April 6: First Modern Olympic Games Begin (1896)
Prayer Idea
Pray that people from different countries would get to know and understand each other better through the Olympics and other international sporting events.
History Note
The ancient Greeks hosted multiple religious festivals that included athletic competitions. The most famous of these, the Olympic Games, started in 776 BC, though some evidence suggests an even earlier date. Olympia, Greece, hosted this event every four years for over 1,000 years.
Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937) was a French educator and thinker. He believed that sports were essential to forming a student’s character. Coubertin dreamed of a worldwide amateur sports competition. He believed that such a competition would promote friendly relations among nations.
Coubertin organized an international athletic congress in 1894 and invited representatives from several countries. At the meeting, Coubertin proposed the organization of modern Olympic Games, based on those held in ancient Greece. The representatives agreed to his proposal and formed the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Athens, Greece, hosted the first modern Olympic Games. The event began on April 6, 1896. (Since Greece still officially used the Gregorian calendar, the date in Greece was March 25.) About 240 athletes from fourteen countries competed in nine sports.
The marathon was a significant event that the Greek hosts especially wanted to win. The race of about 40 kilometers (25 miles) followed the route of Pheidippides, who according to legend ran from the plain of Marathon to Athens in 490 BC after a battle. Twenty-four-year old Greek shepherd Spyridon Louis ran in the marathon, wearing shoes donated by his fellow villagers. He won the event, beating his closest competitor by seven minutes.
This photo shows the opening ceremony of the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Learn More
Learn about some of the events and athletes at the first modern Olympic Games.
Explore more resources at Homeschool History.
