The Olympic Games is an international multi-sport event. The original Olympic Games (Greek: Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες ; ) were first recorded in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece, and were celebrated until AD 393. Interest in reviving the Olympic Games proper was first shown by the Greek poet and newspaper editor Panagiotis Soutsos in his poem "Dialogue of the Dead" in 1833. Evangelos Zappas sponsored the first modern international Olympic Games in 1859. He paid for the refurbishment of the Panathenian Stadium for Olympic Games held there in 1870 and 1875. This was noted in newspapers and publications around the world including the London Review, which stated that "the Olympian Games, discontinued for centuries, have recently been revived! Here is strange news indeed ... the classical games of antiquity were revived near Athens."

The International Olympic Committee was founded in 1894 on the initiative of a French nobleman, Pierre Frédy, Baron de Coubertin. The IOC has become the heart of the "Olympic Movement," a conglomeration of sporting federations that are involved in the organization of the Games. As the Olympic Movement has grown so have the profile and complexity of the Games. Participation in the Games has increased to the point that nearly every nation on earth is represented. With the proliferation of satellite communications, the internet, and the continuing trend towards globalization, the Olympics are consistently gaining supporters. This growth has created numerous challenges, including political boycotts, the use of performance enhancing medications, bribery of officials, and terrorism.

Despite these challenges the Olympics have continued to thrive and flourish. Each successive Games attempts to add more events in order to keep up with the ever-evolving advance of athletic expression around the world. The 2008 games in Beijing comprise 302 events in 28 sports. The most recent Winter Olympics in 2006 featured 84 events in 7 sports. While the Olympic Games do continue to evolve, they also encompass many rituals that were established during their infancy in the late 19th and early 20th century. Most of these traditions are on display during the Opening and Closing ceremonies, and the medal presentations. For its part, the Olympic Movement has made considerable progress in fostering participation among as many nations as wish to compete, as well as focusing on the Olympic motto: Citius Altius Fortius - Faster, Higher, Stronger.

¹ Originally awarded to Chicago, but moved to St. Louis to coincide with the World's Fair ² Cancelled due to World War I ³ Cancelled due to World War II ⁴ Equestrian events were held in Stockholm, Sweden. Stockholm had to bid for the equestrian competition separately; it received its own Olympic flame and had its own formal invitations and opening & closing ceremonies, just like the regular Summer Olympics. ⁵ Equestrian events to be held in China's Hong Kong SAR. Although Hong Kong's separate NOC is conducting the equestrian competition, it is an integral part of the Beijing Games; it is not being conducted under a separate bid, flame, etc., as was the 1956 Stockholm equestrian competition. The IOC website lists only Beijing as the host city.

See also

• Olympic Stadium
• Bids for Olympic Games
• Bids for Olympic Games (ballots)
• Olympic Cup
• Olympic Order
• Pierre de Coubertin medal
• Special Olympics
• Olympic Games scandals

Notes

1. ^ "Olympic Games". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved on 2006-12-27.
2. ^ "Ancient Olympic Games". Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2006 . Microsoft Corporation (1997-2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-27.
3. ^ ^{a b c} David C. Young, The Modern Olympics - A Struggle for Revival, published by The Johns Hopkins University Press in 1996, ISBN 0-8018-5374-5
4. ^ London Review, September 15, 1860.
5. ^ "Olympic Games - Recent Developments". Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2006 . Microsoft Corporation (1997-2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-27.
6. ^ "Beijing 2008: Games Programme Finalised", International Olympic Committee (2006-04-27) . Retrieved on 2006-05-10 .  
7. ^ "Turin 2006". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved on 2006-12-27.
8. ^ "Ancient Olympic Games- Gods". Olympic Committee. Retrieved on 2006-12-28.
9. ^ ^{a b} "Ancient Olympic Games- Athletes". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved on 2006-12-28.
10. ^ "The Ancient Olympic Games". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved on 2006-12-28.
11. ^ "Ancient Olympic Games: History". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved on 2006-12-28.
12. ^ "Marshall Islands joins Olympic Family", ONOC (2006-02-10) . Retrieved on 2006-12-17 .  
13. ^ Matroka, Bernadette. "IOC "Welcomes" Idea of Youth Olympic Games to Start in 2010 with "Relevant" Sports" . Retrieved on 2007-05-20 .  
14. ^ "FIS in favor of Youth Olympic Games", FIS (2007-05-08) . Retrieved on 2007-05-20 .  
15. ^ "No kidding: Teens to get Youth Olympic Games", USA Today . Retrieved on 2007-05-19 .  
16. ^ ^{a b} "Rogge wants Youth Olympic Games", BBC Sport (2007-03-19) . Retrieved on 2007-05-19 .  
17. ^ ^{a b} "IOC Session: A "go" for Youth Olympic Games", International Olympic Committee (2007-07-05) . Retrieved on 2007-07-06 .  
18. ^ "Youth Olympic Games". International Olympic Committee (2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-06.
19. ^ "IOC to Introduce Youth Olympic Games in 2010" (2007-04-25) . Retrieved on 2007-05-20 .  
20. ^ IOC votes to start Yo
    

    Dress Up Barbie, Get Fashion Conscious Barbie is a doll for every little girl. As a matter of fact, there are several types of Barbies available and they are all different, wearing diverse outfits to suit their mission. However, it is difficult to buy all those types of Barbies, so it is easier to play some dress up games online and choose the clothes, accessories, hair styles , colors and attitudes of this famous doll character. So, if you want your little girl to have some fun and play some quality online game s, the dress up games are probably the thing you are looking for. Not only will the girls l earn about fashion and dressing up, but they will also l earn how to decorate a room and many other useful things for a girl. A bedroom makeover is a great time to spend while seeing all different pieces of furniture for Barbie. In addition, after having decorated a room, the picture is printable. Next, Barbie can be helped to clean up her room and arrange all things in the right place , this game helping the kids to keep their room in order as well.There are also some amazing dress up games with Barbie: kids can help Barbie out to choose her pajamas or Valentine outfit, do her make up or choose a hair style, give her accessories and the fun is never over. There are numerous dresses, costumes, hair styles , make up styles, bags, shoes, earrings, necklaces, and the kids can try them all. If a dress up of the Barbie is not to your liking, it can be deleted and started again. And last but not least, the result may be printed out for the kids to enjoy and compare their pictures. These Barbie dress up games include Barbie puzzles, and little girls can help Barbie to join together a beautiful picture. This might take long, and these games are recommended for girls over 6, because they have a higher level of difficulty, but these are highly entertaining. So, where can you find these Barbie dress up games ? Just go online and have a quick search and you will stumble upon great games for little girls that like Barbie dolls. And another great thing about these games is that their majority is for free and they are highly educational for little girls, teaching them about fashion, arranging things, making up pictures and lots more. By: Allweb Article Directory : http://www.articledashboard.com Visit the author s website to l earn more about: Play doll dress up games Barbie dressup games for girls Play free online Pokemon games