The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part.

It begins with ancient Greece. According to the legend Hercules was the founder of the first Olympic Games. An athletic festival with competitions in music and poetry began to attract the Greeks in the 8 th century.

The winners were given laurel wreaths. In the course of time the festival became so popular that not only athletes competed for the crown of wild olive but artists, poets, philosophers, orators and historians were trying to create immortal works dedicated to the unity and splendour of Hellenic civilization.

were held for nearly 12 centuries and were abolished in 394 AD by Theodosius 1, the Christian Emperor, on the ground of their pagan origin. At the end of the 19 th century Baron Pierre de Coubertin revived them. In 1994 he addressed the International Congress of Athletes emphasizing the importance of sports in the peoples life.

were held in Athens in 1896 to signify the succession of the tradition. Almost 300 athletes from 13 countries participated in 9 different sports.

Paris ( 1900) and London ( 1908).

was set up in it is the central policy – making body of the Olympic movement, formed by representatives of participant countries. The International Olympic Committee International Olympic Committee makes the ultimate decision as to the program of the Games, the number of participants, and where the Games of the next Olympiad are to be held.

There were no official symbols of the Games in ancient times, but the modern Olympics have different symbols. They are – the Olympic flag, the Olympic anthem, the Olympic creed, the motto, the Olympic Flame, the mascot, the parade.

Baron de Coubertin designed it in 1913 – it has five rings : blue, yellow, black, green, red. They represent the union of the five continents and the meeting of the athletes of the world at the Olympic games. It has been used since the 7 th Olympiad in Antwerp, Belgium in 1920.

It has been organized since the 9 th Olympiad at Amsterdam in all delegations parade in alphabetical order past the Lodge of Honour. But Greece is always the first and the last delegation is the host country. The Head of the host country declares the Games open, then the Olympic flag is raised and the Olympic Hymn is sung. Then the Olympic flame is lit that will burn till the end of the Games.

Immortal spirit of antiquity, father of the true, beautiful and good… It was adopted by the IOC in it is played when the Olympic Flag is raised in the opening ceremony and also when the Olympic Flag is lowered at the closing ceremony.

Citius, altius, fortius Faster, higher, stronger

The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part. Pierre da Coubertin got the idea for this phrase from a speech given by Bishop Ethelbert Talbot at a service for Olympic champions during the 1908 Olympic Games.

It was lit during the ancient Olympic Games. It has been lit every Olympiad since the opening ceremony of the Olympic games at Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1928.the Olympic torch has been carried from Olympia by torch bearers, one for each kilometer, about 340 in all.

First it appeared at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. It was Waldi, the dachshund. Since that time it has been one of the symbols of the Olympics. It has been an animal or a toy. It shows the geographical features, history and culture of the host city.

In these Games only amateurs, or non – professional athletes can take part. Each country sends teams for as many different events as possible. The winners of each event are given a certain number of points.

In 1896 almost 300 athletes from 13 countries participated in 9 different sports. From then the number of events on the programme have increased.