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Did you know?

TOKYO 1964:
The first Fair Play prize awarded to Lars Gunnar Kall and Stig Lennart Kall, who gave up their chances of winning the regatta to come to the aid of two other competitors whose boat had sunk.

The Village > About the Games

About the Games

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, until Emperor Theodosius decreed in 393 A.D. that all such “pagan cults” be banned.

It wasn’t until 1894 that the Games as we know them were founded. A Frenchman, Baron de Coubertin was the driving force behind reinventing them; this time with an aim to promoting international understanding through sporting competition.

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.