The Origin of the Olympic Games How did the Olympic Games come into being?

Everyone knows the four-year Olympic Games. However, when it comes to the beginning of the Olympic spirit, it has been brilliant for thousands of years, extinct and revived. After several ups and downs, how many people have made it clear? Why do people love the Olympic Games? Why let her survive and develop? What is the Olympic spirit? What kind of crisis is she facing today when her spiritual concept is restored?

The author will state real and important historical events in the following series of articles, and explain their ins and outs in detail. The theme to be discussed this time is: the origin of the Olympic Games.

Speaking of the Olympic Games, everyone will think of sports competitions, events and medal winners. But few people know the origin and origin of the Olympics.

Legend has it that Zeus, the king of the gods, took physical confrontation as one of the grand celebrations after he ascended the throne of the gods. In the eighth century BC, the Greek city-states were at war for years. The priestess of Delphi lowered her divination and held a movement to stop the war.

The first ancient Olympic Games was held in 776 BC. Since then, a sports meeting has been held on Zeus Festival every four years. It was held in the temple area of Zeus in Olympia, southwest Greece. And solemnly stipulate that all wars will be stopped during the competition, and it is strictly forbidden to bring weapons into Olympia; All roads are open and people can enter and leave freely. As a result, the Olympic Games has gradually become a grand event between the city-states. It can be seen that the purpose of the ancient Olympic Games was to worship Zeus, the king of the gods, and to replace hatred and war with peace. The winner of the competition was also crowned with an olive branch, representing hope and peace. When the ancient Olympic Games were grand, its stadium could accommodate 40,000 spectators.

holy fire

According to ancient Greek legend, Prometheus spread the fire of Apollo, the sun god, to the world through various dangers. It is stipulated that Zeus must make a sacrifice to the flame before lighting it on the earth. So before the opening of the ancient Olympic Games, a grand lighting ceremony was held. The priests burned the flame of Mount Olympia on the altar. All the Olympic athletes will rush to the torch together. The first three athletes will take the flame to the Greek city-states and inform them that all wars will stop wherever the flame goes. It is said that this is the origin of today's Olympic torch relay and relay race.

The demise of the ancient Olympic Games

War makes mankind crazy and forgets similes. With the Roman Empire's conquest of ancient Greece, the Olympic Games lost its position more and more. When Catholicism became the state religion of the Roman Empire, the Olympic Games was rejected as cult worship. In 393 AD, the Roman emperor abolished the Olympic Games, ending the tradition of more than 1000 years.

Olympic recovery

Since modern times, Britain and Germany have tried to revive the Olympic Games. Many archaeologists have discovered the remains of the ancient Olympic Games, believing that it is an activity that can unite people of all countries and enhance friendship, and it is worth restoring. 1894, at the initiative of Baron Pierre Freddy of Coubertin, the International Olympic Committee was formally established. According to the pattern of the ancient Olympic Games, it is decided to hold the Olympic Games every four years. At this point, the tradition of disappearing 1500 years has been restored. The first modern Olympic Games was held in Greece on 1896, and Coubertin was known as the father of modern Olympic Games.

In the first Olympic Games, 33 1 athletes from 13 countries participated. Louis, a Greek shepherd, won the gold medal in the marathon at the first Olympic Games and became a national hero. When he first ran into the stadium, thousands of people cheered, and Prince Constantine and Prince George rushed down from the stands to accompany him in the last gold medal competition. The scene is warm and touching.

The purpose and spirit of the modern Olympic Games

According to the Olympic Charter founded by Baron Coubertin, the purpose of the Olympic Games is to "educate young people in the spirit of mutual understanding, friendship, unity and fair competition by carrying out sports activities in line with the Olympic spirit without any form of discrimination, and make contributions to building a peaceful and better world." The spirit of emphasizing participation and not afraid of failure is also an important part of the Olympic spirit.

In a sense, the Olympic Games is a grand gathering and exhibition of different cultures all over the world. The Olympic spirit emphasizes mutual understanding, friendship, unity and fair treatment, so that people can get rid of their own cultural prejudice, oppose any form of discrimination against a country or individual based on race, religion, politics, gender or other reasons, and tolerate, respect, appreciate and learn from other cultures with the broad mind of the citizens of the world, learn from each other's strong points and make common progress.