The contemporary Olympic Games or Olympics (French: Jeux olympiques) are the premier international athletic events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of competitors from all over the world compete in a wide range of activities. More over two hundred nations participate in the Olympic Games, making it the world’s premier sporting event. The Olympic Games are typically held every four years, and since 1994, the Summer and Winter Olympics have alternated every two years within the four-year period.
Their design was influenced by the ancient Olympic Games (ancient Greek: v), which were held in Olympia, Greece between the eighth century BCE and the fourth century CE. In 1894, Baron Pierre de Coubertin established the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which led to the first modern Olympic Games being held in Athens in 1896. The Olympic Charter outlines the IOC’s organisation and authority. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement.
Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the growth of the Olympic Movement has resulted in significant modifications to the Olympic Games. Among these modifications are the creation of the Winter Olympic Games for snow and ice sports, the Paralympic Games for athletes with disabilities, the Youth Olympic Games for athletes aged 14 to 18, the five Continental games (Pan American, African, Asian, and European), and the World Games for sports not contested in the Olympic Games. Additionally, the IOC supports the Deaflympics and the Special Olympics. The IOC has had to accommodate numerous economic, political, and technological developments. The Eastern Bloc nations’ violation of amateur regulations forced the IOC to move away from the pure amateurism envisioned by Coubertin and authorise the participation of professional athletes in the Games. The increasing significance of mass media has raised the problem of corporate sponsorship and the broader commercialization of the Olympics. World conflicts caused the cancellation of the 1916, 1940, and 1944 Olympics; boycotts during the Cold War reduced participation in the 1980 and 1984 Olympics; and the COVID-19 epidemic delayed the 2020 Olympics until 2021.
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The Olympic Movement is made up of international sports federations (IFs), national Olympic committees (NOCs), and organising bodies for each individual Olympic Games. The IOC, as the governing body, is responsible for selecting the host city for each Olympic Games and for organising and funding the Games in accordance with the Olympic Charter. The IOC also decides the Olympic programme, which includes the sports that will be contested during the Games. There are numerous rituals and symbols associated with the Olympics, including the Olympic flag and torch, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. At the 2016 Summer Olympics and 2018 Winter Olympics, over 14,000 participants competed in 35 different sports and over 400 events. Each event’s first, second, and third-place finishers get gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively.
Nearly every nation is currently represented at the Olympic Games, and colonies and overseas territories are permitted to enter their own teams. This expansion has generated several difficulties and issues, including as boycotts, doping, bribery, and terrorism. Athletes have the opportunity to achieve national and occasionally international fame every two years through the Olympics and its media exposure. The Games also provide the host city and nation the chance to promote themselves to the globe.
