奥运会英文简介超短_奥运会英文简介
1.奥运会的英文资料
2.如何用英语介绍奥运会的起源和历史〔古代，现代〕？
3.求有关奥运方面的英文常识！！！
4.用几句英文介绍奥运会
5.关于冬奥会的知识英文是什么?
6.用英文介绍一下奥运会
The Winter Olympic Games are called the Winter Olympic Games and the Winter Olympic Games for short.
Mainly held by the world, is the world's largest comprehensive winter games, held every four years.
The participating countries are mainly distributed around the world, including Europe, Africa, America, Asia and Oceania.
The first edition was held in 1924, and 23 editions he been held every four years until 2018.
The 24th Winter Olympic Games will be held in Beijing and Zhangjiakou, China, from February 4 to February 20, 2022.
冬季奥林匹克运动会简称为冬季奥运会、冬奥会。
主要由全世界地区举行，是世界规模最大的冬季综合性运动会，每四年举办一届。
参与国主要分布在世界各地，包括欧洲、非洲、美洲、亚洲、大洋洲。
自1924年开始第1届，截至2018年共举办了23届，每四年一届。
第24届冬季奥林匹克运动会于2022年2月4日至2月20日在中国北京和张家口举行。
2022冬奥会吉祥物
2019年9月17日晚，2022年北京冬奥会和冬残奥会吉祥物在北京市石景山区首钢园区国家冬季运动训练中心冰球馆揭开神秘面纱。
北京冬奥会吉祥物名为“冰墩墩”，形象来源于国宝大熊猫。熊猫是世界公认的中国国宝，形象友好可爱、憨态可掬，深受各国人民尤其是青少年的喜爱。
以上内容参考：百度百科-冬季奥林匹克运动会
以上内容参考：百度百科-2022年北京冬季奥运会
奥运会的英文资料
下面的2022冬奥会英文介绍主要从冬奥会的项目和意义上进行叙述，具体如下：
Introduction to the 2022 Winter Olympics, the 2022 Winter Olympics is the 24th Winter Olympics, and the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics will consist of 6 major events (Paralympic Alpine Skiing, Paralympic Biathlon, Paralympic Cross Country) skiing, Paralympic snowboarding, Paralympic ice hockey, wheelchair curling) and 78 events.
By hosting the Winter Olympics, we can further invigorate the national spirit, publicize China's splendid civilization and excellent culture, demonstrate the strength and spiritual outlook of a great country, and enhance national cohesion and pride.
对照译文：
2022年冬奥会简介，2022年的冬季奥运会是第二十四届冬奥会，北京2022年冬残奥会共设6个大项（残奥高山滑雪、残奥冬季两项、残奥越野滑雪、残奥单板滑雪、残奥冰球、轮椅冰壶）和78个小项。
通过承办冬奥会，可以进一步振奋民族精神，宣传中华灿烂文明和优秀文化，展示大国实力和精神风貌，增强民族凝聚力和自豪感。
如何用英语介绍奥运会的起源和历史〔古代，现代〕？
History of the Olympic Games
Ancient Olympic Games
Chronology of athletic events added to the Olympic Games
Myths and the Olympic Games
Pelops myth
Hercules myth
The Importance of the Olympic Games
The Importance of Ancient Greek Athletics
The Religious Aspects of the Ancient Olympic Games
The Olympic Games and the Greek Calendar
The Sacred Truce
The internationalization of the Olympic Games
Modern Olympic Games
Highlights of Modern Olympic Games
International Olympic Committee
Official Olympic Anthem (Greek & English)
Host Cities of Olympic Games
Sydney for Olympic Games of 2000
Athens for Olympic Games of 2004
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Ancient Olympic Games
The Olympic Games begun at Olympia in Greece in 776 BC. The Greek calendar was based on the Olympiad, the four-year period between games. The games were staged in the wooded valley of Olympia in Elis. Here the Greeks erected statues and built temples in a grove dedicated to Zeus, supreme among the gods. The greatest shrine was an ivory and gold statue of Zeus. Created by the sculptor Phidias, it was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Scholars he speculated that the games in 776 BC were not the first games, but rather the first games held after they were organized into festivals held every four years as a result of a peace agreement between the city-states of Elis and Pisa. The Eleans traced the founding of the Olympic games to their King Iphitos, who was told by the Delphi Oracle to plant the olive tree from which the victors' wreaths were made.
