Essay on the history of the emergence and development of the Olympic Games. The history of the emergence and current state of the Olympic Games

Tourism and rest 15.04.2018

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History of the Olympic Games

olympic physical culture game

Physical Culture- part common culture society, one of the areas of social activity aimed at improving health, developing the physical abilities of a person and using them in accordance with the needs of social practice. Key Status Indicators physical culture in society: the level of health and physical development of people; the degree of use of Physical culture in the field of upbringing and education, in production, everyday life, the structure of free time; the nature of the system of physical education, the development of mass sports, the highest sports achievements, etc.

Basic elements of physical culture: physical exercises, their complexes and competitions in them, hardening of the body, hygiene at work and life, active-motor types of tourism, physical work as a form of active recreation for mental workers.

In society, physical culture, being the property of the people, is an important means of "educating a new person who harmoniously combines spiritual wealth, moral purity and physical perfection." It helps to increase the social and labor activity of people, the economic efficiency of production, the physical culture movement is based on the multilateral activities of state and public organizations in the field of physical culture and sports.

Sport- component physical culture, as well as the means and method of physical education, the system of organizing and conducting competitions in various complexes of physical exercises and preparatory training sessions. It has historically developed as a special area for identifying and unified comparison of people's achievements in certain types physical exercises, the level of their physical development. Sport in a broad sense covers the actual competitive activity, special preparation for it (sports training), specific social relations arising in the field of this activity, its socially significant results. The social value of sports lies in the fact that it is a factor that most effectively stimulates physical culture, contributes to moral, aesthetic education, and the satisfaction of spiritual needs.

Various elements of human activity have historically entered the sphere of sports. Sports that have a centuries-old history have developed from original physical exercises, forms of labor and military activity used by a person for the purpose of physical education in ancient times - running, jumping, throwing, lifting weights, rowing, swimming, etc .; part of modern sports was formed in the 19-20 centuries. on the basis of the sport itself and related areas of culture - games, sports and rhythmic gymnastics, modern pentathlon, figure skating, orienteering, sports tourism and etc.; technical sports - based on the development of technology: auto, motorcycle, cycling, aviation sports, scuba diving, etc.

Physical Cultureis an integral part of human life. It occupies a rather important place in the study and work of people. Physical exercise plays a significant role in the working capacity of members of society, which is why knowledge and skills in physical culture should be incorporated into educational institutions different levels step by step. Higher educational institutions also play a significant role in the upbringing and teaching of physical culture, where teaching should be based on clear methods, methods that together line up in a well-organized and well-established methodology for teaching and educating students.

The physical culture of the people is part of its history. Its formation, subsequent development is closely connected with the same historical factors that influence the formation and development of the country's economy, its statehood, political and spiritual life of society. Naturally, the concept of physical culture includes everything that is created by the mind, talent, needlework of the people, everything that expresses its spiritual essence, a view of the world, nature, human existence, human relations.

"There is nothing nobler than the sun,

giving so much light and warmth. So

and people glorify those contests

There is nothing more majestic than the Olympic Games.

These words of the ancient Greek poet Pindar, written two thousand years ago, have not been forgotten to this day. Not forgotten because the Olympic competitions, held at the dawn of civilization, continue to live in the memory of mankind.

There are no number of myths - one is more beautiful than the other! about the origin of the Olympic Games. Gods, kings, rulers and heroes are considered their most honorable ancestors. One thing has been established with obvious indisputability: the first Olympiad known to us from antiquity took place in 776 BC.

Each Olympic Games turned into a holiday for the people, a kind of congress for rulers and philosophers, a competition for sculptors and poets.

The days of the Olympic celebrations are the days of universal peace. For the ancient Hellenes, games were an instrument of peace, facilitating negotiations between cities, promoting mutual understanding and communication between states.

The Olympics glorified man, for the Olympics reflected a worldview, the cornerstone of which was the cult of the perfection of the spirit and body, the idealization of a harmoniously developed person - a thinker and an athlete. Olympionics - the winner of the games - were paid honors by their compatriots, which were awarded to the gods, monuments were created in their honor during their lifetime, laudatory odes were composed, feasts were arranged. The Olympic hero entered his native city in a chariot, dressed in purple, crowned with a wreath, he entered not through the usual gate, but through a hole in the wall, which was sealed up on the same day so that the Olympic victory would enter the city and never leave it.

The center of the Olympic world of antiquity was the sacred district of Zeus in Olympia - a grove along the Alpheus River at the confluence of the Kladei stream. In this beautiful town of Hellas, traditional all-Greek competitions in honor of the God of Thunder were held almost three hundred times. Winds ionian sea mighty pines and oaks on the top of Kronos hill disturbed. At its foot there is a protected area, the silence of which was broken every four years by the Olympic celebration.

Near the sacred Olympia, the town of the same name subsequently grew up, surrounded by orange and olive groves.

Olympia owes its surviving glory entirely to the Olympic Games, although they were held there only once every four years and lasted a few days. In the intervals between games, a huge stadium was empty, located nearby, in a hollow near the hill of Kronos. The running track of the stadium and the slopes of the hill and embankments that bordered the arena, which served as a platform for spectators, were overgrown with grass. There was no clatter of hooves or the rumble of horse-drawn chariots at the nearby hippodrome. There were no athletes training in the spacious gymnasium surrounded by space and in the monumental building of the palestra. Voices were not heard in the leonidaion - a hotel for honored guests.

But during the Olympic Games, life was seething here. Tens of thousands of arriving athletes and guests filled the grandiose sports facilities for those times to capacity. In terms of their composition, their ensemble basically differed little from modern sports complexes. In those distant times, only the winner in certain types of competitions, the Olympionik, was revealed at the Olympics. talking modern language, no one recorded the absolute achievements of athletes. Therefore, few people were interested in the perfection of the competition sites. Everyone was more interested in the ritual side of the holiday dedicated to Zeus.

As you know, ancient Greek history with a certain degree of reliability reflects mythology. One of the poetic myths ancient greece tells about how the Olympic stadium came into being. If you listen to this legend, then Hercules from Crete was its founder. Approximately in the 17th century. BC. He and his four brothers landed on the Peloponnesian peninsula. There, at the hill with the tomb of the titan Kronos, according to legend, defeated in the fight by the son of Zeus, Hercules, in honor of the victory of his father over his grandfather, organized a competition with his brothers on the run. To do this, on the site at the foot of the hill, he measured the distance of 11 stages, which corresponded to 600 of his feet. An impromptu running track 192 m 27 cm long served as the basis for the future Olympic Stadium. For three centuries, it was in this primitive arena that the games, later called the Olympic Games, were far from regularly held.

Gradually, the Olympics won the recognition of all the states located on the Peloponnesian Peninsula, and by 776 BC. acquired a general character. It was from this date that the tradition began to perpetuate the names of the winners.

On the eve of the grand opening of the Games, an ancient tent city was spread out near the stadium on the banks of the Alfei River. In addition to many sports fans, merchants of various goods and owners of entertainment establishments rushed here. So even in ancient times, the care of preparing for the games involved the most diverse social strata of the Greek population in organizational matters. The Greek festival dedicated to the glorification of physical strength and the unity of a nation that worships the deified beauty of man. The Olympic Games, as their popularity grew, influenced the center of Olympia - Altis. For more than 11 centuries, pan-Greek games have been held in Olympia. Similar games were held in other centers of the country, but none of them could be compared with the Olympic ones.

One of the most beautiful legends of the past tells of Prometheus, the God-fighter and protector of people, who stole fire from Olympus and brought it in a reed and taught mortals how to use it. As the myths say, Zeus ordered Hephaestus to chain Prometheus to the Caucasian rock, pierced his chest with a spear, and a huge eagle flew every morning to peck the liver of a titan. He was saved by Hercules. And not a legend, but history testifies that in other cities of Hellas there was a cult of Prometheus, and in his honor Prometheus was held - competitions of runners with burning torches.

The figure of this titan remains today one of the most vivid images in Greek mythology. The expression "Promethean fire" means striving for high goals in the fight against evil. Didn't the ancients put the same meaning when they lit the Olympic flame in the Altis grove about three thousand years ago?

During the summer solstice, competitors and organizers, pilgrims and fans paid homage to the gods by lighting a fire on the altars of Olympia. The winner of the running competition was honored to light the fire for the sacrifice. In the reflections of this fire, the rivalry of athletes took place, the competition of artists, an agreement on peace was concluded by messengers from cities and peoples.

That is why the tradition of lighting a fire, and later delivering it to the venue of the competition, was renewed.

Among the Olympic rituals, the ceremony of lighting a fire in Olympia and delivering it to the main arena of the games is especially emotional. This is one of the traditions of the modern Olympic movement. The exciting journey of fire through countries, and even - sometimes - continents, can be watched by millions of people with the help of television.

The Olympic flame first flared up at the Amsterdam Stadium on the first day of the 1928 games. This is an indisputable fact. However, until recently, most researchers in the field of Olympic history have not found confirmation that this fire was delivered, as tradition dictates, by relay from Olympia.

The beginning of the torch relay races that brought fire from Olympia to the city Summer Olympics, was laid in 1936 since the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games have been enriched by the exciting spectacle of lighting the fire from the torch carried by the relay in the main Olympic stadium. The Torchbearer Run has been the solemn prologue of the Games for more than four decades. On June 20, 1936, a fire was lit in Olympia, which then made a 3075 km journey along the road of Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Germany. And in 1948, the torch made its first sea voyage.

In 394 AD The Roman emperor Theodosius 1 issued a decree prohibiting the further holding of the Olympic Games. The emperor converted to Christianity and decided to eradicate anti-Christian games glorifying pagan gods. And one and a half thousand years the games were not played. In the following centuries, sport lost the democratic significance that was attached to it in ancient Greece. For a long time it became the privilege of the "chosen" fraud, ceased to play the role of the most accessible means of communication between peoples.

Ancient Greek athletes competed naked. From the word "naked" ("gymnos") comes the word "gymnastics". The naked body was not considered something shameful - on the contrary, it showed how hard the athlete trained. It was shameful to have an unsportsmanlike, untrained body. Women were forbidden not only to participate, but also to observe the course of the Games. If a woman was found in the stadium, she was legally to be thrown into the abyss. Only once this rule was violated - when a woman, whose father, brother and husband were Olympic champions, trained her son herself and, driven by the desire to see him as a champion, went with him to the Games. Coaches stood separately on the field, watching their wards. Our heroine changed into men's clothing and stood next to them, looking at her son with excitement. And now ... he is declared the champion! Mother could not stand it and ran across the whole field to be the first to congratulate him. On the way, her clothes fell off her, and everyone saw that there was a woman in the stadium. The judges were in a difficult position. By law, the violator must be killed, but she is a daughter, sister and wife, and now also the mother of Olympic champions! She was spared, but from that day on a new rule was introduced - now not only athletes, but also coaches must stand completely naked on the field to prevent such situations.

One of the types of competitions was chariot racing - unusually dangerous view sports, horses were often frightened, chariots collided, jockeys fell under the wheels ... Sometimes only two out of ten chariots reached the start. But all the same, no matter what strength and dexterity the jockey showed, it was not he who received the wreath of the winner, but the owner of the horses!

Women had their own Games - they were dedicated to the goddess Hera. They took place a month before the men's or, conversely, a month after them, at the same stadium where women competed in running. With the onset of the Renaissance, which restored interest in the art of Ancient Greece, they remembered the Olympic Games. At the beginning of the 19th century Sport has received universal recognition in Europe and there was a desire to organize something similar to the Olympic Games. Local games organized in Greece in 1859, 1870, 1875 and 1879 left some trace in history. Although they did not give tangible practical results in the development of the international Olympic movement, they served as an impetus for the formation of the Olympic Games of our time, which owe their revival to the French public figure, teacher, historian Pierre de Coubertin. The growth of economic and cultural communication between states, which arose at the end of the 18th century, the appearance modern species transport, paved the way for the revival of the Olympic Games on an international scale. That is why the call of Pierre De Coubertin: "We need to make sport international, we need to revive the Olympic Games!", found a proper response in many countries.

June 1894 in Paris in Great Hall The Sorbonne met a commission to revive the Olympic Games. Pierre de Coubertin became its general secretary. Then the International Olympic Committee (IOC) took shape, which included the most authoritative and independent citizens. different countries.

By decision of the IOC, the games of the first Olympiad were held in April 1896 in the Greek capital at the Panathini Stadium. The energy of Coubertin and the enthusiasm of the Greeks overcame many obstacles and made it possible to carry out the planned program of the first games of our time. Spectators enthusiastically accepted the colorful opening and closing ceremonies of the revived sports festival, awarding the winners of the competitions. The interest in the competition was so great that 80 thousand spectators could fit in the marble stands of the Panathini Stadium, designed for 70,000 seats. The success of the revival of the Olympic Games was confirmed by the public and the press of many countries, who welcomed the initiative.

