Part 1
Becky Kospanova
On August 12, the Summer Olympic Games of 2012 in London have come to a spectacular end. The United States earned 104 medals including 46 gold, 29 silver, and 29 bronze, outperforming all the other countries by a big margin. China, Russian Federation, and Great Britain have also impressed the world community by receiving 88, 82, and 65 medals respectively. All in all, 204 countries participated in 2012 Summer Olympics and 79 of them have earned Olympic medals.
The Olympic Games is probably the only worldwide event which brings forward the best in people of all nationalities-celebration of human body and spirit, patriotism, pride in their compatriots, and true respect for athletes from different parts of the world. Religious, ideological, national, and political differences are put aside; and everywhere, people wholeheartedly embrace heart and soul of the Olympic Games. When and why did the tradition of holding Olympic Games start?
The very first Olympic Games were held in ancient Greece because Greek culture valued physical and mental health, strength, and beauty to a great degree. The first recorded Olympic competition took place in 776 BC and held only one event — the 192-meter race. It was won by a cook named Coroebus (interesting trivia-he was so far ahead of his competitors that in the middle of the race he stopped to have some wine to fortify himself)! Who thus became the very first Olympian champion! As a result, the tradition to have
Competitions every four years, or Olympiad, as that was the way the Greeks recorded their history, was born.
For the first 13 Olympiads, only races were held; but over the years, other sports such as pentathlon (which included sprint, wrestling, javelin, jumping, and discus) and pancration (combination of wrestling and boxing) were added. At first, only Greeks were allowed to compete but eventually, athletes from Roman Empire were allowed to participate as well. After the Roman victory over Greece in 100 BC, the initial emphasis on personal honor, physical strength, and achievement gave way to glory-seeking and Olympic spirit deteriorated. In 394 AD, the Christian Roman Emperor Theodosius the First abolished the Olympic Games because he believed that they were the manifestations of pagan beliefs.
Starting in the 17th century, various sporting events were held in England and France which tried to revive the Olympic traditions. In the 19th century, many Greek intellectuals and businessmen called for the reconstitution of the Olympic Games and in 1856, Evangelos and Konstantinos Zappas, wealthy Greek-Romanian brothers, offered to sponsor first Olympic Games which were held in 1859 in Athens between Greek and Turkish sportsmen. Moreover, the brothers financed the restoration of the Panathinaiko Stadium where first official Olympic Games were held in 1896 and where athletes from 14 countries competed in 43 events.
Many people rejoiced at the rebirth of the Olympiad and suggested that all subsequent Games were to be held at the Panathinaiko Stadium. However, the International Olympic Committee, founded in 1890 by
French educationalist and historian Pierre de Coubertin, disagreed. It was decided that the Olympic Games will be rotated internationally every four years. As such, the 31st summer Olympiad of 2016 is coming to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!
