The 2020 Summer Olympics will be held in Tokyo (Japan) from July 24 to August 9. This decision was made at the 125th session of the International Olympic Committee in Buenos Aires. Three states fought for the right to host the 32nd Olympics in history: As a result, the IOC chose the land of the rising sun to host the grandiose sports competition.

For Japan, the 2020 Summer Olympics will be the second in history after being held in 1964 and the fourth in total, taking into account the 1972 Winter Games in Sapporo and 1988 in Nagano. The Japan Games will also be the second of three consecutive games to be held in East Asia, following the Winter Games. Olympic Games 2018 in PyeongChang (South Korea) and the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing (China).

Opening and closing ceremony of the 2020 Olympics

The opening of the Summer Olympic Games will take place on July 24 at the new Olympic Stadium, which the Japanese authorities specially built for the event. The closing ceremony of the games is scheduled for August 9, at the same stadium.

The Tokyo Games are set to be the most innovative in history. The official motto of the Summer Games in Japan is “Discover Tomorrow”.

Stadium

Initially, Japanese authorities planned to reconstruct the stadium that hosted the 1964 Olympics, expanding its capacity from 50,000 to 80,000 people. However, in 2015, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that a new stadium would be built on the site of the old one, as residents of the country expressed displeasure at the huge costs of dismantling the old arena.

That same year, the new stadium's design was chosen and its construction budget set at $1.5 billion. Its capacity would vary from 60,000 to 80,000 fans depending on the event. The construction used mainly wood and prefabricated panels. After the games are over, the stadium can be dismantled.

Kinds of sports

In 2017, the executive board of the International Olympic Committee approved the program for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Thus, 33 sports will be presented at the Tokyo Games, which include 5 new sports: surfing, karate, skateboarding, rock climbing and softball. Also at the Olympics, additional disciplines will be presented within some sports, such as freestyle BMX, Madison riding, 3 on 3 basketball, etc.

After being removed from the games in 2008, baseball and softball will once again be represented in Japan.

The head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), German Thomas Bach, said Tokyo's goal was to make the games "younger, more urban and include more women."

Sports competitions called the Olympic Games were held back in Ancient Greece, in Olympia (a city in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese, which in the past was the most important religious and sports center in Greece).

The year of the beginning of the Olympic Games is considered to be 776 BC. e., this date is carved on a slab found by archaeologists along with the name of the Olympic winner in the race Corab. The date is also confirmed by the ancient authors Paraballon, Hippias, Aristotle and others. The Greek historian Timaeus (about 352-256 BC) and the mathematician Eratosthenes (about 276-196 BC) developed a chronology from the first Games , according to which until 394 AD. e., when competitions were banned by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I, 293 Olympics took place.

The idea of ​​reviving the Olympic Games was proposed in late XIX century by the French public figure Pierre de Coubertin in connection with public interest in archaeological discoveries in Olympia. De Coubertin outlined the project for the revival of the Olympic Games in his report on November 25, 1892 at the Sorbonne.

The principles, rules and regulations of the games were determined by the Olympic Charter, approved in June 1894 by the International Sports Congress in Paris. According to the charter, the Olympic Games bring together amateur athletes from all countries in fair and equal competition; Countries and individuals are not discriminated against on racial, religious or political grounds. At the same congress, it was decided to hold the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens. For this purpose, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was created.

At the first Games in Athens on April 6-15, 1896, 43 sets of medals were competed in 9 sports. 241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the competition. At these Games, traditions were established such as the performance of the Olympic anthem, participation in the opening ceremony of the head of state hosting the games, and the awarding of the winners on the last day of the competition. The Athens Olympics became the largest sporting event of its time. Since then, international competitions, known as the Summer Olympics, have been held every four years (with the exception of the First and Second World Wars). The location of the Games is chosen by the IOC, and the right to organize them is granted to the city, not the country.

Since 1900, women have participated in the Games.

