Unique Games on a Human Scale

In 2004, the Olympic Games are returning to their ancient birthplace and the city of their revival. Athletes from all nations will unite in Greece to engage in noble competition. The Athens Olympic Games will combine history, culture and peace with sports and Olympism. The people of Greece shall host unique Games on a human scale, inspiring the world to celebrate Olympic values.

Our Mission

ü To organize technically excellent Olympic Games.

ü To provide to the athletes, spectators, viewers and volunteers a unique Olympic experience, thus leaving behind a legacy for the Olympic Movement.

ü To display the Olympic ideals in a contemporary setting through their traditional Greek symbols.

ü To promote and implement the Olympic Truce through the Torch Relay.

ü To control the commercial aspect of the Olympic Games.

ü To promote the cultural and natural heritage of Greece to the eyes of the world.

ü To showcase the achievements of modern Greece and its potential for the future.

ü To protect and enhance the natural environment and promote environmental awareness.

ü To promote the benefits of the Games throughout the country.

 

Olympic Traditions

The Olympic Anthem

The Olympic anthem was written by the Greek national poet Costis Palamas and composed by Greek musician Spiros Samaras. It was first sung at the 1896 Games. The IOC adopted it as the official Olympic anthem to crown Olympic ceremonies at the 1958 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The Olympic Creed

The Olympic creed was also introduced at the 1896 Games. As stated by Pierre de Coubertin, the creed is as follows: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

The Olympic Flag

It was Pierre de Coubertin who conceived the idea of the Olympic flag with five coloured interlocking rings on a white background. The rings represent the union of the five continents and the meeting of the athletes from all around the world at the Olympic Games.

Today, almost a century after the flag's creation, the six colours, those of the rings (blue, yellow, black, green, red) and that of the white background which stands for peace, still maintain their symbolism and can be found in flags across the world. The Olympic flag was first used during the Antwerp Games in 1920

The Olympic Oath

"In the name of all the competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honour of our teams."

At the Opening Ceremony of each Games, one athlete from the host country takes the Olympic oath on behalf of all competing athletes. This particular gesture of sportsmanship was introduced at the 1920 Games in Antwerp, Belgium. A coach or team official takes a similar oath at each Opening Ceremony.

The Olympic Flame

The Olympic flame is one of the most visible symbols of the modern Games. Its tradition has survived from the Games of ancient Greece, where a sacred flame, ignited by the sun, burned continually on the altar of the goddess Hera.

The modern Olympic flame was first lit in 1928 at the Amsterdam Olympic Games, where it burned throughout the competitions. It has become a major symbol for solidarity among nations and embodies the Olympic spirit encompassing the ideals of purity, the endeavour for perfection, the struggle for victory, friendship and peace.

The Torch Relay

During the 1896 Games in Athens, young inspired sportsmen had organized the first torch relays. However, the tradition of the Olympic torch officially began at the Berlin Games in 1936. As in ancient times, the torch is lit by the sun in Ancient Olympia, then passed from runner to runner in a relay to the host city, where it is used to light the Olympic Stadium's flame during the Games' Opening Ceremony. The flame then burns until it is extinguished at the Closing Ceremony.

The Olympic Games in questions and answers.

Q 1	Why are they called 'the Olympic Games'?
A	Because they were first held at a place called Olympia in ancient Greece (until AD 393). There have been two Olympic eras – ancient and modern. The modern era began in 1896 when a Frenchman called Baron Pierre de Coubertin revived the Games.
Q 2	What are the aims of the Olympic movement?
A	○ To promote sport. ○ To create a more friendly, peaceful world. ○ To spread Olympic principles. ○ To bring athletes together in a great sports festival every four years.
Q 3	How long do the Summer Games last?
A	Approximately two weeks.
Q4	There are Winter Game too, aren't there?
A	Yes. They began in 1924. After that, they were held in the same years as the Summer Games. In 1992, though that changed. Now, they take place between Summer Games (i.e. the next Winter Games will be in 2006, then 2010, etc.)
Q 5	What do the five circles on the Olympic flag represent?
A	They stand for the five continents. Each circle is a different colour … blue, black, red, yellow and green (all against a white background). Every national flag in the world contains one or more of these six colours.
Q 6	When did the tradition of the Olympic flame begin?
A	There was always a flame at the ancient Games, but it wasn't included in the modern Games until 1928 (in Amsterdam). The flame is a symbol of the search for perfection and victory. It's lit at Olympia from the rays of the sun. Then it's carried to the Games by a series of runners (or sometimes by air for part of the journey). It burns in the stadium from start to finish at every Olympics.
Q 7	Who organises the Games?
A	Each country has its own Olympic committee. These organisations are in charge of national teams. The main worldwide organisation is the International Olympic Committee, which is based at Lausanne, Switzerland. The IOC decides which cities will host future Summer and Winter Games.
Q 8	All Olympic athletes have to be amateurs, don't they?
A	Yes. Nobody wins any money … only medals. That's because the most important thing at the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part.
Q 9	What happens at the Opening Ceremony?
A	○ There's a huge display of song, dance and music by people from the host country. ○ The flame is lit. ○ The Olympic flag is raised and one athlete says these words … 'In the name of all competitors, I promise that we will take part in the Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the spirit of the sportsmanship for the glory of our teams.' ○ The Games are officially opened by the host country's monarch or political leader (e.g.
Q 10	Are the medals really made of gold, silver and bronze?
A	Silver and bronze medals are made of solid metal, but gold medals aren't. They are made of gold-plated silver.
Q 11	Which sports are represented at the Summer games?
A	▪ Archery ▪ Aquatic sports (including swimming, synchronised swimming, diving and water polo) ▪ Athletics ▪ Badminton ▪ Baseball ▪ Basketball ▪ Boxing ▪ Canoeing ▪ Cycling ▪ Equestrian sports ▪ Fencing ▪ Football ▪ Gymnastics ▪ Handball ▪ Hockey on grass ▪ Judo ▪ Modern Pentathlon ▪ Rowing ▪ Shooting ▪ Softball ▪ Table Tennis ▪ Lawn Tennis ▪ Volleyball ▪ Weightlifting ▪ Wrestling ▪ Yachting ▪
Q 12	What's the motto of the Olympic movement?
A	'Citius, altius, fortius' which is Latin for 'Faster, higher, stronger'.

