The document provides an overview of the history and events of the Olympic Games, including the ancient Greek origins, the revival of the modern Olympics in 1896, and details on current summer and winter Olympic sports and events. It also discusses the Olympic rings symbol, the 2008 Beijing Games, and the bidding process for the 2016 Olympics.

1. The Olympic Games An Interactive Presentation Jillian La Cosse Section 02 Grades 4-5 Quit

2. “ The Olympics are always a special competition. It is very difficult to predict what will happen.” -Sergi Bubkua, Ukranian Pole Vaulter 1988 Summer Olympics Quit The First Olympics Ancient Olympic Games Modern Summer Games Current Summer Olympic Events Modern Winter Games Current Winter Olympic Events The Olympic Rings Beijing, China 2008 2016 Olympic Bid Resources Author Information

3. FIRST OLYMPICS The very first Olympic Games were held in 776 B.C. It was started by the Greeks at Olympia, Greece The Games were originally a religious festival to honor Zeus, the father of the Greek gods and goddesses The Games were held in Olympia every four years for nearly twelve centuries Quit What Olympia may have looked like

4. ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES In the ancient Greek Olympics, only men were allowed to participate The first event was a foot race Some events were boxing, wrestling, and horse racing Quit

5. MODERN SUMMER GAMES The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece in 1896. There were 43 events Fourteen nations participated, including Greece, Germany, France, Great Britain, and the United States All 241 participating athletes were men The games are Quit Click photo for the International Olympic Committee website held every four years

6. CURRENT SUMMER OLYMPIC EVENTS There are now 33 sports and nearly 400 events at the Summer Olympics Major sports: swimming, gymnastics, volleyball, basketball, table tennis, cycling, and track Sports like rugby, tug-of-war, and golf are no longer part of the summer Olympics Quit

7. MODERN WINTER GAMES The first winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France in 1924 Sixteen nations participated, with 11 women athletes and 247 men Originally there were only 16 events The winter Olympics are held every 4 years Quit

8. CURRENT WINTER OLYMPIC EVENTS The Winter Olympics have a much smaller number of sports and events Sports include: biathlon, bobsled, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating, and skiing Quit Ceremonies at the 2006 Winter Olympics

9. THE OLYMPIC RINGS The five colored rings represent the five continents that are home to Olympic athletes The colors represent all nations The rings are interlocked to symbolize the Olympics as an event for all nations to come together and compete in unity The flag with the Olympic rings was first flown during the 1920 games in Belgium Quit

10. BEIJING, CHINA 2008 Most recent Olympics that began August 8, 2008 and ended August 24, 2008 The United States won 36 Gold medals, 38 Silver, and 36 Bronze More than 40 World Records and 130 Olympic Records were broken American swimmer Michael Phelps made history by winning 8 Gold medals, the most anyone has ever won in a single Games Quit This is where the 2008 Olympic Ceremonies were held. Click the picture for a video to see highlights from the US Olympic gymnastics team in Beijing

11. 2016 BID For every Olympics, different cities and different countries are allowed to bid for hosting the Olympic Games The four cities on the 2016 Olympic bid are: Chicago (United States), Tokyo (Japan), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and Madrid (Spain) It costs a lot of money to get ready for the Olympics, but hosting the Olympics also gives countries pride, more tourism, and a chance to show the world why their country is so great The decision of who will host the 2016 Olympics will be made October 2, 2009 The United States has hosted 7 times Quit Click the picture for a video about Chicago 2016

12. RESOURCES Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qHl7VfQ1RQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmNq3K4ihHE Websites: http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/index_uk.asp http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/olympics/olympicorigins.shtml http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/beijing2008/graphic/n214068255.shtml Pictures not from the IOC website: http://www.osmosis.com.au/visualize/images/olympia_01.jpg Quit

13. AUTHOR INFORMATION My name is Jillian La Cosse and I am in my second year at Grand Valley State University. I am an English/Language Arts major with an emphasis in Elementary Education. After my graduation in 2011, I will have my teacher’s certification and plan on teaching at the elementary level. If you would like to contact me, feel free to e-mail me at [email_address] Quit