In 1908, qualifying competitions were held in London for the first time in the history of the Olympics, and the tradition of a procession of participating teams under the national flags. At the same time, the unofficial team classification became widespread - determining the place occupied by teams based on the number of medals received and points scored in competitions.

In 1912, a photo finish was used for the first time at the Stockholm Olympics.

In 1920, at the Olympics in Antwerp (Belgium), the Olympic flag was raised for the first time in the history of the games, and the participants took the Olympic oath.

The Winter Olympics have been held since 1924. Before this, some winter sports were included in the programs of the Summer Olympics. Thus, the figure skating championship at the Olympics was first played in London in 1908, and the first Olympic ice hockey tournament took place in 1920 in Antwerp. Initially, the Winter Olympics were held in the same year as the Summer Olympics; in 1992, their dates were shifted by two years. The Winter Olympics have their own numbering.

During the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, the tradition of lighting the flame was established.

At the 1932 Games in Los Angeles, for the first time, an “Olympic village” was built specifically for the participants.

Since 1936, the world has been following the Olympic torch relay.

In 1960, during the Summer Olympics in Rome, an athlete from Denmark, Knud Jensen, died for the first time due to doping.

In 1960, at the Winter Games in Squaw Valley, America, the opening ceremony was for the first time accompanied by a large-scale theatrical performance (Walt Disney was responsible for organizing it).

At the 1972 games in Munich, members of the Palestinian terrorist organization Black September took Israeli team athletes and coaches hostage. During the operation to free them, 11 members of the Israeli team and one West German policeman were killed.

In 2004, during the Athens Olympics, for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the IOC insured itself (for $170 million) in case of cancellation of competitions due to the threat of terrorism or natural disasters

The longest Games were the 1900 Games in Paris and the 1904 Games in St. Louis (USA). They were combined with the World Exhibitions and lasted several months (May-October 1900, July-November 1904). The Olympics in St. Louis also went down in history as “American”: out of 625 participants, 533 were Americans, since many European athletes were unable to come to the competition due to the high cost of travel.

The largest Olympic team ever entered by one country was the Great Britain team at the 1908 Olympics in London - 710 athletes.

Several times certain countries did not take part in the Games for political reasons. Thus, Germany and its allies in the world wars were excluded from participation in the games in 1920 and 1948. In 1920, athletes from Soviet Russia were not invited to the Olympics in Antwerp (Belgium). 65 countries boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow due to the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan in December 1979. In response, teams from 13 countries of the socialist camp did not attend the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. The official reason for the boycott was the refusal of the organizers of the 1984 Olympics to provide safety guarantees to athletes from the USSR and other Warsaw Pact countries.

In the history of the Games, there were several cases when competitions in some sports were held both before the opening of the games and after they closed. Thus, the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp were officially held on August 14-29, but competitions for figure skaters and hockey players took place in April, yachtsmen and shooters - in July, football players - in August and September. In 1956, at the Games in Melbourne, due to quarantine rules, equestrian competitions were held not only six months earlier than the Olympics itself, but also in another country and on another continent - in Stockholm.

The Olympics first appeared on television at the games in Berlin in 1936. So that the competition of athletes can be seen as much as possible more people, screens were installed throughout the city. Games were first broadcast to Londoners' home televisions in 1948. In 1956, the Olympic Games were transferred to all European countries, and starting from 1964 - to all continents. /TASS-DOSSIER/

The largest international sporting competitions are the Olympic Games. They are held once every four years. The tradition of holding sports competitions dates back to ancient times.

It was revived by public figure Pierre de Coubertin at the end of the 19th century. Beginning in 1896, sports competitions began to be held, which became known as. Competitions were held every four years, with the exception of periods of world wars. Since 1924, when they were established, these two types of competitions have been held in the same year. And only since 1994, the winter games began to be held two years after the summer.

In the same place where the Olympic Games are held, after their completion, competitions for the Paralympic Games are held, in which athletes with disabilities take part.