One of the oldest is the legend of Pelops, which is mentioned by the ancient Roman poet Ovid in his Metamorphoses and the ancient Greek poet Pindar. Pelops, the son of Tantalus, is told in this legend, after the king of Troy, Il, conquered his hometown of Sipil, left his homeland, and went to the shores of Greece. In the very south of Greece, he found a peninsula and settled on it. Since then, this peninsula has been called the Peloponnese. Once Pelops saw the beautiful Hypodamia, the daughter of Enomai. Oenomaus was the king of Pisa, a city located in the northwest of the Peloponnese, in the valley of the river Alpheus. Pelops fell in love with the beautiful daughter of Enomai and decided to ask the king for her hand.

But it turned out to be not so easy. The fact is that the oracle predicted Enomai's death at the hands of his daughter's husband. To prevent such a fate, Enomai decided not to marry his daughter at all. But how to do that? How to refuse all applicants for the hand of Hypodamia? Many worthy suitors wooed the beautiful princess. Enomai could not refuse everyone for no reason and came up with a cruel condition: he would give Hypodamia as a wife only to the one who defeated him in a chariot contest, but if he turned out to be the winner, then the bewitched must pay with his life. Enomai had no equal in the whole of Greece in the art of driving a chariot, and his horses were faster than the wind.

One after another, young people came to the palace of Enomai, who were not afraid to lose their lives, if only to get the beautiful Hypodamia as a wife. And Enomai killed all of them, and so that it would be discourteous for others to come to woo, he nailed the heads of the dead to the doors of the palace. But this did not stop Pelops. He decided to outsmart the cruel ruler of Pisa. Pelops secretly agreed with the charioteer of Oenomaus Myrtilus that he would not insert a pin holding the wheel on the axle.

Before the start of the competition, Enomai, confident, as always, in success, suggested that Pelops start the race alone. The groom's chariot takes off, and Enomai slowly sacrifices to the great Thunderer Zeus, and only after that he rushes after him.

The chariot of Oenomaus has already reached Pelops, the son of Tantalus already feels the hot breath of the horses of King Pisa, he turns around and sees how the king swings his spear with a triumphant laugh. But at that moment, the wheels from the axles of the chariot of Oenomaus jump off, the chariot overturns, and the cruel king falls dead to the ground.

Pelops returned triumphantly to Pisa, took the beautiful Hippodamia as his wife, took possession of the whole kingdom of Enomai, and in honor of his victory held a sports festival in Olympia, which he decided to repeat every four years.

Other legends claim that in Olympia, near the tomb of Cronus, the father of Zeus, a running competition took place. And as if they were organized by Zeus himself, who thus celebrated the victory over his father, which made him the ruler of the world.

But perhaps the most popular in antiquity was the legend that Pindar mentions in his songs in honor of the winners of the Olympic Games. According to this legend, the Games were founded by Hercules after completing his sixth feat - cleansing the barnyard of Avgius, king of Elis. Augeas possessed incalculable riches. His herds were especially numerous. Heracles suggested that Augeas cleanse his entire vast courtyard in one day if he agreed to give him a tenth of his herds. Augeas agreed, believing that it was simply impossible to complete such work in one day. Hercules broke the wall that surrounded the barnyard from two opposite sides, and diverted the water of the Alpheus River into it. Water in one day carried away all the manure from the barnyard, and Hercules again laid down the walls. When Hercules came to Avgiy to demand a reward, the king did not give him anything, and even kicked him out.

Hercules took terrible revenge on the king of Elis. With a large army, he invaded Elis, defeated Augeas in a bloody battle and killed him with a deadly arrow. After the victory, Hercules gathered troops and all the booty near the city of Pisa, made sacrifices to the Olympic gods and established the Olympic Games, which have been held since then every four years on the sacred plain planted by Hercules himself with olive trees dedicated to the goddess Pallas Athena.

There are many other versions of the appearance and creation of the Olympic Games, but all these versions, most often of mythological origin, remain versions.

According to undeniable signs, the appearance of the Olympic Games dates back to the 9th century BC. In those times heavy wars destroyed the Greek states. Ifit - the king of Elis, a small Greek state, on whose territory Olympia is located - goes to Delphi to consult with the oracle, how he, the king of a small country, can save his people from war and robbery. The Delphic oracle, whose predictions and advice were considered infallible, advised Ifit: "It is necessary that you found the Games pleasing to the gods!"

Ifit immediately goes to meet his powerful neighbor - the king of Sparta, Lycurgus. Obviously, Ifit was a good diplomat, since Lycurgus decides that from now on Elis should be recognized as a neutral state. And all the small fragmented states, endlessly at war with each other, agree with this decision. Immediately Ifit, in order to prove his peace-loving aspirations and thank the gods, establishes "the athletic Games, which will be held in Olympia every four years." Hence their name - the Olympic Games. This happened in 884 BC.

Thus a custom was established in Greece, according to which, once every four years, in the midst of internecine wars, everyone put aside their weapons and went to Olympia to admire the harmoniously developed athletes and praise the gods.

The Olympic Games became a national event that united the whole of Greece, while before and after them, Greece was a multitude of disparate, warring states.

After some time, the Greeks came up with the idea to establish a single calendar of the Olympic Games. It was decided to hold the Games regularly every four goals "between the harvest and the grape harvest". The Olympic holiday, which consisted of numerous religious ceremonies and sports competitions, was held first for one day, then for five days, and later the duration of the holiday reached a whole month.

When the festival lasted only one day, it was usually held on the eighteenth day of the "holy month", beginning with the first full moon after the summer solstice. The holiday was repeated every four years, which constituted the "Olympiad" - the Greek Olympic year.

Conclusion

On the present stage the task of turning the mass physical culture movement into a nationwide one, based on a scientifically based system of physical education, which covers all social strata of society, is being solved. There are state systems of program evaluation standards and requirements for physical development and readiness of different age groups of the population.

Compulsory physical education classes according to state programs are held in preschool institutions, in all types educational institutions, in the army.

Since ancient times, the Olympic Games have been the main sporting event of all times and peoples. In the days of the Olympiads, harmony and reconciliation reigned throughout the earth. The wars stopped. All strong and worthy people competed in a fair fight for the title of the best.

Thanks to the media, there is not a single person left in the civilized world. Which I didn’t know - I wouldn’t know what the Olympics are or I wouldn’t see the competition on TV.

Per last years The Olympic Movement has grown in size. The capitals of the Games become the capitals of the world for the duration of the Games. Sport plays an increasingly important role in people's lives.

Getting to know the rich cultural heritage ancient rome, which was the result of the synthesis and further development of the physical cultural achievements of the peoples of antiquity (the ancient East and ancient Greece), makes it possible to better understand the foundations of European civilization, show new aspects in the development of the ancient heritage, establish living links between antiquity and modernity, and better understand modernity.

We see that hand-to-hand combat is one of the oldest types of physical culture. Over the many millennia of its development and existence, it has become not only a method of self-defense, but also a way of spiritual and physical self-improvement of people. Unable to list the number of views and styles hand-to-hand combat, each of which has its own historical and philosophical base. Unfortunately, in recent times the spiritual foundations of martial arts are forgotten, mainly physical training and practical use, while it is impossible to achieve perfect mastery of one kind or another martial art without knowledge of the techniques of concentration and self-knowledge.

Bibliography

1.Khavin B. All about the Olympic Games. M., 1979.

2.Steinbach V. From Athens to Moscow. M., 1979.

.Olympic Encyclopedia. M., 1980.

.Kun L. General history of physical culture and sports. M., 1982.

.Your Olympic textbook. M., 1996.

.History of physical culture in the USSR from ancient times to the end of the 18th century: Anthology. - M. FiS, 1940.

.Kun L. General history of physical culture and sports: Per. Svenger. M.: Raduga, 1982.

.Olivova V. People and games. At the origins of modern sports. - M.: FiS, 1985.

.V. Barvinsky, S. Vilinsky "Born by the Olympics"; Moscow 1985.

.B. Bazunov "Olympic torch relay"; Moscow 1990.

Sport is a purposeful, conscious human activity, the historical task of which is to check the quality of reproduction in conditions of confrontation. human factor as a product of a certain socio-economic social formation.

This definition by A. Piloyan makes it possible to correctly understand the role of sport in modern society, its connection with many social phenomena, such as politics, ideology, economics, etc. Thanks to this understanding, sport appears not just as a team competition, but also as a great international phenomenon, as a social institution for managing international relations.

I chose this topic because I believe that the issues raised in my work are important in today's society. The development of sports is given great importance worldwide. Even the ancient Greeks paid as much attention to the development of the capabilities of their body along with the development of painting, theatrical art, and music. Everyone should know where and why the Olympic Games began - the main sports games world, and also why the Olympic Games have played and are playing a big role in politics at all times.

In this work, I have attempted to show what the Olympic Games were like in antiquity, how they developed, and what they look like in modern times. In my work, I have tried to highlight and contemporary issues: what scandals are unfolding around the games, as well as what goals the countries pursued when holding and participating in the Olympic Games.

Although Russia did not take part in the first three Olympic Games (1896, 1900, 1904), there were active supporters of the ideas of the Olympiad in our country. In 1894, General A.D. Butovsky was elected a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from Russia. He became the author of the only book in Russian about the first Olympic Games of the present - "Athens in the spring of 1896".

At the fourth Olympic Games in London in 1908, Russian athletes competed in three events. Olympic program- wrestling, marathon and figure skating. Figure skater N.A. Panin-Kolomenkin became the first Olympic gold medal winner in the history of Russian sports, two wrestlers were awarded silver medals. After a few failed attempts to create the National Olympic Committee In February 1911, a meeting was held in St. Petersburg that founded the Russian Olympic Committee. Already in the fifth Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912, Russia was represented by 178 athletes. At that time, the sports press described the performance of our Olympic team as "sports Tsushima".

In 1913, the Office of General VN Voeikov was created, the priority task of which was to control physical education in educational institutions. In 1914, there were about 1.2 thousand sports associations in the country, after the October Revolution of 1917, the state management of the physical training of workers was entrusted to the Main Directorate of Vseoobuch, under which the Supreme Council of Physical Culture was established. Physical culture and sports were an organic part of the Soviet ideology, social life and mass culture, a set of measures aimed at "the harmonious development of the physical and spiritual abilities of people, strengthening their health, preparing highly productive labor and protecting the Motherland."

These provisions, taken from the period Soviet life people have not lost their relevance and necessity now. We again came to the understanding that sport and physical culture should become an integral attribute of life in Russia. Russian people worthy of having good conditions for playing sports, for educating a new generation of our Olympic champions.

The purpose of this study is to reveal the history of the emergence and development of the Olympic Games; showing the role of the Olympic Games in international relations; disclosure of the influence of politics on the world stage and in individual countries on the Olympic Games. Disclosing the history of the Olympic Games is especially important in order to understand what feelings people were guided by when creating the Olympic Games, what they wanted to show and what achievements to achieve.

What is the Olympic Games? Currently, this issue causes a lot of controversy among historians, analysts, politicians, and journalists. The classical concept of what the Olympic Games is is given in all modern encyclopedias. The Olympic Games are the largest international complex sports competitions of our time, which are held every four years. The tradition that existed in ancient Greece was revived at the end of the 19th century by the French public figure Pierre de Coubertin. The Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics, have been held every four years since 1896, with the exception of years during World Wars. In 1924, the Winter Olympic Games were established, which were originally held in the same year as the summer ones. However, since 1994, the time of the Winter Olympic Games has been shifted by two years relative to the Summer Games.

At present, the Olympic arena is increasingly becoming a political arena, when political disagreements between countries or leaders of individual countries get in the way of fair competition between the strongest athletes on our planet. For some athletes, the Olympic Games have also become a way to make money. But, despite the above negative points, the Olympic Games serve as a means of rallying people, adults and young people, no matter what nationality they are, where they live, no matter who they work. Interest in the Olympic Games is reviving again in our country and therefore sports are becoming a factor helping to unite the peoples of our big “small” world.

History of the Olympic Games

The origin of the Olympic Games belongs to the distant past. The conducted literary analysis showed that today there are many different versions of the appearance and creation of the Olympic Games, but all these versions are most often of mythological origin. An example of this is the myth that Zeus himself, in honor of his victory over his father, Kronos, ordered the games to be held. There is a legend….

The birthplace of the Olympic Games is Ancient Greece, namely the sanctuary revered by the Greeks - Olympia, located in the western part of the Peloponnesian Peninsula.

Olympia is not an ordinary city, unlike any other. It is located in the southwest of Greece, in the valley of the Alfei River, which flows into the Ionian Sea. north coast Alfea is a huge valley, bordered by forested hills, behind which rise Mountain peaks covered with snow. Only during the Games Olympia belonged to the people, but in normal times it was a city dedicated to the gods. Only priests, guardians of graves and treasures lived here.

