The Olympic Games with which we are familiar date back less than a century, yet they are based upon the ancient Olympic Games of the Greeks.
The original games were first held in 776 BC and consisted of a single race. Over the following years many other athletic events were added. These games were, in fact, a religious festival and the games were held to honour the gods.
While the games were in progress a truce was declared in any conflicts that happened to be taking place between countries such as Macedon and Sparta, so that everyone could participate without being molested.
The games were stopped in AD 394 under pressure from the Christians.
When the Frenchman Baron de Coubertin read about the ancient games in the 19th century he was convinced that such sporting idealism would be welcome in the modern world. After much international lobbying, the first of the revived Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896. They are held every four years and are still the most prestigious athletics competition in the world.
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