The world witnesses the Olympic Games every four years, the pinnacle of athletic excellence. But for the athletes, the path to Olympic triumph is long and challenging, paved with years of resilient preparation, relentless commitment, and intense rivalry. This article highlights the Olympics' history and the current environment for the Paris 2024 Games.
The Olympic Games have a rich history that spans over centuries. The history of Olympic Games may be fragmented in areas, but they have made a strong comeback. Even the early festivals organized by the Ancient Greeks displayed the principles that remain at the heart of the Olympic Spirit today. Furthermore, in history, competing governments, maintained a suspension of hostilities during athletic tournaments, a custom that continues today, with the United Nations General Assembly adopting the Olympic ceasefire before each edition of the Games.
The oldest documented record of the official Games goes back to 776 BC when the Greeks started recording time in Olympiads, or the interval between each iteration of the Olympic Games. This is based on records discovered at Olympia, which identify the winners of a footrace held every four years beginning in 776 BC. The ancient Olympic Games were conducted every four years to celebrate the Greek god Zeus. The competition was between representatives of several Ancient Greek city-states and kingdoms. These Games were mostly athletic, but they also included combat sports like wrestling and pankration (Unarmed combat sport similar to modern Mixed Martial Art (MMA)), as well as equestrian and chariot racing competitions.
Baron Pierre de Coubertin resurrected the modern Olympics in the latter part of the 19th century, founding the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894 and hosting the first modern Games in Athens in 1896. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement, which includes all organizations and individuals associated with the Olympic Games. The Olympic flag with the Olympic Oath, composed by Pierre de Coubertin, was unveiled at the games in Antwerp in 1920. The summer version of the Olympic Games is a multi-sport event that takes place every four years, generally in July or August. The Olympic Winter Games also occur every four years during the winter months of the hosting city, with multi-sport contests taking place on snow and ice. The Olympics has evolved more into Paralympics and youth Olympics which enable people of differently able and young people to participate in sports.
Women competed for the first time in the Olympic Games in Paris in 1900. The first female Olympic champion was Charlotte Cooper, a British tennis player who won Wimbledon five times. Out of a total of 997 participants, 22 were female, competing in only five sports. For more than 20 years, the IOC has worked with worldwide federations and Olympic Games Organising Committees to improve the number of women's events in the Games. The Olympics held in London in 2012 were the first to include women competitors in all sports on the Olympic schedule. Paris 2024 emerges with the same number of female and male athletes participating, which is the first Olympics to achieve numeric gender parity.
Paris 2024 is waiting to unleash the marvellous sportsman with unsung stories of blood, sweat, and sacrifices, which will take place in France from 26th July to 11th August. With decades of glory as their backdrop, around 10,500 athletes representing 206 NOCs are ready to take the spotlight, eager to carve their names in Olympic history. This will be the 30th recorded Olympic game which will take place allowing sportsmen of 45 sports to cease the crowns of sport pinnacle. The number of sports and varieties have been evolved throughout the decades. Breakdancing will be featured for the first time in Paris 2024 as a sport meanwhile skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing had their Olympic debuts in the Tokyo 2020 Games which was rescheduled to 2021 gaining popularity.
By the time this article is written, Athletes competing for a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics are in the process of qualifying (Olympic qualifiers). Depending on the sport, qualifying can be obtained through a variety of means, including achieving specified entrance requirements established by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and excelling at designated qualification tournaments and national trials.
As the qualification process progresses, the anticipation for the Paris 2024 Olympics grows. With participants from all around the world competing for Olympic gold, the Games guarantee to be a breath-taking showcase of human potential, physical excellence, the uncompromising spirit of competition, and the true colours of sportsmanship.
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