The Olympic Games we have today are a tribute to games of many centuries past, that would hit Ancient Greece and its people really hard.

The Ancient Olympic Games would bring about a series of athletic competitions that were faced by representatives of the city-states of Ancient Greece. The dispute occurred every 4 years and was a tribute to Zeus, the head of the Olympus. According to historical records, it is believed that the first games took place in the year 776 BC

During the celebration of the Olympic Games, a truce would be established so that athletes could travel safely. In general, the awards were crowns of leaves, and, of course, much prestige.

The Olympic Games have a rather curious mythological origin. Legend has it that Herakles (not the son of Zeus, another) and brothers Paeonaeus, Epimedes, Iasius and Goings held a race in Olympia city to entertain the infant Zeus, which awarded the winner with an olive leaf crown. Legend also says that the games happen every 4 years because this is the time it takes for a tree to generate more olive leaves for a crown. The dispute between the brothers inspired the other gods of Olympus, which also began to organize their own competitions.

Even after the conquest of the Romans, the disputes continued going until Emperor Theodosius I closed them in 393 A.D. as part of the campaign to impose Christianity as the main religion of Rome.

The Olympics we have today were the world’s interest results in rescuing the competitive spirit of the old version. The first modern edition was held in 1896, appropriately in Athens, Greece. Now, Brazil receives the edition number 31 of the Olympic Games, helping to keep this tradition alive.

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