The Modern Olympics Revival: How the Games Began

This narrative starts with the first Olympics in Olympia, Greece, in 776 BC. Athletes get a garland of olive trees as their reward. Roman emperor Theodosius I suspended them eleven centuries later as he thought of them as a heathen show. Baron Pierre de Coubertin developed the modern Olympic Games, which he envisioned and started at the Sorbonne University in Paris in 1894. Under the slogan "citius, altius, fortius"—that is, "faster, higher, stronger"—the Frenchman urges to universalize the sport. Supported by 15 nations, the International Olympic Committee (I.O.C.) was founded on June 24, 1894. 

Athens 1896

The Greek Demetrios Bikelas was selected as president and Coubertin as secretary, and the planning of the Athens Games in 1896 was decided upon. In this maiden edition, 241 athletes (exclusively males) from 14 nations competed in 43 events in 10 disciplines. American James Connoly is the first Olympic champion in over 1,500 years in the triple jump. There are open water swimming contests. The rewards include a diploma, a laurel wreath, and a silver medal. 

Spiridon Louis, the Greek marathon runner, is the outstanding athlete of the inaugural Games. The shepherd wins the race set at the historian Michel Breal's demand; after that, the distance covered—40 kilometers—is what the soldier Philippides had done from Mount Marathon to Athens in 490 BC. For the Greeks, who had not performed well before that test, this gave their excitement back off. Only Louis finally becomes a national hero. The press almost totally overlooks the incident.

Paris Paris 1900

Since that nation thought the Games belonged to it and should only be hosted on its land, the Greek people started to doubt themselves (one Athenian newspaper said, "Mr. Coubertin is a robber for wanting the Games to be conducted in places that are not Greek. 

One of our most valuable gems is taken from us: the Olympics; women make their Olympic debut since 19 are competing in Paris. English tennis player Charlotte Cooper will be proclaimed champion first out of them. 

Since they are part of the Universal Exhibition in the French capital, they are unusual Games with various sports and a five-month length from May 24 to October 28. Other sports included are rowing, gymnastics, and soccer. Some athletes get their medals years after the contests. 

Along with American Alvin Kraenzlein, who earned four titles in three days in 60 meters, 110 meters, and 200 meters with hurdles and long jump, establishing a new Olympic record, Ray Ewry (who suffered paralysis in his childhood and whose rehabilitation exercises gave him great strength in his legs) won three gold medals on the same day in the vault. 

Participants rise dramatically: 1,225 athletes (1,206 males) from 24 nations vying for 95 medals in 16 categories. Seine River swimming contests have been held. Coubertin notes that after the Olympics are done, "it has been a miracle that the Olympic movement has survived these Games." Based in Europe, the Argentine fencer Francisco Camet participates, but he does so informally.

Tokyo 2020

It is impossible to separate the second Tokyo Olympics—the first having been hosted in 1964—from the coronavirus epidemic that broke out at the end of 2019 and utterly crippled the planet in 2020. Following the election conducted in Buenos Aires on September 7, 2013, the Japanese capital got ready for its celebration between July 24 and August 9, 2020; nevertheless, when Australia and Canada chose not to take part, Exactly four months ahead of the opening ceremony, on March 24 of that year, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and IOC President Thomas Bach decided to postpone the event. One week later, they declared that Tokyo 2020 would occur from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

After learning that the government of Russia had changed data from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency laboratory that it had supplied to WADA in January of that year, the World Anti-Doping Agency announced on December 9, 2019, Russia's suspension from all international sports competitions for four years following.

Reviewing Russia's appeal of its case to WADA, the Court of Arbitration for Sport decided on December 17, 2020, a year later, to lessen the sentence issued. The decision enabled Russia's athletes to compete in the Olympic Games without using the Russian name, flag, or anthem, identifying themselves as "Neutral Athlete" or "Neutral Team" instead of excluding Russia from participating in athletic events. 

Russia would be competing under the name "ROC," according to the English language Russian Olympic Committee's announcement on February 19, 2021. Furthermore, North Korea withdrew from the Olympic Games on April 6, 2021, citing worries about the epidemic.

They were distinct games without spectators, bubbles for participants, masks, and great caution. These games were devoid of feeling but included many figurines for diverse purposes. For the athletics track, Italy, for instance, affected its pace. He defied projections, first with Lamont Jacobs, the 100-meter king, and then with the unexpectedly great triumph in the 4x100-meter relay (Lorenzo Patta, Eseosa Desalu, Filippo Tortu, and Jacobs). 

The sprinters had the perfect chance to attack without Usain Bolt. And the Italians brought it about. With her triple leap of 15.67 meters, 17 centimeters higher than the previous standard held by the Ukrainian Inessa Kravets, since August 10, 1995, the magnetic Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas also shined in athletics. She broke all records. Headlines for the greatest gymnast of all time focused on her behavior within and outside the tournament. Though her bravery earned more than a bronze medal on the beam, the American Simone Biles barely achieved one. 

She entered a crisis before she started playing, and for the first time, someone from high performance brought mental health to the top sports front stage. These were days when subjects like pressure, sadness, or fragility came up on the agenda. "I thought I was admired for my medals, but I found out that I am loved for the person I am," she said while leaving Tokyo. Two names drew notice in the pool: Australian Emma McKeon and American Caeleb Dressel. 

Final Note

Their respective events were 4x100 freestyle and 4x50 freestyle, as well as 50 and 100-meter freestyle. At the same time, the Australian added three bronzes to her four gold medals; the American took first in the 100-meter butterfly. With the loss over the United States N.B.A., France's final Saturday of the tournament was outstanding for team sports, with two gold medals in handball and the silver medal in men's basketball. 

Two other shining athletes came from two quite different sports: the Georgian weightlifter Lasha Talakhadze became the strongest man in the world by gaining more than 109 kg, including three world records, while the Chinese Hongchan Quan, just 14 years old, amazed everyone in ornamental jumping: no one had ever managed to make the judges agree that in her three jumps from the 10-meter platform, they awarded her a 10. What was deemed unthinkable came to pass.

With 39 gold (one more than the Chinese delegation), 41 silver, and 33 bronze for 113 medals, the United States had a brilliant final "sprint" when everything pointed toward China taking the medal table.

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