The Games are a long played tradition adapted from the early Greek civilization. Athletes come together to compete in athletic events, such as wrestling and javelin, for honor and grace for the country they represent.
Today, the Olympic Games are just a little different than in ancient times. Now, athletes do not take as much honor in just competing and for love of the game as they do for winning. Some athletes resort to doping, which is using illegal drugs to increase the strength and capability of oneself. This is an increasing problem among athletes, and eventually will lead to serious health risks. Another difference is that today there are much more events, and anyone from a country can compete, not just free men who speak Greek. Also, in ancient times, the Games were always held at the city Olympia, as now they move to different cities every four years. Even though there are these differences, there is still honor in the Games today.
The history of the Olympic Games reaches back very far. The first Games were held in the year 776 B.C. It was a very simple contest with the events just being the sprint. Later on, more events were added, such as discus, javelin, wrestling, and long jump. The Games became very important to the people. They would even stop wars so that they could compete in the Games. Soon, the games became very evolved adding sports such as boxing, pankration, the pentathlon, and chariot races. The first recorded winner was Koroibos (www.aafla.org). The Byzantine emperor Theodosius in 394 A.D soon abolished the Games. .
When the Games were revived, they were brought back as the modern Olympic Games in 1896. The person responsible for bringing back the Games is the Baron Pierre de Coubertin. Coubertin was involved in sports as a child and he felt the Olympics would promote understanding and friendship among nations (www.hol.gr/greece/olympic.htm). He became the president of the IOC, or the International Olympic Committee.
