First Games

It is a secret to few that the first Olympic Games were held in Greece as early as 776 BC. The small village of Olympia was chosen as the location for the competition. At that time, competitions were held in only one discipline, which was running over a distance of 189 meters. Interesting feature, which distinguished the first Olympic Games in Greece, was that only men could take part in them. At the same time, they competed without shoes or any clothing on themselves. Among other things, only one woman, whose name was Demeter, received the right to observe the competition.

History of the Olympics

The first Olympic Games were a great success, so the tradition of holding them continued for another 1168 years. Already at that time it was decided to hold such competitions every four years. Confirmation of their great authority is the fact that during the competition between states that were at war, a temporary peace treaty was always concluded. Each new Olympics has received many changes compared to what the first Olympic Games were. First of all, we are talking about adding disciplines. At first it was running over other distances, and then long jumping, fist running, pentathlon, discus throwing, javelin throwing, dart throwing and many others were added to it. The winners were so highly respected that monuments were even erected to them in Greece. There were also difficulties. The most serious of them was the ban on the Games by Emperor Theodosius the First in 394 AD. The fact is that he considered this kind of competition to be pagan entertainment. And after another 128 years, a very big thing happened in Greece. strong earthquake, because of which the Games were forgotten for a long time.

Renaissance

In the mid-eighteenth century, the first attempts to revive the Olympics began. They began to become a reality about a hundred years later thanks to the French scientist Pierre de Coubertin. With the help of his compatriot, archaeologist Ernst Curtius, he, in fact, wrote new rules for conducting such competitions. The first Olympic Games of modern times began on April 6, 1896 in the Greek capital. Representatives of 13 countries from all over the planet took part in them. Russia, due to financial problems, did not send its athletes. The competitions took place in nine disciplines, including the following: gymnastics, shooting, track and field and weightlifting, wrestling, fencing, tennis, swimming and bicycle racing. Public interest in the Games was colossal, a clear confirmation of which is the presence at them, according to official data, of more than 90 thousand spectators. In 1924, it was decided to divide the Olympics into winter and summer.

Failed competitions

It happened that competitions were not held, despite the fact that they were planned. We are talking about the Berlin Games of 1916, the Helsinki Olympics of 1940, as well as the London competitions of 1944. The reason for this is one and the same - world wars. Now all Russians are looking forward to the first Olympic Games, which will be held on Russian territory. This will happen in Sochi in 2014.

Modern youth devote little time to sports, not only at the professional but also at the amateur level. An extensive network of competitions operates to popularize the sport. Today we will look at which country the Olympic competitions originated in, when they were held, and the situation today.

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Sports competitions of antiquity

The date of the first Olympic Games (hereinafter referred to as the Olympic Games) is unknown, but remains them - Ancient Greece. The heyday of Hellenic statehood led to the formation of a religious and cultural holiday, which for a time united the layers of selfish society.

Worship of the beauty of the human body was actively cultivated; enlightened people sought to achieve perfection of form. It is not for nothing that most marble statues from the Greek period depict beautiful men and women of that time.

Olympia is considered the first “sports” city of Hellas; here, the winners of the championships were revered as full-fledged participants in hostilities. In 776 BC. revived the festival.

The reason for the decline of the Olympic Games is Roman expansion into the Balkans. With the spread of the Christian faith, such holidays began to be considered pagan. In 394, Emperor Theodosius I banned sports competitions.

Attention! Sports competitions provided for several weeks of neutrality - it was forbidden to declare or wage war. Every day was considered sacred dedicated to the gods. It is not surprising that the Olympic Games originated in Hellas.

Prerequisites for the revival of the Olympic Games

The ideas of world championships never completely died; England held tournaments and sports competitions of a local nature. The history of the 19th century Olympic Games is characterized by the holding of Olympia, the predecessor of modern competitions. The idea belongs to the Greeks: To Sutsos and public figure Zappas. They made the first modern Olympic Games possible.

Archaeologists have discovered clusters of ancient monumental structures of unknown purpose in the country where sports competitions originated. of those years was very interested in Antiquity.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin considered the physical training of soldiers inappropriate. In his opinion, this was the reason for the defeat in the last war with the Germans (the Franco-Prussian confrontation of 1870-1871). He sought to instill in the French a desire for self-development. He believed that young people should “break spears” in sports arenas, and not through military conflicts.

