Olympic Games 101

The Modern Olympic Games

It was a young French nobleman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who began a campaign to revive the Olympic Games. He was anxious to bring back the high standards of sportmanship that the Games had shown during their greatest period. He believed that taking part in sporthelped to strengthen the mind as well as the body.

France supported Coubertin's idea from the start. Other countries also backed him. At a meeting held in 1894, it was decided to revive the Olympic Games 2 years later. Fittingly, the modern Olympics began at Athens, the capital of Greece. They were to be held every 4 years at a different city.