The summer Olympic Games are taking place in Athens from
August 13 to August 29. Athletes from around the world are competing in this
exciting event. From Canada, 266 competitors are involved: 134 women and 132
men. For the past 100 years, Canada has sent athletes to compete in the
summer Olympic Games.
The Ancient Olympic Games
The ancient Olympic Games took place over 3000 years ago.
At this time, the Greeks honoured their gods by competing in events that
would show the people’s athletic abilities. These events were a type of
religious festival. In 393 A.D., the Roman Emperor stopped the games for
religious and political reasons.
The Modern Olympic Games
In 1894, the French Baron Pierre de Coubertin organized
the International Olympic Committee. His goal was to celebrate the hope for
peace and a shared love of competition among nations. He believed that sport
could unite countries. In 1896, Athens was chosen as the host of the first
Modern Olympics. The competitions, however, were simple and very different
from today’s Olympics. In 1896, there were neither female nor Canadian
competitors, and only 258 athletes competed. Except for the years during
World War One and Two, the Modern Summer Games have been held every 4 years.
Check the following Websites to find out more about the
Summer Olympic Games that are taking place now:
CBC Olympics Site
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has an excellent
Website that provides interesting information from a Canadian point of view.
Some of the features include event schedules, results of medals by country,
a list of sports, biographies of competitors, and history of the Olympics.
Canadian Olympic Committee
The Canadian Olympic Committee organizes Canada’s
participation in the Olympic Games.
Athens 2004
The official Website of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games
provides complete coverage of the Olympics.
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