But it's not all bad. Some buildings of that time, statues, sculptures, and household items have been preserved. Scientists have been slowly and confidently excavating them for almost two centuries. There is also documentary evidence. With their help, historians managed to recreate a completely objective picture.
It should also be understood that the period of the ancient Olympic movement covers more than one thousand one hundred years. This is a huge number of generations of the best of best athletes. These are almost 300 Olympiads, which were held constantly, continuously, every four years, for twelve centuries in a row.
How it all began
If we go back to the thousandth year of the ancient era, we will find ourselves in an era when Olympia became a real temple of the god Zeus - the lord of the sky, thunder and lightning. This supreme god had a long mythical history before his localization on Mount Olympus and gained much love and worship from the common people.
And this is the goddess Nike, the goddess of victory. She symbolized a winged spirit thirsting for primacy.
Thus, observing numerous religious rituals, competitions began to emerge. The first is running. The men made a ritual race to the altar of Zeus, giving away their energy. This happened in 776 BC. e. Athletes consider this year their birthday athletics.
You need to understand that religious rituals were carried out before, just from 776 BC. e. began to keep documentary records. There are references to the Olympics in fiction. For example, the poet Homer, in his work “The Iliad”, celebrates the Olympic competitions.
Many scientists believe that records began to be kept because writing appeared. In the non-literate era, this was simply impossible.
Nudity
Nudity is perhaps the most surprising and entertaining aspect of ancient games. After all, the athletes were without clothes during all the competitions.
It is believed that this tradition was picked up by athletes after 720 BC. e. An interesting incident happened. It happened that during the competition, one athlete named Arsip, who came to the finish line first, turned out to be completely naked. He lost the bandage due to running fast. All athletes decided to continue competing naked. This custom spread very quickly and was picked up by athletes in all sports.
This transition was natural. IN Ancient Greece the cult of the perfect body was very great. The Greeks admired ideal forms and the strength that constant training gave.
In addition, many scientists believe that nudity is the result of behavior that was common in a society where homosexuality was not something shameful.
Not everyone knows that the very word gymnasium “gymnasion” - where the Greeks studied, means a place for exercise, and the word “gymnos” - naked, naked.
Gymnasiums appeared during the development of the Olympic movement, in the 600s BC. e. Gymnasiums were originally used as places for training.
While there is no direct link between competitive nudity and homosexuality, both phenomena have influenced each other.
Who could participate and who couldn't
Only local residents of Olympia took part in the very first games. This continued for more than a hundred years, until all Greek citizens were allowed to participate in the competition. Even later, residents of the Greek colonies were allowed to participate in the competition.
There were other restrictions. The athlete had to have an impeccable reputation. Offenders, slaves, and foreigners were not allowed to participate in the games.
There were no age restrictions. If a young man felt strong, desired fame and met the above requirements, he could compete on an equal basis with adult men. True, gradually, various distinctions were introduced.
Although the primary goal was the Olympics, people came together in pursuit of secondary goals. It was a meeting place for prominent figures of that time.
Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Herodotus - they had the opportunity to publicize their works a large number gathered. 
Since the position of women in Ancient Greek society was much lower in status than that of men, they had no right to either take part in competitions or be present as a spectator. A woman was strictly forbidden to even approach the sacred place or cross the Altis River. The violator was punishable by death - she was thrown into the abyss.
True, there were still exceptions.
➤ There is information that priestesses could attend the festival. This separate part female population, worshiping the goddess Aphrodite. In essence, priestesses are prostitutes hiding behind religious canons.
➤ Oddly enough, a high-class woman could exhibit her quadriga, and was allowed to enter the hippodrome.
➤ Scientists have information that virgins of rich and noble parents could watch the brutal games of naked men. This introductory foreplay prepared them for the idea of marriage and allowed them to look at the best of the best representatives of the opposite sex.
Organization of games
The month of August, during the full moon, was chosen as the time for the games. The athletes arrived thirty days before the opening and began training under the supervision of judges (helanodics). These members of the Ancient Greek Committee could remove an athlete from competition if he violated generally accepted rules.
