According to historical records, a major sporting event was recorded as early as 776 BC in the ancient Greek city of Olympia, which is where the current games’ name comes from. The competitions were an integral part of the Hellenic culture of the time, taking on an important religious and cultural significance as the contests were related to honouring the god Zeus. At first, they only included events like foot races and a pentathlon divided into a foot race, long jump, discus throw, javelin throw and wrestling, and athletes usually competed naked.
One of the main emblems of the sporting event and a symbol of peace, the Olympic rings represent the union of the five continents (Oceania, Africa, America, Asia and Europe) through the representation of five different coloured rings intertwined. The design was conceived by Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the Olympic movement, who decided to use those colours (blue, yellow, black, green and red) because every nation has at least one of them on its flag.
The Olympic flag, which consists of the five rings on a white background, came into being at the 1914 World Congress in Paris, but it was not until the 1920 event in Antwerp, Belgium, that it was officially hoisted for the first time. Since then, it has been at every Olympic celebration.
Along with the Olympic rings, the torch is one of the Olympics’ main symbols. It all starts months before the big event at the Temple of Hera in the archaeological remains of Olympia. In a ceremony symbolising the connection between the ancient and the modern, an Olympic flame is lit and the torch is carried past thousands of people to the host city for the lighting of the Olympic cauldron on the opening day.
According to protocol, the flame must continue to burn for the duration of the event until the day of the closing ceremony, when it is put out for the Olympic period to be considered officially over.
Athletes at the 1906 St. Louis games were the first to receive gold, silver and bronze medals for first, second and third place. Before that, gold medals were not produced for the competition as it was an expensive material, so the event organisers opted for a different metal: in Athens 1896 the first-placed athletes received a silver medal, an olive branch and a diploma, while the second-placed athletes received a copper medal, a laurel branch and a diploma.
The presence of female athletes in Olympic competitions has always been very uneven, but important achievements are being made in many respects. 2012 London, for example, marked a turning point in history as it was the first in which all countries had at least one female athlete on their teams.
Twelve years later, another milestone in terms of Olympic equality has been reached: Paris 2024 will be the first event with full gender parity, with the same number of spots for both women and men. This is further proof that opportunities for women in sport continue to grow.