The modern Olympics is a global showcase and celebration of extraordinary athletic feats and fierce competition.
It's an opportunity for thousands of athletes from more than 200 different countries to come together. Participants will take in more than 400 events with national pride and personal achievement on the line.
Where did the Olympics build its roots? What are the origins of event? Here's a look at the history of the Games, from ancient Greece to the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics .
What is the origin of the Olympics?
The first Olympic Games were held in the summer of 776 B.C. in Greece as a celebration in honor of Zeus, the father and king of the gods and goddesses in Greek mythology.
The festival and games, which included running, jumping and throwing events, plus boxing, wrestling, pankration (combat sport) and chariot racing, were held at Olympia, a rural sanctuary in west Peloponnese. Olympia garnered its name from Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece and the home of the gods and goddesses in Greek mythology.
The Olympics, which took place every four years until at least 393 A.D., was the premier sporting, social and cultural gathering of the ancient Greeks.
When did the modern Olympic Games start?
The first modern Olympics was held in 1896 in Athens, Greece. Like the ancient games, the first modern Games featured a field of all male competitors. Most Olympians were soldiers. Women first competed in the Olympic Games in Paris in 1900.
What are historic firsts at the modern Olympic Games?
1900: Women are allowed to participate
1948 : People in wheelchairs are allowed to participate
1960 : Games are televised
1992 : Active NBA players are allowed to participate
2021 : First openly transgender athlete born male competes in a female event
What are the four different types of Olympics?
The four different types of Olympics are the Summer Olympics, Winter Olympics, Paralympics and Youth Olympics.
Like the Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics is held every four years. Since 1994, the Summer and Winter Games have alternated every two years.
The Paralympic Games feature athletes with impairments, while the Youth Olympics features competitors between the ages of 15 and 18.
Additionally, the Special Olympics provides year-round training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
What is the IOC?
The International Olympic Committee is the non-profit and independent governing body of the Olympics. Founded in 1894 and based in Lausanne, Switzerland, the IOC's mission is to conduct, promote and regulate the modern Olympic Games. The IOC currently has 106 members and 40 honorary members.
Where is the Olympics headed in the future?
The next Winter Olympics will take place in 2026 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The 2028 Summer Olympics is set to take place in Los Angeles, with supporting events in Oklahoma City.
Check out the ESPN Olympics hub page for the latest news , features , roster updates and more.
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