Around the valley green sacred belt - Altis. Plane trees, cypresses and olives grew in this sacred grove. Behind the grove were the temples of Zeus, Hera, Demeter, temples of beautiful and pure lines, masterpieces of Greek architecture. Inside were beautiful statues, including Hermes by the famous Greek sculptor Praxiteles and the twelve-meter Zeus, made of gold and Ivory Phidias, the greatest sculptor of antiquity. Brilliant collections of shields, amphorae, vases, and precious helmets added to the splendor of these temples. To the north of the temple of Zeus was a hill surrounded by a wall in the form of a pentagon. According to legend, this hill was the tomb of Pelops. Even further north, at the foot of Kronos Hill, in the temple of Hera for a long time a copper disk was kept with the text of the treaty between Ifit and Lycurgus carved on it. Here, in Altis, in the northwestern side, there were a number of buildings where treasures were kept - gifts from Greek states and cities, gifts from individual citizens. Between all these buildings of Altis there were about seventy altars, on which sacrifices were made to numerous gods revered in ancient Greece.

To the northeast of the sacred grove was the stadium, which lay in a depression about four meters below Altis. It was connected to Altis by a thirty-two-meter underground passage. Through this course, the participants of the competition, accompanied by judges, after making a sacrifice to the gods, went to the stadium for the competition. The stadium was a semi-oval, stretched from west to east, about 215 meters long and about 30 meters wide. It was surrounded by a low embankment, behind which were spectators. Benches covered with white marble were carved out for distinguished guests. The treadmill was quite wide, eight athletes could run along it at the same time.

Among the buildings of Olympia, which had a close connection with the holiday and with the sports performances that took place during it, also belonged to the gymnasium, located northwest of the sacred grove. The gymnasium was a vast courtyard surrounded by a colonnade, on which racetracks, places for throwing, for wrestling, and so on were arranged. The gymnasium was intended for training. Alleys with shady trees were laid out in the gymnasium courtyard, where athletes rested after exercises. Between the trees here and there stood carved marble statues of the most famous Olympians. In the center of the gymnasium courtyard there was a stone building - a palestra - intended for various exercises. There were rooms for ball games, for exercises with bags (these exercises were the main ones in the training of fisticuffs). Baths were also built here. In a special room, it was possible to lubricate the body with oil, and in another, fine Nile sand brought from Egypt was piled up to sprinkle the body. Athletes before the exercises lubricated the body with oil and then sprinkled it with sand. Outside the gymnasium, almost adjoining it, was the first "Olympic village" - housing for athletes arriving at the competition.

At the foot of Mount Kronos, in the valley of the Alpheus River, the Olympic flame is still lit modern Games. Today, historians say that according to indisputable signs, the first authentically known Olympic Games took place in 776 BC. This year is considered to be the starting date. The winner of those Games is called an athlete from the city-polis of Elis - Koroibos. The history of the Olympic movement begins with this name.

However, it should be noted that according to other researchers, the Olympic Games of 776 BC were already the twenty-seventh in a row.

Historians note that the emergence and holding of the Olympic Games at that time became a national event that united the whole of Greece, while before and after them, Greece was a multitude of disparate, warring states. Games were held regularly every four years "between harvest and grape harvest". Only Greeks by origin could become Olympians, and only free people and only men. With the approach of the Olympiad, messengers were sent from Elis to all parts of Greece, declaring a "sacred truce". These messengers used their power to stop wars. Everywhere they were greeted with triumph. And not only in Greece itself, but everywhere where the Greeks settled - in the Crimea, in Egypt, in Spain. It is worth mentioning here that at that time not all Greeks could take part in the Games. To participate, it was necessary: "to be neither a slave nor a barbarian, not to commit any crime, or blasphemy, or sacrilege." Foreigners, that is, persons who were not citizens of the Greek states, were considered barbarians. But did all freeborn Greeks have the opportunity to compete in the Olympics? The law forbade only slaves and barbarians from participating in the Games, leaving room only for free-born Greeks. But the free-born Greeks were heterogeneous in their social and property status. Along with the slave-owning aristocracy, there were numerous small landowners and artisans. The law did not prohibit them from participating in the Games, but a number of requirements for participants actually did not give them the opportunity to compete. According to the Olympic rules, all athletes had to register with the judges a year before the opening of the competition and, before the start of the Games, provide evidence that they had been recent months before the Games, they prepared for competitions, exercising daily. The only exceptions were the winners of previous Olympiads. In addition, each participant had to arrive at Olympia a month before the start of the Games and pass tests at the gymnasium for a month, with all expenses paid by the participant himself. The announcement of the Olympic Games caused an unheard-of fever among all Greeks. People crowded into boats, gathered in huge crowds and walked, everywhere you could see lines of men and teenagers heading for Olympia. The exception was married women, who, under pain of death, were forbidden to attend the Games. In his book Description of Hellas, Pausanias writes that near Olympia, on the banks of the Alpheus, there was a huge rock, on which women who tried to enter the sacred Games were supposed to be brought, and thrown from there. Pausanias, however, adds that there was only one case when a woman was discovered at a feast.

It was the legendary Callipatera, or, as many people call her, Pherenice. The legend about her is rather curious. It is said that this woman from the famous family of Diagorides from the island of Rhodes, who gave many Olympic champions, herself taught her son Poseidor fisticuffs, preparing him for competitions. Arriving in Olympia and not doubting that her son would win, Kallipatera wanted at all costs to be a witness to his triumph. She put on a man's dress and entered the stadium, mixing with a group of pedotribs - trainers. When her son Poseidor defeated five rivals one by one and became an Olympian, the happy mother could not stand it: forgetting everything, she jumped over the barrier, rushed to her son, hugged him ... but in a swift run, the men's outfit flew off her. According to the law, Kallipatera was supposed to be thrown off the cliff, but the judges did not find the strength to do so. And she was pardoned, because this woman was the daughter of a champion, the sister of champions, and, finally, the mother of a champion. But in order to prevent the repetition of such cases in the future, it was decided that pedotribes, located in close proximity to the participants in the competition, were present at the Games naked.

The endless human caravans heading for Olympia crossed the enemy borders without a care, knowing that nothing would happen to them. This phenomenon seems quite exceptional, because at that time the wars practically did not stop. During the twelve centuries this sacred truce was broken only once by the Arcadians, who, during the 103rd Olympiad in 368 B.C. e. captured Olympia. The anger of the Greeks was so strong that the Arcadians were punished and for a long time deprived of the right to participate in the Olympic Games.

On the way to Olympia, the old men explained to the young the evolution of sports. At the very beginning, the Games consisted only of running for one stage - the stadium. In 724 BC. e. a double run was added to it - diaul - at a distance of 384.54 meters. Then, in 720 BC. e., long run - dolichodrome, - or run to the 24th stage. In 708 B.C. e., at the 18th Olympiad, the pentathlon appeared, consisting of a simple run, long jump, discus and javelin throw, wrestling. At the same Olympics, wrestling competitions were held for the first time. Five more Olympiads, in 688 BC. e., the program was enriched with fisticuffs, after two Olympiads - with a chariot race, and, finally, at the 33rd Olympiad, in 648 BC. e., the most difficult and, undoubtedly, the most cruel type of competition appears - pankration, which combines the techniques of fisticuffs and wrestling. Everything was allowed in pankration: any blow, grab, kicks, painful holds and even... bites. Later, the program of the Games included running in arms, running trumpeters and heralds, competitions of chariots pulled by mules, competitions for children in wrestling, horse racing, pentathlon, and in 200 BC. e., at the 145th Olympiad, even a pankration of children appears.

Before the Games, a tent city for spectators was built around Olympia. The town was usually busy. It was full of merchants doing their business here. Here and there the organizers of various bets scurried about - the bookmakers of those times, who acted unofficially, but very actively.

At last the great day came: the Olympic festivities began at sunrise full moon. On the eve, the audience could admire the marble statues of the previous winners, which were placed between the stadium and the Alpheus River at the expense of those cities where the new "demigods" were from:

the first Olympian Koreb from Elis;
"the strongest among the strong" Milo of Croton;
Polites from Korina, who won three victories in all three types of running in one day at the 212th Olympiad;
Lasfen of Tebeya, who ran 30 kilometers against a horse;
Niccola from Akria, who won five race victories in two Olympics, and many other famous athletes.

The young men were necessarily shown several dozen almost identical statues of Zeus, towering near Krona Hill. Each of these statues was built with money from fines imposed on those participants in the Games who cheated, tried to bribe opponents, injured an opponent during competitions - in general, committed various unethical acts.

Violations of the rules recorded in historical monuments were very diverse. For example, at the 71st Olympiad, in 496 BC. e., the Hellanodics (judges) did not recognize the athlete Cleomedes as the winner in a fistfight, because he accidentally killed his opponent during the competition. At the 75th Olympiad, in 480 BC. e., the famous athlete Teagan was fined for refusing to participate in pankration, saying that he was tired during a fist fight, and according to the rules, all types of competitions that were part of the Games program were then mandatory for each participant.

At the 90th Olympiad, in 420 BC. e., the victory of the charioteer Lichas was not recognized, since he illegally took part in the Games: Lichas was a Spartan, and Sparta did not participate in this Olympiad, and Lichas performed with his chariot on behalf of another city. After the 98th Olympiad, four statues of Zeus were erected at once: the fist fighter Eupolus paid a bribe to his three rivals. All four were punished, and not only with a substantial fine, but also with general contempt. No wonder one of the inscriptions on these statues read: "Victory in Olympia is obtained not with money, but with the speed of the legs and the strength of the body."

The Olympic holiday began with a solemn procession heading to the golden statue of Zeus. The Hellanodiki in purple robes led the procession, followed by athletes and eminent citizens. A pair of huge bulls was sacrificed to Zeus, and on these two carcasses the judges and participants took a solemn oath to be worthy of a possible award with an olive wreath made from the branches of a sacred tree. Having performed the ritual of sacrifice to Zeus, the procession went to the temples of other gods, where they also performed various ceremonies. In the evening, after the drawing of lots, a magnificent festival of arts was held. At a time when the holiday was in full swing, the athletes tried to fall asleep with half-starved stomachs, eating only a piece of cheese and washing it down with cold water. Athletes went to these hardships with a light heart, since in case of victory the reward was huge. First of all, the area where the winner comes from, from now on, came under the protection of the gods, then the Olympionist himself became, as it were, a demigod. Upon returning home, he was given a fabulous reception, and until the end of his days he received numerous signs of attention, and after the death of the champion, he was attributed to the host of "small gods". All this is not so little!

So the big day arrived. Between 40,000 and 60,000 spectators take their seats on the embankment around the stadium. The trumpets greet the approach of the Hellanodics and guests of honor. The athletes wait in a corner of the arena and take turns going to the middle to introduce themselves when the crier calls out their name. The herald loudly announces the name and homeland of each and asks three times: "Do all of you, the happy guests of Olympia, agree that this athlete is a free and worthy citizen?" Then the competition began. On the first day, competitions were held in all types of running, on the second - pentathlon, and on the third - wrestling, fisticuffs and pankration. The fourth day was completely at the disposal of the children. Running distances for children were half that of adults. On the fifth day, competitions were held among chariots harnessed by four horses, horse races in a circle for 1538 meters and 14 kilometers. The Olympic holiday ended with a series of grandiose banquets, which were arranged in turn by each state.

Of all the days, the audience most expected the third, when the strongest competed. Competitions began with the least rough type of wrestling. Here, headbutts were not punished, but punches were categorically prohibited. The site was quite heavily watered, and the wrestlers rubbed their bodies with oil. So in this type of struggle, it was necessary to have more dexterity than strength in order to knock the enemy to the ground three times to win.

In a fist fight, much more strength was required to win, which was greatly appreciated by the audience. There was only one rule here: whoever kills his rival will be subjected to the most severe punishment. The hands of the fighters were wrapped in soft, elastic bovine leather straps, they covered all fingers except the thumb. Then the belt was tightly twisted around the brush. This not only protected the fingers from injury, but also increased the power of the blow. It was allowed to hit only in the head or in the face, so often the fighters performed in leather or even metal helmets. It happened that the very first blow brought victory, so the opponents were cautious, waited, maneuvered around the court for a long time. And only seizing the moment, inflicted a crushing blow on the enemy.

Most of all, the Greeks loved those who won not by brute force, but by art. Very popular in the 1st century AD. e. was Melancus of Carii, who was famous for his brilliant defense. Holding his arms outstretched forward, he skillfully kept the opponent at a distance, preventing him from striking. Melankom could hold out like this for an hour, two, three, and much more - until his opponent was completely exhausted. For all my sports career he did not mutilate any of his partners, and remained undefeated.

The third competition of the day is pankration. The competition began with a fistfight. In pankration, the fighters performed with bare hands, without belts. Opponents, having taken comfortable positions and standing firmly on their legs apart, with their bodies leaning forward and their heads tilted back and to the left, began to strike each other with their hands. Sometimes one of the opponents limited himself to self-defense, repelling the opponent's blows, and when he saw that the opponent was beginning to tire, he went on the offensive. When one of the competitors fell to the ground, the match continued in the form of a struggle.

