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The Olympic Games used to be held in the Greek city of Olympia from about 800BC to 400AD. Athletes would compete in a series of events. Only men born in Greece could compete. The events were held every four years and it is believed that the very first event was a simple running race over a short, maybe 150 metre, distance. Eventually more events were introduced but never more than 20 at any one games.
In 1894, a Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founded the International Olympic Committee and in 1896, in Athens, in Greece, the first modern Olympic Games was held. The games were then held in Paris in 1900, where women first took part, and St Louis in the United States of America, in 1904.
In 1908 the games were held in London. Over 22 nations took part, there were over 2,000 athletes competing in 110 events. The main athletics events took place in a stadium at White City. The games lasted for six months and four days and that would have played havoc with television schedules, if someone had actually invented the television. Wait about 20 years.
One interesting fact was the running of the marathon. The run was going to be 25 miles but this was changed to 26 miles so it could start at Windsor Castle and be watched by the British Royal family. But then Princess Mary asked if it could start under the window of the Royal nursery, which made the distance 26 miles 385 yards. This distance has then be used as the standard length of the marathon since 1924.
London was due to hold the games again in 1944 but WWII got in the way so it was 1948 when 59 nations and 4,104 athletes competed in 136 events. Germany and Japan were not invited and Russia didn't send a team.
And then, as most of you possibly saw, London was host again in 2012, the first city to host the modern games 3 times. This time 204 nations sent 10,768 athletes to compete in 302 events but I think we are getting a bit ahead of ourselves here.
I've found you some pictures of the competitors in the 1908 games. Top row and left to right, it's the British Cycling Team (no Sir Chris Hoy), the Danish gymnastics team and the swimming events. Bottom row and it's the high jump (this is called the eastern cut-off or maybe the scissors, the alternative was the western roll where you sort of rolled over the bar, face down), the men's discus and the ladies archery which I find a bit worrying as the targets seem to be behind them. Maybe there were some at both ends. Comfortable clothing was a must.
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