When Was The First Olympics Ever?

The Olympics is a global sports festival with more than 3000 years of history. After all, the first Olympics ever was held in 776 BC in ancient Greece.

As a result of Greek spiritual celebration in honour of Zeus; leader of the ancient Greek gods, Olympic games started. Moreover, ancient Greeks participated in the Olympic games to worship Zeus and other gods who lived on Mount Olympus.

Despite Mount Olympus being the largest mountain in Greece, however, it was not the venue of the first-ever ancient Olympic games. Instead, the first Olympics ever took place in Olympia, positioned near the southwestern shoreline of Ancient Greece.

Similarly, the Olympic Games got its name from a mountain, called Mount Olympus. Therefore, they were named The Olympic Games.

Who Participated In The First Olympics Ever?

Surprisingly, the first participants in the first-ever Olympic games were all male athletes, all of whom worshipped Zeus. Above all, the Olympic athletes originated from all over the city-states of ancient Greece as representatives of their home cities.

For instance, all Olympic participants talked the same language and gathered under the same religious beliefs. The name of the first-ever winner at the Olympic games was Koroibos; a cook by profession.

Moreover, Koroibos was the winner of the first-ever Olympics stadion race. It was a foot race measuring 600 feet (182 meters) in length. Significantly, Koroibos, the first Olympic winner ever represented Elis, a city near Olympia.

Meaning Of The Olympic Rings

It is well known what the modern Olympic Games mean to the world. Olympic Games represent global unity among nations. Each colour of the Olympic ring symbolises one continent.

• Blue Olympic ring represents Europe,
• Black Olympic ring represents Africa,
• Red Olympic ring represents America,
• Yellow Olympic ring represents Asia,
• and Green Olympic ring represents Australia.

Have you ever wondered who created the Olympic rings, and why were the Olympic rings created? Baron Pierre De Coubertin created polychromatic Olympic rings in 1912, as we know them today.

The First Olympics Ever Facts

The Olympic games take place every 4 years. There are the Summer Olympic Games, and there are the Winter Olympic Games.

However, how much do you know about the first-ever Olympics? Below are some interesting facts about the first edition of the ancient Greek Olympic games.

The First-Ever Naked Olympic Games

The first participants in the first Olympics ever had to compete completely naked.

Ancient Greeks considered the Olympics as a celebration of the human body just as much as it was a religious event.

Who Was The First Olympics Winner?

The Olympics first winner at the first-ever Olympic games was a cook. His name was Koroibos.

Consequently, the first-ever Olympic Games were held in 776 BC. However, all subsequent editions took place every 4 years and continued with that format for the better part of the next 1200 years.

Are the Olympic Games a Pagan Ritual?

The ancient Olympic games were celebrated every 4 years from 776 BC to 393 AD. However, they diminished in importance due to a great influence of the Roman Empire over Greece at the time.

The Roman Empire branded Olympic Games as a pagan ritual and therefore destroyed most of the Greek temples.

When Was The Olympic Torch First Introduced?

There was no Olympic torch or relay at the first-ever Olympic games. That’s right! The first-ever Olympics and other editions of the ancient games didn’t feature an Olympic torch.

Other games during that period had torches but not the Olympics. The Olympic torch was first introduced in the 1928 edition in Amsterdam.

However, the torch relay was first used at the Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany in 1936.

When Were The First Ever Winter Olympics?

The first-ever Olympic games did not have a winter edition. Yes, the Winter Olympics was not proposed until 1911.

It was scheduled to take place in 1916, but that didn’t happen due to the First World War. Consequently, the first Winter Olympics ever was finally held in Chamonix, France in 1924.

When Did Marathon Become An Olympic Sport?

Marathon races did not feature at the first-ever Olympics. Therefore, marathon races were not included in ancient Olympic games.

The first modern Olympics Games that featured a marathon race took place in Athens in 1896. The first-ever marathon race was 40 kilometres long.

The First Olympic Marathon race started from a northeast city Marathon to Athens.

Who Was The First Ever Woman Olympic Champion?

The first-ever woman Olympic champion was Charlotte Cooper from the United Kingdom. As a result of her remarkable tennis skills, Charlotte won the Olympics in the 1900s.

Additionally, Charlotte Cooper is the first-ever female Olympic tennis champion.

What Was The First Ever Olympic Sport?

The only games at the first-ever Olympics were short distance races called “stadions” (stadium). These stadions had anywhere between 200 to 700 steps.

The ancient Olympic races were meant to keep men fit for war, so only men were allowed to participate.

Moreover, if you liked this article, check out who won the first football World Cup!