The most notable in this sport was the great Milo of Croton. A handsome man of enormous stature, with well-developed muscles, he aroused the frenzied worship of spectators and chroniclers of his time. It is said that on the evening of the day when he won his sixth Olympic victory (from the 57th to the 63rd Olympiad), Milo shouldered a bull, a huge bull that had just been slaughtered in his honor, and made a circle with him around the stadium , and in the evening during the festival he ate it whole.

Not only the competitions at the stadium were a great success with the audience. Competitions at the hippodrome also enjoyed no less success. From 680 B.C. e., when the first equestrian competitions took place, the program of this type was constantly replenished. First there were competitions in two-wheeled chariots drawn by four horses, then in chariots drawn by two horses, then there were horse races and even competitions in carts drawn by mules. The Hippodrome of Olympia was magnificent: 720 meters long, 320 meters wide. In the beginning, horse owners were both trainers and participants. But these competitions were very dangerous, since the participants did not stop at the most rude means, just to turn over the opponent's chariot, to prevent him from reaching the finish line first. Accidents and even deaths were not uncommon at these competitions. Very soon, wealthy stable owners decided to win without risk. They began to send slaves to competitions under their own name. In case of victory, the slave received a significant amount of money from his master and could even be set free and become a free citizen. One can imagine that the competitors did not spare themselves, getting the victory for their masters. This custom spread quite quickly. And very soon only "professionals" began to take part in these competitions. There are even cases when the owner of the horses did not come to the Games at all. So did, for example, powerful rulers, burdened state affairs. Some sovereigns kept luxurious stables, such as the Roman emperors Tiberius and Nero, whose names appear on the lists of Olympic winners.

How did it happen that the Romans got into the number of Olympionists, because foreigners were not allowed to participate in the Games? In 146 BC. e. Greece was conquered by the Romans, and the defeated Greeks, contrary to sacred tradition, were forced to allow the Romans to participate in the Games. Overwhelmed with pride, Nero ordered the construction of a fabulous palace in Olympia, and then decided to participate in chariot competitions himself. Many athletes were expected to participate in these competitions. A huge number of chariots belonged to the noblest families, and the participants were well prepared. But when it became known that the emperor himself wanted to participate in the competition, everyone immediately retreated. No one dared to prevent Nero from becoming a "champion". Everyone knew perfectly well: if he only tried to resist Nero, there would immediately be a risk of losing his life. Thus, Nero, in proud solitude, appeared on the hippodrome track, standing on his chariot drawn by ten horses. At a distance, he managed to fall twice, but finally got to the finish line. He was immediately crowned with a laurel wreath, and no one dared even smile. The Romans introduced circus performances into the Olympic Games, those very famous bloody games Roman arenas where gladiators fought to the death. The audience reacted with great pleasure to these battles between gladiators and wild animals: bulls, tigers, lions. But it was no longer a sport, it was a purely commercial spectacle, bringing in large incomes, but having nothing in common with the Olympic ideals of the Greeks.

As the analysis of literary sources and materials of the World Wide Web devoted to this problem shows, on the eve of this great holiday, all strife and wars ceased. No one had the right to enter the territory of Olympia with weapons. The violator was waiting for a severe fine - two mines in silver. But worse than the devastating fine, as the Greeks believed, was the curse that the gods sent on the violator of the Olympic truce. A person who offended a traveler going to the Olympic holiday was also subjected to severe punishment. However, the most terrible punishment was considered excommunication from the Games for one or two Olympics. The Games played such an important role in political life countries - stopped the war. It was a great honor and responsibility to perform at the Games. Each athlete had to train at home for ten months and train at Olympia for another month. The future Olympians were attentively and strictly observed by the Hellanodics - judges and stewards of the Games. They were not only responsible for the training of athletes, but also ensured that the competition venues were in proper order. The Hellanodiki rewarded the winners and imposed fines on the guilty.

As the history of the Olympic Games testifies, at first the entire program of competitions fit into one day. But gradually, as the Games became more and more important in the life of Ancient Greece, the competition began to last five days. In churches, before the opening of the Games, all participants took the Olympic oath. Competitions were unusually stubborn, and most importantly - honestly. The winners, Olympionics, were awarded with an olive branch or a laurel wreath. Immortal glory awaited them, not only in their hometown, but throughout the Greek world.

Except Coroibos before today the names of several more great champions have come down: the disciple of the great Pythagoras - Milon, who won seven laurel wreaths in wrestling competitions; the Diagora family - he himself, his sons, and then grandchildren, competed at the Olympic Games for more than eighty years (they took part in twenty Games) and won nine laurel wreaths; Leonidas, a great athlete, won the running competition twenty times.

The Greeks saw in the Games of the Olympiad not only purely sports competitions - poets read poetry here, orators competed in the art of eloquence, and musicians performed their the best works. In the middle of the second century BC, Rome conquered Greece. Under the Romans, the Olympic Games became multinational. The right to compete was given to people of other nationalities - all who inhabited the vast Roman Empire, which stretched from North Africa to the Middle East and Western Europe. Athletes from Syria, Alexandria, Babylon, residents of future France and Germany began to appear at the Games. The list of Olympic champions also includes the name of Varazdat from the city of Artaxata, the ancient capital of Armenia.

In 394 a.d. e. Christianity finally triumphed: Theodosius I, Emperor of East and West, proclaimed Christianity the official religion. The Bishop of Milan, Ambroise, who was called the "Christian conscience" of Theodosius, easily managed to convince the emperor that the Olympic Games, by their origin - because of the legends associated with them - are the main source of paganism and they must be destroyed. Theodosius declared the Games impious and banned them.

However, the Olympic idea did not disappear completely even after the ban on ancient competitions. For example, in England during the 17th century, "Olympic" competitions and competitions were repeatedly held. Later, similar competitions were organized in France and Greece. In 1793, one of the founders of the German gymnastic school Guts-Muts made a proposal to revive Olympism. But he did not find support. After 59 years, the idea of the Olympic Games was brought to the general public in the form of a lecture called "Olympia", read on January 10, 1852 by another German gymnast - Ernst-Kurtius in Berlin. The first true forerunners of the modern Olympic Games are the Olympia, which were held regularly during the period 1859-1888. The idea of reviving the Olympic Games in Greece belonged to the poet Panagiotis Sutsos. For more than a thousand years, the ruins of Olympia remained untouched. Only in 1824, the English archaeologist Lord Stanhof began the first serious excavations on the banks of the Alpheus and drew a plan of Olympia as it was in ancient times. And even earlier, in 1707, the French Benedictine monk Don Bernard de Montfaucon, in his book "Palaeography of Greece", advocated excavations of the Olympic village. Ironically, a man of the church became the new discoverer of Olympia - a place condemned by the church fifteen centuries ago.

At the end of the 19th century, the rapid growth of economic and cultural international relations found its reflection in the development of sports. The first international sports associations were created, competitions with the participation of athletes began to be held various countries. With the entry of sports into the international arena, it became necessary to hold large complex competitions, to form a center for international sports movement. Under these conditions, the French public figure Pierre de Coubertin proposed to revive the Olympic Games. He believed that the ideas of the Olympic movement would inspire humanity with "the spirit of freedom, peaceful competition and physical perfection" and would promote cultural cooperation between peoples.

June 23, 1894 in Paris, Coubertin gave a lecture "Olympic Renaissance". It was then that he uttered his famous phrase: "We need to make the sport international, we need to revive the Olympic Games!". At this Constituent Congress, two thousand delegates from twelve countries unanimously decided to revive the Olympic Games and establish the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the supreme governing body of the Olympic Movement. The first members of the IOC were also the organizers of the National Olympic Committees in their countries.

In order to stretch the thread connecting the two civilizations - the Hellenic and ours, Athens was chosen as the venue for the 1st Olympic Games of our time. The year 1896 was named the year of the 1st Olympiad.

The Games opened on April 06, 1896. 245 (285) athletes from 14 countries gathered at the new stadium, unfortunately there were no Russian athletes among the participants. The program of the Games included 9 sports, among them - gymnastics, athletics, wrestling, shooting, fencing, cycling, athletics. Greek athletes won the most medals in the first Olympic Games. The first Olympic winner was the Greek - Spiridon Louis, who won the marathon.

The Games in Athens were very successful, and the Greeks offered to leave forever for Greece the right to be the country where the Olympic Games should be held. However, the IOC and Pierre de Coubertin were of a different opinion - the Olympic Games should belong to all people, countries and continents.

Initially, when choosing the Olympic capital, the members of the IOC tried to proceed from some important idea - the first Olympic Games were held in Greece in honor of the return of glorious traditions; the second - in Paris as a sign of deep respect for Pierre de Coubertin, the third - in the USA, since at the previous Olympic Games American athletes performed more stable and more successfully than others; the fourth games were held in London, because England was considered the birthplace of modern sports and had its own sports traditions. The number of countries and athletes participating in the Olympic Games has steadily grown, from Games to Games the number of sports included in the program and the number of medals played have increased.

In my opinion, the main merit of Pierre de Coubertin was that his ideas formed the basis of Olympism. The first and most important of them - sports, culture, science, art - must be combined into a strong and wonderful fusion, which will be called the Olympic movement. But history shows that this idea did not materialize immediately. She also had opponents, especially when sport became part of world politics, when, with the help of records, presidents and ministers began to prove to each other whose country is better.

Times change, but the history of the Olympic Games shows that the problems of the mutual influence of world politics and the Olympic Games are still relevant today.

Anyway olympic competitions gave a powerful impetus to the development of sports on the globe. The sports industry began to be created in the world. In the countries where the next Games were to be held, they began to take seriously the construction of sports facilities. The Olympic movement has become an important part of the life of the world community.

Thus, the emergence of the Olympic Games belongs to the distant past, they are designed to unite people regardless of their age, race or gender, since sports, culture, science, art must be combined in the Olympic movement into a strong and wonderful alloy. Without any doubt, the Olympic Games are the largest and most significant sporting event of modern sports life.

The current state of gaming

The principles, rules and regulations of the Olympic Games are defined by the Olympic Charter, the foundations of which were approved by the International Sports Congress in Paris in 1894, which, at the suggestion of the French teacher and public figure, as already noted earlier in the work, Pierre de Coubertin, decided to organize the Games on the model of ancient and on the creation of the International Olympic Committee.

According to the charter of the Games, the Olympiad “…unite amateur athletes of all countries in fair and equal competitions. In relation to countries and individuals, no discrimination is allowed on racial, religious or political grounds..” The Games are held in the first year of the Olympiad. The account has been kept since 1896, when the first Olympic Games took place (1st Olympiad -1896-99). The Olympiad also receives its number in cases where games are not held (for example, the eighth - 1944-1947).

The Olympic movement has its own emblem and flag, approved by the IOC at the suggestion of Coubertin in 1913. The emblem is the Olympic rings - five fastened rings, symbolizing the unification of the five continents in the Olympic movement, the so-called Olympic rings. Five rings in the top row - blue for Europe, black for Africa, red for America, in the bottom row yellow for Asia, green for Australia.

The motto of the Olympic Games is Citius Altius Fortius (faster, higher, stronger). The flag - a white cloth with the Olympic rings, has been raised at all the Games since 1920.

Among the traditional rituals of the Olympic Games are:

lighting the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony, which is delivered by the torch relay of athletes from Olympia to the host city of the Games;
utterance by one of the outstanding athletes of the country in which the Olympics takes place, the Olympic oath on behalf of all participants in the Games. Today it sounds like this: “I swear that when I arrive at the Olympic Games, I will compete honestly and according to the rules, and by my participation I will glorify my country and sport.”
taking an oath on behalf of judges in impartial refereeing;
presentation of medals to the winners and prize-winners of competitions;
raising the national flag and playing the national anthem in honor of the winners.

After the first Olympic Games were held in Greece in 1896, the Olympic movement developed and grew stronger. The Olympic Games were held, as noted earlier, in various cities of the world. The Olympic cycle was disrupted only three times - in 1916 due to the First World War, in 1940 and 1944 due to the Second World War.

In 1974, at the Vienna session of the International Olympic Committee, it was decided to hold the Olympic Games in the capital of our state - Moscow. At the last stage of voting, the IOC members had to make a choice between the cities of Los Angeles and Moscow, as a result, Moscow won with a ratio of votes of 20 to 39. For the first time, the Olympic Games were to be held in a socialist country. In March 1975, the Organizing Committee "Olympic Games-80" was created, to which the USSR Olympic Committee transferred the rights and functions for the preparation and holding of the Olympic Games. The 79th session of the IOC (June 1977, Prague) approved the program-schedule of the competitions of the Games of the XXII Olympiad in Moscow.

Part of the competitions of the Olympics-80 was held in other cities Soviet Union, namely, sailing regattas started in Tallinn, preliminary games of the football tournament were played in Kyiv, Leningrad and Minsk.

