Why are the olympics called the olympics?
90018
Because the first gathering of athletes to determine who was the champion of their sport was held on Mount Olympus, in Greece in ancient times.
164340
Each country is able to submit a team of performers....usually it's only three per event, but I guess sometimes its more.  Despite this, each athlete usually goes through qualifier rounds just to get to the finals..in which case you don't usually see more than 3 athletes per country.  They send three because the Olympics rewards three spots...Gold, Silver, and Bronze.  So rather than competing for the top spot, athletes compete for all three spots.  It's about being the world's best athlete...not the world's best athletic country.
93298
Olympic Rings\n\nThe Olympic Rings were created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1913 and first displayed on the Olympic Flag in 1920. The Olympic symbol of five interlocked rings represents the five original continents (or the five continents that are represented in the games): \n\nAfrica\nAmerica (North & South)\nAsia\nAustralia\nEurope \n\nand the meeting of the athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games. The five colors of the rings blue, black and red (top) and yellow and green (bottom) were chosen since one of these colors can be found in the flag of each competing nation.
70037
Really, no wonder people think that the world is heading in the wrong direction! The Winter Olympics are the biggest sporting festival in the world, second only to the Summer Games. How can you be so darn negative?
313834
The first Olympics were held in ancient Greece around 700 B.C. If you mean the first modern Olympics, they started in 1896 in Athens.
153678
Because people like you dont understand the importance of them.  These are the world's best athletes all competing together. Many people dream of competing in these games. It is also a symbol of peace and cooperation between all participating nations.
76221
War?  Don't you mean Olympics?
165142
The Special Olympics are an organisation that have a federal, national and international structure.
27036
Obviously this way, with the Summer and Winter Olympics not falling in the same year, it keeps people talking about it more often. And when they were both in the same year, I think it was easier to overlook Winter, since the Summer Olympics are more popular.
885229
I have a better idea. Why not include olympics into 20-20?
567735
Who says the Olympics are about unity? The Olympics are about sport, and sportmanship...There are plenty of examples throughout Olympic history where an athlete has chosen to forego competition in observation of the Sabbath or other religious rites. See "Chariots of Fire"\n\nThis is purely between the athlete and their faith, it's not the responsibility of the Olympic organizers to accomodate the religious requirements of every athlete. Instead, it's up to the athlete to decide for themselves if they wish to observe the requirements of their faith.
143946
Head over to the IOC Olympic Games website... and you would have the following list... You can even jump around the years and find out some interesting facts and figures. As well as results from all of the games. \n\nSUMMER: Athens 1896; Paris 1900; St. Louis 1904; London 1908; Stockholm 1912; Antwerp 1920; Paris 1924; Amsterdam 1928; Los Angeles 1932; Berlin 1936; London 1948; Helsinki 1952; Melbourne 1956; Rome 1960; Tokyo 1964; Mexico City 1968; Munich 1972; Montreal 1976; Moscow 1980; Los Angeles 1984; Seoul 1988; Barcelona 1992; Atlanta 1996; Sydney 2000; Athens 2004; Beijing 2008; London 2012\n\nWINTER: Chamonix 1924; St. Moritz 1928; Lake Placid 1932; Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936; St. Moritz 1948; Oslo 1952; Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956; Squaw Valley 1960; Innsbruck 1964; Grenoble 1968; Sapporo 1972; Innsbruck 1976; Lake Placid 1980; Sarajevo 1984; Calgary 1988; Albertville 1992; Lillehammer 1994; Nagano 1998; Salt Lake City 2002; Torinio 2006; Vancouver 2010
139828
Olympics were always happening in a period of 4 years in those 12 centuries when sure the original Greek Olympics were practiced – that is between 776 B C and 394, defended as “Pagan” from emp. Theodosius – one year after finally introducing Christianism as official state religion – with imperial edict about the Universal Faith “de Fide Catholica”. Greek Olympics were like known dedicated to Zeus (greatest from Olympic Gods) and were happening in “Olympic city” of Olympia – great religious center dedicated to Zeus’ cult in Elis, Northwest of Peloponnesus, burned by another “zealous” Christian – that is from order of Byzantine emp. Theodosius II in 426. \nThe meaning of Olympics was not dedicated to the spectacle, like following from a Roman slogan of “bread and circuses” dedicated to Roman plebeians, but to the spiritual, moral and physical perfection and achievement (in Olympics were also participating the poets, philosophers and orators), festivities and contests of the Olympics were the most important social and cultural event for Greek Oikoumene – Greek World (in Roman period participation of Roman citizens was also allowed), declaring “Sacred Peace” in whole Hellas, and the Greek system of chronology was also based on period of Olympics, starting with first Olympics in 776 B C, that is how for example start of Roman chronology starting in 753 (legendary date proposed from a Roman author Varro, based on Antique legends) with foundation of city of Rome (A. U. C. – Ad Urbe Condita) was so defined for Greeks as “third year of the Sixth Olympiad”. Olympiad being the period between two Olympic games and 776 the start of keeping official lists of winners in Games – chronology kept in Greece until 394. \nIn 1896 baron Pierre de Coubertin (born in Paris, 1863) was restoring the ancient Olympic games as World International Sports event. Eminent public activist and figure, pedagogue, historian, literary man, fascinated by great Hellenic culture, he was refusing military career for dedicating himself to reform of national educational system, problems of physical education and development of International Sportive Movement, in 1894 by his initiative is hold in Paris International Sportive Congress taking decision of reviving and restoring