Attention! Excavations on the territory of Greece were carried out by a German expedition, so Coubertin succumbed to revanchist sentiments. His expression “The German people found the remains of Olympia. Why shouldn’t France restore the fragments of its former power?”, often serves as fair evidence.

Baron with a big heart

is the founder modern Olympic Games. Let's spend a few words on his biography.

Little Pierre was born on January 1, 1863 in the capital of the French Empire. The youth passed through the prism of self-education, attended a number of prestigious colleges in England and America, and considered sport an integral part of the development of a person as an individual. He played rugby and was a referee in the first final of the French championship.

The history of the famous competitions was of interest to the society of that time, so Coubertin decided to hold competitions on a global scale. November 1892 was remembered for his presentation at the Sorbonne University. It was dedicated to the revival of the Olympic movement. Russian General Butovsky was imbued with Pierre's ideas, as he held the same views.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) appointed de Coubertin general secretary, subsequently – president of the organization. Work went hand in hand with imminent marriage. In 1895, Marie Rotan became a baroness. The marriage brought two children: the first-born Jacques and daughter Renee suffered from illnesses nervous system. The Coubertin family was interrupted after the death of Marie at the age of 101. She lived with the knowledge that her husband had revived the Olympic Games and occupied a prominent position.

With the beginning, Pierre went to the front, leaving social activities. Both of his nephews died on the way to victory.

While serving as head of the IOC, Coubertin often faced criticism. The public was outraged by the “wrong” interpretation of the first Olympic Games and excessive professionalism. Many claimed that he abused his power in dealing with various issues.

Great public figure died September 2, 1937 year in Geneva (Switzerland). His heart became part of a monument near the ruins of Greek Olympia.

Important! The Pierre de Coubertin Medal has been awarded by the IOC since the death of the honorary president. Deserving athletes are recognized with this award for their generosity and adherence to the spirit of Fair Play.

Revival of the Olympic Games

The French baron revived the Olympic Games, but the bureaucratic machine delayed the championship. Two years later, the French Congress made a historic decision: the first Olympic Games of our time will take place on Greek soil. Among the reasons for this decision are:

• the desire to “outdo the nose” of a German neighbor;
• make a good impression on civilized countries;
• championship in an undeveloped area;
• the growing influence of France as a cultural and sports center of the Old World.

The first Olympic Games of modern times took place in the Greek polis of Antiquity - Athens (1896). The sports competition was a success; 241 athletes expressed a desire to participate. The Greek side was so pleased with the attention from world states that they proposed to hold competitions “forever” on their historical homeland. The IOC decided on rotation between countries in order to change the host country every 4 years.

The first achievements gave way to a crisis. The stream of spectators quickly dried up, as the competitions were held for several months. The first Olympics in 1906 (Athens) saved the disastrous situation.

Attention! The national team came to the capital of France for the first time Russian Empire, women were allowed to participate in competitions.

Irish Olympian

James ConnollyJames Connolly – first Olympic champion peace. Working hard from an early age, he became interested in contact sports.

He studied at Harvard University and, without permission, went on a cargo ship to the shores of Greece. Subsequently he was expelled, but the first Olympiad succumbed to him.

With a result of 13 m and 71 cm, the Irishman was the strongest in the athletics triple jump. A day later, he won bronze in the long jump and silver in the high jump.

At home, he was awaited by the restored title of student, popularity and universal recognition as the first modern champion of famous competitions.

He was awarded the title of Doctor of Science in Literature (1949). He died at the age of 88 (January 20, 1957).

Important! The Olympic Games are held under the supervision of a unique symbol - five interconnected rings. They symbolize the unity of everyone in the movement of sports improvement. At the top are blue, black and red, at the bottom are yellow and green.

Situation today

Modern competitions are the founder of the culture of health and sports. Their popularity and demand is beyond doubt, and the number of participants and spectators of the competition is growing every year.

The IOC is trying to keep up with the times and has established many traditions that have taken root over time. Sports competitions are now full of atmosphere"ancient" traditions:

1. Grand performances at the opening and closing ceremonies. Everyone tries to carry them out in a big way, some of them overdo it.
2. Ceremonial passage of athletes from each participating country. The Greek team always goes first, the rest are in alphabetical order.
3. The outstanding athlete of the receiving party must take an oath of fair fight for everyone.
4. Lighting of a symbolic torch in the Temple of Apollo (Greece). It travels to participating countries. Each athlete must complete his part of the relay.
5. The presentation of medals is filled with centuries-old traditions, the winner rises to the podium, above which the national flag rises, and the national anthem is played.
6. A prerequisite is the “first Olympics” symbolism. The host party develops a stylized symbol of the sports festival that would reflect the national flavor.