According to Hippias of Elis, who compiled a list of Olympic victors c.400 BC, at first the only Olympic event was a 200-yard dash, called a stadium. This was the only event until 724 BC, when a two-stadia race was added. Two years later the 24-stadia event began, and in 708 the pentathlon was added and wrestling became part of the games. This pentathlon, a five-event match consisted of running, wrestling, leaping, throwing the discus, and hurling the jelin. In time boxing, a chariot race, and other events were included.
The victors of these early games were crowned with wreaths from a sacred olive tree that grew behind the temple of Zeus. According to tradition this tree was planted by Hercules (Heracles), founder of the games. The winners marched around the grove to the accompaniment of a flute while admirers chanted songs written by a prominent poet.
The Olympic Games were held without interruptions in ancient Greece. The games were even held in 480 BC during the Persian Wars, and coincided with the Battle of Thermopylae. Although the Olympic games were never suspended, the games of 364 BC were not considered Olympic since the Arkadians had captured the sanctuary and reorganized the games.
After the Battle of Chaironeia in 338 BC, Philip of Makedon and his son Alexander gained control over the Greek city-states. They erected the Philippeion (a family memorial) in the sanctuary, and held political meetings at Olympia during each Olympiad. In 146 BC, the Romans gained control of Greece and, therefore, of the Olympic games. In 85 BC, the Roman general Sulla plundered the sanctuary to finance his campaign against Mithridates. Sulla also moved the 175th Olympiad (80 BC) to Rome.
The games were held every four years from 776 BC to 393 AD, when they were abolished by the Christian Byzantine Emperor Theodosius I. The ancient Olympic Games lasted for 1170 years.
The successful campaign to revive the Olympics was started in France by Baron Pierre de Coubertin late in the 19th century. The first of the modern Summer Games opened on Sunday, March 24, 1896, in Athens, Greece. The first race was won by an American college student named James Connolly.
Chronology of athletic events added to the Olympic Games
According to the tradition of Hippias of Elis ca. 400 BC, the events of the Olympic Games were added to the program in the following order.
Year
Olympiad
Event
776 BC
1st Olympiad
Stadium race
724 BC
14th Olympiad
double-stadium race
720 BC
15th Olympiad
long-distance race
708 BC
18th Olympiad
Pentathlon
708 BC
18th Olympiad
Wrestling
688 BC
23rd Olympiad
Boxing
680 BC
25th Olympiad
4-horse chariot race
648 BC
33rd Olympiad
horse race
648 BC
33rd Olympiad
Pankration
520 BC
65th Olympiad
race in armor
408 BC
93rd Olympiad
2-horse chariot race
Myths and the Olympic Games
Pelops myth
There are several Greek myths about how the games were started. The most common myth was the story of the hero Pelops, after whom the Peloponnese is named ("Pelops’ isle"). The story of Pelops was displayed prominently on the east pedimental sculptures of the Temple of Zeus. Pelops was a prince from Lydia in Asia Minor who sought the hand of Hippodamia, the daughter of King Oinomaos of Pisa. Oinomaos challenged his daughter's suitors to a chariot race under the guarantee that any young man who won the chariot race could he Hippodamia as a wife. Any young man who lost the race would be beheaded, and the heads would be used as decoration for the palace of Oinomaos. With the help of his charioteer Myrtilos, Pelops devised a plan to beat Oinomaos in the chariot race. Pelops and Myrtilos secretly replaced the bronze linchpins of the King's chariot with linchpins made of wax. When Oinomaos was about to pass Pelops in the chariot race, the wax melted and Oinomaos was thrown to his death. Pelops married Hippodamia and instituted the Olympic games to celebrate his victory. A different version of the myth refers to the Olympic games as funeral games in the memory of Oinomaos.
