The Olympic Games

Ancient Games andModern Games

The Ancient The Ancient lympics lympics

The Games were part of a religious festival in honour of Zeus and were staged every four years at Olympia.

People from all over the Greek world came to watch and take part.

The Olympic Games began 2,788 years ago (in 776 b.c.) in Olympia, in southwest Greece.

Inside the temple of Zeus there was a enormous statue of the king of the gods, sitting on a throne.

People called it one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The statue was covered in gold and ivory, and was six times bigger than a man.

During the ancient

games, only young men could participate.

Running was the only event at the first Games.

In the PENTATHLON, there were five events: running, wrestling, javelin, discus and long jump.

Later, they added more events:

•Wrestling•Boxing •Long jump•Throwing the javelin•Throwing discus•Chariot racing

In Greece, there was no second place.

Winners were given a laurel wreath for their head and a pot containing olive oil.

They ended in 394 a.d. by the Roman Emperor Theodosius, who was a Christian.

He considered them “pagan” games

Revived in 1896 in Athens, Greece.

In the modern Olympics men and women can take part.

  Winners receive a medal

if they come first, second or third.  These medals are gold, silver or bronze.

The Olympic MedalsThe Olympic Medals

Bronze Silver Gold

The Olympic Rings stand for the five original continents: Africa, America, Asia, Australia, and Europe. The colours of the rings are

blue, yellow, black, green, and red.

The motto of the Olympic Games is Faster, Higher, Faster, Higher, StrongerStronger.

To understand the motto, we can compare it with this phrase:

The most important thing is not to win but to take part !

The lightingThe flame is lit in

Olympia, Greece, some months before the opening of the Games.

The relay routeThe torch is carried by relay from Olympia to the host city of the Games.

Arrival at the stadium

The day of the opening of the Games, the flame enters the stadium.

The flame is transferred from the torch to the cauldron.

The flame is extinguished on the final day of the Games at the closing ceremony.

The sportsThe sports

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games will be in London from 27 July to 12 August 2012.

We expect 205 nations to participate.

London has hosted the Olympic games in 1908 and 1948.

Wenlock and Mandeville