The Olympic Bear became the symbol of the Olympics, the fur seal Vigri was the mascot of the yachting competition in Tallinn.

In 1975-80, in preparation for the Olympic Games, in accordance with the master plan for the development of Moscow (as well as Tallinn, Leningrad and Minsk), about 20 sports and other facilities were built and reconstructed for the Olympics. Among them are the Olympic Sports Complex, the Luzhniki Stadium, Sheremetyevo-2 Airport, the Kirov Stadium in Leningrad. To promote the Olympic Games and the Olympic movement as a whole on the territory of the USSR and to obtain additional funds for organizing competitions, the organizing committee developed a program for holding Olympic lotteries, publishing sports literature, a series of sports stamps, badges, posters and souvenirs.

Competitions were held in 21 Olympic sports, among them: archery, Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Kayaking and canoeing, Cycling, Diving, Equestrianism, Fencing, Football, Gymnastics.

"There is nothing nobler than the sun,

giving so much light and warmth. So

and people glorify those contests

There is nothing more majestic than the Olympic Games.

Pindar

Each Olympic Games turned into a holiday for the people, a kind of congress for rulers and philosophers, a competition for sculptors and poets.

1 The center of the Olympic world of antiquity was the sacred district of Zeus in Olympia - a grove along the Alpheus River at the confluence of the Kladei stream into it. In this beautiful town of Hellas, traditional all-Greek competitions in honor of the god of thunder were held almost three hundred times. The winds of the Ionian sea disturbed the mighty pines and oaks on the top of Kronos Hill. At its foot there is a protected area, the silence of which was broken every four years by the Olympic celebration.

Such is Olympia, the cradle of games. Its former greatness is now reminded of by no means silent ruins. The testimony of ancient authors, statues and images on vases and coins recreate the picture of the Olympic spectacle.

Near the sacred Olympia, the town of the same name subsequently grew up, surrounded by orange and olive groves.

Now Olympia is a typical provincial town, living with tourists who flock to the Olympic ruins from all over the world. Everything is absolutely Olympic in it: from the names of streets and hotels to dishes in taverns and souvenirs in countless shops. It is noteworthy for its museums - archaeological and Olympic. If not for these treasures of ancient times, one could leave the town without regret, cross the stone bridge over the Kladei stream, on the other side of which is the reserved Olympia. The entrance to the sacred grove is unremarkable. Underfoot, blackened marble steps and slabs of sacred shell rock. It is worth stretching out your hand and touching the wild olive branch that crowned the head of Olympionik. Mighty pines and oaks stretched their crowns overhead. And above - the blueness of the sky, under the tent of which majestic structures were erected here. Alas, neither earthquakes, nor river floods, nor time spared them. But how amazing are these remains of the former greatness!!!

Olympia owes its surviving glory entirely to the Olympic Games, although they were held there only once every four years and lasted a few days. In the intervals between games, a huge stadium was empty, located nearby, in a hollow near the hill of Kronos. The running track of the stadium and the slopes of the hill and embankments that bordered the arena, which served as a platform for spectators, were overgrown with grass. There was no clatter of hooves or the rumble of horse-drawn chariots at the nearby hippodrome. There were no training athletes in the spacious gymnasium surrounded by stands and in the monumental building of the palestra. Voices were not heard in the leonidaion - a hotel for honored guests.

But during the Olympic Games, life was seething here. Tens of thousands of arriving athletes and guests filled the grandiose sports facilities for those times to capacity. In terms of their composition, their ensemble basically differed little from modern sports complexes. In those distant times, only the winner in certain types of competitions, the Olympionik, was revealed at the Olympics. In modern terms, no one recorded the absolute achievements of athletes. Therefore, few people were interested in the perfection of the competition sites. Everyone was more interested in the ritual side of the holiday dedicated to Zeus.

As you know, ancient Greek history with a certain degree of reliability reflects mythology. One of the poetic myths of ancient Greece tells how the Olympic Stadium came into existence. If you listen to this legend, then Hercules from Crete was its founder. Approximately in the 17th century. BC e. He and his four brothers landed on the Peloponnesian peninsula. There, at the hill with the tomb of the titan Kronos, according to legend, defeated in the fight by the son of Zeus, Hercules, in honor of the victory of his father over his grandfather, organized a competition with his brothers on the run. To do this, on the site at the foot of the hill, he measured the distance of 11 stages, which corresponded to 600 of his feet. an impromptu running track 192 m 27 cm long and served as the basis for the future Olympic Stadium. For three centuries, it was in this primitive arena that the games, later called the Olympic Games, were far from regularly held.

Gradually, the Olympics won the recognition of all the states located on the Peloponnesian Peninsula, and by 776 BC. e. acquired a general character. It was from this date that the tradition began to perpetuate the names of the winners.

2 One of the most beautiful legends of the past tells of Prometheus, the God-fighter and protector of people, who stole fire from Olympus and brought it in a reed and taught mortals how to use it. As the myths say, Zeus ordered Hephaestus to chain Prometheus to the Caucasian rock, pierced his chest with a spear, and a huge eagle flew every morning to peck the liver of a titan, he was saved by Hercules. And not a legend, but history testifies that in other cities of Hellas there was a cult of Prometheus, and in his honor Prometheus was held - competitions of runners with burning torches.

The figure of this titan remains today one of the most striking images in Greek mythology. The expression "Promethean fire" means striving for high goals in the fight against evil. Didn't the ancients put the same meaning when they lit the Olympic flame in the Altis grove about three thousand years ago?

That is why the tradition of lighting a fire, and later delivering it to the venue of the competition, was renewed.

Among the Olympic rituals, the ceremony of lighting a fire in Olympia and delivering it to the main arena of the games is especially emotional. This is one of the traditions of the modern Olympic movement. Millions of people can watch the exciting journey of fire through countries, and sometimes even continents, with the help of television.

The beginning of the torch relay races, which brought fire from Olympia to the city of the Summer Olympics, was laid in 1936. Since then, the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games have been enriched by the exciting spectacle of lighting the fire from the torch carried by the relay race in the main Olympic stadium. The Torchbearer Run has been the solemn prologue of the Games for more than four decades. On June 20, 1936, a fire was lit in Olympia, which then made a 3075 km journey along the road of Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Germany. And in 1948, the torch made its first sea voyage.

In 394 AD e. The Roman emperor Theodosius 1 issued a decree prohibiting the further holding of the Olympic Games. The emperor converted to Christianity and decided to eradicate anti-Christian games glorifying pagan gods. And one and a half thousand years the games were not played. In the following centuries, sport lost the democratic significance that was attached to it in ancient Greece. For a long time it became the privilege of the "chosen" fraud, ceased to play the role of the most accessible means of communication between peoples.

3. With the advent of the Renaissance, which restored interest in the art of Ancient Greece, they remembered the Olympic Games. At the beginning of the 19th century Sport has received universal recognition in Europe and there was a desire to organize something similar to the Olympic Games. Local games organized in Greece in 1859, 1870, 1875 and 1879 left some trace in history. Although they did not give tangible practical results in the development of the international Olympic movement, they served as an impetus for the formation of the Olympic Games of our time, which owe their revival to the French public figure, teacher, historian Pierre De Coubertin. The growth of economic and cultural communication between states that arose at the end of the 18th century, the emergence of modern modes of transport, paved the way for the revival of the Olympic Games on an international scale. That is why the call of Pierre De Coubertin: "We need to make sport international, we need to revive the Olympic Games!", found a proper response in many countries.

On June 23, 1894, in Paris, in the Great Hall of the Sorbonne, a commission for the revival of the Olympic Games met. Pierre de Coubertin became its general secretary. Then the International Olympic Committee (IOC) took shape, which included the most authoritative and independent citizens of different countries.

However, even at the beginning of the preparations for the Games in Athens, difficulties related to the economic weakness of Greece were revealed. The Prime Minister of the country, Trikonis, immediately told Coubertin that Athens was not in a position to implement such a large international event associated with large expenditures of funds and volumes of work for the reconstruction of the city and sports facilities. Only the support of the population helped to overcome this obstacle. Prominent Greek public figures formed an Organizing Committee and raised funds. The fund for the preparation of the games received private contributions, which formed large sums. Postage stamps were issued in honor of the Olympic Games. The proceeds from their sale went to the training fund. The energetic measures of the organizing committee and the participation of the entire population of Greece brought the desired results.

And yet, the obvious unpreparedness of Greece for serious events of this magnitude affected, first of all, the sports results of the competition, which were low even according to the estimates of that time. There was only one reason for this - the lack of properly equipped facilities.

The famous Panathenaic stadium was dressed in white marble, but its capacity was clearly insufficient. The sports arena did not withstand any criticism. Too narrow, having a slope at one edge, it turned out to be ill-suited for athletics competitions. The soft cinder track to the finish line had an increase, and the turns were too steep. Swimmers competed on the high seas, where the start and finish lines were marked with ropes stretched between the floats. In such conditions, one could not even dream of high achievements. It became clear that athletes cannot achieve high results in the primitive arena of the stadium. In addition, the unprecedented influx of tourists who rushed to Athens revealed the need to adapt the city economy to receive and serve them.

Currently, the Marble Stadium in Athens is not used for competitions, remaining a monument to the first games. Naturally, the organization of the modern Olympic Games is only possible for economically developed countries, whose cities have the necessary sports facilities and are well-equipped enough to properly receive the required number of guests. When deciding on the next games of 1900-1904 in Paris in St. Louis, the IOC proceeded from the fact that world exhibitions were held in these cities at the same time. The calculation was simple selected cities in France and the United States already had the minimum necessary sports facilities, and preparations for world exhibitions provided conditions for servicing tourists and participants in the games.

The preparation for the games of the 2nd Olympiad did not add anything essentially new to the famous Parisian ensembles.

Quite good results were shown at the competitions of the Games of the 2nd Olympiad in Paris. However, calculations on the use of existing facilities and the combination of the Games with the World Exhibition did not justify themselves. Competitions were held in arenas that were far from each other and were not designed for a large number of spectators. Athletics was held in the Bois de Boulogne on the dirt tracks of the Resing Club, swimming in Asnières, gymnastics in the Bois de Vincennes, fencing in the Tuileries, tennis on the Puteaux Island. The Paris Games became part of the program of the third World Exhibition. They attracted few spectators and were poorly reflected in the press.

Even less effective were the games of the 3rd Olympiad, held for the first time on the American continent in St. Louis. They were also timed to coincide with the 1904 World's Fair. The vast majority of participants were Americans themselves. Competitions were held mainly on the sports grounds of the University of Washington, designed for 40 thousand seats. The stadium's running track had a straight line - 200 m. The swimmers started in an artificial riverbed in the exhibition area from a hastily put together raft. These games left an inconspicuous mark in the history of the Olympic movement.

The organizers of the IV Olympiad in London took into account the mistakes of their predecessors. The White-city stadium with a grandstand for 100,000 seats was erected in the capital of Great Britain in a short time. A hundred-meter swimming pool, an arena for wrestling competitions and an artificial ice rink were also placed on its territory.

The Olympic Games in London marked the beginning of the construction of special sports complexes for their holding. The correctness of this decision was confirmed by the high results shown by the competing athletes at the White-city stadium, and the great interest in the games shown by sports fans and the press in many countries. When building "White-city", the architects for the first time raised the problem of creating a complex of sports facilities in one area.

The Games of the VII Olympiad of 1920 were held in the Belgian city of Antwerp. The Olympic Stadium was designed as an urban building. Here, for the first time, sports fans watched hockey matches held on artificial ice. For the competition of cyclists, a large velodrome "Garden-city" was equipped. A section of the Vilbreck canal was transformed into a water stadium for rowing competitions. The football tournament was held at the Beerschot Stadium. At the Olympic Stadium, during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, a white flag with five interlaced rings was raised, symbolizing the unity of athletes from all continents, and the Olympic oath was recited.

In 1924, the thirtieth anniversary of the Olympic movement was celebrated. The honor of organizing the games of the VIII Olympiad was given to Paris. This time, Paris was carefully preparing for the Olympic Games. To this end, an architectural competition was announced for the best design of the Olympic Stadium. The winner of the competition, M. Fort-Dujaric, developed a project for a modern stadium with stands for 100,000 seats, with a complex of sports facilities for competitions in various types sports and an Olympic village for 2,000 athletes. Although it was not possible to implement the project, it served as an incentive for the creation of similar complexes in the future. On the outskirts of Paris, the Colombe Stadium was built with stands for 40,000 seats, meeting the requirements of that time, but not distinguished by its particular beauty and convenience for spectators. Swimmers competed in the "Turret" pool. The games were a great success. High sports results were shown. More than 600 thousand spectators attended the competitions.

For this Olympiad, a dwelling was built for some of the athletes. These were wooden one-story houses with bathrooms and showers.