Hercules (Herakles) myth
Another myth about the origin of the Olympic Games comes from the Tenth Olympian Ode of the poet Pindar. He tells the story of how Herakles, on his fifth labor, had to clean the stables of King Augeas of Elis. Herakles roached Augeas and promised to clean the stables for the price of one-tenth of the king's cattle. Augeas agreed, and Herakles rerouted the Kladeos and Alpheos rivers to flow through the stables. Augeas did not fulfill his promise, however, and after Herakles had finished his labors he returned to Elis and waged war on Augeas. Herakles sacked the city of Elis and instituted the Olympic Games in honor of his father, Zeus. It is said that Herakles taught men how to wrestle and measured out the stadium, or the length of the footrace.
The Importance of the Olympic Games
The Importance of Ancient Greek Athletics
The ancient Greeks were highly competitive and believed strongly in the concept of "agon", or "competition" or "contest". The ultimate Greek goal was to be the best. All aspects of life, especially athletics, were centered around this concept. It was therefore considered one of the greatest honors to win a victory at Olympia. The fact that the only prize given at Olympia was an olive wreath illustrates this point. The athletes competed for honor, not for material goods.
Athletics were of prime importance to the Greeks. The education of boys concentrated on athletics and music as well as academic subjects such as philosophy. Education took place in the gymnasion and the palaistra as well as the academy.
The Religious Aspects of the Ancient Olympic Games
In ancient Greece, games were closely connected to the worship of the gods and heroes. Games were held as part of religious ceremonies in honor of deceased heroes, a concept displayed in the funeral games for Patroklos in Book 23 of Homer's epic poem, The Iliad. Games were also held in the context of many ancient fertility festivals. The games at Olympia were connected with both the funeral games of Oinomaos, established by Pelops, and a fertility cult involving any number of gods and goddesses who were worshipped at the site. The Olympic games began to be usurped by the prominent cult of Zeus, and eventually lost much of their religious character.
The Olympic Games and the Greek Calendar
The Greek calendar was based on the conception of the four-year Olympiad. When Greek historians referred to dates, they most often referred to a year (i.e., first, second, third, fourth) within the Olympiad that the event occurred. The winner of the stadium race in a given year had the Olympiad named in honor of him. The first Olympiad is therefore known as that of Koroibos of Elis, the winner of the stadium race in 776 BC.
The Sacred Truce
The sacred truce was instituted during the month of the Olympiad. Messengers known as "spondorophoroi" carried the word of the truce and announced the date of the games all over the Greek world. The truce called for a cessation of all hostilities for a period of one month (later three months) to allow for the safe trel of athletes to and from Olympia. Armies and armed individuals were barred from entering the sanctuary. In addition, no death penalties could be carried out during the period of the truce.
The Internationalization of the Olympic Games
From the beginning, the games at Olympia served as a bond between Greeks and strengthened the Greek sense of national unity. During the Hellenistic period, Greeks who came to live in foreign surroundings such as Syria, Asia, and Egypt, strove to hold on to their culture. One of the ways to achieve this was to build athletic facilities and continue their athletic traditions. They organized competitions, and sent compes from their towns to compete in the Panhellenic games.
In the 2nd century A.D., Roman citizenship was extended to everyone within the Roman empire. From then on, the participation of many compes from outside of Greece in the Olympic games, ge them to a degree, international nature.
When the Greek reinstated the games in 1896, this international character of the competitions was preserved by Baron de Coubertin. Now, 16 centuries later, the Olympic games attract compes from countries all over the world.
Modern Olympic Games
The best amateur athletes in the world match skill and endurance in a series of contests called the Olympic Games. Almost every nation sends teams of selected athletes to take part. The purposes of the Olympic Games are to foster the ideal of a "sound mind in a sound body" and to promote friendship among nations.
