You're watching FreeSchool!
Pat字幕组
Every few years, thousands of the finest athletes in the world,
gather together to compete in the Olympic games
They come from hundreds of countries, from all parts of the globe,
and for the length of the games,
the world comes together on common ground in a celebration of peace and unity
But what are the Olympics?
nearly three thousand years ago in 776 BC The first Olympic games took place in Greece
They were athletic competitions held in honor of Zeus, the king of the gods
The games happened every four years,
and during the games there was an Olympic Truce
when wars and battles were not allowed
so that athletes from different cities could travel safely to and from the games
Originally, the Olympic games only had one event - a short race across a stadium
but through the years more events were added including
boxing, wrestling, long jump, throwing javelins and discus, and chariot racing
In the ancient Olympics, only men were allowed to compete
The winners were awarded a wreath or crown of olive branches,
which was a great honor,
and often received money and other prizes
The final games of the ancient Olympics were held in 393 AD,
ending a tradition of over 1,000 years
It wasn't until almost 1500 years later that someone tried to hold the Olympics again
Small events modeled after the ancient Olympics
were held in various places in Europe off and on for over a hundred years,
by Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France until the International Olympic Committee was created in 1894
The first games organized by the IOC took place in Athens, Greece, in 1896,
and featured 241 athletes from 14 countries
Since that small beginning, many things have changed
Women first competed in the Olympics in 1900
The Olympics were expanded to include winter sports like skiing and figure skating,
and special Winter Olympics were held to make that possible
'Parallel Olympics,' now known as the Paralympics,
began to be held for athletes with disabilities
Not so long ago, Youth Games were introduced,
which allows athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 to compete
Today, the Olympic games are held every two years,
with Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics alternating,
so that there are four years between each Summer Olympic games
and four years between each Winter Olympic games
between the ancient Olympics and the modern Olympic games These are only some of the differences
While the ancient Olympics were held in the same place each time,
the modern Olympics are held in different cities around the world
In the ancient Olympics winners were awarded olive branches,
but in the modern Olympics the victors receive medals
Third place wins bronze, second place wins silver, and first place gets a gold medal
The gold medals are not actually made of solid gold, however:
they are made of silver covered with a thin layer of gold
Another important symbol of the Olympics is the Olympic rings:
five interlocking rings of blue, yellow, black, green, and red on a white background
The colors of the rings were chosen
because every flag in the world at the time had at least one of those colors on it
Each of the five rings represents one of the inhabited continents of the world:
North and South America are counted as one,
along with Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia
is the Olympic flame, or torch After the rings, one of the most important symbols of the Olympics
The lighting of the torch is a reminder of the ancient Greek myth
when Prometheus stole fire from the god Zeus to give it to humans
Before each Olympics,
at the site of the ancient Olympics in Olympia, Greece the torch is lit in a special ceremony
and then begins a special journey to the city that will host the Olympics It travels around Greece
During the opening ceremonies of the games,
the torch is used to light a huge cauldron,
which stays burning until the Olympic's last day
When the flame is put out, it means the official end of the games
The goal of the Olympics is to help build a better, more peaceful world
through international cooperation, friendship, and the love of the games
"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part,
just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle
The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well"
I hope you enjoyed learning about the Olympics today!
Good-bye till next time