The Olympic Torch: week 5

The Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games, and was first used in modern times at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam, 1928 by an employee of the Electric utility of Amsterdam.There were over 30 recorded Olympic Lighters. The flame symbolizes "The light of spirit, knowledge, and life."

The Olympic Torch today is ignited (catch fire) several months before the opening celebration of the Olympic Games at the site of the Ancient Olympics in Olympia, Greece. Eleven women perform a ceremony in which the torch is slowly burning by the light of the sun.

Since the first Olympic Games celebrated in the modern time, the Olympic Torch has become a symbol of the peace between the continents.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wike/Olympic_Flame

What do the Olympic Rings signify? : week 4

According to most accounts, the rings were adopted by Baron Pierre de Coubertin (founder of the modern Olympic Movement) in 1913 after he saw a similar design on an relic from ancient Greece. The five rings represent the five major regions of the world: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Every national flag in the world includes at least one of the five colors, which are (from left to right) blue, yellow, black, green, and red. It is important to highlight that Pierre de Coubertin never said nor wrote that the colors of the rings were associated with the different continents.

http://www.janecky.com/olympics/rings.html

Olympic Motto : week 3

The Latin & English Version

The Olympic Motto stands for (in Latin): "Citius, Altius and Fortius". These words mean "Faster, Higher and Stronger. Baron De Coubertin got these words from his father, Henri Martin Dideon, who was the headmaster of a school called : Arcueil College which was in Paris.

http://www.janecky.com/olympics/motto.html

Modern Olympic Games: Week 2

As you would have worked out from my last post the Ancient Olympic Games continued for nearly 1200 years. In 393ad, the Roman Emperor Theodosius I, a Christian abolished the games because of their pagan influences.

Around 1500 years later a young Frenchman named Barron Pierre De Coubertin had tried to restart the Olympic Games. When Pierre, attempted to get France interested in competitive sporting events, unfortunately the result was disappointing for Pierre.

In 1890, Baron Pierre De Coubertin organised and founded a sporting organisation. Two years into the organisation, Coubertin insisted to restart the Olympic Games.

Baron Pierre De Coubertin had also decided to renew the Olympic Games by making the Games International.

Although the first Modern Olympics did not begin until 1896, because the Greek Government was unable to fund construction of a stadium. Ever since a wealthy Greek architect, Georgis Averoff, donated over $100, 000 to restore the Panathenaic stadium, the Olympic Games have continued.

http://history1900s.about.com/library/weekly/aa081000a.htm

Intersting Facts

Did you know that in order to compete in Ancient Olympic games you had to run naked and be from Greece?

Running has been a sport since the Ancient times and is the most common sporting event to ever be created.

Did you know all that well find out more in my next post?

Ancient Olympic Games: week 1

The Olympic Games are the world's largest pageant (show) of athletic skill and competitive spirit(Collier's Encyclopedia) which first started in Greece 776BC. It is said that this athletic contest was held in honour of a god or dead hero.

The Ancient Olympic Games were a series of athletic events which were held among various city-states of Ancient Greece. It all began in 776BC in Olympia, Greece and was celebrated until 393ad.

The historical starting point of the Ancient Olympic Games is unknown, but several myths and legends are still told today. There is an actual possibility that the origin of the games is that they evolved from Funeral Games.

Ancient Olympic Games were held every four(4) years, the Greek historian Ephorus had taken an advantage of the Ancient Olympic in the 4BC, by using it to count years.

The ancient Olympics were quite different from the modern Games. There were less events, and only free men who spoke Greek could compete, instead of athletes from several countries. The games were always held at Olympia instead of moving around to different sites consistently.

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/sports.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Olympic_Games#Legendary_origin