Here is a tunnel that heard the footsteps of brave athletes and the numerous screams of the crowd that greeted them.
Long before the opening, a large audience gathered. A huge tent city was formed around the stadium in fields and olive groves - the ancestor of our Olympic villages.
The games were of such great importance and such respect among many neighboring countries that representatives of states that at the moment were in a state of war. That is why the truce was signed. A sacred disk was used for this. All arriving guests were protected by the truce.
The wars in which this region has always been rich stopped. True, there is information that these truces have been violated several times.
After the first Olympiads, the Greeks decided to divide sports in such a way that there would be some kind of competition for each year. If an athlete won all four games in a row, he received the title - periodonics. Over the entire centuries-long period of periodonists, forty-six people are listed.
First day
There were no competitions on this day. This day was dedicated to religious purification. Athletes visited the sanctuary where they made sacrifices. More often than others, there is information that the victim was supposed to be the genitals of a bull.
After the sacrifice, the athletes swore to compete fairly. The oath was very serious, and the violator was severely punished.
It was not easy for him to be removed from the competition, but he was subject to a huge fine. And lack of money could lead to slavery.
Types of Olympic Games
About each type sports games there is something to tell. All these types of competitions are the ancestors of today's sports.
Running
The very first species, from which it all began, had a special meaning. After all, each subsequent Olympics was named after the Olympian who won the race.Athletes ran along paths that differed little from modern ones. There were even recesses at the start for resting your toes.
The sprinters ran a distance of approximately 180 meters. 20 runners could run at the same time. Starting positions For complete fairness, they were played by lot.
False starts were strictly prohibited. Those who missed the start before the allotted time were beaten with sticks. In the 4th century BC. e. This problem was solved - they invented an honest start mechanism.
It is not known what results the Greeks showed in the races. No one recorded the results or compared them with the previous ones. Nevertheless, there is various evidence that there were athletes who overtook hares, did not leave marks on the sand, and came to the finish line far ahead of their opponents.
There were other types of races: a double distance race, competitions in dolichos (long run), in combat uniforms, which were about 20 kilograms.
Of the most famous runners of that time, Leonidas of Rhodes is considered the most famous. He won four Olympics in 164-152 BC. e. In races over various distances, including with equipment. He received 12 Olympic wreaths. In his homeland, the island of Rhodes, a monument was erected to Leonid of Rhodes with the inscription: “He ran like a god.”
Struggle
Although the fighters fought according to certain rules, it was a desperate and tough competition. Cases when athletes gave their lives in the ring were not uncommon. For the sake of glory, athletes were ready to do a lot. They were extolled for their bravery, heroism, courage and will to win.
From 688 BC. e. The Hellanodics decided to include fist fights in the program. A little later they added wrestling, and in 648 the most brutal form, pankration, was included in the Olympic program.
Paekration is a fight without restrictions and rules. Anything is possible. Unless there is a ban on biting and eye gouging. In such competitions, the risk of injury and even being killed was very high, which was especially popular with the bloodthirsty public.
Archaeologists have found information about the magnificent hero Milo of Croton, who lived around 520 BC. e., who became the winner of six Olympics in a row. He possessed superhuman strength.
From 146 BC. e., the Olympics had new owners - the Romans. Apparently, they thought there was not enough blood. And the rivals began to insert spikes into their leather belts to wrap their hands. The fist fight began to resemble a knife fight. Many dropped out of the competition after the first blow.
No draw was recognized. If the opponents showed equal preparation, the judges announced a climax. The fighters began exchanging open blows.
The battle could last for several hours. The athletes fought to the death, as in war, on the battlefield and were ready to die, trying to snatch victory at any cost.
Chariots
This is real recklessness and risk. Here, too, not everyone reached the finish line. Nobility was not thought of in these competitions. Everyone fought desperately and toughly.
It was a test of skill. After all, the charioteer was not cleaned up in any way. 44 chariots could participate in the race at the same time. Each quadriga was harnessed to four the best horses.
Women could also display their quadrigas. And the winner was considered not the desperate charioteer, but the owner of the quadriga. In the entire centuries-old history of the Olympic Games, only one woman has received the winner's wreath. This was the daughter of the then reigning emperor.