The modern Olympic Games are named for athletic contests held in ancient Greece for almost 12 centuries. They were banned in AD 394 but were revived and made international in 1896. The Winter Games were added in 1924. World War I and World War II forced cancellation of the Olympics in 1916, 1940, and 1944, but they resumed in 1948 and are held every four years. After 1992 the Winter and Summer Games were no longer held within the same calendar year. Winter Games were scheduled for 1994, after only a two-year interval, and every four years thereafter. The Summer Games were scheduled for 1996, and every four years thereafter.
Summer and Winter Sports
Summer sports include archery, basketball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, equestrian events (horseback riding), fencing, field hockey, gymnastics, handball, judo, rowing, shooting, , swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo, weight lifting, wrestling, and yachting. Winter events include skating, skiing, bobsledding, luge, tobogganing, ice hockey, and the biathlon (skiing-shooting).
参考资料：
求有关奥运方面的英文常识！！！
The Olympic Games , or Olympics, is an international multi-sport event taking place every fourth year. Originally held in ancient Greece, they were revived by a French nobleman, Pierre Frèdy, Baron de Coubertin in the late 19th century. The Games of the Olympiad, better known as the Summer Olympics, he been held every fourth year since 1896, with the exception of the years during the World Wars.
Before the 10s the Games were officially limited to compes with amateur status, but in the 1980s many events were opened to professional athletes. Currently the Games are open to all, even the top professional athletes in basketball and football (). The ancient Olympic Games included several of the sports that are now part of the Summer Games program, which at times has included events in as many as 32 different sports. In 1924 the Winter Games were sanctioned for winter sports. The Olympic Games he come to be regarded as the world's foremost sports competition.
用几句英文介绍奥运会
奥运会英文文章：://zhidao.baidu/question/5362903.html?si=1
2008北京奥运会：the BEIJING 2008 Olympic Games - Games of the XXIX Olympiad
我们通过一些句子来增强对奥运会的了解：
The international Olympic Committee constituted itself on 23rd June 1894.国际奥委会于1894年6月23日成立。
The Olympic symbol, the five interlocking rings, represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of the athletes of the world at the Olympic Games.奥林匹克的标志是五个相连的圆环，它代表着五大洲的团结和全世界运动员在奥运会上相聚一堂。
The official languages of the IOC are French and English.国际奥委会的官方语言是法语和英语。
The Olympic flame is a symbol reminiscent of the ancient Olympic Games.奥运圣火是人们缅怀古代奥运会的象征。
The Olympic Games consist of the Games of the Olympiad and the Olympic Winter Games. Both take place every four years.奥运会包括夏季奥运会和冬季奥运会，它们都是每四年举办一次。
The Olympic Games shall be proclaimed open by the Head of State of the host country.奥运会由东道国国家元首宣布开幕。
The delegation parade in alphabetical order according to the language of the host country, except for Greece, which leads the parade, and for the host country which brings up the rear.代表团按东道国语言文字的字母顺序入场。希腊和东道国例外，希腊代表团第一个入场，东道国代表团最后一个入场。
市民奥运英语100句
I. Good Wishes 祝愿用语
1. Good Luck！祝你顺利(祝你好运)！
2. All the best！祝你万事如意！
3. He a good trip! 旅途愉快！
4. Wish you a success！祝你成功！
5. He a good day! 祝你今天开心！
6. I hope to see you soon.我希望不久见到你。
7. Congratulations! 祝贺(你)！／恭喜！
8. Hy birthday! 生日快乐！
9. I wish you the best of health! 祝你身体健康！
10. Long live our friendship! 愿我们友谊长存！
II. Asking for and offering help请求提供帮助
11. Could you help me? 你能帮助我吗?
12. Would you please do me a for? 能帮我个忙吗？
13. Would you please give me a hand? 帮我个忙好吗?
14. What can I do for you? 您需要什么帮助?
15. Can（May）I help you? 我可以帮你吗？
16. Let me help you. 我来帮助你。
17. It's very kind of you! 你真是太好啦!
III. Asking the Way 问路
18. Excuse me, can you tell me the way to the station?
劳驾, 请问去车站怎么走?
