Just a little over a week ago, Paris made history as the 2024 Olympic Games launched – the third global contest in 128 years to be hosted in their city. Until now, only London has hosted the games three or more times. In 2028, Los Angeles will also three-peat.

Because of the ongoing Russo-Ukraine war, Russia and Belarus were banned from participating in the games. But more than 11,000 athletes from all over the planet are currently competing in challenging acts of athletic prowess and accomplishment while the world watches.

History of the Games

The Olympics themselves have their roots in Greece more than 3000 years ago. The ancient games were held in Olympia, around 776 BC, and were part of a religious festival to honor the highest god in the Greek pantheon, Zeus. The name of the region comes from Mt. Olympos, the highest peak in Greece, traditionally believed to be the home of the gods.

Those competing were all male citizens of the city-states of Greece, from Turkey to Iberia (modern day Spain). For years, historians believed the first and only competition was the 600-foot dash, held every four years until 724 BC. However, recent archeological evidence suggests the games existed up to 200 years before that.

After approximately 12 centuries, the Romans had taken over the games and stripped much of the tradition and religious aspects away from the quadrennial contest. Then in 393, Christian Emperor Theodosius I called for a ban on all pagan festivals, including the Olympics. This was 60 years after Constantine declared Rome a Christian nation.

A French Educator Revives the Games

1500 years later, Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France, seeing the character-building value of school sport, and dedicated to opening the activities to global participation, helped found the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and served as its president from 1896 to 1925.

Archeological finds in the area surrounding the Olympus region brought the games back into the spotlight. De Coubertin took his newfound passion and a considerable sum of his own money and spent the better part of 10 years trying to make his dream of “neo-Olympism,” the pursuit of peace and intercultural communication through international sport, a reality.

His dream, launched in 1896, almost died in the years following the first Athens games. But a move to Switzerland post-The Great War (WWI) managed to fully revitalize the games and their second arrival in Paris was a smashing success.

The games were suspended twice during World War II, but continue to take center stage every 4 years – or, since 1994, every 2 years, as the Olympic committee decided to stretch things out a bit. Summer Olympic Games are now held in the first year of the four-year-long Olympiad, Winter Games in the third year.

The Fruitful Rivalry of Five Rings

The well-known logo for the Olympic games was also minted by de Coubertin, debuting at the 1920 games in Antwerp, Belgium.

Each of the five major continents is represented by a ring. The blue, yellow, black, green and red circles stand above a white field. Together, the six colors can be combined in various ways to reproduce the flag of every one of the 200+ participating nations.

The full logo is meant to embody a unified international world of equals, athletes meeting from around the world to compete for the sake of competing. It is a symbol of unity and represents the core values of Olympism: excellence, friendship and respect.

“The most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well.”

Popularity Waning

Contrary to some popular beliefs, the cities that host the Olympic Games do not gain financially. There is added tourism and, of course, an influx of people. But the cities that compete to host spend millions, if not billions of dollars, a good amount of which they will never see again or will take years to recoup.

Decades ago, many communities clamored and bid to host the games. In 2012, only nine cities competed. Four years later, that had dropped to seven. In 2017, only Paris and Los Angeles bid to host. Both plans were judged excellent and the committee voted to offer the games to both. Paris asked for the right to celebrate the centennial of their last hosting and Los Angeles city officials agreed to take the 2028 games.

The Best of the Best

The athletes don’t get paid either – to compete, at least. While many will earn a little cash from endorsements and commercial deals after the games have ended, they all compete as amateurs and are not paid for their Olympic participation. Many even have to raise their own support to even get to the games, as recently depicted in the film, The Boys in the Boat.

But one thing is clear – the athletes that compete are the best of the best and should be honored for their striving. Even those who fail to take home a medal.

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