Attention! The release of souvenirs can cover the costs of the event. Many European countries will share their experience on how to gain without losing anything.

Many people are interested in when the Olympic Games will take place, we hasten to satisfy the interest of readers.

Symbolic torch lighting ceremony in the temple

What year is the new championship?

First Olympics 2018 will take place in South Korea. Climatic features and rapid development made it an ideal candidate for hosting the Winter Games.

Summer is hosted by Japan. The country of high technology will provide safety and comfortable conditions for athletes from all over the world.

The football confrontation will take place on the fields Russian Federation. Now most of the sports facilities have been completed, and work is underway to equip hotel complexes. Improving infrastructure is a priority for the Russian government.

2018 Olympics in South Korea

Prospects

Modern ways of developing these competitions suggest:

1. Increasing the number of sports disciplines.
2. Promoting a healthy lifestyle, social and charitable events.
3. Introduction of advanced technologies for the convenience of celebrations, increased security, and comfort of participating athletes.
4. Maximum distance from foreign policy intrigues.

First Olympic Games

1896 Olympics

Conclusion

Pierre de Coubertin is the founder of the modern Olympic Games. His obsession has helped save millions of lives as countries compete openly in the sporting arena. Preserving peace was a priority at the end of the 19th century, and remains so today.

Older than Christ

The very first Olympic Games were held in 776 BC, in Ancient Greece, on the shore small river Anthea, in the village of Olympia. The program of the first Olympics consisted of only one discipline - running 193 meters (one stage). Only naked men took part in the competition, and they were not even allowed to wear sandals. Women were forbidden to be present at the stadium, with the only exception being the priestess of the goddess Demeter.

Expanding the repertoire

The Olympic Games were held every four years, during which a truce was declared between warring states and cities, and all wars were prohibited. At each Olympics, new types of competitions appeared: running not only a stage, but also two stages (diaulos), and 24 stages (dolichodromo), running in combat clothing and with weapons, throwing a dart at a target, long jumping with dumbbells, discus throwing, fisticuffs, pentathlon. The winners of the Olympics were revered no less than the Gods; they were given statues and gifts.

There will be no more demonic games!

The Olympic Games were held for 1168 years, and already in 394 AD, the Roman Emperor Theodosius the First banned the competition, citing the fact that it was pagan entertainment. And 128 years later, as a result of a powerful earthquake, the Olympic buildings were wiped off the face of the earth.

Only in the 18th century did excavations begin in the area of ​​​​ancient Olympia, and only in late XIX century, the scientist Baron Pierre de Coubertin, inspired by the works of the French archaeologist Ernst Curtius, revived the Olympic Games and wrote a set of rules for their holding - the Olympic Charter.

Return of the Olympics

Thus, the first Olympic Games of modern times were competitions held in Athens on April 6, 1896. Athletes from 13 countries took part in the competition: Australia, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Denmark, USA, France, Chile, Switzerland, Sweden. Russian athletes were unable to take part in the competition due to financial difficulties. The Olympic program included nine sports disciplines: classical wrestling, cycling, gymnastics, athletics, swimming, shooting, tennis, weightlifting and fencing. More than 80 thousand spectators were present at the new recreated stadium.

IN new history Several Olympic Games did not take place due to world wars: VI Olympic Games in Berlin (1916), XII Olympic Games in Helsinki (1940), XIII Olympic Games in London (1944). But, despite this, the numbering of the Games is preserved, and not a single Games is considered lost.

The emergence of winter games

Since 1924, the Olympic Games have been divided into winter and summer. This is how the numbering of the winter Olympics began (I Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix) and continued with the summer ones (VIII Summer Olympic Games in Paris). And in 1992, the last time the winter and summer Olympics were held in the same year. The next XVII Winter Olympic Games were held two years later (1994) in Lillehammer, and the XXVI Summer Olympic Games were held two years later (1996) in Atlanta.

