General Information

Olympic Games

The Olympic Games is an international sports competition subdivided into summer and winter sporting events. The summer and winter games are each held every four years at a different site, in which athletes from different countries compete against each other in a variety of individual and team sports. Until 1992, they were both held in the same year. Beginning in 1994, the summer and winter games were divided and scheduled on four-year cycles, two years apart.

Ancient Olympic Games

The first ancient Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 BC, according to historical records. The Ancient Olympic Games were dedicated to the Olympian gods and were staged on the ancient plains of Olympia. They continued for nearly 12 centuries, until the Roman emperor Theodosius I, a Christian, abolished the Games because of their pagan influences in 393 A.D.

Modern Olympic Games

The very first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens, Greece, in 1896, two years after French educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin proposed that the ancient games be revived on an international scale to promote a more peaceful world. The 1896 Games included only summer events, the Winter Olympics were not established until 1924. About 241 athletes from 14 nations competed in 43 events in nine different sports. By contrast, when the Summer Olympics returned to Athens in 2004, about 10,625 athletes from 201 nations competed in 28 different sports.
Summer sports & Winter sports

Olympic Charter

The Olympic Charter is an official document outlining the rules and guidelines for the organization of the Olympic Games, and for governing the Olympic Movement. Adopted by International Olympic Committee (IOC), it is the codification of the Fundamental Principles, Rules and By-laws. French and English are the official languages of the IOC. However, during IOC sessions, simultaneous translation is also provided into German, Spanish, Russian and Arabic. If, at any time, there is a discrepancy between the French and English in the Olympic Charter or any other IOC document, the French version is used. Please go to the IOC web site for full text of the Olympic Charter: http://www.olympic.org/en/content/Footer-Pages/Documents/Olympic-Charter/

International Olympic Committee (IOC)

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), founded on 23 June 1894 by the French educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin, is an international non-governmental non-profit organization and the creator of the Olympic Movement. Its role is to promote top-level sport as well as sport for all in accordance with the Olympic Charter.

The IOC organizes, supervises and coordinates the modern Olympic Games held in Summer and Winter, every four years. The organization of the Olympic Games is entrusted by the IOC to the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the country of the host city as well as to the host city itself.

The Paralympic Games is a multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities and is second in size only to the Olympic Games. The Paralympic Games are held every four years, following the Olympic Games, and are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The Paralympic Games have always been held in the same year as the Olympic Games. The Paralympic Games have been contested since 1960 and now feature competition in 19 sports.