The History of Modern Olympic Games and Their Symbols

The very first Olympic Games immediately after the ancient Greek instances were held following a 1503 year break! In a lot of approaches, the event was nevertheless very much an amateur contest. In the competitors more than 300 athletes (but without the participation of females) from 13 nations: England, Austria, Australia, Bulgaria, Chile, Denmark, France, Greece, Germany, the United states of america, Switzerland, Sweden and Hungary participated, however the nations didn't issue a formal representation.

These games brought many firsts towards the competitions:

It was here that the American sprinter Thomas Burke, for the first time in background, began his run, a hundred meter sprint, by doing a slow commence. He won the race as a result of that begin; his low start is common in modern sprints.

The swimming competition was performed on the high seas, and winner of two races Alfred Hajos of Hungary, won regardless of the truth that he was late for the start with the competition.

There is a rumor that has been told for years, concerning the winner with the marathon, Greek by the name of Sprindon Louis. The rumor states that throughout the marathon Springon Louis permitted himself to stop and take a break at an inn that was close to the route with the race, and strengthened him by drinking significantly great wine. After the break and wine drinking, the marathon participant went back towards the marathon and actually won it.

Paris 1900

The Games occurred as a part of an international exhibition that illustrated the technological progress, that is proof that the Games did not appreciate considerably prestige throughout those times. The Games lasted for five as well as a half months, which took away the emotional dynamic of a large occasion. In Paris, within the Games greater than 1,300 athletes from 22 nations participated.

Some of the a lot more exciting details about these Games:

The athletes competed in the Bois de Boulogne Park, exactly where they also had to contend with high grass and trees. The park was utilised for two competitions within the Games: Croquet and Tug-of-War.

The Marathon was won by Frenchman Michel Theato. This Olympic gold medalist worked daily in his standard job as a supplier of bread and also the sport of operating had tiny in common with his work.

The winners of those Olympic Games did not receive medals. The prizes awarded had been gifts like slippers that prevented injuries or combs.

Saint Louis 1904

These Games were the following big failure having a total lack of professionalism shown by the organizers of the occasion. In the competitors, 600 participants participated, of whom about 540 were Americans. Following the St. Louis Games, the existence and further organization from the Olympics became a huge query mark.

London 1908

Olympics, which have been preserved in memory of individuals as a great event, had been raised to that rank because of the extremely respectable occasion held in London in 1908. For the initial time the Olympic Games had been held within a skilled manner, even though organizers had very tiny time to prepare the competitions.

In these Games 2008 athletes participated, such as 37 females from 22 countries. It was in London that the famous words had been spoken: "The most significant point inside the Olympic Games is not winning but taking component; the essential factor in life isn't conquering but fighting well". This quote captures the spirit with the Olympic Games and is used to this day.

A Characteristic of those Games was also the stadium - White City. With 80,000 spectators it was a unique object: the audience could simultaneously see the competitions in athletics, swimming and football, because of the fact that all the stands surrounded the fields and operating tracks. That is the only stadium in the history from the Games. The Royal Household was the patronages in the Olympics which gave its .

These Olympic Games, even so, was not entirely free of charge of shortcomings. Nowadays, these shortcomings will be seen as unthinkable:

The competitors judges were practically exclusively British, which resulted in many questioning their judgments, which favored their countrymen.

Traditionally, the marathon had the dramatic finish. Dorando Pietri of Italy, who initial ran into the stadium and collapsed just before the finish. To cross the finish line first, viewers truly physically helped him up and helped him cross the finish line. Of course, he was disqualified.

Stockholm 1912

Wonderful Olympics was the exceptional organization in the event equaled using a high degree of efficiency from the athletes. The prestige with the Olympics undoubtedly gained because of this of those Games.

2500 athletes from 28 countries representing all of the continents, participated within the competitors, which meant a considerable enhance in the popularity of competitions as well as the Games itself, on the planet.

Olympic Symbols & Colors

5 Olympic rings mean the union of athletes on 5 continents

Blue: Europe
Yellow: Asia
Black: Africa
Green: Australia and Oceania
Red: America

The Olympic Anthem

The Olympic anthem is really a song adopted by the IOC in 1958. The authors are Greek artists. Kostis Palamas wrote the words and music was written by Spiros Samaras. The premiere from the Olympic Anthem took place during the Modern day Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.

The words are as follow:
Immortal spirit of antiquity,
Father in the true, beautiful and excellent,
Descend, appear, shed more than us thy light
Upon this ground and under this sky
Which has very first witnessed thy imperishable fame.

Give life and animation to those noble games!
Throw wreaths of fadeless flowers to the victors
Inside the race and in strife!
Create in our breasts, hearts of steel!

In thy light, plains, mountains and seas
Shine within a roseate hue and form a vast temple
To which all nations throng to adore thee,
Oh immortal spirit of antiquity!

From 1896 years Latin expression Citius - Altius - Fortius is the official slogan in the Olympic Games. The expression, in translation to English, means simply faster - higher - stronger. NFL Jerseys The author is actually a friend of Coubertin, Dominican Henri le Didon. The content of this term refers Wholesale Jerseys not only towards the physical aspect in the games, but it also encompasses the moral and aesthetic purpose. It is widely accepted around the globe and it is an crucial hallmark of modern day philosophy with the Olympic Games.

The Olympic Mascot

The first Olympic mascot was the "Schuss", a puppet skier. It functioned informally during the Winter Games in Grenoble in 1968. Neither in Mexico in 1968, nor in Sapporo in 1972 had any mascot been present. A mascot was present later in Germany in Munich in 1972. The Mascot was a dachshund "Waldi", the primary unofficial Olympic mascot. From then on, all subsequent Olympic Games, winter and summer, had their own mascot. Since 1991, the presence of a mascot is sanctioned by the Olympic Charter

Mascots throughout the Olympic Games

1972 Dachshund - "Waldi" the dachshund
1976 Montreal - "Amika" the beaver
1980 Moscow - "Misha" the bear, a project by Joze Trobec
1984 Los Angeles - "Sam" the eagle, a project by Robert C. Moore
1988 Seoul - "Hodori" the tiger, a project by Kim Hyon
1992 Barcelona - "Kobi" the dog, a project by Javier Mariscal
1996 Atlanta - "Izzy" the mascot, a project by John Ryan
2000 Sydney - "Syd", "Mille" and "Olly", a project by Matthew Hatton

The official Olympic mascots were the Kingfisher "Olly", "Syd" the platypus and Millie the short-beaked echidna. Their names are derived from the words of the Olympic Games, Sydney, and millennium.

Athens 2004 - Athena and Apollo symbolize the sun and sky and sea of Greece.