The largest number of accidents occurred at U-turns. This is a place where athletes were simply thrown out of their chariots. Collisions of several quadrigas led to overturning " vehicles”, to knocking horses off their feet, to stalling and creating traffic jams for other carriages that were racing and did not have time to slow down. The degree of danger was absurd. There is a well-known case where 43 out of 44 chariots crashed in a race.
After the chariot races they held horse racing. These were no less difficult competitions, where jockeys on bareback horses controlled them only with their own knees and a whip.
Pentathlon
Pentathlon prized a variety of qualities, but emphasized balance and grace. Here you can see the proportions human body. These athletes served as models. With them perfect bodies sculptors depicted gods.The winner of the pentathlon was recognized as the main athlete of the games!
It was necessary to participate in the race, then jump, throw the discus and javelin perfectly, and also prove oneself in the fight. Ancient competitions were very different from modern ones. The mines had a special loop that increased the flight range. The throwing disc weighed 6 kilograms 800 grams - this is three times heavier than what is thrown now.
An intriguing difference was observed in long jumps, which were performed with weights in the hands to increase momentum and length of the jump. The weight of the cargo ranged from 2 to 7 kilograms. Indeed, if you skillfully use inertial force during a jump, the load will literally drag the jumper forward.
It is not known how true the information that has survived to this day is that the jumper Fail, who participated in the 110th Olympics, jumped over the jumping pit. It was a standard hole for those times - 15 meters.
Awards
The official winner was announced by the judges. It could be a participant who died during the competition. Then the joy was darkened.
The alive and healthy winner received an olive wreath, ascended a bronze tripod and greeted numerous admirers from the pedestal. The most capable athletes who were able to win competitions three or more times were awarded a Bust.
The athlete was immediately included in the circle of the chosen ones!
Returning home, the Olympian was considered a hero and received numerous gifts. The heroes of the games were worshiped as gods, believing that since the gods were merciful to the champion and allowed him to surpass his rivals, he was endowed with some kind of higher power.
The sweat of such an athlete became an expensive commodity. It was collected from the athlete’s body along with dust, placed in small containers and sold. Sweat was used as a magical potion.
Only the winner was honored. There were no silver or bronze winners.
Interruption of the Olympic Games
The ancient games disappeared when Olympia itself disappeared.
Historians have established that the last Olympics of antiquity took place in 394 AD. Emperor Theodosius I banned it by decree. He was a deeply religious peasant and viewed the games as a manifestation of paganism.
The son of Theodosius I, Theodosius II completed the work begun by his father. Using fire, he dealt with the sanctuary and temple of Zeus.
The end of the Olympic Games was a consequence of a change in religion!
But more recently, archaeologists have found marble tablets with inscriptions left by fourteen different athletes who were winners of the Olympics after 394. The inscriptions were made one after another in different handwritings, the last one at the end of the 4th century AD. It turns out that history did not take into account 120 years.
True, the scientific world found little such evidence. In addition, they do not fit well into the reality of historical events of that time. Supporters of this version will have to work hard looking for additional information.
The final correction of the place, so glorified by the ancient Greeks, was made by nature itself. At the beginning of the fifth century, two earthquakes occurred here, thoroughly destroying the remaining buildings. Closer to the sixth century, these places suffered from extensive floods that destroyed the remains of ancient Olympia. For thirteen long centuries the ruins of ancient civilization were hidden under an eight-meter layer of dirt and earth.
Excavations began in 1829 and have not stopped to this day, allowing us to form an objective picture of the past.
But that's another story...
One of the most striking and massive events on the planet are the Olympic Games. Any athlete who manages to take the podium at the Olympic competitions receives the status of an Olympic champion for life and his achievements remain in the world history of sports for centuries. Where and how did the Olympic Games originate and what is their history? Let's try to carry out short excursion into the history of the origin and holding of the Olympic Games.
