Today's Olympics trace back to the religious festivals held in Olympia of Ancient Greece, where sturdy young men from all over Greece gathered every fourth year to observe sacred rites for Zeus, the chief of Olympian Gods.

After the rites, they came out into an arena and held athletic games, competing in some ten events including boxing, wrestling, javelin throw, and others. This custom continued until it died out, with the 293rd game becoming the last, when Greece was annexed to the Roman Empire.

The Olympic Games were revived by Baron Coubertin's proposal, which led to the opening of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. Except for the discontinuance that occurred during the two world wars, the olympics have since been steadily held until today, when the 24th Games in Seoul are only two years away.