Ancient Greece is a kingdom of myths. Beautiful and moving mythological stories and twists and turns of folklore cast a layer of mystery on the origin of the ancient Olympic Games. Legend: The ancient Olympic Games were regularly held sports competitions to honor Zeus. Another legend relates to Hercules, the son of Zeus. Hercules was nicknamed "Hercules" because of his immense strength. He completed a task that ordinary people could not accomplish in the city-state of Elis. In less than half a day, he cleaned up the king's cowshed filled with cow dung. However, the king did not want to fulfill his promise of giving away 300 cows, so Hercule drove the king away in anger. To celebrate his victory, he held games at the Olympics.
The most widely circulated story about the origin of the ancient Olympic Games is the story of Pelops's marriage. In order to choose a consort with both civil and military skills for his daughter, King Elis of ancient Greece proposed that the candidate must compete with him in a chariot race. During the competition, 13 young men were killed by the king's spear, and the 14th young man was Pelops, the grandson of Zeus and the princess's sweetheart. Inspired by love, he bravely accepted the king's challenge and finally outsmarted him. In order to celebrate this victory, Pelops and the princess held a grand wedding in front of the Temple of Zeus in Olympia. Chariots, gladiatorial games and other competitions were arranged at the meeting. This was the first ancient Olympic Games. Pelops became the ancient Olympic Games. The legendary founder.
The origin of the Olympic Games is actually closely related to the social situation of ancient Greece. From the 9th to the 8th century BC, the Greek clan society gradually collapsed, and the city-state slave society gradually formed, with more than 200 city-states established. The city-states were independent, without a unified monarch, and there were constant wars between the city-states. In order to cope with the war, various city-states actively trained soldiers. Children in the Spartan city-state were raised by the state from the age of 7, engaged in sports and military training, and lived a military life. War requires soldiers, and soldiers need strong bodies, and sports are a powerful means to cultivate soldiers who are good at fighting. War promoted the development of Greek sports, and the events of the ancient Olympic Games also had obvious military imprints. The continuous wars have disgusted the people, and they generally long for a peaceful environment in which to rest and recuperate. Later, the King of Sparta and King Elis signed the "Holy Truce Month" treaty. As a result, military training and sports competitions to prepare troops gradually turned into games for peace and friendship.
The Greeks stipulated in 776 BC that a sports meeting should be held in Olympia every four years. During the Games, athletes from all over Greece and nearby people gathered in Olympia, a beautiful town in southern Greece. When the first Olympic Games were held here in 776 BC, Dorian Cross won the championship in the 192.27-meter sprint. He became the first person to win the first event in the International Olympic Games.
Later, the scale of the ancient Greek games gradually expanded and became a grand event to show the national spirit. The winners of the competition receive laurels, wild olives and palm woven garlands, etc. From 776 BC to 394 AD, after 1170 years, China held 293 ancient Olympic Games. Banned by the Roman Emperor in 394 AD.
From 1875 to 1881, the German Curtius excavated cultural relics at the Olympic site, which aroused interest from all over the world. For this reason, French educator Pierre de Coubertin believed that restoring the tradition of the ancient Greek Olympic Games was of great significance to promoting the development of international sports. With his advocacy and active efforts, the first international sports conference was held in Paris in June 1894. The International Sports Congress decided to call the world's comprehensive sports games the Olympic Games, and held the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, which would be held every four years in each member country in turn.
By 2004, 29 Olympic Games had been held.
The History of the Opening Ceremony The Olympic Games, known as the Games in ancient times, originated in ancient Greece and were named after the venue where they were held in Olympia. The ancient Greeks had a tradition of loving sports and competitions. Ancient Greece was divided into many city-states. In order to worship the gods, the city-states often held athletic competitions, which had a strong religious flavor. The sacred truce was implemented during the games to facilitate the free movement of citizens and to bring short-term peace to the endless wars between city-states, so it was generally welcomed. Among the many games, the largest and longest-lasting was the game held in Olympia to honor Zeus, the father of all gods, which is now known as the Ancient Olympic Games.