Story
The Olympic Games originated in Ancient Greece, where they were not only a sports, but also a religious festival. Information about the holding of the very first games and their origin has not been preserved, but there are several legends that describe this event. The first documented date for the celebration of the Olympic Games is 776 BC. e. Despite the fact that the games were held before, it is generally accepted that they were founded by Hercules. In 394 AD, with the advent of Christianity as the official religion, the Olympic Games were banned by Emperor Theodosius I, as they began to be viewed as a kind of pagan phenomenon. And yet, despite the ban on games, they have not disappeared completely. In Europe, competitions were held locally that were somewhat reminiscent of the Olympic Games. After some time, the games were resumed thanks to Panagiotis Soutsos, who proposed this idea, and thanks to public figure Evangelis Zappas, who brought it to life.The first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896 in the country where they originated - Greece, Athens. To organize the Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was created, whose first president was Demetrius Vikelas. Despite the fact that only 241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the first Games of our time, they were a huge success, becoming a significant sporting event Greece. Initially, it was intended that the Games would always be held in their homeland, but the Olympic Committee introduced a decision that the location would change every 4 years.
The II Olympic Games of 1900, held in France, in Paris, and the III Olympic Games of 1904, held in the USA, in St. Louis (Missouri), were less successful, as a result of which the Olympic movement as a whole experienced its first crisis after a significant success. Since the Games were combined with World Exhibitions, they did not arouse much interest among spectators, but sports competitions lasted for months.
In 1906, again in Athens (Greece), the so-called “intermediate” Olympic Games were held. At first, the IOC supported the holding of these Games, but now they are not recognized as Olympic Games. There is an opinion among some sports historians that the 1906 Games were a kind of salvation of the Olympic idea, which did not allow the Games to lose their meaning and become “unnecessary.”
All rules, principles and regulations are determined by the Charter of the Olympic Games, approved in Paris in 1894 by the International Sports Congress. The Olympiads have been counted since the first Games (I Olympiad - 1896-99). Even if the games are not held, the Olympics receives its own serial number, for example the VI Games in 1916-19, the XII Games in 1940-43 and the XIII in 1944-47. The Olympic Games are symbolized by five rings of different colors fastened together ( olympic rings), denoting the union of five parts of the world - top row: blue - Europe, black - Africa, red - America, and bottom row: yellow - Asia, green - Australia. The selection of venues for the Olympics is carried out by the IOC. All organizational issues related to the Games are decided not by the selected country, but by the city. The duration of the Games is approximately 16-18 days.
The Olympic Games, like any strictly organized event, have their own specific traditions and rituals
Here are some of them:Before the opening and closing of the games, theatrical performances are held that present to the audience the appearance and culture of the country and city in which they are held;
The ceremonial passage through the central stadium of athletes and members of delegations. Athletes from every country go separate groups in alphabetical order of country names in the language of the country in which the Games are held or in the official language of the IOC (English or French). Each group is preceded by a representative of the host country, who carries a sign with the name of the corresponding country. The standard bearer follows him, flag bearer of your country. This highly honorable mission is usually granted to the most respected and titled athletes;
Without fail, the President of the International Olympic Committee makes welcoming speeches. Also, the speech is made by the head of state in which the Games are being held;
The flag of Greece is raised as the country in which the Olympic Games originated. Her national anthem is played;
The flag of the country in which the Games are being held is raised and its national anthem is also performed; - one of the outstanding athletes of the host country of the Games takes an oath on behalf of all participants about fair fight and competitions that will comply with all the principles and rules of the sport;
The opening ceremony ends with the lighting and relay of the Olympic torch. The initial part of the relay passes through the cities of Greece, the final part - through the cities of the country in which the games are being held. The torch with fire is delivered to the city that organizes the Games on the opening day. The fire burns until the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games;
The closing ceremony is also accompanied by theatrical performances, a speech by the IOC President, the passage of participants, etc. The IOC President announces the closing of the Olympics, followed by the playing of the national anthem, the Olympic anthem, and the lowering of the flags. At the end of the ceremony the Olympic flame goes out.
Each country taking part in the Olympic Games develops its own official emblem and mascot of the Games, which become part of the souvenirs.
