Презентация к уроку " The History of the Olympic Games"

The Olympic Games have a very long history. They began in 777 ВС in Greece and took place every four years for nearly twelve centuries at Olympia.  The Olympic games originate in athletic contests to  honor of Zeus Only men competed and they wore no clothes in order to have greater freedom of movement.

Statue of Olympic Zeus

  The ancient Greek Olympics were held every four years during the full moon of midsummer. That date was chosen so the games could last into the night.  The time between games was called an Olympiad, and each Olympiad was named for an athletic victor at the previous contests.   The Greeks used the Olympiads as a way to establish historical chronology.  

  Only free born male Greek citizens not accused of murder or sacrilege were eligible to participate.  Training began as early as one year before the games in the athlete's home city.  A month before the games, the athletes were the obligated to move to Elis or Olympia for their final training.  It was here that the athletes were taught the rules of fair-play and honorable competition.

  People from all over Greece gathered for this Olympic festival.  It was a chance to sell goods, recite poems for money, negotiate business deals, and even sign peace treaties between cities.  Visitors slept in the open air or tents due to overcrowded small residential quarters.

  A simple foot race marked the early Olympic games, but over the centuries the games became numerous and complicated.  At most, a total of fourteen contests were held over a  period of four days.  The games were divided into two classes:  physical contest were held in the stadium nude, and those on the race tracks with chariots.

• In 1894 French Baron Pierre de Coubertin, addressed all the sports governing bodies and pointed out the significance of sport and its educational value. Two years later the first modern Olympic Games took place. Of course, the competitions were held in Greece to symbolize the continuation of the centuries-old tradition.

They included many different kinds of sports: running, boxing, wrestling, etc. All the cities in Greece sent their best athletes to Olympia to compete in the Games.

In 1896 the International Olympic Committee was set up. It is the central policy-making body of the Olympic movement. It is formed by the representatives of all countries, which take part in the Olympic Games. On 6 April 1896, the American James Connolly won the triple jump to become the first Olympic champion in more than 1,500 years.  For these first Olympics, winners were awarded a crown of olive branches and a silver medal.

For the period of the Games all the wars stopped. So the Olympic Games became the symbol of peace and friendship. In 394 AD the Games were abolished and were not renewed until many centuries later.

An Olympic Anthem composed by Spyros Samaras was played at the Athens.  For the next 60 year a variety of musical compositions provided the backgrounds to the Opening Ceremonies, then in 1960, the Samaras composition became the official Olympic Anthem

• The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13th to August 29th, 2004 with the motto "Welcome Home".

Athens 2004 marked the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics that all countries with a National Olympic Committee were in attendance.  It was also the first time since  1896 that the Olympics were held in Greece.

New Stadium in Athens

2012 London

• 2012 London

2008 Beijing

2004 Athens

2000 Sydney

1996 Atlanta

1992 Barcelona

1988 Seoul

1984 Los Angeles

1980 Moscow

1976 Montreal

1972 Munich

1968 Mexico City

1964 Tokyo

1960 Rome

1956 Melbourne

1952 Helsinki

1948 London

1936 Berlin

1932 Los Angeles

1928 Amsterdam

1924 Paris

1920 Antwerp

1912 Stockholm

1908 London

1904 St. Louis

1900 Paris

1896 Athens