Flag Raising Ceremony The first ancient Olympic Games was held in 776 BC. After that, it was held every four years until 393 AD, when the Christian Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned all pagan activities and announced the abolition of the ancient Olympic Games. It lasted 1169 years and was held for 293 times. Decades later, Theodosius II burned down the Temple of Zeus, and later floods and earthquakes buried the ruins of the ancient Olympic Games underground.
In the mid-18th century, archaeologists excavated and rediscovered the ruins of the ancient Olympic Games. With the rise of modern sports, people are eager to resume the Olympic Games. From 1859 to 1889, the Greeks hosted four Olympic Games. In 1888, Baron P. de Coubertin of France proposed the resumption of the Olympic Games, and in 1892 he visited various European countries. After two years of running and raising, the International Sports Conference was held in Paris, France, in June 1894.
The International Olympic Committee was established on June 23, and June 23 has since been known as Olympic Day. The meeting also decided to hold the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, from April 6 to 15, 1896. From then on, it was held every four years in major cities on five continents in the world. If the Games cannot be held for any reason, the number of Olympic Games will still be counted.
The first Olympic regulations initiated and formulated by Coubertin were adopted at the Paris International Conference in June 1894. It involves the basic purposes, principles and other related matters of the Olympic Movement. The 1921 Lausanne Olympic Conference formulated the Olympic Law, which includes five parts: the Olympic Charter, the International Olympic Committee Statutes, the Olympic Competition Rules and Protocols, the General Rules for the Olympic Games, and the Olympic Parliament Rules. Over the decades, the Olympic Law has been revised and supplemented many times, but the basic principles and spirit formulated by Coubertin have not changed.
In 1900, at the second Olympic Games held in Paris, 11 women broke the ban and appeared on the sports field. After several debates, the International Olympic Committee finally officially passed a resolution allowing women to participate in the Olympic Games at its 22nd meeting in 1924. Since then, women's events have become an indispensable part of the Olympic Games, and more and more female athletes are participating.
With the development of the Olympic movement, the International Olympic Committee has also made many regulations. In 1913, based on Coubertin's idea, the International Olympic Committee designed the Olympic flag, which has an endless white background and five interlocking rings in the center. The colors of the rings are sky blue, yellow, black, green, and red. The ring symbolizes the unity of the five continents and the fact that athletes from all over the world meet at the Olympic Games with fair, frank competition and a spirit of friendship. In 1914, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the restoration of the modern Olympic movement, the flag was used for the first time at the Olympic Games held in Paris. During the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, the first five-ring flag was raised on the sports field. Since then, there have been flag handover and flag-raising ceremonies at the opening ceremonies of all subsequent Olympic Games. In order to promote the Olympic spirit and encourage participating athletes, Coubertin proposed and approved by the International Olympic Committee in 1913, "Faster, Higher, Stronger" was adopted as the Olympic motto. When the London Olympics was held in 1908, at the religious ceremony of the Olympic Games held in St. Paul's Cathedral, the Archbishop of Pennsylvania in the United States said in his sermon that "the important thing in the Olympics is participation, not victory." Coubertin greatly appreciated this sentence. It has been quoted many times since then, so many people believe that this sentence should become an Olympic ideal. The athletes' oath was implemented from the 7th Olympic Games in 1920. In 1968, the 19th Olympic Games added referee oaths. At the 11th Olympic Games in 1936, the International Olympic Committee officially stipulated that the Olympic flame symbolizing light, friendship, and unity should be lit at the main venue. Since then, this event has become one of the indispensable rituals at the opening ceremony of every Olympic Games. Before the start of the Olympic Games, a concave mirror was used to gather sunlight to light the torch next to the temple of the Greek goddess Hera (the wife of Zeus) in Olympia. The torch relay was then carried out and arrived at the host city the day before the opening of the Olympic Games. At the opening ceremony, athletes from the host country took the last shot to ignite the flames on the tower, and the flames were extinguished during the closing ceremony.