Revival of the Olympic Games

The first modern Olympic Games were organized in 1896. The reason for the revival was the defeat of French troops in the Franco-Prussian War (1970-1871). The founder of the Olympic Games, Coubertin, believed that the French lost the war due to poor physical fitness. He strove for international understanding and advocated that young people should fight in sporting competitions rather than on battlefields. He expressed his thoughts at the congress in 1894, which was held at the Sorbonne. The decision to hold the first games was made on the last day of the congress meeting. It was decided to hold them in Athens, paying tribute to Greece as the country in which sports competitions were born. To organize and conduct such sports competitions, the International Olympic Committee was organized. It was headed by Demetrus Vikelas, who served as president until the end of the first Olympic Games, in 1896. Baron de Coubertin became Secretary General of the IOC.

14 countries participated in the first games, representing 241 athletes. Despite this, the games have become the largest sporting event. Greek officials have put forward a proposal that such competitions should be held forever. However, the Olympic Committee considered it necessary to introduce rotation between different countries. This was done so that the competition would be held once every four years in another country.

At the Olympics in France in 1900, a women's team from Russia took part for the first time.

Modern Olympic Games

The basic rules and regulations in the Olympic Games are determined by the Olympic Charter. The International Sports Congress approved its foundations in 1894. According to this document, sports competitions bring together athletes from different countries in fair, equal competitions. The IOC has the right to include in the Games program exhibition competitions in one or two sports that are not recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

The Summer Olympic Games are held in the first year of the four-year cycle. (“Olympiad” means a four-year cycle) They trace their history back to 1896. The venue is determined by the IOC. The right to host the Games is granted to the city, not the country. The determination takes place seven years before the time of the Games.

The choice is among the cities that submitted applications. The competition lasts from 16 to 18 days. The symbol of the competition is five rings that are fastened together. They symbolize the unification of the five parts of the world. The sports movement has its own flag and emblem.

Sports featured at the Summer Games

1900 - rowing
1904 - boxing
1936 - basketball, handball
1964 - volleyball
1988 - freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling
1992 - badminton
2004 - water polo
2008 - cycling

The Summer Games also include: kayaking and canoeing, sports and gymnastics, judo, equestrianism, athletics and weightlifting, tennis and table tennis, sailing, swimming and synchronized swimming, diving, modern pentathlon, shooting and skeet shooting, archery, triathlon, taekwondo, fencing, football and hockey on the grass.

Years and places of the Games

The Summer Olympic Games have been held since 1896, when the Games were held in Athens, in which 14 countries participated. In 1916, 1940 and 1944 the Games were canceled due to world wars.
1948 - , (59 participating countries)
1952 - , Helsinki (69 countries)
1956 - (Melbourne), Sweden (Stockholm) (67 countries)
1960 - , Rome (83 countries)
1964 - , Tokyo (93 countries)
1968 - , Mexico City (112 countries)
1972 - Germany, Munich (121 countries)
1976 - Montreal (92 countries)
1980 - , (80 countries)
1984 - Los Angeles (140 countries)
1988 - Republic of Korea, Seoul (159 countries)
1992 - , (169 countries)
1996 - USA, Atlanta (197 countries)
2000 - Sydney (199 countries)
2004 - , Athens (201 countries)
2008 - China, Beijing (204 countries)
2012 - UK, London (204 countries)

The next games are scheduled for Rio de Janeiro in 2016, with participation from 203 countries expected.

Popularity of the Summer Olympics in the search engine

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The choice of Lake Placid as the site of the thirteenth Winter Olympic Games was announced in October 1974 at the 74th session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Initially, in addition to the United States, four more countries competed for the right to host the next Winter Olympics: Canada, France, Norway and Germany. Compared to their background, the chances of small Lake Placid with a population of about two thousand people, which had already hosted the Olympians in 1932, seemed almost zero. However, four other applicants withdrew their bids, so the IOC had no choice but to re-delegate the right to host the Winter Olympics to Lake Placid.

