The Olympic Games

The Olympic Games were first held in 1896, but they were inspired by athletic events from over two thousand years ago.

In ancient Greece, it was believed that the gods lived on Mount Olympus, which was the highest mountain the Greeks knew of. Among those gods was Zeus, the most powerful deity. Every four years, male athletes from all over Greece gathered to honor Zeus. Although they called the competition area “Olympia,” it was actually a flat region where two rivers met, rather than on a mountain.