The first ancient Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 BC. Dedicated
to the Olympian gods, they were staged on the ancient plains of Olympia. They continued
for nearly 12 centuries
It wasn't until 1894 that the Games as we know them were founded. The first modern
Olympic Games took place in Athens in 1896, attracting 241 competitors in 43 events
from 14 countries - not bad given it was the very first time an international event
of this magnitude had been organised.
Moving on over 116 years – the Games in London is set to attract over
10,000 athletes, who will compete in almost 300 events from 205 nations.
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