THE OLYMPIC GAMES 

The Olympic Games first started in 776 BC on the plains of ancient Olympia in the western part of Peloponnisos. Since that time they continuously took place there every four years for 12 centuries until they were terminated by the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius in 393 AD. 

The ancient Games lasted five days and consisted of horse and chariot races, the throwing of discus and javelin, foot races and combat sports. They were basically a religious affair dedicated to the gods, particularly Zeus. The award of the winners was an olive wreath. For those who were three time winners, their cities erected statues in their honor and they were also adorned with gifts. Women were not admitted to the Games. They were not allowed to take part, not even to attend them. Historical records tell of a woman that was once permitted to attend the Games as she was the mother of three athletes who were also champions. 

In modern times it was the scholar Dimitrios Vikelas together with the French educator and scholar Pierre de Coubertin who thought of the revival of the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee founded on June 23 1894 decided that the Games would start again and take place every four years in a different place, moving from country to country. 

The first modern Olympic Games took place in Athens in 1896. They started on April 6^th, which was Easter Sunday in that year, with a crowd of 100,000 people. 295 athletes from fifteen countries took part in the first Olympiad. Some sports like running, wrestling, long jump and discus throwing had survived from the Ancient Games, but new ones were also added like cycling, fencing and shooting. The winner of the 42 kilometer Marathon race was the Greek Spyros Louis. During the first Olympiads of those years, medals were awarded only to those who came first and second.  

The Olympic Games have their own anthem. The words of the hymn were written by the Greek national poet Kostis Palamas (1869-1941) and the music was composed by the popular Greek composer Spyros Samaras (1861-1917). The Olympic anthem was first heard at the 1958 Tokyo Olympiad. 

The Olympic Games have their own flag. The flag is white with five interlocking circles. Each circle has different colors which are blue, black, red, yellow and green. The circles represent and symbolize the union of the five continents.  

At the opening ceremony of every Games one athlete from the host country takes the Olympic oath on behalf of all athletes taking part. The Olympic oath was first introduced in the Belgium Games of 1920. 

The Olympic Games have their own flame and torch and this is a tradition which has survived from ancient times. In ancient Greece there was a sacred flame which was ignited by the sun and burned continually on the altar of the goddess Hera during the five days for which the Games lasted.  Every four years now, some months before the start of each Olympiad, a ceremony takes place in Olympia. During this ceremony the Olympic torch is lit by the sun and is taken by the delegation of that year's host country. It then starts a long journey until it reaches the host city on the day of the opening ceremony. The same torch is used to light the flame at the Olympic stadium of the host city and burns until it is extinguished at the closing ceremony. 

The Olympic Games have their own museum. It is in Lausanne, Switzerland where the Headquarters of the International Olympic Committee are located. The museum, situated near the Lausanne lakefront, contains exhibits about the history and development of the Olympic Games. The museum also includes works of art, audio visual displays, conference facilities and a library with thousands of documents relating to the Games and the spirit of Olympicism. 

The next Olympics will take place in the country that first organized this event almost 30 centuries ago. Athens will host the next Olympic Games from 13 to 29 August 2004. It will also host the Para Olympics in September 2004. 

The celebrations will start in May 2004 with the lighting of the torch in Olympia. The torch will be carried to each of the five continents. It is scheduled to travel round the world for 35 days, visiting 27 cities and will return to Athens for the opening ceremony on August 13th. It will pass from runner to runner on this round the world journey and it is estimated that about 10,000 athletes will carry the torch on its world wide route. Each one will carry the torch for 300-500 metres. 

At this Olympiad, once again, the world will take some steps forward by looking back into history. In ancient Greece during the Games, all countries agreed to stop all warfare for the duration of the Games. Greece is trying to re-establish this idea. Today the Greek authorities are working hard on this initiative to persuade all countries to sign a truce. Some have already done so.

        We are all looking forward to this event that unites all peoples and countries of the world for a fair contest. Athletes must not forget that: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well." These words represent the beliefs and principles of the Olympic Games throughout the ages.