Why did other contenders suddenly give up the fight for the right to host the games and withdraw their candidacies? Their decision should be considered in light of the political situation of the time. The USSR and the USA fought for the right to host the 1980 Summer Olympics, while there were clearly more supporters of holding these games in Moscow. If the United States did not receive the right to host either the Winter Games, it would be regarded as a major failure in the political arena. Therefore, there is little doubt that Canada, France, Norway and Germany withdrew their candidacies precisely by agreement with the United States. The result was the choice at the 74th IOC session of Lake Placid as the site of the Winter Olympic Games, and at the next IOC session on October 23 of the same year, Moscow was approved as the site of the 1980 Summer Olympics. As a result, parity between the superpowers was preserved, which the Olympic Committee was probably happy about, which never wanted to be on the extreme side in disputes between the USSR and the USA.

This is not the first time the IOC has found itself in a difficult situation. So, in 1970, he made a truly Solomonic decision when determining the location of the 1976 Summer Olympics. The contenders were Moscow, Los Angeles and Montreal. Realizing that the choice of one superpower would inevitably complicate relations with the other, the IOC chose Montreal as the venue for the Olympics. It is interesting that at the beginning of 1980, the United States demanded that the Olympic Committee cancel the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow as one of the sanctions for the introduction of Soviet troops into Afghanistan, but the IOC did not make such a decision.

The winners of the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid in the overall medal standings were Soviet athletes, who won 10 gold medals, 6 silver and 6 bronze. Second place was taken by the Olympians from the GDR with 9 gold medals, 7 silver and 7 bronze. Third place went to athletes from the USA, who received 6 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze awards.

Tip 2: Where were the 1964 Winter Olympics held?

The Winter Olympic Games are one of the most spectacular sporting events, and there is always a serious fight for the right to host them. Sometimes the winner is determined by a few votes. However, Innsbruck, Austria, the capital of the 1964 Winter Games, beat its competitors by a clear margin.

The IX Winter Olympic Games were held in the Austrian city of Innsbruck from January 29 to February 9, 1964. The decision to hold the Olympics in Austria was made at the 55th session of the International Olympic Committee, held on May 26, 1959 in Munich.

Representatives of the Austrian Olympic Committee expressed their desire to hold the Winter Games in Innsbruck during correspondence with the IOC leadership, which took place from August 1950 to April 1951. Austria's intention to host the Winter Olympics was met quite favorably; delegates of the International Olympic Committee visited the cities of Badgastein and Innsbruck during the 45th IOC session in Vienna in May 1951. The purpose of the visit was to assess the possibility of these cities hosting the Winter Games.

The results of the visit completely satisfied the committee delegates, and in 1952, representatives of Innsbruck submitted an application to have their city considered as the capital of one of the future. At the beginning of 1954, Austrian government circles confirmed their readiness to support and finance the Olympics, which certainly affected the increase in Innsbruck's rating.

On May 26, 1959, the 55th session of the IOC took place in Munich, at which the site of the IX Winter Olympic Games of 1964 was to be chosen. Innsbruck's rivals were Canadian Calgary and Finnish Lahti. According to the voting results, Innsbruck won a landslide victory, gaining 49 votes to Calgary's 9. Lahti did not receive any votes at all.

The Austrians kept all their promises, Innsbruck prepared superbly for the Olympics. Old sports facilities were reconstructed and new ones were created. Even the unusually warm weather could not interfere with the Games; with the help of the military, snow was delivered to the competition routes. In total, more than 15 thousand cubic meters had to be brought.

A record number of athletes took part in the competition - 1,111 Olympians from 36 countries. In the overall team competition, the USSR team confidently took first place, winning 11 gold, 8 silver and 6 bronze medals. The hosts of the Olympics were able to reach third place; the Austrian team received 4 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze awards. Third place went to the Norwegians - 3 gold, 6 silver and 6 bronze medals.