The following sports are included in the Olympic Games program:
A:
Crossbow sport B: Badminton, Basketball, Running, Skating, Bobsleigh, Biathlon, Billiards, Boxing, Freestyle wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling
IN: Cycling, Water polo, Volleyball
G: Handball, Sports gymnastics, Rhythmic gymnastics, Alpine skiing, Rowing, Kayaking and canoeing
D: Judo
TO: Curling, Equestrianism
L: Athletics,Ski racing, Skiing
N: Table tennis
P: Sailing,Swimming, Diving, ,Ski jumping
WITH: Luge,
It was founded back in 1896. From the very beginning, games were played in both summer and winter of the same year. We will look at how the modern Olympic Games are held in this article.
Already in the twentieth century, the gap between winter and summer games was two years. used to take place in Olympia and were of great importance to local residents. Previously, the games had only one competition - running short distance. A little later they began to hold competitions for horses and running in full uniform. Only local residents and Mediterranean guests could take part in the games. We all know very well how the modern Olympic Games are held today: athletes from all over the world take part in the competitions.
The Olympic Games are held each time in a new place. A certain country and city are selected and all athletes go there to compete. There are cases when competitions are held again in certain countries, for example in Greece. Since it was in Greece that such competitions originated, after a certain period the Olympiad is held there again. Athens is a fabulous city, which is why the locals have been holding the Olympic Games with pride and dignity since 1896 (the first competitions were held here).
How the modern Olympic Games are held is known to all spectators, but they should know one thing - the current version is very different from the past. Today the Olympic Games are the most exciting and largest in the world. The programs are constantly changing, improving and mainly consist of twenty or more different sports. As a rule, personal records and achievements are set at competitions. The potential of a certain team is very rarely assessed; basically, it’s every man for himself. Games are judged by three medals: gold, silver and bronze.
As for the comparative characteristics of the games, previously only Greeks and Mediterranean guests took part, but now all well-proven athletes from all over the world took part. Today women compete equally with men and have the right to fight for it, but in Greece this was simply impossible. At the Olympic Games, athletes compete for awards, the honor of their country, showing their physical abilities, and in ancient times they were even awarded for spiritual abilities. Nowadays it is considered a competition, but in the past this was not the case. When the games were held at Olympia, all hostilities ceased and all time was devoted to competitions. As before, the games are held every four years, but the break between the summer and winter games is two years.
Everyone has the opportunity to watch the modern Olympic Games on TV and read about the results in the newspaper. Visiting the country that hosts them is the dream of every sports fan. We were luckier, since almost everyone in Greece knew about the games, but only a few could get there, but now the doors of the Olympic Games are open to all interested spectators!
The Olympic Games are the largest sporting event, loved by many. Millions of people watch them on TV, thousands come to the cities where the competition is held to see the strongest, most dexterous and fastest athletes with their own eyes. Every professional athlete dreams of not only winning, but at least getting into the Olympic arena. However, not many people know how they were created games, when they first took place and what the original concept of this competition was.
Legends about the origin
Many legends and myths have come down to us about the origin of these competitions, which have different plots and histories. However, one thing is certain: their homeland is Ancient Greece.
How the first competitions were held
The beginning of the first of them dates back to 776 BC. This date is very ancient, and it might not have survived to this day if not for the tradition of the Greeks: they engraved the names of the winners of the competition on columns specially erected for this. Thanks to these buildings we know not only the time when the games began, but also the name of the first winner. This man's name was Korab, and he was a resident of Ellida. It is interesting that the concept of the first thirteen games was very different from the subsequent ones, because initially there was only one competition - running a distance of one hundred and ninety-two meters.
At first, only the indigenous residents of the city of Pisa and Elis had the right to take part. However, the popularity of the competition soon grew so much that other large policies began to contribute to its development.
There were laws according to which not every person could take part in the Olympic Games. Women did not have this right, slaves and foreign inhabitants called barbarians. And anyone who wanted to become a full participant had to submit an application to the meeting of judges a whole year before the start of the competition. Moreover, before the actual start of the competition, potential candidates were required to provide proof that they had been working hard on their skills since registration. physical training, performing various types of exercises, training for long-distance running and maintaining athletic shape.
