Is this post a bit late, considering the (summer) Olympics will be over by the time this goes live? Perhaps. But to my mind, it’s actually fitting, because we’re going to be talking about the Olympics’ past, not present.
So, when did the Olympics first start, and where, and why?
It all began in Ancient Greece, in a town called Olympia, where contestants competed in various games of strength, skill, and athletics in honour of the god Zeus. This religious event eventually spread all over Greece and would always be marked by a truce, allowing athletes and pilgrims to travel without fear of danger. According to myth, the first Games were played by the gods. “Zeus wrestled his father, Kronos, for the throne; Apollo outran Hermes and beat Ares at boxing; and Herakles, often credited with founding the Olympic games, won victories in wrestling and the pankration, a no-holds-barred combat sport.”1 (Link added by me). Many of the ancient sports are actually still played in our modern Olympics, including foot races, discus and javelin throwing, wrestling, and boxing.
The first modern iteration of the international Olympic Games occurred in Athens in 1896, following in the footsteps of the Wenlock Olympian Games of 1850. Approximately 280 (all male) participants from several countries attended. “[Track and field], cycling, swimming, gymnastics, weightlifting, wrestling, fencing, shooting, and tennis”2 were among the sports played, and it also featured the first ever marathon (conceived of by Michel Bréal, who is also credited with coining the term ‘semantics‘).
Interested in learning more about the Olympics? Then check out my little list of recommended reads! But first, some fun facts.
- The Olympic Games are held every four years. Since 1994 (my birth year!), they’ve alternated between the Summer and Winter Olympics every two years during the four-year Olympiad.
- Olympiad: defined as the period of four years between the Games OR a major national or international contest in some activity, notably chess or bridge
- There are multiple types of Olympics! These include: the Winter Olympics, the Paralympic Games for athletes with disabilities, the Youth Olympic Games for athletes aged 15 to 18, the five Continental Games (Pan American, African, Asian, European, and Pacific), and the World Games for sports that are not contested in the Olympic Games. There are also the Special Olympics for athletes with intellectual disabilities and the Deaflympics for athletes who are Deaf.
Onto the rec list!
The Games – A Global History of the Olympics by David Goldblatt
(Available as an audiobook on Hoopla)
Goldblatt tells the epic story of the Games from their reinvention in Athens in 1896 to the present day, chronicling classic moments of sporting achievement from Jesse Owens to Nadia Comaneci, the Miracle on Ice to Usain Bolt. He goes beyond the medal counts to explore how international conflicts have played out at the Olympics, including the role of the Games in Fascist Germany and Italy, the Cold War, and the struggles of the postcolonial world for recognition. He also tells the extraordinary story of how women fought to be included on equal terms, how the Paralympics started in the wake of World War II, and how the Olympics reflect changing attitudes to race and ethnicity.
Triumph – The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics by Jeremy Schaap
(Also available as an audiobook on Hoopla)
In 1936, against a backdrop of swastikas flying and a storm troopers goose-stepping, an African-American son of sharecroppers won a staggering four Olympic gold medals and single-handedly crushed Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy. From the start, American participation in the 1936 games was controversial. A boycott was afoot, based on reports of Nazi hostility to Jews, but was thwarted by the president of the American Olympic Committee, who dismissed the actions of the Third Reich as irrelevant. The story of Jesse Owens at the 1936 games is that of a high-profile athlete giving a performance that transcends sports. But it is also the intimate and complex tale of the courage of one remarkable man.
Victory. Stand! – Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommie Smith
On October 16, 1968, during the medal ceremony at the Mexico City Olympics, Tommie Smith, the gold medal winner in the 200-meter sprint, and John Carlos, the bronze medal winner, stood on the podium in black socks and raised their black-gloved fists to protest racial injustice inflicted upon African Americans. Both men were forced to leave the Olympics, received death threats, and faced ostracism and continuing economic hardships. In his first-ever memoir for young readers, Tommie Smith looks back on his childhood growing up in rural Texas through to his stellar athletic career, culminating in his historic victory and Olympic podium protest.
Total Olympics – Every Obscure, Hilarious, Dramatic, and Inspiring Tale Worth Knowing by Jeremy Fuchs
A glorious tapestry of legendary characters, forgotten records, crazy accomplishments, unbelievable feats, wacky contests, and controversial moments, Total Olympics is pure pleasure for anyone who loves the world’s greatest sporting event. Discover how the modern Games began, in an out-of-the-way Victorian English town named Much Wenlock. Long-discontinued Olympic sports like tug of war, firefighting, live pigeon shooting, and painting. (Picasso for the gold?) And the over-the-top, heroic exploits that make it all so thrilling—like the inspiring story of gymnast Shun Fujimoto who brought his team to victory while fighting through the pain of a broken knee. With hundreds of true stories and stunning photographs, it’s a collection of sports yarns unlike any other.
The Boys in the Boat – Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Olympics by Daniel James Brown
(Also adapted into a movie)
It was an unlikely quest from the start. With a team composed of the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew team was never expected to defeat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they did, going on to shock the world by defeating the German team rowing for Adolf Hitler. The emotional heart of the tale lies with Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not only to regain his shattered self-regard but also to find a real place for himself in the world. Drawing on the boys’ own journals and vivid memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, Brown has created an unforgettable portrait of an era, a celebration of a remarkable achievement, and a chronicle of one extraordinary young man’s personal quest.
I hope you enjoyed this short dive into the history of the Olympics!
- Belis, Alexis. “The Ancient Olympics and Other Athletic Games.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 23 July 2021, www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/articles/2021/7/ancient-greek-olympic-games. ↩︎
- “Athens 1896 Olympic Games.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 24 July 2024, www.britannica.com/event/Athens-1896-Olympic-Games. ↩︎