Olympic Cities: A History of Hosting the Olympic Games
The Olympic Games are one of the world's most prestigious sporting events, attracting athletes from around the globe to compete in a variety of different sports. The Games were first held in ancient Greece as a way to honor the gods, and were held every four years at the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia. The Games were initially only open to male athletes who were freeborn and Greek, but were later opened to athletes from other city-states as well. The ancient Olympic Games were highly religious in nature, and featured a number of different events, including foot races, boxing, wrestling, and chariot racing. The Games were a time of great celebration and religious festivals, and were considered one of the most important events in the ancient Greek world. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Olympic Games fell into obscurity, and were not held again until the late 19th century. In 1894, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded, and the first modern Olympic Games were hel...