Information On The Olympics

The five rings are the symbol of the Olympics

What are the Olympics?

 

The Olympics are a gathering of over 10,000 athletes from over 200 countries.  They originated in Greece,  2700 years ago in a place called Olympia (see below).  At around 400 AD, the Olympic games were stopped by a roman emperor, a Christian, because of  its pagan influences. It was revived in 1896 by a Frenchman named Pierre de Coubertin. There are now over 35 sports for athletes to compete in. Some are versions of the same sport, as BMX biking and  mountain biking are both Olympic sports. Things like the pentathlon consist of different sports (riding, fencing, shooting, swimming and running).

Wenlock and Mandeville are the mascots of the London 2012 Olympics