Paragraph on “Olympic Games” complete paragraph for Class 9, Class 10, Class 11 and Class 12

Olympic Games

The ancient Greeks held religious festivals, once every four years, to please their gods. The first, such festival, probably took place in the year 776 BC at a place called Olympia. These festivals included sports like chariot racing, wrestling, discus throws, racing etc. It was in the year 1896 that the Olympics were revived. In line with the Greeks, these games were also held every four years and they were named after the city where they first took place. The management of the Olympics is today handled by the International Olympics Committee (IOC). This committee takes decisions about the city where the games are to be held and looks after the management of the games. Athletes and sportsmen from all over the world take part in the games. The opening ceremony of the games is generally a spectacular event and runners carry a burning torch, which is lit in Olympia, to the venue of the games. As a part of the opening ceremony a flame is lit in the main stadium with the help of this torch. This marks the initiation of the games. The games have both individual sports and team events. The IOC is constantly adding new games and at times deleting some events. In all the events more than 6500 sportswomen and sportsmen take part in a variety of events. The winners are awarded medals, a gold medal is given to the one who wins in the first place, a silver medal to the one who comes second and a bronze medal to the one who comes third. When the medals are awarded the flags of the winning nations are hoisted and their national anthems are played. The Olympics provide harmony between nations and bring them together. Besides the main Olympics, there are also Winter Olympics. These games take place in the same year when the Olympics are held. In the Winter Olympics competitions are held for the snow and ice sports like skiing, skating etc.