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The Austrian city of Innsbruck had to compete with Canadian rival Calgary and Finnish Lahti for the right to host the 1964 White Olympics. The decision to hold the IX Winter Olympic Games in Austria was made by the International Olympic Committee in 1955 by an absolute majority of votes. 49 session participants voted for Innsbruck, while none of the other two candidates received even ten votes.

Preparing for the Olympics was not easy. The Alpine winter that year turned out to be mild and with little snow. Snow on the slopes of skiers, lugers and bobsledders had to be delivered and laid manually. The military personnel did this. Not all competitions were held in Innsbruck. Cross-country skiing took place in Seefeld, bobsleigh and luge tracks were built in Igls, and slalom skiers held their competitions in Liezum. The competition took place from January 29 to February 9. 34 sets of awards were drawn.

The Innsbruck Olympics went down in history primarily due to the participation of teams from Asian countries, where winter sports were not particularly popular before. Representative of the DPRK Han Pil Hwa even became a silver medalist in speed skating. Athletes from India and Mongolia also took to the Innsbruck tracks.

Some new disciplines appeared in the 1964 Olympic program. Thus, three sets of medals were played in luge - in singles among men and women and in men's doubles. The “flying skiers” now have a second springboard. Bobsledders returned to the Olympic tracks after an eight-year break. In total, 1091 athletes from 36 countries took part in the competition, of which 892 were in the men’s program and 199 in the women’s.

The heroine of the IX Winter Olympics was the Soviet athlete Lidia Skoblikova. She had no equal at speed skating distances; she won 4 gold medals at all women's distances - 500, 1000, 1500 and 3000m. Soviet skier Klavdiya Boyarskikh performed brilliantly. She took home 3 gold medals - in the 5 and 10 km individual races and in the 3X5 km women's ski relay. The French alpine skiing duo, Christine and Mariel Gorchel, will forever remain in the history of sports. The French women competed for gold and silver medals in all alpine skiing disciplines.

Quite a few “Olympic records” were recorded in Innsbruck 1964. This was the first Olympics that aroused unprecedented interest among spectators. More than a million people visited the stands. Unfortunately, among the records there were also sad ones. Never before have there been so many injuries at the Olympic Games, and the English athlete Kazimierz Skrzypecki died on the luge track during the preliminary heats. The cause of the tragedy was the difficult route and difficult weather conditions.

One of the main Olympic principles is mutual respect. In the Olympic Innsbruck, a medal for nobility was awarded for the first time. It was received by the Italian bobsledder Eugenio Monti. During a doubles bobsled competition, one of his British rivals' spare parts disappeared. The Italian athlete gave them his. The British won on the track, and Monty’s act will forever go down in the history of sports as an example of a truly Olympic attitude towards rivals.

The athletes of the Soviet Union performed brilliantly at the IX Winter Olympics. They won 25 awards, 11 of them were of the highest standard. Eight times Soviet athletes climbed to the second step of the podium and six times to the third. The competition of the Soviet team in the unofficial team competition included teams from Austria and Norway. The Austrians won 4 gold medals, the Norwegians - 3.

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Tip 4: Where were the 1980 Summer Olympics

Despite the fact that athletes Soviet Union for forty years they won the lion's share of medals at each Olympics; the largest sports forum on the planet was held only once in the USSR. This happened in 1980, when the games of the XXII Summer Olympics took place in Moscow and several other cities of the Soviet Union.

Moscow was able to obtain the right to host the summer forum of Olympians for the second time. The first attempt was made in 1970 at the 69th session of the IOC, but then the Canadian Montreal won the final vote. It is noteworthy, however, that both of Canada's voting rivals - Moscow and Los Angeles - became the capitals of the next two Olympiads. Moscow was officially named the host of the XXII Summer Games in 1974 in Vienna, at the 75th session of the IOC.

