The Olympic Games (Greek: Ολυμπιακοί αγώνες, French: Jeux olympiques, English: Olympic Games) are the largest international integrated sports competitions held every four years under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). A medal won at the Olympic Games is considered one of the highest achievements in sports.
The tradition of the Olympic Games, which existed in ancient Greece, originated as part of a religious cult. The ancient Olympic Games were held in Olympia, considered by the Greeks to be a sacred place. From Olympia came the name of the games. In the period from 776 BC to 393 AD, 292 Olympiads were held. The 293rd Olympiad was canceled by Roman Emperor Theodosius I, and the Olympic Games were banned as pagan.
The modern Olympic Games were revived in the late 19th century by French social activist Pierre de Coubertin. The Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics, have been held every four years since 1896, except for the years during the World Wars (the 1st and 2nd). In 1924, the Winter Olympics were established, originally held in the same year as the Summer Olympics. However, since 1994, the time of the Winter Olympics has been shifted by two years relative to the time of the Summer Games.
A few days after the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games for people with disabilities are held at the same sports facilities.
Rules
The principles, rules and regulations of the Olympic Games are defined by the Olympic Charter, the foundations of which were approved by the International Sports Congress in Paris in 1894, which, at the suggestion of French educator and public figure Pierre de Coubertin, decided to organize the Games along the lines of the ancient ones and to create the International Olympic Committee (IOC). According to the charter, the Olympic Games "...unite athletes from all countries in fair and equal competition. No discrimination on racial, religious or political grounds shall be tolerated against countries or individuals...". In addition to Olympic sports, the organizing committee has the right to include in the program, at its choice, demonstration competitions in 1-2 sports not recognized by the IOC.
The Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics, are held in the first year of the four-year (Olympic) cycle. The Olympiads are counted from 1896, when the first Olympic Games were held (I Olympiad - 1896-99). The Olympiad gets its number also in cases when the games are not held (for example, VI - in 1916-19, XII-1940-43, XIII - 1944-47). The term "Olympiad" officially refers to a four-year cycle, but unofficially is often used instead of the name "Olympic Games". In the same years as the Olympic Games, the Winter Olympic Games (officially the Olympic Winter Games) have been held since 1924 and have their own numbering. The numbering of the Winter Olympic Games does not take into account missing games (Games IV of 1936 were followed by Games V of 1948). Since 1994, the dates of the Winter Olympic Games have been shifted by two years relative to the Summer Olympic Games.
The place of the Olympics is chosen by the IOC, the right to organize them is given to a city, not a country. The duration of the Games is 16-18 days on average. Taking into account the climatic peculiarities of different countries, the Summer Games can be held not only in the "summer months". Thus, the XXVII Summer Olympic Games in 2000 in Sydney (Australia), due to the location of Australia in the Southern Hemisphere, where summer begins in December, were held in September, that is, in spring. Also, the 2016 XXXI Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro were held in Brazil in August, a winter month in the Southern Hemisphere. They were the first Olympic Games to be held in South America.
Since 1932, the organizing city has been building the Olympic Village, a complex of living quarters for the participants of the Games.
Medal standings
According to the statutes, the Olympic Games are competitions between individual athletes, not between national teams. However, since 1908, unofficial team scoring - determining the place taken by teams according to the number of points awarded for the first three places taken by their team - has become widespread. Since the 1924 Games, the scheme according to which points were awarded for the first six places (according to the number of finalists in individual disciplines of the Olympic program), often according to the 7-5-4-3-2-1 system, has gained popularity.
Since 1988, the medal scoring has been spreading, when the places of teams are first distributed by the number of gold medals, then the places of teams with an equal number of gold medals are arranged by the number of silver medals. If the number of gold and silver medals is equal, the places of the teams are arranged according to the number of bronze medals. This corresponds to the fact that the title of Olympic champion is given for all time and the title of former Olympic champion does not exist.
The closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris took place at the Stade de France stadium in the north of the French capital late on Sunday, August 11. Despite the 30-degree heat, 71,500 spectators were in the fully filled stands, and 9,000 athletes and support teams from more than 200 countries gathered at the arena for the ceremony. The German flag was carried by Olympic champion Laura Lindemann and canoeist Max Rendschmidt of Paris.
The ceremony, called "Records" by its organizers, began with an ode to the main city of France: in the Tuileries Garden near the Louvre, Frenchwoman Zao de Sagazan and a choir performed the song "Sous le ciel de Paris" ("Under the sky of Paris"). In total, more than 100 performers, acrobats, dancers and circus artists visited the stage of the sports arena. According to the show's director Tom Jolly, its goal is to travel back to the origins of the Games and into their future.
One of the most memorable musical numbers of the ceremony was the performance of pianist Alain Roche, who played the "Hymn of Apollo" on a vertically suspended piano, and at the end of his performance five Olympic rings gathered in the air in a single projection.
The Olympic flag was handed over by the mayor of Paris to his counterpart in Los Angeles
During the ceremony, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo handed the flag to her colleague Karen Bass of Los Angeles. The California metropolis will host the next Summer Olympics in 2028.
The main character of the second part of the closing ceremony, which is traditionally held by the organizers of the next Olympics, was Hollywood star Tom Cruise. The 62-year-old actor made a dramatic exit: he descended to the arena from the roof of the Stade de France, grabbed the Olympic flag and jumped on a motorcycle to the roar of the crowd. He then raced through Paris at night and rode directly onto a motorcycle to board an airplane in the style of the "Mission Impossible" movies.
The music part from the U.S. side of the ceremony was taken over by singer Billie Eilish, rapper and main participant of the Olympic Games in Paris Snoop Dogg and the "calling card" of Los Angeles - the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
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