By Tim Lambert
The Early Olympic Games
In Ancient Greece, the Olympic Games began in Olympia in 776 BC. They were held in honor of Zeus, the leader of the gods, and people from all over Greece and the Greek colonies came to participate in them. Wars stopped to allow everyone to take part. Greek athletes competed in sports like boxing, wrestling, running, horse racing, chariot racing, and the pentathlon (five athletic events). Winners were not given medals but they were given a crown of leaves.
Women were not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games. However, they had their own games dedicated to the goddess Hera (the wife of Zeus). The Heraean games were held once every 4 years.
The Modern Olympic Games
The first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens on 6 April 1896. Swimming was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.
In 1900, the second modern Olympics were held in Paris. For the first time, women were allowed to compete in the Olympic Games. Swimming was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. At first, only men swam, but in 1912 women’s swimming was included. Diving was first included as an Olympic sport in 1904, and women’s diving was first included in 1912. In 1924, 50-metre pools with lane markers were introduced at the Olympics.
Women first played tennis at the Olympic Games in 1900. Women’s archery was first included in the Olympic Games in 1904.
George Eyser was an amputee. He had an artificial leg. But he won 6 medals at the Olympic Games in St Louis in 1904. He won the medals for gymnastics. He won 4 gold medals, one silver, and one bronze.
In 1920, a 72-year-old Swede named Oscar Swahn won an Olympic silver medal for shooting. He became the oldest person to win an Olympic medal.
The Winter Olympics were first held in 1924. In 1924 the Summer Olympics women’s sword fencing was included for the first time.
Halina Konopacka became the first Pole to win an Olympic Gold Medal. (She won it for discus throwing at the Olympic Games in Amsterdam)
In 1948 the Olympic Games were held in London. Things were pretty grim in Britain then, even tea was rationed. So was sugar. In 1948 Alice Coachman was the first black woman to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games. She won gold in the high jump.
In 1960, an Ethiopian marathon runner named Abebe Bikila became the first man from Sub-Saharan Africa to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games. Also in 1960, the first Paralympic Games opened in Rome.
Women first played volleyball at the Olympics in 1964.
Women’s basketball was included in the Olympic Games in 1976, and so was women’s rowing. Women’s field hockey became an Olympic sport in 1980. Women’s judo became an Olympic Sport in 1992.
Women’s water polo was included in the Olympic Games in 2000.
In 2012, the Olympics were held in London. Women’s boxing was made an Olympic Sport in 2012. So was women’s ski jumping.