The Games of the IX Olympiad (1928) were held in Amsterdam, a major economic and cultural center of the Netherlands. Within the city limits, a stadium was built for the games, which adjoined the city park. Auxiliary rooms are equipped in the under-tribune space. The stadium for 40 thousand seats was distinguished by a tower above the stands, imitating a windmill.

The Olympic complex also included a swimming pool, a tennis court, halls for boxing, wrestling, fencing, and training grounds. Near the stadium there is a canal, a yacht harbor, a hotel.

In subsequent years, the stadium was rebuilt. Its capacity has increased to 60,000 seats.

The Games of the X Olympiad in the American city of Los Angeles (1932) marked the beginning of the formation of the city's Olympic complex, which included a stadium, a swimming pool, and the Olympic Village. The Coliseum Stadium (1923), built in the antique style, was reconstructed for the Olympics, its stands began to accommodate over 100,000 spectators. For that time, the stadium was the highest achievement of sports architecture. The Olympic torch burned above the central arch of the stadium. Having outlined a large program of the Games, the organizers were faced with the need to disperse the venues for competitions in various sports. So, rowers competed on a specially built canal in Long Beach, cyclists competed in the city of Passadena, where a temporary cycle track was built, which was dismantled after the Games. Equestrian competitions were held outside the city.

For the first time, an Olympic village was built for the resettlement of athletes. It consisted of 700 prefabricated houses located in it. community center. The organization of the village provided favorable conditions for close contacts and mutual understanding between athletes from different countries.

However, the remoteness of the Games venue European countries and insufficient development of transport links had a negative impact on the number of participants.

In 1932, it was decided to hold the Games of the 11th Olympiad in Berlin. In 1933, the Nazis came to power in Germany. they began to use the preparations for the Olympics for their propaganda purposes. For the Games in Berlin, a complex was erected, which was distinguished by excessive splendor. The project of the architect Werner March was awarded a gold medal at the games. The main arena of the stadium could accommodate 100,000 spectators. Another 150,000 watched the competitions held in the swimming pool, gym and stadium designed for hockey.

The Games of the 14th Olympiad, held in 1948 in London, showed with their own eyes how great is the desire of people for peace and mutual cooperation. Organized under the conditions of a brutal post-war austerity regime, they nevertheless attracted a record number of participating countries for that time (59) and many tourists.

No new sports facilities were built for the games. The old Olympic stadium, built for the 1908 games, was unusable due to a poor running track. The main sports facility of the Olympiad was the Imperial Stadium in Wembley with 60,000 seats. For the first time in London, swimming competitions were held in an indoor pool.

At Wembley Stadium, the solemn opening ceremony of the post-war games was greeted with enthusiasm. At that time, of course, they did not have to expect either high sports results, or splendor of design, or special worries about increased comfort for sports fans who came to England. But the very fact of holding a world holiday of physical culture shortly after the end of World War II became a confirmation of the life of the Olympic movement.

The Games of the XV Olympiad in 1952 in Helsinki turned out to be even more representative. It was there that athletes from the Soviet Union entered the Olympic arena among 69 national teams for the first time. Debutants, contrary to forecasts, have achieved amazing success. In the unofficial standings, they shared the first and second places on points with the generally recognized favorites - the US athletes.

The high sports results achieved by athletes at the 1952 Olympiad were largely the result of optimal competition conditions created on facilities specially built for the games.

The stadium includes a running track (400 m), a football field, athletics sectors. The main tribune is covered with a canopy. Ancillary facilities are located below it.

1956 marked a new stage in the development of the Olympic movement. The Games of the XVI Olympiad were first held on the Australian continent in Melbourne. The remoteness of the new Olympic capital from the vast majority of developed countries, peculiar climatic conditions created certain difficulties for the participants and guests of the games who arrived on the "green continent". But the organizers have made a lot of effort to overcome these obstacles. High sports achievements shown by the envoys from different countries became the best assessment of the organizing committee's activities.

Preparations for the games of the XVI Olympiad became an outstanding event for the architects of Australia and largely determined the nature of the further development of architecture on the continent.

The Games of the XVII Olympiad in 1960 in Rome can rightly be considered the beginning of a new direction in organizing the preparation of subsequent Olympiads. For the first time, an attempt was made to cover in general the entire range of issues to be resolved organizing committee. Along with the preparation and construction of sports complexes and individual facilities great attention devoted to improving the infrastructure of the Olympic capital - Rome. New modern highways were laid through the ancient city, a number of old buildings and structures were demolished. Symbolizing the connection of the current games with the Ancient Greek, some of the most ancient architectural monuments of Rome were converted to host competitions in individual sports.

A simple enumeration of the Olympic facilities that were used to host competitions and accommodate participants in the Games gives some idea of the scale of preparation.

One of the most notable objects was recognized as the "Velodromo Olimpico", on the track of which cyclists competed. This facility is still considered one of the best velodromes in the world today.

After the Olympics in Rome, experts began to attach great importance to the possibility of using facilities in the post-Olympic period.

The Games of the Roman Olympiad are also notable for the fact that television programs were broadcast from them to some European countries. Although the transmissions went on radio relay and cable lines, but this was already a sign of the scientific and technological revolution entering the sports arenas.

During the preparation of the Games of the XVIII Olympiad in Tokyo (1964), $ 2,668 million was spent, including $ 460 million to provide the material and technical base of the games, the rest of the funds went to organizational goals and the development of urban infrastructure.

The organizers of the first Olympic Games on the Asian continent have prepared more than 110 different facilities for competitions and training of athletes. The huge capital of Japan has changed. New metro lines and a monorail city railway appeared. Dilapidated buildings were demolished and streets widened. To solve the transport problem of the city, high-speed highways were laid through it. Street junctions were built by building overpasses and bridges. The hotel industry of the Japanese capital has significantly replenished. The indoor facilities, the sports halls in Yoyogi Park, became the true center of the Tokyo Olympics. Their architectural appearance was borrowed from nature.

Olympic construction largely predetermined the future direction of urban development in Japan.

characteristic feature Tokyo Games was the sovereign entry of electronics into the Olympic arena. Its use in sports refereeing has greatly increased its accuracy and efficiency. New stage in the development of the media opened television transmissions through space, which crossed the borders of the continents and attached an unthinkable number of viewers to what was happening in the Olympic arenas. The opportunity to see the Olympic Games to any person on earth immeasurably increased the popularity of the Olympic movement.

In 1968, the Olympic Games were held for the first time on the territory of Latin America. The city of Mexico honorably fulfilled the honorary duty of the host of the Games of the XIX Olympiad. This was largely facilitated by the growing flow of tourists from different countries, which has a beneficial effect on the Mexican economy, on the expansion of international contacts, contributing to the expansion of national culture.

The organizers of the Games of the XX Olympiad in Munich took into account the experience of Rome, Tokyo and Mexico City and did everything possible to surpass the achievements of their predecessors. First of all, the infrastructure of the capital of the Olympiad - 72 was improved. The grandiose Olympic complex of sports facilities "Oberwiesenfeld" was built anew. It included: a stadium of original design, a universal sports palace, an indoor cycle track and a swimming pool. In addition, a shooting complex, a rowing canal, a hippodrome and a number of other sports facilities were built. The organizers of the Games declared Munich the Olympic center of short distances and green landscapes.

Taking into account the unusual influx of tourists, the organizers reconstructed the city center, built metro lines, laid new access roads to the city, and increased the hotel stock 10 times. To accommodate the athletes, huge buildings of the Olympic village were erected, in which 10-15 thousand temporary residents could settle.

Starting preparations for the 1980 Olympiad, its organizers thoroughly studied the experience of their predecessors and the traditions of the Olympic movement.

The stadium in Luzhniki was determined as the main arena for the games of the 22nd Olympiad.

Since ancient times, the Olympic Games have been the main sporting event of all times and peoples. In the days of the Olympiads, harmony and reconciliation reigned throughout the earth. Wars stopped and all strong and worthy people competed in a fair fight for the title of the best.

Over the centuries, the Olympic movement has overcome many obstacles, oblivion and alienation. But despite everything, the Olympic Games are alive to this day. Of course, this is no longer the competition in which naked young men took part and the winner of which entered the city through a breach in the wall. Today, the Olympic Games are one of the biggest events in the world. Games are equipped with last word technology - computers and television cameras monitor the results, time is determined to the nearest thousandth of a second, athletes and their results largely depend on technical equipment.

Thanks to the media, there is not a single person left in the civilized world. Which I didn’t know - I wouldn’t have seen the Olympics or I wouldn’t have seen the competition on TV.

In recent years, the Olympic movement has acquired a huge scale and the capitals of the Games for the duration of the Games become the capitals of the world. Sport plays an increasingly important role in people's lives!

List of used literature:

1. Yu. Shanin "From the Hellenes to the present day"; Moscow 1975.

2. V. Barvinsky, S. Vilinsky “Born by the Olympics”; Moscow 1985.

4. L. Kuhn "General history of physical culture and sports"; Moscow 1987.

PLAN.

I. Introduction.

1. Echo of millennia.

II. Main part.

1. The emergence of the Olympic Games.

2. Olympia is the center of the Olympic world.

3. The history of the Olympic flame.

4. The revival of the Olympic Games. development in the 19th century.

Over a century of history, Olympic sport has gone through a difficult path of development and did not immediately gain popularity and its current features and scale.