Soon after Moscow was chosen as the capital of the future Olympics, large programs for the construction of new sports facilities and the modernization of urban infrastructure began to be implemented in the city. A total of 78 new sports facilities were built. On the site of the Burevestnik stadium, they built the Olympic sports complex, which had no equal in the world at that time, and even now it remains the largest structure of its kind in Europe. A unique coating was laid on the new Krylatskoye cycling track, which allowed the Olympians to set 13 world records. In addition to sports facilities, an “Olympic village”, a hotel complex “Cosmos”, the second terminal of the international airport in Sheremetyevo, an Olympic press center on Zubovsky Boulevard and other buildings were built.

In addition to Moscow, Mytishchi near Moscow and four other cities of the USSR took part in the competitions of the 1980 Summer Games. Shooting competitions were held in Mytishchi, sailing competitions took place in Tallinn, and matches of preliminary Olympic football tournaments were held at stadiums in Minsk, Kyiv and Leningrad.

The opening ceremony of the Moscow Olympics took place on July 19, 1980, and the games ended on August 3. Due to the official boycott of the games for political reasons by several dozen countries, the number of athletes who took part (about 5,200) was smaller than expected. At the XXII Summer Games, 203 sets of awards were played, 36 world and 74 Olympic records were set.

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Tip 5: Where the 2008 Summer Olympics took place

A dozen cities from Europe, Asia, Oceania and North America initially applied to host the XXIX Summer Olympic Games. Most of them are capitals of states. The fight for the right to host the Olympics began nine years before the scheduled date for holding the largest sports forum on the planet, and the winner was determined in Moscow in 2001 - the decisive vote of the IOC members took place there.

Exactly half of the applicant cities were included in the voting list, so according to IOC rules, a lengthy procedure of four rounds could be expected. However, the advantage of the application of one of the candidates turned out to be so obvious that everything was decided in the second round. Of the 105 votes, the Chinese capital received 44 in the first round and 56 in the second. Eight years before this event, Beijing had already made an attempt to gain the right to host the Olympics, but then lost to the Australian Sydney in a bitter struggle.

Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city (more than 17 million inhabitants) in this country. The exact date of its foundation is unknown, but the age of settlements on the territory of the city dates back to the first millennium BC. It is located in a flat area where sandstorms are common, and air pollution from industrial enterprises does not improve the environmental situation in Beijing - this was one of the most serious problems during the 2008 Olympics.

Almost four dozen sports facilities were used in the competitions of the XXIX Summer Games, twelve of which were built specifically for this event. Among them is the Beijing National Stadium, better known as the Bird's Nest and designed for more than 90 thousand spectators. A unique swimming complex, nicknamed the “Water Cube,” was erected next to the stadium; 25 world records were set there during the Olympics. A new basketball hall for 18 thousand spectators was also built for the Olympics, next to which a temporary site was set up for a baseball tournament. At the XXIX Games this sport last time was included in the competition program.

In addition to the capital of the country, Olympic competitions took place in six more cities. Stadiums in Tianjin, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai and Shenyang were used to host matches of the football tournament. Sailing competitions were held in Qingdao, and riding masters competed in Hong Kong.

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Tip 6: Where were the 1964 Summer Olympics

In 1964, the Olympic Games were held in the Japanese capital - Tokyo. These were the first modern history Olympic Games in Asia. Their implementation in the “island empire” is relatively recent defeated in World War II, was a very important step for Japan towards re-integration into modern civilization.

Voting on the location of the XVIII Summer Olympic Games took place in Munich at the 55th session of the International Olympic Committee. This happened in 1959, besides Tokyo, two European capitals were contenders - Austrian Vienna and Belgian Brussels, and the American Detroit was also nominated. Tokyo's advantage turned out to be absolute - already in the first round, 34 votes were cast for it, and all other candidates received only 24 in total. Therefore, subsequent rounds of voting were not needed and the capital of Japan got the opportunity to host the Olympics for the second time. The previous attempt to host the Olympic Games in Japan was the XII Summer Games in 1940, which were first moved to Finland due to the Japanese attack on China, and then canceled altogether due to the outbreak of World War II.

