The origins of The Olympic Games

The Olympic Games have been famed and celebrated across the Globe for many years. But, for a lot of us who live in the UK, The Olympic Games came to the forefront of our lives in 2012 when The Olympic Games were hosted in London. The event was, of course, a huge hit, and everyone banded together to enjoy a historic Games. This is why in light of our partnership with The Olympic and Paralympic Movements, we want to offer you the chance to learn more about The Olympic Games and how the Games evolved along the years. 
Carry on reading to find out everything you should know about The Olympic Games.

The Games history dates back around 3,000 years, to the Peloponnese in Ancient Greece. The exact time that the Games began is unknown, but 776BC is often cited in written sources when referencing the Games. During ancient times in Greece, sports contests organised at Olympia took place every four years, similar to now, and was eventually given the name ‘The Olympic Games’

From what we know, the four-year interval between the Ancient Games editions was named an ‘Olympiad’, which was used for dating purposes at the same, as rather than having a year, time was counted in Olympiads.

The origin of the Games and exactly why they began all those years ago is still unknown. Stories of the Games have often been mixed up with Greek mythology, and therefore we are unable to distinguish between fact and fiction. However, we do know that the premise of the Games remains the same, athletes coming together to compete in their sports from different areas of countries and now the world. 

In 1894, Pierre de Coubertin launched his plan to revive the Olympic Games in the modern age. In 1896 the first Olympic Games of our era were held in Athens, Greece.

The Olympic Games today
The roadmap for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic Movement and Olympic Agenda 2020 has been built based on the three pillars of Credibility, Sustainability, and Youth. The Olympic and Paralympic Movements are continuously evolving at pace, to make the Olympic & Paralympic Games fit for the future, safeguard the Olympic values, and strengthened the role of sport in society.

Allianz, including us at Allianz Assistance, is now an official Worldwide Insurance partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements. We have built our Olympic and Paralympic Movements Hub page to share with you all the details of our partnership and also to share content about the Olympic and Paralympic Games with you as well.
Visit our Olympic and Paralympic Movements Hub today to find out more.