the Antique Olympic Games which are held in 1896 in Athens (15 centuries after last Antique games). He is the one elaborating fundamental principles of Olympic Movement and of holding the Olympic Games, writing the text of the oath for the Olympic athletes, and is the one elaborating the emblem and flag of Olympic Movement in 1913 as being already in 1896-25 the second president of International Olympic Committee (after Greek D. Vikelas in 1894-96). By his own wish his heart is buried in 1936 in the ancient Olympia – Homeland of the Olympics. \nThe known now emblem and flag of the Olympic movement were established from the International Olympic Committee at Congress in 1914 by proposal of the founder of Movement and president of Committee baron Pierre de Coubertin designing symbol in 1913. The emblem is having the 5 interlocked rings – 3 on the first and 2 on second line, representing the union and brotherhood of athletes from 5 parts of World and of those 5 parts united from Olympic Movement. The idea of Coubertin was that Sport and Olympic movement should spread the principles of the peace, cooperation and union for World. Indeed on 5th Olympics in Stockholm in 1912 the participants came for first time representing all “five parts” of World. Flag and emblem appeared officially only on the Olympic Games in Antwerp in 1920 as the games of 1916 were missed because of First World War. The rings are had both as emblem and present on white flag (symbolizing peace and unity) of the Olympic movement. \nThe five rings are confused from some with “five continents”, what is missed there is that idea was not representing the continents but parts of the
889358
The first ancient olympics games were held around 776 BC in athens.....thats the earliest known date.\n\nThe first modern day olympics was held in 1896 at athens.  hope this helps
211508
A History of the Olympics\n\nAccording to legend, the ancient Olympic Games were founded by Heracles (the Roman Hercules), a son of Zeus. Yet the first Olympic Games for which we still have written records were held in 776 BCE (though it is generally believed that the Games had been going on for many years already). At this Olympic Games, a naked runner, Coroebus (a cook from Elis), won the sole event at the Olympics, the stade - a run of approximately 192 meters (210 yards). This made Coroebus the very first Olympic champion in history.\n\nThe ancient Olympic Games grew and continued to be played every four years for nearly 1200 years. In 393 CE, the Roman emperor Theodosius I, a Christian, abolished the Games because of their pagan influences.\n\nApproximately 1500 years later, a young Frenchmen named Pierre de Coubertin began their revival. Coubertin is now known as le Rénovateur. Coubertin was a French aristocrat born on January 1, 1863. He was only seven years old when France was overrun by the Germans during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Some believe that Coubertin attributed the defeat of France not to its military skills but rather to the French soldiers' lack of vigor.* After examining the education of the German, British, and American children, Coubertin decided that it was exercise, more specifically sports, that made a well-rounded and vigorous person. ....
421969
There are no definite facts as to who invented the games.  One story goes that the Ancient games were nothing more than the funeral rites to the dead king Pelops.\n\nAnother says that the games originated when Hercules won a foot-race at Olympia, and then gave the order that the same race take place every four years.  This is an interesting story, as Pausanias says that initially the only event was a race.\n\nAs for the number of competetors...I don't think there was a limit.  The only limits imposed were that the athlete had to speak Greek, was 'young' and had been training for 10 months.
585404
The Summer Olympics (Games of the Olympiad) have been held every fourth year starting in 1896, with the exception of the years during the World Wars.\n\nA special edition for winter sports, the Olympic Winter Games, was first held in 1924. The first winter Olympics competitions were originally held as a non-Olympic sports festival, but were declared to be official Games by the International Olympic Committee in 1925. Originally these were held in the same year as the Summer Olympics, but from 1994 the Winter Games and the Summer Games are held two years apart.\n\nThere are many legends surrounding the origin of the ancient Olympic Games. One of these associates the first Games with the ancient Greek concept of εκεχειρία (ekecheiria) or Olympic Truce. The date of the Games' inception based on the count of years in Olympiads is reconstructed as 776 BC, although scholars' opinions diverge between dates as early as 884 BC and as late as 704 BC.\n\nIn the 17th century, the Olympic Games sports festival was held in England, followed by the National Olympic Games, which were established in the 19th century and continue to this day. Later, similar events were organised in France and Greece, but these were all small-scale and certainly not international.\n\nThe interest in reviving the Olympics grew when the ruins of ancient Olympia were uncovered by German archaeologists in the mid-19th century. At the same time, Baron Pierre de Coubertin was searching for a reason for the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871). He thought the reason was that the French had not received proper physical education, and sought to improve this. In 1890 he attended the Wenlock Olympian Society. Coubertin also thought of a way to bring nations closer together, to have the youth of the world compete in sports, rather than fight in war. In his eyes, the recovery of the Olympic Games would achieve both of these goals.\n\nIn a congress at the Sorbonne University, in Paris, held from June 16 to June 23, 1894 he presented his ideas to an international audience. On the last day of the congress, it was decided that the first modern Olympic Games would take place in 1896 in Athens, in the country of their birth. To organise the Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was established, with the Greek Demetrius Vikelas as its first president.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games#Ancient_Olympics