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The number
one sporting event in the world
The Olympic Games is the number one sporting event in the world and attracts the largest world-wide audiences in television. in year 2000 over one billion (1,000,000,000) people in the world watched the Olympic Games from Sydney. In 1896 when the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens 13 countries participated, 311 participants and nine sports with 41 events. In Sydney year 2000 there was 200 countries, 15.300 participated of which 10.200 were athletes and on the agenda was 28 sports with 157 events. In the first modern Olympic Games there were very few women athletes, today almost half the athletes are women. The Olympic Games in Athens will be the 28th.
IOC choose
the host city
The Olympic Games are hosted every four year by a city which is chosen seven years prior by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Even if it is not a country that host the Games the city must be approved by the National Olympic Committee and has the support of its people and all its political authorities on local as well as national level.
Athletics
oath
During the Opening Ceremonies one selected athlete from the organizing country represents all others. The athlete is taking an oath promising to abide by the rules in the true spirit of sportsmanship:
"In the name of all the competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport, and the honor of our teams."
Winter Games
In the first modern Olympic Games there where only summer events included. When the Summer Games became more and more popular a variety of winter sports was introduced as regular competitions. The first formal Winter Games were therefore held in Chamonix, France, in 1924.
Paralympics
What Coubertin meant for the modern Olympic Games the English neurosurgeon Sir Ludwig Guttman has meant for the Paralympics. Guttman organized on 28 july 1948, the opening day of the London Olympic Games a sports competition for World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries and twelve years later his dream came true when the first disabled persons entered the Olympics.
The word "Paralympics" reflects the idea of a "parallel" Olympics for disabled athletes and the summer games has since 1988 been held in the same year as the Olympics. The Games are for athletes from six different disability groups.
The first Paralympics were held in Rome in 1960 with 400 athletes from 23 countries. In Sydney year 2000 almost 4,000 athletes from 125 countries competed in 18 events making Sydney the biggest Paralympics ever.
The first winter Paralympics were held at the Albertville Winter Games in 1992.
Athens 1906
As the 1906 Games in Athens did not take place in the four-year cycle established in 1896 these games are considered unofficial by the IOC. Most record books include these interim games with the others which means that the 2004 Olympic Database includes the results.
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