Tokyo is a multimillion-dollar city on the largest of the Japanese islands (Honshu). The capital of Japan was already one of the largest cities in the world in the 18th century. Although the settlements on the territory of present Tokyo belong to stone age, its official history begins with a fort built in the 12th century at the entrance to the bay on the Pacific coast. Then this settlement was called Edo, and the city became the capital in 1869, when it received its modern name.

By the time preparations for the Olympics began, an economic recovery began in the country, and the holding of such a major international forum became a catalyst in many areas of the development of the capital. By the start of the games, the city's infrastructure and communications had been significantly improved - a high-speed tram was launched, the airport was modernized, and the laying of a communications cable in the United States was completed. For the first time, it became possible to broadcast the Olympics via satellite. Six new sports facilities were built in the city and dozens of existing ones were modernized - in total, 33 of them were used at the XVIII Summer Games.

Emperor Hirohito officially opened the Olympics on October 10, 1964, and the closing ceremony took place on October 24. Over two weeks, more than 5,100 athletes from 93 countries competed for 163 sets of awards. The largest number of them (96) were won by the Olympians from the Soviet team, and the US athletes were only 6 medals behind, but ahead of their rivals from the USSR in the number of gold medals by the same amount.

The Olympic Games, Olympic Games are the largest international complex sports competitions of our time, which are held every four years. The tradition that existed in ancient Greece was revived by a French public figure at the end of the 19th century Pierre de Coubertin. The Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics, have been held every four years since 1896, with the exception of years following the World Wars. In 1924, the Winter Olympic Games were established and were originally held in the same year as the Summer Olympics. However, since 1994, the timing of the Winter Olympic Games has been shifted by two years relative to the timing of the Summer Games.

Ancient Olympic Games

The Olympic Games of Ancient Greece were a religious and sports festival held in Olympia. Information about the origin of the games has been lost, but several legends describing this event have survived. The first documented celebration dates back to 776 BC. e., although it is known that games were held earlier. During the games, a sacred truce was declared; during this time it was forbidden to wage war, although this was repeatedly violated.

The Olympic Games significantly lost their importance with the arrival of the Romans. After Christianity became the official religion, games began to be seen as a manifestation of paganism and in 394 AD. e. they were banned by the emperor Theodosius I.

Revival of the Olympic Idea

Even after the ban on ancient competitions, the Olympic idea did not disappear forever. For example, in England during the 17th century, “Olympic” competitions and competitions were repeatedly held. Later, similar competitions were organized in France and Greece. However, these were small events that were, at best, regional in nature. The first true predecessors to the modern Olympic Games are the Olympias, which were held regularly between 1859 and 1888. The idea of ​​reviving the Olympic Games in Greece belonged to the poet Panagiotis Soutsos, brought it to life by a public figure Evangelis Zappas.

In 1766, as a result of archaeological excavations in Olympia, sports and temple buildings were discovered. In 1875, archaeological research and excavations continued under German leadership. At that time, romantic-idealistic ideas about antiquity were in vogue in Europe. The desire to revive Olympic thinking and culture spread quite quickly throughout Europe. French Baron Pierre de Coubertin (French: Pierre de Coubertin) said then: “Germany has excavated what remains of ancient Olympia. Why can't France restore its old greatness?

Baron Pierre de Coubertin

According to Coubertin, it was the weak physical condition of the French soldiers that became one of the reasons for the defeat of the French in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. He strives to change the situation through improvement physical culture French. At the same time, he wanted to overcome national egoism and contribute to the struggle for peace and international understanding. The “youth of the world” were supposed to measure their strength in sports competitions, and not on the battlefields. Reviving the Olympic Games seemed in his eyes the best solution to achieve both goals.

At a congress held from June 16-23, 1894 at the Sorbonne (University of Paris), he presented his thoughts and ideas to an international audience. On the last day of the congress (June 23), it was decided that the first Olympic Games of our time should be held in 1896 in Athens, in the ancestral country of the Games - Greece. To organize the Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded. The first president of the Committee was a Greek Demetrius Vikelas, who was president until the end of the First Olympic Games in 1896. Baron became General Secretary Pierre de Coubertin.

