the Olympic games

The first Olympic Games were held in Ancient Greece more than 2000 years ago. When the Modern Games were revived in 1896, founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin again chose Athens as the host city. In 2004, the games again returned  to their birthplace for the 3rd time.

The modern Olympic Games as we know them are an international sports festival. The Games started as a means for the ancient Greeks to pay homage to their gods, but the modern Games are all about  the athletic talents of citizens of all countries. The Olympic Games are held every 4 years and consist of both summer and winter events. The Summer Games are scheduled for 2000, 2004, 2008, and so on, while the Winter Games will take place in 2002, 2006, 2010, and so on. Standard events in the Summer Games include basketball, soccer, swimming, boxing, gymnastics, track & field and many other sports. Winter Game highlights include ice hockey, skiing, figure skating and bobsledding. In recent years, extensive television coverage of the  Games has brought them to millions of viewers all over the globe, making household names out of such Olympic greats as track star Edwin Moses and figure skater Tara Lipinski.

The games are a world event but they have became political. the Olympics have had their share of controversy. Nazi Germany, for example, hosted the Games in 1936 and used the event to propagandize its cause of Aryan racial superiority.