The wait is almost over and the 2024 Paris Olympics is less than 10 days away. The Olympics gets underway on 26 July and the two-week long competition will witness around 10,500 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committee nations. The Games will be held till 11 August.
A total of 32 sporting events will be held during the Paris Olympics with 329 gold medals on offer. The Olympics have a history that dates back to over 2000 years back, although the first modern Olympics was only held in 1896 in Greece. Paris Olympics Complete Coverage: Click here for news, schedule, explainers and more What are the other interesting facts about the Olympics? Let’s take a look: Ancient Olympics The ancient Olympics was first held in 8th century BC, and originated in Olympia, Greece.
The competition took place every four years for a dozen centuries, until 4th century AD when Emperor Theodosius I banned all pagan festivals including the Olympics. The tradition of athletics was, however, revived 1500 years later, when the first modern Olympics was held in Greece in 1896. Women were allowed to compete at the Olympics since 1900.
The athletes competed naked in ancient Greece and did not have to bother about aspects like fashion and sponsorship. The Games used to go on for about five to six months. Winter and Summer Olympics Both the Winter and Summer Olympics were held in the same year from 1924 to 1992, but ever since, they have been held in different cycles ever since, alternating every two yea.