Which country hosted the first Modern Olympic Games? All you need to know about the hosts
It was in the summer of 1896 that the first Modern Olympic Games took place in Athens, Greece. Pierre de Coubertin - the French aristocrat, created the International Olympic Committee, and the Olympic Games were held from April 6-15.
During the first Olympics, 14 nations participated with 241 athletes. Most of the participants were from Europe or living in Europe, and more than 65% of athletes were Greek. In the 1896 Olympics, there was no tradition of gold medals. The winners were given a silver medal and the participants a copper medal. Gold medals were introduced in the 1904 Olympics.
The host nation, Greece, won a total of 47 medals. The Greek runner - Spyridon Louis, was the primary attraction for the Greeks with his performance in the Marathon. Overall, German wrestler and gymnast Carl Schuhmann was the most successful athlete and won four events.
During a meeting in Paris in June 1894, Athens was voted the most favorable location to host the 1896 Olympic Games. The primary reason was that Greece was the birthplace of the Ancient Olympic Games. The opening ceremony was hosted by Panathenaic Stadium.
The 1896 Olympics were a complete success because of the largest international participation in any event to that date. Panathenaic Stadium was packed with crowds wanting to be part of the event as spectators. Even after so much success, it took 108 years for the Olympics to return to Athens in 2004.
Ancient History of the Olympic Games
The ancient history of the Olympics is closely related to Ancient Greece, where the birth of the global event took place in 776 BC, according to ancient Greek mythology. Olympics were called the Olympiads and used to take place every four years.
According to Greek mythology, Heracles and his four brothers - Paeonaeus, Epimedes, Iasius, and Idas - were part of the Olympiads. They used to race to entertain the newly born Zeus. There were other Olympian Gods who were involved in wrestling, jumping and running contests.
The Games eventually became a statement of pride for Greece. They also started using the Games for their political advantage. For the first 200 years of the Games, only Greeks participated in the events, but eventually, the participation was open to other countries as well. The modern-day Olympics are a symbol of peace and inspiration for the world.