The first Games of our time were truly a great success. Despite the fact that only 241 athletes (14 countries) took part in the Games, the Games became the largest sporting event ever held since Ancient Greece. Greek officials were so pleased that they put forward a proposal to hold the Olympic Games “forever” in their homeland, Greece. But the IOC introduced rotation between different states so that every 4 years the Games change their location.

After the first success, the Olympic movement experienced the first crisis in its history. The 1900 Games in Paris (France) and the 1904 Games in St. Louis (Missouri, USA) were combined with the World Exhibitions. Sports competitions dragged on for months and attracted almost no interest from spectators. Almost only American athletes participated in the Games in St. Louis, since getting from Europe across the ocean in those years was very difficult for technical reasons.

At the 1906 Olympic Games in Athens (Greece), sports competitions and results again came first. Although the IOC initially recognized and supported the holding of these "interim Games" (just two years after the previous ones), these Games are now not recognized as Olympic Games. Some sports historians consider the 1906 Games to be the salvation of the Olympic idea, as they prevented the games from becoming “meaningless and unnecessary.”

Modern Olympic Games

The principles, rules and regulations of the Olympic Games are determined by the Olympic Charter, the foundations of which were approved by the International Sports Congress in Paris in 1894, which, at the suggestion of the French educator and public figure Pierre de Coubertin, decided to organize the Games on the model of the ancient ones and to create the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

According to the charter of the Games, the Olympics “... unite amateur athletes from all countries in fair and equal competitions. There shall be no discrimination against countries or individuals on racial, religious or political grounds...” The games are held in the first year of the Olympiad (4-year period between games). The Olympiads have been counted since 1896, when the first Olympic Games took place (I Olympiad - 1896-99). The Olympiad also receives its number in cases where the games are not held (for example, VI - in 1916-19, XII - 1940-43, XIII - 1944-47). The symbol of the Olympic Games is five fastened rings, symbolizing the unification of the five parts of the world in the Olympic movement, the so-called. Olympic rings. The color of the rings in the top row is blue for Europe, black for Africa, red for America, in the bottom row - yellow for Asia, green for Australia. In addition to Olympic sports, Organising Committee has the right to choose to include in the program exhibition competitions in 1-2 sports not recognized by the IOC. In the same year as the Olympics, the Winter Olympic Games have been held since 1924, which have their own numbering. Since 1994, the dates of the Winter Olympic Games have been shifted by 2 years relative to the summer ones. The location of the Olympics is chosen by the IOC; the right to organize them is granted to the city, not the country. Duration no more than 15 days (winter games - no more than 10).

The Olympic movement has its own emblem and flag, approved by the IOC at the suggestion of Coubertin in 1913. The emblem is the Olympic rings. The motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius (faster, higher, stronger). The flag is a white cloth with the Olympic rings, and has been flown at all Games since 1920.

Among the traditional rituals of the Games:

* lighting of the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony (the flame is lit from the sun's rays in Olympia and delivered by a torch relay of athletes to the host city of the Games);
* pronouncement of the Olympic oath by one of the outstanding athletes of the country in which the Olympics are taking place on behalf of all participants in the games;
* pronouncing an oath on impartial judging on behalf of the judges;
* presentation of medals to winners and prize-winners of competitions;
* raising the national flag and singing the national anthem in honor of the winners.

Since 1932, the host city has been building an “Olympic village” - a complex of residential premises for the participants of the games. According to the charter, the Games are a competition between individual athletes and not between national teams. However, since 1908 the so-called unofficial team standings - determining the place occupied by teams based on the number of medals received and points scored in competitions (points are awarded for the first 6 places according to the system: 1st place - 7 points, 2nd - 5, 3rd - 4, 4 -e - 3, 5th - 2, 6th - 1). The title of Olympic champion is the most honorable and coveted title in the career of an athlete in those sports in which Olympic tournaments are held. The exception is football, since the title of world champion in this sport is much more prestigious.