Ancient games concept
Starting from the fourteenth, they began to actively introduce various types sports
The winners of the Olympics got literally everything they wanted. Their names were immortalized in history for centuries, and during their lifetime they were honored as demigods until old age. Moreover, after his death, each Olympiad participant was ranked among the minor gods.
For a long time, these competitions, without which it was previously impossible to imagine life, were forgotten. The thing is that after Emperor Theodosius came to power and the strengthening of the Christian faith, games began to be considered one of the manifestations of paganism, for which they were abolished in three hundred and ninety-four BC.
Renaissance
Fortunately, the games have not sunk into oblivion. We owe their revival to the famous writer and public figure, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the creator of the modern concept of the Olympic Games. It happened in 1894, when, on the initiative of Coubertin, an international athletic congress was convened. During it, a decision was made to revive the games according to the standard of antiquity, as well as to establish the work of the IOC, that is, the International Olympic Committee.
The IOC began its existence on the twenty-third of June of the same year, and Demetrius Vikelas was appointed its first head, and Pierre Coubertin, already familiar to us, was its secretary. At the same time, Congress developed the rules and regulations under which the games would exist.
The first modern Olympic Games
It is not surprising that Athens was chosen to host the first modern games, since Greece is the origin of these competitions. It's interesting to note that Greece is a country, in which they were carried out in three centuries.
The first major competitions of modern times were opened on April 6, 1896. More than three hundred athletes took part in them, and the number of sets of awards exceeded four dozen. At the first games competitions were held in the following sports disciplines:
The games ended by the fifteenth of April. The awards were distributed as follows:
- The overall winner, collecting the largest number of medals, namely forty-six, of which ten were gold, was Greece.
- The USA took second place with a decent margin from the winner, collecting twenty awards.
- Germany collected thirteen medals and finished in third place.
- But Bulgaria, Chile and Sweden left the competition with nothing.
The success of the competition was so enormous that the rulers of Athens immediately offered to hold the games on their territory. However, according to the rules established by the IOC, the venue must change every four years.
Unexpectedly, the next two terms were quite difficult for the Olympics, because world exhibitions were held in their venues, which made it difficult to receive guests. Due to the combination of these events, the organizers were afraid that the popularity of the games would quickly decline, however, everything was quite the opposite. People fell in love with such large competitions, and then, on the initiative of the same Coubertin, traditions began to form, their flag and emblem were created.
Traditions of the Games and their symbols
The most famous symbol looks like five rings of the same size and intertwined with each other. They come in the following sequence: blue, yellow, black, green and red. Such a simple emblem carries a deep meaning, showing the union of five continents and the meeting of people from all over the world. It is interesting that each Olympic committee has developed its own emblem, however, the five rings are certainly its main part.
The games flag appeared in 1894 and was approved by the IOC. The white flag features the five traditional rings. And the motto of the competition is: faster, higher, stronger.
Another symbol of the Olympics is fire. The lighting of the Olympic flame has become a traditional ritual before the start of any games. It is lit in the city where the competition is held and remains there until it ends. This was done back in ancient times, however, the custom did not return to us immediately, but only in 1928.
An integral part of the symbolism of these large-scale competitions is the Olympic mascot. Each country has its own. The issue of the appearance of mascots arose at the next IOC meeting in 1972. By committee decision it could be any person, animal or any mythical creature that would not only fully reflect the identity of the country, but also speak about modern Olympic values.
The emergence of winter games
In 1924, it was decided to establish winter competitions. Initially, they were held in the same year as the summer ones, however, later it was decided to move them two years relative to the summer ones. Mistress of the first winter games became France. Surprisingly, only half as many spectators were interested in them as expected, and not all tickets were sold out. Despite previous failures, Winter Olympics The fans liked them more and more, and soon they gained the same popularity as the summer ones.
Interesting facts from history
In Paris in Great hall The Sorbonne convened a commission to revive the Olympic Games. Baron Pierre de Coubertin became its general secretary. Then the International Olympic Committee, the IOC, was formed, which included the most authoritative and independent citizens of different countries.
The first modern Olympic Games were originally planned to be held in the same stadium in Olympia that hosted the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece. However, this required too much restoration work, and the first revived Olympic competitions took place in the Greek capital, Athens.