In the 18th century, during archaeological excavations in Olympia, scientists discovered ancient sports facilities. But archaeologists soon stopped studying them. And only 100 years later the Germans joined the study of the discovered objects. At the same time, for the first time they started talking about the possibility of reviving the Olympic movement.

The main inspirer of the revival of the Olympic movement was the French baron Pierre de Coubertin, who helped German researchers study the discovered monuments. He also had his own interest in the development of this project, since he believed that it was the weak physical training French soldiers became the reason for their defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. In addition, the baron wanted to create a movement that would unite young people and help establish friendly relations between different countries. In 1894, he voiced his proposals at an international congress, where it was decided to hold the first Olympic Games in their homeland - in Athens.

The first Games became a real discovery for the whole world and were a huge success. In total, 241 athletes from 14 countries took part in them. The success of this event inspired the Greeks so much that they proposed making Athens the venue for the Olympics on a permanent basis. However, the first International Olympic Committee, which was founded two years before the start of the first Games, rejected this idea and decided that it was necessary to establish rotation between states for the right to host the Olympics every four years.

The First International Olympic Games took place from April 6 to April 15, 1896. Only men took part in the competition. 10 sports were taken as a basis. These are classical wrestling, cycling, gymnastics, swimming, shooting, tennis, weightlifting, fencing. In all these disciplines, 43 sets of medals were competed. The Greek Olympians took the lead, the Americans came in second, and the Germans took bronze.

The organizers of the first Games wanted to make them a competition among amateurs, in which professionals could not take part. After all, according to members of the IOC committee, those athletes who have a financial interest initially have an advantage over amateurs. And this is not fair.

Related article

The next Olympic Games will be held in late summer 2012. The previous competition took place two years ago - it was the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Despite the fact that these were already the 21st Winter Olympic Games, several “premieres” took place at them.

The emblem of the games was a hero named Ilanaak - “friend”, made up of five stones of Olympic colors. Two of the games' mottos were borrowed from the Canadian anthem: the French phrase "Most Brilliant Deeds" and the English phrase "With Burning Hearts."

Amendments were made to the original scenario for the opening of the Olympics. A few hours before the ceremony, news of a tragedy became known - a luge athlete from Georgia crashed during training. The ceremony included a minute of silence, and the Georgian national team came out wearing mourning bands.

During the lighting of the Olympic flame, a small incident occurred. For the first time, four athletes participated in the procedure. But due to a technical failure, only three “grooves” appeared leading to the main torch. However, during the closing ceremony this situation was played out ironically. The same guilty “electrician” appeared on the stage, he apologized and removed the missing fourth element in the design of the Olympic flame.

The main stadium for the games was BC-Place in downtown Vancouver, designed for 55 thousand spectators. In addition, some competitions took place in Whistler, Richmond and West Vancouver.

From February 12 to 28, 82 teams competed for prizes in 15 disciplines. Compared to the previous Olympic Games, the list of disciplines has been expanded: ski cross competitions have been added, separately for men and women.

The medals at the Vancouver Winter Olympics were unique, stylized in the traditions of indigenous art in Canada. For the first time in the history of the Olympics, the awards were not flat, but with a wavy surface.

The Russians remember these games as one of the most unsuccessful for the national team. The Winter Olympics became a record failure - the Russians showed the worst results in terms of the number of gold medals and place in the team event. In the medal standings, the team was only 11th in the table. The hosts of the XXI Winter Olympic Games took first place in terms of the number of gold medals, Germany took second place, and the US team took third place.

From February 12 to February 28, 2010, the XXI Olympic Winter Games were held in the Canadian city of Vancouver. These two weeks have been filled with many sporting events. Participants and spectators became heroes and witnesses of victories and defeats, doping scandals, the struggle for Olympic medals and, unfortunately, even tragic events. This Olympics for the Russian team became the most unsuccessful in the entire history of the Games.

From the very beginning, the Olympic Games in Vancouver were marked by an absurd tragedy: even before the opening of the Games, several athletes were injured on the luge and bobsleigh track, and a young promising athlete from the Georgian team, Nodar Kumaritashvili, died after crashing into a metal support. Therefore, the opening ceremony of the Olympics began with a minute of silence.

But then events developed according to plan, despite the too warm weather and problems with demonstrators and strikers protesting against globalization. The very next day, the usual Olympic routine began, the first official competition took place - K-90 ski jumping, in the final of which the Swiss Simon Ammann won, who opened the scoring for Vancouver's medals.

