Every four years, countries from all over the world get together. But not to talk. To play sports! The Olympic Games is a sports competition. They are sometimes just called the Olympics.
There are two kinds of Olympic Games. There are the summer games. In the Summer Olympics, countries compete in sports like running, swimming, and gymnastics.
There are the winter games. In the Winter Olympics, countries compete in sports like skiing, skating, and ice hockey.
Many people around the world look forward to the Olympics. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, 205 countries took part. There were 302 events. There were more than 10,000 athletes. But when they first started, there was only one event. There was only one country taking part.
The first Olympic Games took place in ancient Greece. The ancient Greeks held them more than 2,500 years ago. They were different from the Olympic Games we have today. We call theirs the Ancient Olympics. The name comes from Olympia, the name of a city. It was where the first Olympic Games took place.
The ancient Greeks loved to compete. Almost all ancient Greek cities sent teams to participate in the games. The first Ancient Olympics lasted only one day. The first event was a running race. It was called the stadion. Runners ran for 192 metres. It was the length of the stadium.
Around 70 years later, a new event was introduced. It was called the pentathlon. This involved five events: wrestling, running, long jump, javelin and discus. Training for this event was seen as military training. They thought the skills were useful in battle.
We still have these events today. But in today's games, the long jump, javelin, and discus are separate events.
Later, more events were introduced. There were chariot races. There were horse races.
The Greeks loved the Olympic Games. Eventually, the Ancient Olympics stopped because of war. In 1896, the Modern Olympics started again. A Frenchman held the games in Athens, Greece.
In 1960, the Paralympics was introduced. It is modified for people with disabilities. At first there were just 8 sports. Now there are 28. 22 are summer sports. 6 are winter sports.
Athletes inspire people with disabilities around the world. They show them that they can achieve great things.
Today, many people enjoy watching the Olympics and Paralympics. What is your favourite event?