The Olympic Games are a part of an athletic festival that first originated in Ancient Greece and, in modern times, are leading to international sporting events featuring winter and summer sports competitions. Thousands of athletes participate in these games from all around the world. The Olympic Games are now considered the world’s foremost sports competition, with more than 200 nations participating.
Ancient Olympics vs. Modern Olympic Games
The origin of these games goes back to 2.300 years ago when they were held in the Olympia area of ancient Greece. In some theories. The initial purpose of these games was to celebrate a festival of art and sports and worship their respective Gods. The religious nature of the Games was concerned with Zeus, considered the ruler, protector, and father of gods and humans, and all wars would cease during the contest. According to the earliest records, only one athletic event was held in the first Olympics; this was a footrace of about 183 meters, which was only held among men. Later on, over the years, they started including wrestling and a pentathlon consisting of running, jumping, spear throwing, boxing, and wrestling.
The evolution of the Olympic Movement throughout the 20th and 21st centuries has resulted in numerous modifications to the game, including the creation of the Winter Games for snow and ice sports, the Paralympic games for athletes with disabilities, the Youth Olympic Games for athletes aged 14 to 18, and Continental and World Games. The Summer Games has a wide array of events that include basketball, boxing, canoeing, kayaking, cycling, running, equestrian arts, fencing, field hockey, gymnastics, modern pentathlon, rowing, shooting, soccer, swimming, tennis, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, wrestling, and yachting.
In 1894, around the time of the revival of the Olympics, the French Educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin devised the five-ring emblem representing the unity of the five continents: America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.
Olympic medals
The top athletes are recognized with gold, silver, and bronze. Some countries also offer medal bonuses that are often paid by the national Olympic committee or the government. In many countries, athletes can also expect bonuses from the national governing body and sponsors for their sport’s performance.
Different countries reward different bonuses. American Olympians who win a gold medal are awarded $37,500, while silver medal winners receive $15,000, and bronze medal receivers are offered grants and health insurance benefits. While Japan, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Finland, Portugal, Serbia, and Switzerland follow a similar bonus structure ranging from $45,000 to $9000 and offer six figures for gold medalists in individual sports. Hong Kong offered the gold medal bonus of $642,000; Turkey offered $383,000; Malaysia Gold Medal Bonus of $238,000, including pension; Italy offered $201,000; Hungary offered $156,000 for gold, $111,000 for silver, and $89,000 to bronze medal winners.