The Greek city of Olympia is where the first Olympic Games took place in 776 BC. The ancient Greek festival was created to honor Zeus — king of the Greek gods — and featured athletic competitions among representatives from around Greece and beyond who traveled to the site for the event.
The original Olympics lasted for five days and included foot races, boxing matches and wrestling matches that took place on an open air track on a flat plain with spectators sitting on stone seats or standing by the trackside watching events unfold. The winning athlete received an olive branch wreath as a prize for their victory, which became another tradition associated with the games that continues today with winners being given a wreath made of leaves from an olive tree during ceremonies at each modern Olympic Games (see picture).
In 393 AD, Emperor Theodosius I banned all pagan festivals including the Olympics because they were considered ungodly activities and displays of human.
The modern Olympic Games were founded by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1894, in Athens, Greece. The Summer Olympics have been held every four years since 1896 with the exception of 1916 and 1940 due to World War I and World War II respectively. The Winter Olympics have been held every four years since 1924.