On April 6, 1896, at the restored ancient stadium in Athens, the Greek King George declared the first Olympic Games of modern times open. The opening ceremony was attended by 60 thousand spectators.
The date of the ceremony was not chosen by chance - on this day, Easter Monday coincided with three directions of Christianity at once - Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism. This first opening ceremony of the Games laid the foundation for two olympic traditions- opening of the Games by the head of state where the competitions are taking place, and the performance of the Olympic anthem. However, such indispensable attributes modern Games, like a parade of participating countries, lighting ceremony Olympic flame and the recitation of the Olympic Oath did not take place; they were introduced later. There was no Olympic Village, the invited athletes provided their own housing.
241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the Games of the First Olympiad: Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary (at the time of the Games, Hungary was part of Austria-Hungary, but Hungarian athletes competed separately), Germany, Greece, Denmark, Italy , USA, France, Chile, Switzerland, Sweden.
Russian athletes were quite actively preparing for the Olympics, but due to lack of funds Russian team was not aimed at the Games.
As in ancient times, only men took part in the competitions of the first modern Olympics.
The program of the first Games included nine sports - classical wrestling, cycling, gymnastics, athletics, swimming, shooting, tennis, weightlifting and fencing. 43 sets of awards were drawn.
According to ancient tradition, the Games began with athletic competitions.
Athletics competitions became the most popular - 63 athletes from 9 countries took part in 12 events. The largest number of species - 9 - were won by representatives of the United States.
First Olympic champion American athlete James Connolly won the triple jump with a score of 13 meters 71 centimeters.
Wrestling competitions were held without uniform approved rules for conducting fights, and there were also no weight categories. The style in which the athletes competed was close to today's Greco-Roman, but it was allowed to grab the opponent's legs. Only one set of medals was played among five athletes, and only two of them competed exclusively in wrestling - the rest took part in competitions in other disciplines.
Since there were no artificial swimming pools in Athens, swimming competitions were held in an open bay near the city of Piraeus; the start and finish were marked by ropes attached to the floats. The competition aroused great interest - by the start of the first swim, about 40 thousand spectators had gathered on the shore. About 25 swimmers from six countries took part, most of them naval officers and sailors of the Greek merchant fleet.
Medals were awarded in four events, all swims were held “freestyle” - you were allowed to swim in any way, changing it along the course. At that time, the most popular swimming methods were breaststroke, overarm (an improved way of swimming on the side) and treadmill style. At the insistence of the Games organizers, the program also included an applied swimming event - 100 meters in sailor's clothing. Only Greek sailors took part in it.
In cycling, six sets of medals were awarded - five on the track and one on the road. The track races took place at the Neo Faliron velodrome, specially built for the Games.
In competitions on artistic gymnastics Eight sets of awards were awarded. The competition took place on outdoors, at the Marble Stadium.
Five sets of awards were awarded in shooting - two in rifle shooting and three in pistol shooting.
Tennis competitions took place on the courts of the Athens tennis club. Two tournaments were held - singles and doubles. At the 1896 Games there was no requirement that all team members represent the same country, and some pairs were international.
Weightlifting competitions were held without division into weight categories and included two disciplines: squeezing a ball barbell with two hands and lifting a dumbbell with one hand.
Three sets of awards were competed for in fencing. Fencing became the only sport where professionals were also allowed: separate competitions were held among “maestros” - fencing teachers (“maestros” were also admitted to the 1900 Games, after which this practice ceased).
The highlight of the Olympic Games was the marathon running. Unlike all subsequent Olympic competitions in marathon running, the marathon distance at the Games of the First Olympics was 40 kilometers. Classic length marathon distance— 42 kilometers 195 meters. The first to finish with a result of 2 hours 58 minutes 50 seconds was the Greek postman Spyridon Louis, who became a national hero after this success. In addition to the Olympic awards, he received a gold cup established by the French academician Michel Breal, who insisted on including marathon running in the program of the Games, a barrel of wine, a voucher for free food for a year, free tailoring of a dress and the use of a hairdresser throughout his life, 10 centners of chocolate, 10 cows and 30 rams.