Russian skiers did not start their performances very well, and as a result they only got fourth places, which the coaches attributed to poor selection ski wax. The first Olympic medal for the Russian team was won by speed skater Ivan Skobrev, who took third place in the 5 km distance.

The Russian team continued to be plagued by setbacks: biathlete Niyaz Nabeev, on whom great hopes were placed, was removed from participation in the competition due to an elevated level of hemoglobin in the blood. In the first match with the Finns, the Russian hockey players lost with a score of 1:5 and actually immediately dropped out of the fight for medals. For the first time in many years, there were no Russian athletes in the pairs competition either.

The first gold for Russia was won by sprint skiers Nikita Kryukov and Alexander Panzhinsky only on the 5th day of the Olympics. Evgeni Plushenko, who was predicted to have gold in figure skating, took only second place, which also became an unpleasant surprise and a reason for long debate. Success accompanied the ice dancers, skiers in the team sprint, biathletes and lugers, who added several more medals to the Russian team's treasury. For the first time in the history of Russian sports, Ekaterina Ilyukhina won a gold medal in snowboarding. In the unofficial team competition, the Russian team was only 11th in the number of Olympic medals.

At the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games, Vancouver passed the baton to the Russian city of Sochi. Let's hope it's the next one

Five rings and the slogan “Faster. Higher. Stronger" are some of the most recognizable symbols in the world. The Olympic Games are criticized for being politicized, pompous, expensive, and doping scandals, but they are always eagerly awaited. The modern Olympic Games turn 120 this year, but of course their history goes back much, much further.

According to one of the myths, King Oenomaus, the ruler of the city of Pisa, organized sports competitions for those who wanted to marry his daughter Hippodamia. Moreover, the conditions of these competitions were obviously losing - all because Oenomaus was predicted that his son-in-law would be the cause of his death. The young people lost their lives one after another, and only the cunning Pelops managed to overtake his future father-in-law in chariot races, so successfully that Oenomaus broke his neck. The prediction nevertheless came true, and the new king, to celebrate, ordered a sports festival to be held in Olympia every four years.

The well-known word “gymnastics,” according to one version, comes from the ancient Greek “gymnos,” which means “naked.” It was in this form that ancient athletes participated in competitions, so in those days the organizers of the games significantly saved on sportswear. Some, such as wrestlers, also rubbed themselves with oil to make it easier to slip out of the opponent’s grip.

According to another version, the Olympic Games were founded by none other than the main ancient Greek superman, Hercules. Having cleared the Augean stables, the hero not only did not receive the promised reward, but also received a royal kick in the ass. Naturally, the demigod was offended and after a while returned with a large army. Having destroyed the offender morally and physically, Hercules, in gratitude for his help, made a sacrifice to the gods and personally planted an entire olive grove around the sacred plain in honor of the goddess Athena. And on the plain itself he ordered regular sports competitions to be held.

According to ancient historians, the first Olympic Games took place during the reign of King Iphitus (approximately 884–828 BC). Iphit, the king of Elis, on whose territory Olympia was located, was very concerned about what was happening in the state and beyond. At that time, Greece was a seething cauldron, where many small, disparate kingdoms were constantly at war with each other. Iphit went to Lycurgus, the king of Sparta, and said that he no longer wanted to fight, but wanted to organize sports competitions. Lycurgus liked the idea, and the other warring rulers also agreed. As a result, Elis received neutral status and immunity in exchange for the fact that nationwide sports tournaments would be held at Olympia every four years. During the games, all wars stopped. The Olympic Games united Greece, tormented by civil strife, which, however, did not stop the states from fighting with each other the rest of the time before and after the games.

However, even ancient Greek historians were not sure about exact date, therefore, they considered the first Olympics to be competitions about which they had more or less accurate information. These games took place in 776 BC. BC, and Korebus of Elis won the race.

The only type of ancient Olympic competition for the first thirteen games was running. Then - the pentathlon, which includes running, long jump, javelin throw, discus throw and wrestling itself. Later, fist fighting and chariot racing were added. The program of the modern Olympic Games includes 28 summer and 7 winter sports, respectively 41 and 15 disciplines, depending on the season.