19. Straight on. 一直往前走。
20. Go down this street. Then turn left. 沿这条街走下去, 然后朝左拐。
21. Turn right at the second crossing. 在第二个路口往右拐。
22. I'm sorry. I he no idea where it is. 对不起，我不知道它在哪儿。
23. Thank you all the same. 尽管如此, 还是要谢谢你。
24. Is it far from here? 离这儿远吗?
25. Yes. You'd better take a bus. 远，你最好坐公共汽车去。
26. It's about 1 kilometer from here. 距这里约一公里。
27. Excuse me, does the Bus No. 4 stop at the China Trade Center? 劳驾，
4路公共汽车在国贸停吗？
28. How long is the ride? 坐车要用多长时间？
29. It will take about 20/twenty minutes. 大概需要20分钟。
30. Thank you very much. 非常感谢。It's a pleasure. 乐意为您效劳。
IV. Shopping 购物用语
31. Can I help you? 您要买点什么？
32. Yes, I'd like to buy a book. 是的, 我要买本书。
33. Ok. Here you are. 行，给你。
34. How much is it? 多少钱?
35. It is seven yuan and fifty cents. 十七块五。
36. May I help you? 您要买什么?
37. Yes, I want to buy a shirt. 是的, 我想买一件衬衫。
38. What color/size/style do you want? 要什么颜色/尺寸/样子的?
39. A blue/red/green/yellow/white/black one. 蓝色的/红/绿/黄/白/黑
40. It's wonderful. I like it very much. 真不错。我非常喜欢。
41. All right. I'll take it. 好的, 我买这件衬衫。
42. Where can I pay? 在哪付款？
43. You can pay at the cashier over there. 您可以在那边的收银台付款。
44. Can I use my credit card? 我能使用吗？
45. Sure. Go ahead. 当然。请便。
46. Here's your change/receipt. 这是找您的钱／给您的收据。
47. Thanks for your good service. 谢谢你的热情服务！
48. Do come again, please. 欢迎再来。
49. Thank you. 谢谢！You're welcome. 不用谢。
V. Restaurant English 饭馆英语
50. May I he a look at the menu/wine list? 请给我看看菜谱／酒水单。
51. What's the specialty of this restaurant? 这个餐馆的的招牌菜是什么？
52. Are you ready to order? 您现在可以点菜了吗？
53. I'd like something spicy. 我想吃些辣的东西。
54. What do you recommend? 有什么菜可以推荐一下吗？
55. The steak sounds good to me. 听起来牛排不错。
56. I'm full. I can't eat any more. 我饱了，不能再吃了。
57. Bill, please. 劳驾，结帐。
58. Keep the change. 不用找零钱了。
VI. Time, Days and Months 时间、星期和月份
59. What time is it? 几点了?
60. It's 6∶00 o'clock. 六点了。
61. Excuse me, could you tell me the time? 劳驾,请问现在几点了?
62. It's half past ten. 现在十点半。
63. Excuse me, he you got the time, please? 对不起, 请问现在几点了?
64. It's a quarter to nine. 现在差一刻九点。
65. What day is it today? 今天是星期几?
66. It's Sunday/Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday. 今天是星期天／周一／周二／周三／周四／周五／周六。
67. What's the date today? 今天几号？
68. Today is Aug. 2nd. 今天是八月二号。
69. What month is it? 今天是几月份?
70. It's January/Feburary/March/April/May/June/July/August/September
/October/November/December. 现在是一月／二月／三月／四月／五月／六月／七月／八月／九月／十月／十一月／十二月。
71. When were you born? 你哪年初生的？
72. I was born in 1949/nine forty-nine. 我1949年初生的。
VII. Entertaining Guests 招待客人
