History of the Modern Olympic Games - Revival
The Greeks themselves tried to revive the Olympics by holding sports games in Athens during the 1800s, but their attempts were unsuccessful. The official revival of the Olympic Games took place at the end of the 19th century. Unlike the ancient version of the games, the history of the modern Olympics is clear and concise. Pierre de Coubertin, a French sports and public figure, believed that the French army could be strengthened with the help of the educational program of the ancient Greeks, which was based on the development of spirit and body. In 1892, Coubertin spoke at a meeting of the Union of Athletics in Paris with a report on “The Revival of Olympism.” An international sports congress was eventually convened in 1894, with delegates from Greece, Belgium, Russia, France, Spain, England, Italy, the USA and Sweden in attendance. There Pierre de Coubertin again advocated support for Olympism and he received the support of nine countries.
Coubertin wanted to hold the Olympic Games in France, but delegates from different countries convinced the figure that Greece would be the best option for hosting the first modern Olympic Games. At that time, it was customary to hold the Olympic Games every 4 years in different cities of the world. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was created, in which Pierre de Coubertin took the position of Secretary General.
The first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896 in Athens, Greece. 14 countries took part in them (241 athletes - all men). The program of the revived Olympics included 9 sports: gymnastics, fencing, cycling, athletics, wrestling, tennis, weightlifting, shooting and swimming. Those games were very different from the version that is now - there was no Olympic flame, no gold medals. The United States of America showed itself especially impressively in athletics. Athletes from the USA won 9 of 12 competitions. The United States showed best in the medal standings - they won 11 gold medals, while the hosts of the Olympics, the Greeks, collected 10 gold medals. However, Greece, at the debut games revived after several centuries, was able to collect the largest number of medals overall - 46 (10 gold, 17 silver, 19 bronze).
The 1896 Olympics were successful and 4 years later, in 1900, the games took place in France, Coubertin’s homeland. At the second Olympic Games, more sports were presented - as many as 20, and athletes from 24 countries came to compete and show their strength and skills. In 1904, the Olympic Games were held overseas - in the USA. The Olympics in St. Louis did not have any special prestige, since they were held in conjunction with the World Exhibition. Also, many countries refused the long trip, so only 52 non-American athletes took part in the 3-summer games. The USA was predicted to win the Olympic Games in the medal count.
Beginning in 1924, the Winter Olympics were added and would be held at a separate venue in the same year, although not always in the same country that hosted the summer version of the games. In 1936, Germany hosted the Olympic Games. It was then that the tradition of delivering the Olympic flame from Olympia arose. Also, the ceremony of those games was broadcast live on TV for the first time.
Interesting fact. The Olympic gold medal is not actually made of pure gold. It is actually a silver medal plated with gold. And, nevertheless, this fact still does not greatly influence the athletes eager to win the Olympic gold medal.
The 1940 and 1944 Olympics were not held due to the events of the Second World War.
In 1980, the Olympic Games were held in Moscow. For the first time, the Soviet Union had the right to host the most grandiose sporting event in the world. The organization was at a fairly high level, although those games were boycotted by many countries due to the entry of USSR troops into Afghanistan. In the 12th Olympic Games, 80 countries took part, and the number of athletes was 5179 people, where there were 4 times more men. The mascot of the Moscow Olympics was a bear. Many people remember this memorable event, when a large Olympic bear flew into the sky on balloons. It was an amazing sight. The Moscow Olympics were won by the USSR, both in gold medals and in the overall medal standings.
At the 25th Olympic Games, which were held in Barcelona (Spain), a record number of sports were represented - 32. And in 2020, a record number of countries - 207 - took part in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) . 32 Olympic Games were held, but due to the coronavirus (Covid-19), the IOC decided to postpone the Olympics to 2021. It will be held in the capital of Japan, Tokyo, and a new record will be set there for the number of sports in the program - there will be 33. At the moment, the USA and Great Britain have hosted the largest number of Olympics - 4 each.
