What is the origin of the Olympic Games?

  • What is the origin of the Olympic Games?

    The history of the Games goes back around 3,000 years, to the Peloponnese in Ancient Greece. Sports contests organised at Olympia took place every four years and acquired the name Olympic Games.

    We do not know exactly when they started, but the date of 776 BC is often cited in written sources. The exact reasons for the birth of the Games are still unknown, as history has become mixed up with mythology.

    The four-year interval between the Ancient Games editions was named an “Olympiad”, and was used for dating purposes at the time: time was counted in Olympiads rather than years. 

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

    Learn more:

Olympic documents
Visit the Olympics.com documents repository to find a list of all documents published on this website. This section contains the major reports, studies, publications and information regarding the Olympic Movement.
View documents
The Olympic Studies Centre
The IOC Olympic Studies Centre is the world source of reference for Olympic knowledge. As an integral part of the IOC, we are uniquely placed to provide the most accurate, relevant and up-to-date information on Olympism.
Learn more