73. Hello! 您好! How are you doing? 你好吗？
74. Hello! Welcome to our unit (home)! Sit down, please. 你好! 欢迎到我们单位(家)来!请坐。
75. Would you like a cigarette? 您吸烟吗？
76. No. Thanks. 不，我不吸烟。谢谢。
77. Would you like to drink something, coffee, tea or cola? 您想喝点儿什么，咖啡、茶，还是可乐？
78. Tea is fine with me. Thank you. 喝茶就行了。谢谢！
79. Help yourself to some fruits. 请随便吃点儿水果。
80. Give /Pass me a cup of tea/a glass of water, please! 请递给我一杯茶/。
81. Cheers! 干杯！
82. To our friendship! 为我们的友谊干杯!
83. Thanks a lot. 多谢。
VIII. Other Expressions 其它用语
84. What's the weather like today? 今天天气怎么样?
85. It's fine today. 今天天气很好。
86. Lovely day, isn't it? 天气很好,是吧?
87. Autumn is the best season here. 秋天是这里最好的季节。
88. Where are you from? 您是哪里人?
89. I'm from Hong Kong. 我是香港人。
90. Are you American? 你是美国人吗?
91. No, I'm Chinese. 不,我是中国人。
IX. Saying Goodbye 话别
92. When are you off? 你什么时候走?
93. I'm flying back on Sunday. 我星期天坐飞机回去。
94. Goodbye then and all the very best! 再见了, 祝你顺利!
95. Please say hello to your family. 请代问你的家人好。
96. I hope you'll come back to China again! 希望你能再来中国!
. I'll do that. 我一定来。
98. See you again in the near future. 后会有期！
99. Take care. 多保重。
100. Goodbye! (See you！)再见!
希望你用得着
关于冬奥会的知识英文是什么?
第29届夏季奥林匹克运动会，又称2008年北京奥运会，于2008年8月8日在中华人民共和国首都北京开幕，2008年8月24日闭幕。主办城市是中国首都北京，参赛国家及地区204个，参赛运动员11438人，设302项（28种运动），共有60000多名运动员、教练员和官员参加北京奥运会。本届北京奥运会共创造43项新世界纪录及132项新奥运纪录，共有87个国家在赛事中取得奖牌，中国以51面金牌居奖牌榜首名，是奥运历史上首个登上金牌榜首的亚洲国家。
29th Summer Olympic Games, also known as the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games opened in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, on August 8, 2008, closing on August 24, 2008. Host city of Beijing, capital of China, 204 participating countries and regions, 11438 athletes set 302 (28 sports), a total of more than 60,000 athletes, es and officials to participate in the Beijing Olympic Games. The Beijing Olympic Games to create a total of 43 new world records and 132 new Olympic record, a total of 87 countries to win a medal in the race, winning 51 gold medals ranking Medals top name is the history of the Olympic Games first boarded the gold medal championship Asia countries.
用英文介绍一下奥运会
关于冬奥会的知识英文有：
The Winter Olympic Games is the largest comprehensive Winter Games in the world.
冬季奥林匹克运动会是世界规模最大的冬季综合性运动会。
It is held every four years and has been held alternately with the summer Olympic Games since 1994.
每四年举办一届，1994年起与夏季奥林匹克运动会相间举行。
Participating countries are mainly distributed all over the world, including Europe, Africa, America, Asia and Oceania.
