The Olympic Games
The Olympic Games are the world's foremost international sporting event, tracing their origins to ancient Greece and revived in their modern form in 1896.
The ancient Olympic Games were held every four years in Olympia, Greece, beginning in 776 BCE, as a religious and athletic festival honoring Zeus, and continued for nearly 12 centuries before being banned in 393 CE.
The modern Olympics were revived by French educator Pierre de Coubertin, with the first modern Games held in Athens in 1896, featuring 14 nations. The Games have since grown into a major global event held every two years, alternating between Summer and Winter Games.
Today, the Olympics bring together thousands of athletes from over 200 nations and territories, and are widely regarded as the pinnacle of international amateur and professional sport.