With the arrival of the Romans, a lot changed. If previously only Hellenic athletes could take part in the games, then after Greece was annexed to the Empire, the national composition of participants expanded. In addition, gladiator fights were added to the program. The Hellenes gritted their teeth, but had to endure it. True, not for long - after official religion Christianity became the empire; the event, as pagan, was banned by Emperor Theodosius I. In 394 AD. e. the games were cancelled, and a year later many Olympic buildings were destroyed during the war with the barbarians. Olympia, like Atlantis, disappeared from the face of the earth.

Olympia today

However, the Olympic Games did not sink into oblivion forever, although they had to remain in oblivion for fifteen long centuries. Ironically, the first step towards the revival of the Olympic Games was made by a church leader - the Benedictine monk Bernard de Montfaucon, who was very interested in the history of Ancient Greece and was convinced that it was necessary to conduct excavations at the site where the legendary Olympia had previously been located. Soon, many European scientists and public figures of the 18th century began talking about the need to find her.

In 1766, the English traveler Richard Chandler discovered the ruins of some ancient structures near Mount Kronos in Greece. It turned out that the find was part of the wall of a huge temple. In 1824, archaeologist Lord Stanhof began excavations on the banks of the Alpheus, then French archaeologists took up the baton in 1828–1829. In October 1875, German specialists under the leadership of Ernst Curtius continued the excavations of Olympia. Inspired by the results of archaeological research, public and sports figures gave entire lectures about the delights of the Olympic movement and the need for its revival. Government officials listened to them attentively and nodded in agreement, but for some reason they refused to allocate funds for the games.

And yet, finally, there was someone who managed to convince everyone: the Olympic Games are exactly what humanity needs. It was the French public figure Pierre de Coubertin. He was sincerely convinced that the ideas of the Olympic movement carried within them the spirit of freedom, peaceful competition, harmony and physical improvement. Coubertin found many supporters around the world. On November 25, 1892, he gave a lecture on “The Olympic Renaissance” in Paris, the main idea which was that sport should be international. Coubertin called his contemporaries the heirs of the great Hellenic civilization, which elevated the harmonious development of man, intellectual and physical perfection into a cult.

At the end of the 19th century, the international sports movement gradually began to gain momentum. With the growth of cultural and economic ties between countries, international sports associations began to appear and international competitions were organized. This was the ideal moment to implement Coubertin's ideas. Together with friends and associates, he organized the Founding Congress, where supporters of the Olympic movement from all over the world were to gather. A meeting of two thousand delegates from twelve countries took place in June 1894 at the Sorbonne. It was there that a unanimous decision was made to revive the Olympic Games and establish the International Olympic Committee. At the same time, national Olympic committees were created. They decided to hold the first international competitions in 1896 in Athens. The Olympic Games were revived in the same place where they originated - in Greece.

The first resumed games became the largest sporting event of their time. The Greek authorities, inspired by the success, proposed to permanently hold the games on their territory, but this clearly contradicted the spirit of internationalism, and the IOC decided to choose a new location for the Olympics every four years. Gradually, attributes and rituals of the games appeared that have now become familiar: the emblem and flag, the Olympic oath and mascots, the parade, the opening and closing ceremonies, the Olympic torch relay. It’s hard to imagine these competitions without them.

Unlike the ancient games, during which armed conflicts ceased, the modern Olympic Games were not held three times due to world wars - in 1916, 1940 and 1944. And the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich was overshadowed by a terrorist attack: Palestinian terrorists took Israeli team members hostage. The liberation operation completely failed due to poor organization - eleven athletes were killed.

Since 1924, the Winter Olympics have been added to the classic Olympic Games - Summer. At first the games were held in one year, but since 1994 the Winter and Summer Games began to alternate every two years.

In our country, the Olympic Games have been held twice. The first Olympics took place in 1980 in the USSR, the second, Winter, in 2014 in Sochi. Hosting the Games has always been very important for the prestige of any state, so there is always a tense struggle for the right to host athletes from all over the world. And, of course, there is a fight for medals - only the best representatives of their country go to the competition. And although the games are considered individual competitions between individual athletes, the result is invariably determined by the number of “precious metals” earned by the entire team. The funny thing is that, according to the original plan of Pierre de Coubertin, these were competitions exclusively for amateur athletes, but now the Olympics are a purely professional sport. And, of course, a spectacular show and big money - where would we be without it?