History

About Olympic games in general

Olympic games are the leading international sporting event, not between countries, but between sportsmen either in individual or in team disciplines. They gather athletes, who are chosen by their national Olympic committees and whose applications were accepted by the International Olympic committee, or IOC. Together with their sports associations, they compete for the leadership of all international associations.

Olimpijski krugovi 2

Olympic Games consist of Summer and Winter Olympic games. These take place once in every four years, switching places every two years. The highest body for any issues concerning the Olympics is IOC.

Historic background

French pedagogue and humanist Pierre de Coubertin, who was very interested in antique history, came to the idea that the Olympic games should be renewed, so that they could give sports organizational as well as humane content. Thanks to his persistence, Founding congress of International Olympic committee was organised in Paris in 1894, for which Coubertin himself set up the rules. In the great theater on Paris Sorbonne in 1894, 79 delegates and 49 sports associations from 12 countries unanimously accepted the decision to renew Olympic games.

The primary Congress of the International Olympic committee decided that first renewed Olympic games were to be held in the capital of Greece and cradle of Olympic games, Athens, in 1986. Very first principle of modern Olympic games, established by Pierre Coubertin, was that there should not be any discrimination of the athletes, based on either race, religion, nationality or politics. By renewing Olympic games, besides the competitions, Mr Coubertin wanted to renew the spirit of the grand ceremony as well. That is why, beside the competition of the sportsmen, Swedes introduced competitions of the artists in 1912. This pratice held on for next seven games, and after London games in 1948, it has been cancelled.

The word Olympiad

Word "Olympiad" stands for a period of four consecutive years, which starts by the opening of the Olympic games and ends at the opening of the following Games. Olympiad stars four years after the previous one begun, no matter if the Games themselves have taken place or not. Olympiads are counted consecutively since the first modern age Olympic games, which were held in Athens in 1896.