stopped in 1954. This was because artists were seen as professionals, but Olympic athletes had to be amateurs.
Winter Games
The Winter Olympics were created for sports played on snow and ice. Some of these, like figure skating and ice hockey, were actually part of the Summer Olympics before. In 1921, the IOC decided to hold a winter version of the Games. A "winter sports week" was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The IOC then decided that the Winter Olympic Games would happen every four years, in the same year as the Summer Games. This continued until the 1992 Games. After that, starting with the 1994 Games, the Winter Olympics were held two years after the Summer Games.
Youth Games
Starting in 2010, the Youth Olympic Games began. These games help young athletes (aged 14 to 18) get ready for the main Olympic Games. The Youth Olympics were created by IOC president Jacques Rogge in 2001. The first Summer Youth Games were in Singapore in 2010. The first Winter Youth Games were in Innsbruck, Austria, in 2012. These games are shorter than the main Olympics. The summer version lasts 12 days, and the winter version lasts 9 days. The sports played are the same as in the main Olympic Games.
How the Olympic Movement Works
The Olympic Movement includes many sports groups and organizations around the world. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is in charge of all of it. The IOC chooses the host city for the Games. They also oversee the planning, decide which sports are included, and handle sponsorship and broadcasting rights.
The Olympic Movement has three main parts:
- International Federations (IFs) are groups that manage a sport at a global level. For example, FIFA is the IF for football (soccer). There are 35 IFs for all the Olympic sports.
- National Olympic Committees (NOCs) manage the Olympic Movement within each country. For example, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is the NOC for the United States. There are currently 205 NOCs recognized by the IOC.
- Organizing Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs) are temporary groups. They are responsible for planning and running a specific Olympic Games. Each group is dissolved after the Games are over.
French and English are the official languages of the Olympic Movement. The language of the host country is also used during the Games.
Olympic Symbols and Traditions
The Olympic logo, also known as the Olympic rings, has five rings linked together. These rings represent the unity of the five continents where people live: America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe. The rings are colored blue, yellow, black, green, and red, on a white flag. This Olympic flag was chosen in 1914. It was first flown at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. The flag has been used at every Games since then. The Olympic motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius. This is a Latin phrase that means "Faster, Higher, Stronger."
Before each Games, the Olympic flame is lit in Olympia, Greece. This ceremony follows ancient Greek traditions. A female performer, dressed as a priestess, lights a torch using the sun's rays. She then lights the torch of the first person in the relay. This starts the Olympic torch relay, which carries the flame all the way to the host city's Olympic stadium. The flame has been an Olympic symbol since 1928. The torch relay itself started at the 1936 Summer Games.
The Olympic mascot was first used in 1968. The mascot is usually an animal or a human-like figure. It represents the culture and history of the host country.
Olympic Ceremonies
Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games has many special parts. Most of these traditions started at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The ceremony usually begins with the host country's flag being raised. Then, their national anthem is played. After that, the host country shows off its culture with music, singing, dancing, and theater.
After the artistic show, the athletes march into the stadium. They are grouped by country. Greece always enters first to honor where the Olympics began. Other countries then enter in alphabetical order, based on the host country's language. The host country's athletes always enter last. For example, at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, the Greek flag entered first and last. After the parade, speeches are given to officially open the Games. Then, the athletes say an oath. Finally, the Olympic torch is brought into the stadium. It is passed from person to person until the last torch carrier lights the big Olympic cauldron.
Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony happens after all the sports events are finished. Flag-bearers from each country enter the stadium. Then, all the athletes come in together, not grouped by country. Three national flags are raised while their national anthems play. These are the flag of Greece (to honor the birthplace of the Games), the flag of the current host country, and the flag of the country hosting the next Summer or Winter Olympic Games. The head of the organizing committee and the IOC president give their closing speeches. The Games are officially closed, and the Olympic flame is put out. There's also a special tradition called the Antwerp Ceremony. The mayor of the host city passes a special Olympic flag to the IOC president. The president then gives it to the mayor of the city that will host the next Games. After these official parts, the next host nation gives a short performance. This shows off their culture with dance and theater.
