The Olympic Games - KS2

The first Olympics were held over 2,700 years ago in ancient Greece. They were part sporting competition, part religious festival and a huge celebration that brought people from many Greek city-states together, even in times of war.

Only free Greek men from the city-states were allowed to compete in the ancient Olympics. Women were not allowed to take part and married women were not allowed to watch the Games.

In the modern day, the Olympic Games are a group of sporting events where different countries compete to see who can win at different games and sports. The Olympic Games take place every four years in a different country.

The Olympic Games began over 2,700 years ago in Olympia, in south west Greece. Every four years, around 50,000 people came from all over the Greek world to watch and take part.

There were no gold, silver and bronze medals. Winners were given a wreath of leaves and a hero's welcome back home. Athletes competed for the glory of their city and winners were seen as being touched by the gods.

Before the games began, messengers were sent out to announce a 'sacred truce' or a peace. This meant that any wars should be called off so that people could travel safely to Olympia.

The entire games were dedicated to Zeus. Visitors flocked to see the Temple of Zeus. Inside stood a huge gold and ivory statue of the king of the gods himself.

The ancient Olympics included only men and they competed in a small number of events at first.

Popular events included the Stadion race, a short sprint that was the oldest Olympic event. Athletes also competed in wrestling,boxing and the pankration, a tough contest combining wrestling and boxing.

There were jumping, running and throwing events in the pentathlon. Chariot racing and horse racing were held in the hippodrome and were some of the most exciting events.

Before the Olympic Games began, the Greeks held religious rituals to honour Zeus. These included offering animal sacrifices at the altar in Olympia so the gods would bless the competitions.

The modern Olympic Games were brought back by Pierre de Coubertin. He was a great promoter of physical education in schools. He was also a historian, and very interested in Ancient Greece.

Coubertin believed that a competition between countries would help promote physical activity and bring people together to promote peace.

These interests led him to revive the ancient Olympic Games and in Athens in 1896, the first modern Olympic Games were held.

In 2024, the Olympic Games were held in Paris, the capital of France. The city is home to some of the world's most famous landmarks, such as the Palace of Versailles, the Alexandre III Bridge and the Eiffel Tower, which was seen during the Games.

There were also events taking place in Marseille such as the sailing competition and some of the football which took place in the Stade Velodrome.

The surfing competition took place in the island of Tahiti, a French territory in Polynesia.

Have a look at the thinking points below and think about your answer to each question. You could even write them down on a piece of paper or discuss them with somebody else if you want to.

• Why do you think the Greeks created so many different Olympic events, rather than just one or two?

• How fair do you think the rules were about who could take part in the ancient Olympic Games and why?

• What does the way athletes were rewarded (with a wreath instead of money) tell us about Greek values?

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