Every two and four years the world waits in anticipation to watch the greatest athletes of every sport, from every country compete against each other to win the prestigious gold medal for them and their country’s recognition. The Summer Olympics occurs every 4 years, while the Winter Olympics occurs every 2 years, alternating between each other. Today, The Olympics is a worldwide celebration of fitness and health, but at the beginning, it was a Greek celebration of the Greek ideals of fitness and discipline, and also a way to honor Zeus, the king of the gods.
Physical fitness, health, and mental strength have always been very important in the culture of the Greeks. The first Olympic Games were held in 776 B.C., and actually, it was said to have been just a simple footrace. It wasn’t until 708 B.C., which other games such as such as the pentathlon, which included the javelin throw, wrestling, running, discus throw and jumping were added.
During the 19th century, athletic champion Baron Pierre de Coubertin stood behind the idea to bring the spirit of the Greek Olympics to the rest of the world. The first modern Olympic Games were in Athens, Greece, in 1896 and fourteen countries sent their best athletes to Athens, Greece. The first recorded winner of the modern Olympics was U.S. citizen James Connolly for the triple jump. Greek track star Spyridon Louis won the marathon in front of 100,000 viewers. After the 1896 games, several countries decided that the games should be every four years in a different country each time. So today, the world celebrates athletic greatness, physical helath, and mental strength!