 

 The Ancient Games

 A man called 'Coroibis of Elis' became the first recorded Olympic Champion nearly three thousand years ago. What were the Games like in those days?

Nobody knows exactly when the Olympic Games began. Some historians think it was over 3,500 years ago – but the first recorded Games were held at Olympia in 776 BC. That's when we start to get a clear picture of the ancient prizes, buildings, champions and sports – or rather 'sport' – because there was just one event – a 192-metre race called the 'stade'. It was several years before other sports were added. Gradually, though, the Games at Olympia grew and grew until they were very famous all over Greece. Athletes travelled long distances to compete in them every four years and the winners became national heroes. This continued for centuries until the Roman Empire conquered Greece. Then the Games slowly began to decline. In AD 67, for example, the Roman Emperor Nero won a chariot race in which he was a) the only competitor b) drunk … (and he didn't even complete the course). Finally, the Games were stopped in AD 393 by another Emperor – Theodosius I – who was a Christian and disapproved of Greek gods and festivals.

After that, Olympia – the only city ever completely devoted to sport – remained deserted until it was destroyed by two earthquakes in the 6^th century. The site was only rediscovered 1,100 years later. That's when interest in the Olympics began to revive. But it was one man – Baron Pierre de Coubertin – who did more than anyone else to bring the classical Games back to life.   

 

The first Olympic Sports

A guide to five events at the ancient Games.

· The Dalius – A race of approximately 400 metres.

· The Dolichus – A race of approximately 5,000 metres. Athletes in these events had to run dressed in armour.

· Chariot racing – this took place around a circular course.

· The Pentathlon – There were five events in the pentathlon – running, the long jump, the discus, the javelin and wrestling.

· The Pancration – This was a violent (and very popular) mixture of wrestling and boxing.

Religion and the Ancient Games

The ancient Greeks had several gods. One was Zeus and his temple was at Olympia. The Olympic Games were held in his honour and always involved lots of religious ceremonies as well as sporting events.

 Data – Bank

· The word 'athlete' comes from 'Aethlius'. He was a king of Elis, the part of ancient Greece, which include Olympia.

· Only men were allowed to take part in the ancient Games.

· Originally the Games lasted one day, but from 472 BC that was changed to five days.

· The stadium at Olympia held over 20,000 people (there was also a 'hippodrome' for events, which involved horses.

· Winners at the first Olympics only received a crown of olive leaves (there were no second and third prises). Champions often became rich, though, because their home towns gave them money and good jobs.

 

The modern Olympic era was 100 years old in 1996. It began (like the ancient Games) in Greece and celebrated its centenary [4] in the USA, in Atlanta. Here some highlights [5] from a fantastic sporting story.

How it all began

Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937) was a French aristocrat with a dream. Fascinated by the ancient Olympics, he decided in 1889 to try and revive them. Why? Because, for him, the Games represented ideals which the modern world badly needed … ▪ co-operation ▪ honour ▪ fairness ▪ high moral and physical standards.

De Coubertin first suggested his idea at a lecture in 1892. Then, after this was well received, he organised an international conference, which took place in June 1894 at the Sorbonne University in Paris. Representatives came from twelve countries and there were messages of support from twenty-one others. It was during this conference that the International Olympic Committee was set up. But that's not all. Plans were also made for the first modern Games, and that meant that two important decisions had to be made … where and when? The answers were 'Athens' and '1896'/

The 1896 Games

A total of 295 athletes from thirteen countries took part in the first modern Olympics. Watched by 40,000 spectators, they paraded the new Panathenean stadium on the 6^th of April …

Then competition began.

America and Greece were the two most successful nations in 1896 – they won twenty-one gold medals between them. The very first medal of the modern Olympic era went to James Connolly (USA). But perhaps the most dramatic winner in Athens was a young Greek shepherd called Spyridon Louis. He unexpectedly won the first ever Olympic marathon, running 40 kilometres in 2 hours 58 minutes 50 seconds.

Firsts in Olympic History

1900	Paris	Women competed in Olympic events for the first time.
1924	Chamonix	The first Winter Olympic Games were held.
1932	Los Angeles	The first Olympic village was built to accommodate athletes.
1936	Berlin	TV cameras broadcast Olympic events for the first time.
1956	Melbourne	These were the first Olympic Games held in the southern hemisphere.
1964	Tokyo	These were the first Asian Olympics.
1972	Munich	For the first time, over one billion TV viewers watched an Olympic opening ceremony.
1980	Moscow	The first major Olympic boycott[6] took place in protest at the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan. Approximately fifty non-Communist countries stayed away.

  Behind the scenes