参与国主要分布在世界各地，包括欧洲、非洲、美洲、亚洲、大洋洲。
冬奥会介绍：
冬季奥林匹克运动会（Olympic Winter Games）简称为冬季奥运会、冬奥会。主要由全世界地区举行，是世界规模最大的冬季综合性运动会，每四年举办一届，1994年起与夏季奥林匹克运动会相间举行。参与国主要分布在世界各地，包括欧洲、非洲、美洲、亚洲、大洋洲。由国际奥林匹克委员会（International Olympic Committee）主办。按实际举行次数计算届数。
1986年，国际奥委会全会决定把冬季奥运会和夏季奥运会从1994年起分开，每两年间隔举行，1992年冬季奥运会是最后一届与夏季奥运会同年举行的冬奥会。自1924年开始第1届，截至2018年共举办了23届，每四年一届。
第24届冬季奥林匹克运动会于2022年2月4日至2月20日在中国北京和张家口举行。2022年1月14日，联合国邮政管理局宣布，为庆祝2022年北京冬奥会的召开，联合国发行主题为“体育促进和平”的邮票。这是联合国首次为冬奥会发行邮票。
帮你找了一篇有关Olympic Games的介绍，难度适中，希望我的回答对你有所帮助！^_^
Olympic Games
Every four years, athletes from around the world come together to compete in the Olympic Games. Do you know why this event is called the Olympics? The games were first held at Olympia in ancient Greece. The ancient Olympic Games honored the Greek god Zeus. Today, the Olympic Games are held in different cities around the world.
THE ANCIENT GAMES
We know that the ancient Olympics began as far back as 776 bc. That’s when the Greeks began keeping records of the winners. The ancient Games continued until about ad 392, more than 1,000 years!
Athletes came from cities throughout Greece to compete in races, boxing and wrestling matches, gymnastics, and weightlifting. They also threw spears, hurled a discus (bronze disk), and jumped for distance. Wealthy Greeks raced their horses. Winners were crowned with wreaths of olive or palm lees.
The ancient Olympic Games were not just a sporting event, however. There were competitions in poetry, music, speechmaking, and other arts as well.
At the beginning and end of the Games, animals were sacrificed (killed and offered) to Zeus. A splendid temple was built at Olympia in Zeus’s honor. When people stopped worshiping the Greek gods, the Olympic Games were canceled.
THE MODERN GAMES
The Olympic Games were brought back in 1896. The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, the capital of Greece. Only nine countries participated in the first Games, and all the athletes were male.
Today, some 10,000 athletes compete in the Olympic Games, and nearly half of them are female. They represent about 200 nations.
At first, the modern Olympics included only summer sports, such as swimming, rowing, and track and field. Figure skating was added in 1908, and ice hockey in 1920.
The first winter Olympic Games were held in 1924. More winter sports were later added to the Winter Games, including downhill skiing, bobsledding, and ski jumping. Snowboarding and freestyle skiing followed in the 1990s.
From 1924 through 1992, the Winter Games and the Summer Games took place in the same year. After 1992, the next Winter Games were moved up two years, to 1994. Winter Games and Summer Games now occur two years apart. Each of these Games takes place every four years.
GOING FOR THE GOLD
After each Olympic event, medals are awarded to the compes who finish in first, second, and third place. First-place winners receive a gold medal. Those who finish in second place receive a silver medal, and those in third place, a bronze medal.
Olympic athletes often dazzle the world. In 1912, Jim Thorpe of the United States won the gold medal for two of the most difficult contests in track and field: the pentathlon, which consists of five different events, and the decathlon, which consists of ten events. Thorpe is still the only athlete to he won the pentathlon and decathlon at the same Olympics.
In 1932, Babe Didrikson of the United States became the only Olympic athlete ever to win medals in separate running, jumping, and throwing events. Four years later, African American track star Jesse Owens won four gold medals.
During the 10s, the thrilling performances of Olga Korbut of the Soviet Union and Nadia Comaneci of Romania inspired a generation of girls to take up gymnastics. Also in the 10s, American Mark Spitz amazed the world by winning a total of seven gold medals in swimming. In the 1980s and 1990s, Carl Lewis of the United States won a total of nine Olympic gold medals in track-and-field events. Sarah Hughes charmed audiences as she skated her way to a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. The star of the Summer Olympics in 2004 was American swimmer Michael Phelps, who won a total of eight medals.