PLAN INTRODUCTION 2 THE ORIGIN OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES 5 REVIVAL OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES 11 CONCLUSION 23 References 25 INTRODUCTION Physical culture is part of the general culture of society, one of the areas of social activity aimed at improving health, developing physical abilities of a person and using them in accordance with the needs of social practice . The main indicators of the state of physical culture in society: the level of health and physical development of people; the degree of use of Physical culture in the field of upbringing and education, in production, everyday life, the structure of free time; the nature of the physical education system, the development of mass sports, the highest sports achievements, etc. The main elements of physical culture: physical exercises, their complexes and competitions in them, hardening of the body, hygiene at work and life, active-motor types of tourism, physical labor as a form of active recreation for mental workers. In society, physical culture, being the property of the people, is an important means of "educating a new person who harmoniously combines spiritual wealth, moral purity and physical perfection." It helps to increase the social and labor activity of people, the economic efficiency of production, the physical culture movement relies on the multilateral activities of state and public organizations in the field of physical culture and sports. Sport is an integral part of physical culture, as well as a means and method of physical education, a system for organizing and conducting competitions in various complexes of physical exercises and preparatory training sessions. Historically, it has developed as a special area for identifying and unified comparison of people's achievements in certain types of physical exercises, their level of physical development. Sport in a broad sense covers the actual competitive activity, special training for it (sports training), specific social relations arising in the field of this activity, its socially significant results. The social value of sports lies in the fact that it is a factor that most effectively stimulates physical culture, contributes to moral, aesthetic education, and the satisfaction of spiritual needs. Various elements of human activity have historically entered the sphere of sports. Sports that have a centuries-old history have developed from original physical exercises, forms of labor and military activity used by man for the purpose of physical education in ancient times - running, jumping, throwing, lifting weights, rowing, swimming, etc. d.; part of modern sports was formed in the 19-20 centuries. on the basis of the sport itself and related areas of culture - games, sports and rhythmic gymnastics, modern pentathlon, figure skating, orienteering, sports tourism, etc.; technical sports - based on the development of technology: auto, motorcycle, cycling, aviation sports, scuba diving, etc. Physical education is an integral part of human life. It occupies a rather important place in the study and work of people. Physical exercise plays a significant role in the working capacity of members of society, which is why knowledge and skills in physical education should be laid down in educational institutions at various levels in stages. Higher educational institutions also play a significant role in the upbringing and teaching of physical culture, where teaching should be based on clear methods, methods that together line up in a well-organized and well-established methodology for teaching and educating students. The physical culture of the people is part of its history. Its formation, subsequent development is closely connected with the same historical factors that influence the formation and development of the country's economy, its statehood, political and spiritual life of society. Naturally, the concept of physical culture includes everything that is created by the mind, talent, needlework of the people, everything that expresses its spiritual essence, a view of the world, nature, human existence, human relations. The words of the ancient Greek poet Pindar, written two thousand years ago, are not forgotten to this day. Not forgotten because the Olympic competitions, held at the dawn of civilization, continue to live in the memory of mankind. Each Olympic Games turned into a holiday for the people, a kind of congress for rulers and philosophers, a competition for sculptors and poets. The days of the Olympic celebrations are the days of universal peace. For the ancient Hellenes, games were an instrument of peace, facilitating negotiations between cities, promoting mutual understanding and communication between states. The Olympics glorified man, for the Olympics reflected a worldview, the cornerstone of which was the cult of the perfection of the spirit and body, the idealization of a harmoniously developed person - a thinker and an athlete. Olympionics - the winner of the games - were paid honors by their compatriots, which were awarded to the gods, monuments were created in their honor during their lifetime, laudatory odes were composed, feasts were arranged. The Olympic hero entered his native city in a chariot, dressed in purple, crowned with a wreath, he entered not through the usual gate, but through a hole in the wall, which was sealed up on the same day so that the Olympic victory would enter the city and never leave it. THE ORIGIN OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES There are no number of myths - one is more beautiful than the other! about the origin of the Olympic Games. Gods, kings, rulers and heroes are considered their most honorable ancestors. One thing has been established with obvious indisputability: the first Olympiad known to us from antiquity took place in 776 BC. The center of the Olympic world of antiquity was the sacred district of Zeus in Olympia - a grove along the Alpheus River at the confluence of the Kladei stream into it. In this beautiful town of Hellas, traditional all-Greek competitions in honor of the god of thunder were held almost three hundred times. Olympia owes its surviving glory entirely to the Olympic Games, although they were held there only once every four years and lasted a few days. During the summer solstice, competitors and organizers, pilgrims and fans paid homage to the gods by lighting a fire on the altars of Olympia. The winner of the running competition was honored to light the fire for the sacrifice. In the reflections of this fire, the rivalry of athletes took place, the competition of artists, an agreement on peace was concluded by messengers from cities and peoples. That is why the tradition of lighting a fire, and later delivering it to the venue of the competition, was renewed. Among the Olympic rituals, the ceremony of lighting a fire in Olympia and delivering it to the main arena of the games is especially emotional. This is one of the traditions of the modern Olympic movement. Millions of people can watch the exciting journey of fire through countries, and sometimes even continents, with the help of television. The Olympic flame first flared up at the Amsterdam Stadium on the first day of the 1928 games. This is an indisputable fact. However, until recently, most researchers in the field of Olympic history have not found confirmation that this fire was delivered, as tradition dictates, by relay from Olympia. The beginning of the torch relay races, which brought fire from Olympia to the city of the Summer Olympics, was laid in 1936. Since then, the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games have been enriched by the exciting spectacle of lighting the fire from the torch carried by the relay race in the main Olympic stadium. The Torchbearer Run has been the solemn prologue of the Games for more than four decades. On June 20, 1936, a fire was lit in Olympia, which then made a 3075 km journey along the road of Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Germany. And in 1948, the torch made its first sea voyage. GREEK GAMES A distinctive feature of the ancient Greeks was agon, i.e. competitive start. Noble aristocrats in Homer's poems compete in strength, dexterity and perseverance, victory brings glory and honor, not material wealth. Gradually, the idea of winning the competition as the highest value, glorifying the winner and bringing him honor and respect in society, is being affirmed in society. The formation of ideas about the agon gave rise to various games that were of an aristocratic nature (slaves, semi-free and foreigners could not participate in the games). The oldest and most important games were first held in 776 BC. in honor of Olympian Zeus and since then repeated every four years (the venue was Olympia in the Peloponnese). They lasted five days and during this time the sacred peace was proclaimed throughout Greece. The only reward for the winner was an olive branch. An athlete who won the games three times (“olympionist”) received the right to install his statue in the sacred grove of the temple of Olympian Zeus. Athletes competed in running, fisticuffs, chariot races. Later, the Pythian Games in Delphi (in honor of Apollo) were added to the Olympic Games - the award was a laurel wreath, Isthmian (in honor of the god Poseidon) on the Isthmus of Corinth, where the award was a wreath of pine branches, and finally the Nemean Games (in honor of Zeus). The participants of all the games performed naked, so women, under pain of death, were forbidden to attend the games. (both boys and girls performed naked in Sparta). The beautiful naked body of an athlete became one of the most common motifs in ancient Greek art. The program of the games was: Running for a short distance in one stage (192.27 m), From 724 BC. added a run for a distance of 2 stages (384.54 m). In 720 B.C. a long distance was introduced - a stadia-long circle (stadium) had to be run 24 times (4614 m). From 708 BC - pentathlon (pentathlon): jumping, running, discus throwing, javelin (javelin) throwing, wrestling; From 688 BC - fist fight; From 680 BC - competitions in chariots harnessed by four horses; in the middle of the 7th century BC pancraty was added - a fight in which any tricks were allowed. In 632 B.C. allowed young people to compete in running, wrestling, fisticuffs. Subsequently - races of warriors in full armor in chariots with a pair of horses, horse racing. ROMAN GAMES From an early time, various festivities and performances played an important role in the public life of Rome. At first, public performances were also religious ceremonies; they were an indispensable part of religious holidays. In the VI century. BC e. they began to arrange performances of a secular (not religious) nature, and not priests, but officials began to be responsible for their conduct. The venue for such performances was no longer the altar of one or another god, but a circus located in a lowland between the Palatine and Aventine hills. The earliest Roman civil holiday It was the feast of the Roman Games. For several centuries it was the only civil holiday of the Romans. From the 3rd century BC. new representations are established. The Plebeian Games are of great importance. At the end of III - beginning of II century. BC e. the Apollo Games were also established, games in honor of the Great Mother of the Gods - the Megalen Games, as well as florals - in honor of the goddess Flora. These games were annual and regular, but in addition to them, extraordinary games could also be arranged depending on a successful war, deliverance from an invasion, a given vow, or simply the desire of a magistrate. Games lasted from 14 - 15 days (Roman and Plebeian Games) to 6 - 7 days (Floralia). The total duration of all the holidays of these games (ordinary) reached 76 days a year. Each festival consisted of several sections: 1) a solemn procession led by a magistrate who organized the games, called a pomp, 2) direct competitions in the circus, chariot races, horse races, etc., 3) stage performances in the theater of Greek and Roman plays authors. The performances usually ended with a feast, a mass meal, sometimes for several thousand tables. The game device required big money . For example, the Roman Games were allocated in the middle of the 1st century. BC e. 760 thousand sesterces, Plebeian Games - 600 thousand, Apollo - 380 thousand. As a rule, the money issued from the treasury was not enough and the magistrates responsible for organizing the games contributed their own money, sometimes exceeding the allocated amount. GLADIATOR FIGHTS Gladiator fights are developing in Rome. Gladiator fights have been held in Etruscan cities since the 6th century BC. BC e. From the Etruscans they entered Rome. For the first time in 264, a battle of three pairs of gladiators was arranged in Rome. Over the next century and a half, gladiator games were held at the wake of noble persons, were called funeral games and were of the nature of a private performance. Gradually, the popularity of gladiator fights is growing. In 105 BC. e. gladiatorial fights were declared part of the public spectacles and magistrates began to take care of their organization. Along with the magistrates, private individuals also had the right to fight. To give a performance of a gladiator fight meant to gain popularity among the Roman citizens and be elected to public office. And since there were many who wanted to get a magistrate's position, the number of gladiator fights is growing. Several tens and even hundreds of pairs of gladiators worth several hundred thousand sesterces are already being brought into the arena. Gladiator fights become a favorite spectacle not only in the city of Rome, but also in all Italian, and later in provincial cities. They were so popular that Roman architects created a special, previously unknown type of building - an amphitheater, where gladiatorial fights and baiting of animals were held. The amphitheaters were designed for several tens of thousands of spectators and exceeded the capacity of theater buildings by several times. The number of performances, both private and public, in Rome and other cities and their duration constantly increased, and their importance grew more and more. At the end of the Republic, magistrates and statesmen considered holding public performances an important part of their state activities. Under the conditions of an aristocratic republic, where all power was concentrated in the hands of a narrow elite of the slave-owning class, the ruling group considered the organization of public performances one of the means to divert the broad masses of Roman citizenship from active state activity. Not surprisingly, the growth of public performances was accompanied by a decline in the importance of popular assemblies and their political role. In 394 n. e. The Roman emperor Theodosius 1 issued a decree prohibiting the further holding of the Olympic Games. The emperor converted to Christianity and decided to eradicate anti-Christian games glorifying pagan gods. And one and a half thousand years the games were not played. In the following centuries, sport lost the democratic significance that was attached to it in ancient Greece. For a long time it became the privilege of the "chosen" fraud, ceased to play the role of the most accessible means of communication between peoples. THE REVIVAL OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES With the onset of the Renaissance, which restored interest in the art of Ancient Greece, the Olympic Games were remembered. In the second half of the 19th century, thanks to the creation of the first international federations (gymnasts, 1881, rowers, 1892, speed skaters, 1892) and the holding of world championships and international meetings, sport became one of the most important elements of interstate communication, contributing to the rapprochement of peoples. Coubertin's initiative at the founding congress in Paris (1894) was supported by representatives of 12 countries. The governing body of the Olympic movement, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was created and the set of rules and regulations of the IOC developed by the Baron's Olympic Charter was approved. Subsequently, the Olympic Charter became the basis of the statutory documents of the International Olympic Committee. In its first section, a description and statute of the Olympic flag (approved by the IOC in 1913 at the suggestion of P. de Coubertin) is given - a white cloth with the Olympic symbol, which is five colored interlaced rings (according to the number of continents). The Olympic symbol was also proposed by Coubertin and approved by the IOC in 1913. Since 1920, along with the symbol, the Olympic motto Citius, altius, fortius (“Faster, higher, stronger”) has been an integral part of the Olympic emblem. In 1928, the idea of Coubertin, expressed by him back in 1912, was embodied, lighting the Olympic flame from the sun's rays (using a lens) at the temple of Zeus in Olympia and delivering it by torch relay to the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony of the Games along a special route developed jointly by the organizing committee of the next games. with the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of the countries through which it passes. According to the Olympic Charter, the honor of hosting the Olympic Games is given to the city, not to the country. The decision to choose the capital of the Olympic Games is made by the IOC no later than 6 years before the start of the Games. Since the 1970s for advertising and commercial purposes, the so-called Olympic mascot is used - the image of an animal recognized by the public of the host country as the most popular, for example, at the Moscow Olympic Games in 1980, the mascot was Misha the bear cub. The IOC Charter states that "the Olympics may not be held, but in no case should its serial number, dates and venue be changed." For 100 years (1896-1996) 23 Olympics were held and three times (1916, 1940, 1944) the games did not take place due to the First and Second World Wars. At the beginning of the 19th century Sport has received universal recognition in Europe and there was a desire to organize something similar to the Olympic Games. Local games organized in Greece in 1859, 1870, 1875 and 1879 left some trace in history. Although they did not give tangible practical results in the development of the international Olympic movement, they served as an impetus for the formation of the Olympic Games of our time, which owe their revival to the French public figure, teacher, historian Pierre De Coubertin. The growth of economic and cultural communication between states that arose at the end of the 18th century, the emergence of modern modes of transport, paved the way for the revival of the Olympic Games on an international scale. That is why the call of Pierre De Coubertin: "We need to make sport international, we need to revive the Olympic Games!", found a proper response in many countries. On June 23, 1894, in Paris, in the Great Hall of the Sorbonne, a commission for the revival of the Olympic Games met. Pierre de Coubertin became its general secretary. Then the International Olympic Committee (IOC) took shape, which included the most authoritative and independent citizens of different countries. By decision of the IOC, the games of the first Olympiad were held in April 1896 in the Greek capital at the Panathini Stadium. The energy of Coubertin and the enthusiasm of the Greeks overcame many