Revival of the Olympics in 1896 

On 6 April 1896, the world saw the revival of the long-lost tradition of Ancient Greece- the Olympics. The first Olympics took place in Greece back in the 8th century BC. It was played every four years on a religious festival honouring the Greek God Zeus. There, people from various parts of Greece came together to participate in different sporting events. However, with the rise of the Roman Empire, the popularity of the Olympics declined. In 393 AD, the Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned the Olympics as a method of suppressing other religions than Christianity. 

After almost 1500 years, a French man named Pierre De Coubertin took the initiative to reintroduce the Olympics. The official committee of the Olympics was then formed, and the first international Olympics took place in Athens, Greece in 1896. 

280 participants from 13 countries participated in the first modern Olympics. All the contestants were men. There were 43 sporting events including racing, swimming, cycling, tennis and gymnastics. The first official marathon run was also introduced in this Olympics.

In its early years, the Olympics were not very popular. The first successful Olympics took place in Paris in 1924. There, almost 3000 athletes from 44 countries participated, including women. In the same year, the first Winter Olympics were organised. With time, its popularity increased, and now it is a much-awaited event with millions of true fans and enthusiasts. 

In 2024, the world will see the Olympic Games take place in Paris, France, where more than 10,000 athletes from 206 countries will participate. This year, we will celebrate the 128th anniversary of the modern Olymics