Medal Presentation
A medal ceremony takes place after each Olympic event. The winner, second-place, and third-place athletes or teams stand on a three-level platform. An IOC member gives them their medals. After the medals are given, the national flags of the three medalists are raised. The national anthem of the gold medalist's country is played.
Olympic Sports
The Olympic Games program includes many different sports and events. For example, wrestling is a Summer Olympic sport. It has two styles: Greco-Roman and Freestyle. Each style has different weight classes for men and women. The Summer Olympics usually have about 26 sports, and the Winter Olympics have about 15 sports.
International sports groups called international sports federations manage the Olympic sports. There are 35 such federations recognized by the IOC. The list of sports in the Olympics can change. New sports can be added, or old ones removed, if two-thirds of the IOC members vote for it.
In 2002, the IOC decided to limit the Summer Games to a maximum of 28 sports, 301 events, and 10,500 athletes. In 2005, baseball and softball were removed from the 2012 London Games. However, for the 2016 and 2020 Games, sports like rugby and golf were added, bringing the total back to 28 sports.
Amateurs and Professionals
For a long time, only amateur athletes were allowed to compete in the Olympics. This meant athletes who did not get paid for their sport. This rule caused some problems. For example, Jim Thorpe, a famous athlete, lost his medals from the 1912 Olympics. This happened because he had played semi-professional baseball before the Games. His medals were given back to him in 1983.
Over the years, the idea of an "amateur" athlete changed. Countries from the Eastern Bloc started having "full-time amateur athletes" who were supported by the government. This put athletes from Western countries, who paid for themselves, at a disadvantage. Slowly, the IOC started to allow professional athletes. After the 1988 Games, the IOC decided that most professional athletes could compete if their sport's international federation agreed.
By 2004, the only sport where no professionals competed was boxing. Even in boxing, the rules are more about how fights are done, not about getting paid. In men's football (soccer), only three professional players over the age of 23 are allowed on each team in the Olympic tournament.
Host Cities and Countries
The city that will host the Olympic Games is chosen seven years before the event. The process takes two years. First, a city that wants to host applies to its country's Olympic group. If more than one city from a country wants to host, the national group chooses one. Then, the IOC asks the cities to fill out a questionnaire. This helps the IOC understand each city's plan. Based on this, the IOC chooses which cities can continue to the next stage.
The chosen cities then give a bigger presentation of their plan to the IOC. A special group visits these cities and writes a report. This report is given to the IOC one month before the final decision. The candidate city must also promise that it can pay for the Games. Finally, the IOC members vote to choose the host city.
By 2016, the Olympic Games had been hosted by 44 cities in 23 countries. The United States has hosted the most Games, with four Summer and four Winter Olympics. Among Summer Olympic hosts, the United Kingdom has hosted three times, with its third in London in 2012. Germany, Australia, France, and Greece have each hosted the Summer Olympics twice. Only Los Angeles, Paris, Athens, and London have hosted the Olympic Games more than once. London has hosted the modern Olympics three times. Paris will be the second city to host three times in 2024, and Los Angeles will be the third in 2028.
For the Winter Olympics, France has hosted three times. Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Japan, and Italy have hosted twice. The most recent Winter Games were in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018. The next Winter Games will be in Beijing, China, in 2022. This will be the first time China has hosted the Winter Olympics.
Images for kids
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An 1834 handbill advertising "Ho-limpyc Gaymes" in England.
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Evangelos Zappas, who helped bring back the Olympic Games.
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Francis Field during the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis.
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The opening ceremony of the 1964 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo.
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A cartoon from the 1936 Olympics imagining the year 2000.
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Drones forming the Earth during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
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Paavo Nurmi, a famous Finnish runner who won many Olympic medals.
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See also
In Spanish: Juegos Olímpicos para niños