obstacles and made it possible to carry out the planned program of the first games of our time. Spectators enthusiastically accepted the colorful opening and closing ceremonies of the revived sports festival, awarding the winners of the competitions. The interest in the competition was so great that 80 thousand spectators could fit in the marble stands of the Panathini Stadium, designed for 70,000 seats. The success of the revival of the Olympic Games was confirmed by the public and the press of many countries, who welcomed the initiative. However, even at the beginning of the preparations for the Games in Athens, difficulties related to the economic weakness of Greece were revealed. Prime Minister Trikonis immediately told Coubertin that Athens was not in a position to carry out such a major international event, associated with large expenditures of funds and volumes of work to rebuild the city and sports facilities. Only the support of the population helped to overcome this obstacle. Prominent Greek public figures formed an Organizing Committee and raised funds. The fund for the preparation of the games received private contributions, which formed large sums. Postage stamps were issued in honor of the Olympic Games. The proceeds from their sale went to the training fund. The energetic measures of the organizing committee and the participation of the entire population of Greece brought the desired results. And yet, the obvious unpreparedness of Greece for serious events of this magnitude affected, first of all, the sports results of the competition, which were low even according to the estimates of that time. There was only one reason for this - the lack of properly equipped facilities. The famous Panathenaic stadium was dressed in white marble, but its capacity was clearly insufficient. The sports arena did not withstand any criticism. Too narrow, having a slope at one edge, it turned out to be ill-suited for athletics competitions. The soft cinder track to the finish line had an increase, and the turns were too steep. Swimmers competed on the high seas, where the start and finish lines were marked with ropes stretched between the floats. In such conditions, one could not even dream of high achievements. It became clear that athletes cannot achieve high results in the primitive arena of the stadium. In addition, the unprecedented influx of tourists who rushed to Athens revealed the need to adapt the city economy to receive and serve them. Currently, the Marble Stadium in Athens is not used for competitions, remaining a monument to the first games. Naturally, the organization of the modern Olympic Games is only possible for economically developed countries, whose cities have the necessary sports facilities and are well-maintained enough to properly accept required amount guests. When deciding on the next games of 1900-1904 in Paris in St. Louis, the IOC proceeded from the fact that world exhibitions were held in these cities at the same time. The calculation was simple - selected cities in France and the United States already had the minimum necessary sports facilities, and preparations for world exhibitions provided conditions for servicing tourists and participants in the games. The preparation for the games of the 2nd Olympiad did not add anything essentially new to the famous Parisian ensembles. Quite good results were shown at the competitions of the Games of the 2nd Olympiad in Paris. However, calculations on the use of existing facilities and the combination of the Games with the World Exhibition did not justify themselves. Competitions were held in arenas that were far from each other and were not designed for a large number of spectators. Athletics was held in the Bois de Boulogne on the dirt tracks of the Resing Club, swimming in Asnières, gymnastics in the Bois de Vincennes, fencing in the Tuileries, tennis on the Puteaux Island. The Paris Games became part of the program of the third World Exhibition. They attracted few spectators and were poorly reflected in the press. Even less effective were the games of the 3rd Olympiad, held for the first time on the American continent in St. Louis. They were also timed to coincide with the 1904 World's Fair. The vast majority of participants were Americans themselves. Competitions were held mainly on the sports grounds of the University of Washington, designed for 40 thousand seats. The stadium's running track had a straight line - 200 m. The swimmers started in an artificial riverbed in the exhibition area from a hastily put together raft. These games left an inconspicuous mark in the history of the Olympic movement. The organizers of the IV Olympiad in London took into account the mistakes of their predecessors. The White-city stadium with a grandstand for 100,000 seats was erected in the capital of Great Britain in a short time. A hundred-meter swimming pool, an arena for wrestling competitions and an artificial ice rink were also placed on its territory. The Olympic Games in London marked the beginning of the construction of special sports complexes for their holding. The correctness of this decision was confirmed by the high results shown by the competing athletes at the White-city stadium, and the great interest in the games shown by sports fans and the press in many countries. When building "White-city", the architects for the first time raised the problem of creating a complex of sports facilities in one area. The popularity of the modern Olympic movement was reinforced by the games of the V Olympiad in Stockholm. Their clear organization, and most importantly, a specially built royal stadium brought the games a well-deserved success. The small size of the stadium, a wooden canopy over the stands created good visibility and acoustics. The stadium was equipped with circular walkways and tunnels. All subsequent games left an indelible mark on the history of the Olympic movement not only in the form of high sports achievements, but also in the form of unique works of architecture, equipped with progressive technical devices that contribute to the high achievements of athletes, improving the structure of cities - the capitals of the Olympic Games. The Games of the VII Olympiad of 1920 were held in the Belgian city of Antwerp. The Olympic Stadium was designed as an urban building. Here, for the first time, sports fans watched hockey matches played on artificial ice. For the competition of cyclists, a large velodrome "Garden-city" was equipped. A section of the Vilbreck canal was transformed into a water stadium for rowing competitions. The football tournament was held at the Beerschot Stadium. At the Olympic Stadium, during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, a white flag with five interlaced rings was raised, symbolizing the unity of athletes from all continents, and the Olympic oath was recited. In 1924, the thirtieth anniversary of the Olympic movement was celebrated. The honor of organizing the games of the VIII Olympiad was given to Paris. This time, Paris was carefully preparing for the Olympic Games. To this end, an architectural competition was announced for the best design of the Olympic Stadium. The winner of the competition, M. Fort-Dujaric, developed a project for a modern stadium with stands for 100,000 seats, a complex of sports facilities for competitions in various sports and an Olympic village for 2,000 athletes. Although it was not possible to implement the project, it served as an incentive for the creation of similar complexes in the future. On the outskirts of Paris, the Colombe Stadium was built with stands for 40,000 seats, meeting the requirements of that time, but not distinguished by its particular beauty and convenience for spectators. Swimmers competed in the "Turret" pool. The games were a great success. High sports results were shown. More than 600 thousand spectators attended the competitions. For this Olympiad, a dwelling was built for some of the athletes. These were wooden one-story houses with bathrooms and showers. The Games of the IX Olympiad (1928) were held in Amsterdam, a major economic and cultural center of the Netherlands. Within the city limits, a stadium was built for the games, which adjoined the city park. Auxiliary rooms are equipped in the under-tribune space. The stadium for 40 thousand seats was distinguished by a tower above the stands, imitating a windmill. The Games of the X Olympiad in the American city of Los Angeles (1932) marked the beginning of the formation of the city's Olympic complex, which included a stadium, a swimming pool, and the Olympic Village. The Coliseum Stadium (1923), built in the antique style, was reconstructed for the Olympics, its stands began to accommodate over 100,000 spectators. For that time, the stadium was the highest achievement of sports architecture. The Olympic torch burned above the central arch of the stadium. Having outlined a large program of the Games, the organizers were faced with the need to disperse the venues for competitions in various sports. So, rowers competed on a specially built canal in Long Beach, cyclists competed in the city of Passadena, where a temporary cycle track was built, which was dismantled after the Games. Equestrian competitions were held outside the city. For the first time, an Olympic village was built for the resettlement of athletes. It consisted of 700 prefabricated residential houses located in its community center. The organization of the village provided favorable conditions for close contacts and mutual understanding between athletes from different countries. However, the remoteness of the venue for the Games of European countries and the insufficient development of transport links had a negative impact on the number of participants. In 1932, it was decided to hold the Games of the 11th Olympiad in Berlin. In 1933, the Nazis came to power in Germany. they began to use the preparations for the Olympics for their propaganda purposes. For the Games in Berlin, a complex was erected, which was distinguished by excessive splendor. The project of the architect Werner March was awarded a gold medal at the games. The main arena of the stadium could accommodate 100,000 spectators. Another 150,000 watched the competitions held in the swimming pool, gym and stadium designed for hockey. The Games of the 14th Olympiad, held in 1948 in London, showed with their own eyes how great is the desire of people for peace and mutual cooperation. Organized under the conditions of a brutal post-war austerity regime, they nevertheless attracted a record number of participating countries for that time (59) and many tourists. No new sports facilities were built for the games. The old Olympic stadium, built for the 1908 games, was unusable due to a poor running track. The main sports facility of the Olympiad was the Imperial Stadium in Wembley for 60 thousand seats. places. For the first time in London, swimming competitions were held in an indoor pool. At Wembley Stadium, the solemn opening ceremony of the post-war games was greeted with enthusiasm. At that time, of course, they did not have to expect either high sports results, or splendor of design, or special worries about increased comfort for sports fans who came to England. But the very fact of holding a world holiday of physical culture shortly after the end of World War II became a confirmation of the life of the Olympic movement. The Games of the XV Olympiad in 1952 in Helsinki turned out to be even more representative. It was there that athletes from the Soviet Union entered the Olympic arena among 69 national teams for the first time. Debutants, contrary to forecasts, have achieved amazing success. In the unofficial standings, they shared the first and second places on points with the generally recognized favorites - the US athletes. The high sports results achieved by athletes at the 1952 Olympiad were largely the result of optimal competition conditions created on facilities specially built for the games. The stadium includes a running track (400 m), a football field, athletics sectors. The main tribune is covered with a canopy. Ancillary facilities are located below it. 1956 marked a new stage in the development of the Olympic movement. The Games of the XVI Olympiad were first held on the Australian continent in Melbourne. The remoteness of the new Olympic capital from the vast majority of developed countries, the peculiar climatic conditions created certain difficulties for the participants and guests of the games who arrived on the "green continent". But the organizers have made a lot of effort to overcome these obstacles. High sports achievements shown by the envoys from different countries became the best assessment of the organizing committee's activities. Preparations for the games of the XVI Olympiad became an outstanding event for the architects of Australia and largely determined the nature of the further development of architecture on the continent. The Games of the XVII Olympiad in 1960 in Rome can rightly be considered the beginning of a new direction in organizing the preparation of subsequent Olympiads. For the first time, an attempt was made to cover the entire range of issues to be resolved by the organizing committee. Along with the preparation and construction of sports complexes and individual facilities, much attention was paid to improving the infrastructure of the Olympic capital - Rome. New modern highways were laid through the ancient city, a number of old buildings and structures were demolished. Symbolizing the connection of the current games with the Ancient Greek, some of the most ancient architectural monuments of Rome were converted to host competitions in individual sports. A simple enumeration of the Olympic facilities that were used to host competitions and accommodate participants in the Games gives some idea of the scale of preparation. Topped the list of the main Olympic stadium "Stadium Olimpico" with a capacity of 100,000 spectators. It hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the games, as well as athletics and equestrian competitions. One of the most notable objects was recognized as the "Velodromo Olimpico", on the track of which cyclists competed. This facility is still considered one of the best velodromes in the world today. After the Olympics in Rome, experts began to attach great importance to the possibility of using facilities in the post-Olympic period. The Games of the Roman Olympiad are also notable for the fact that television programs were broadcast from them to some European countries. Although the transmissions went on radio relay and cable lines, but this was already a sign of the scientific and technological revolution entering the sports arenas. During the preparation of the Games of the XVIII Olympiad in Tokyo (1964), $ 2,668 million was spent, including $ 460 million to provide the material and technical base of the games, the rest of the funds went to organizational purposes and to the development of the city's infrastructure. The organizers of the first Olympic Games on the Asian continent have prepared more than 110 different facilities for competitions and training of athletes. The huge capital of Japan has changed. There are new metro lines and a monorail city Railway. Dilapidated buildings were demolished and streets widened. To solve the transport problem of the city, high-speed highways were laid through it. Street junctions were built by building overpasses and bridges. The hotel industry of the Japanese capital has significantly replenished. The indoor facilities, the sports halls in Yoyogi Park, became the true center of the Tokyo Olympics. Their architectural appearance was borrowed from nature. Olympic construction largely predetermined the future direction of urban development in Japan. A characteristic feature of the Tokyo Games was the absolute entry of electronics into the Olympic arenas. Its use in sports refereeing has greatly increased its accuracy and efficiency. A new stage in the development of the mass media was opened by television broadcasts through space, which crossed the borders of the continents and attached an unthinkable number of viewers to what was happening in the Olympic arenas. The opportunity to see the Olympic Games to any person on earth immeasurably increased the popularity of the Olympic movement. In 1968, the Olympic Games were held for the first time in Latin America. The city of Mexico honorably fulfilled the honorary duty of the host of the Games of the XIX Olympiad. This was largely facilitated by the growing flow of tourists from different countries, which has a beneficial effect on the Mexican economy, on the expansion of international contacts, contributing to the expansion of national culture. The organizers of the Games of the XX Olympiad in Munich took into account the experience of Rome, Tokyo and Mexico City and did everything possible to surpass the achievements of their predecessors. First of all, the infrastructure of the capital of the Olympiad - 72 was improved. The grandiose Olympic complex of sports facilities "Oberwiesenfeld" was built anew. It included: a stadium of original design, a universal sports palace, an indoor cycle track and a swimming pool. In addition, they built shooting complex, rowing canal, hippodrome and a number of other sports facilities. The organizers of the Games declared Munich the Olympic center of short distances and green landscapes. Taking into account the unusual influx of tourists, the organizers reconstructed the city center, built metro lines, laid new access roads to the city, and increased the hotel stock 10 times. To accommodate the athletes, huge buildings of the Olympic village were erected, in which 10-15 thousand temporary residents could settle. During the twenty-second Olympiad in Moscow, which took place from July 19 to August 3 in 1980, 5.5 thousand athletes from 81 countries participated. In connection with the entry Soviet troops to Afghanistan, a group of states, at the initiative of the United States, declared a boycott of the games in Moscow and did not send their teams. For the first time in the history of the Olympics, six large sports centers were built specifically for the Games: the Olimpiysky sports complex on Prospekt Mira, the cycle track in Krylatskoye, the equestrian center in Bitsa, the Universal Sports Hall in Izmailovo, the Druzhba gym in Luzhniki, the football and athletics arena in CSKA on Leningradsky Prospekt, as well as a comfortable residential area in the south-west of the city "Olympic Village". A total of 203 sets of medals in 21 sports were played. 74 Olympic and 36 world records were set. 24 athletes won two or three gold medals each. The last twenty-sixth Olympiad was held in Atlanta (USA), from July 19 to August 4, 1996. About 10 thousand athletes from 197 countries of the world participated in it. For the first time, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and other former Soviet republics acted as independent teams. For the first time, beach volleyball competitions were included in the program. For the third time in a row, the Russian wrestler Alexander Karelin became the champion of the games. The heroes of the games are runner Svetlana Masterkova, swimmers Alexander Popov and Denis Pankratov, fencer Stanislav Pozdnyakov. The outstanding American track and field athlete Carl Lewis (long jump) won his ninth gold medal. The US team confidently took first place in the team standings (44 gold, 32 silver, 25 bronze). CONCLUSION At the present stage, the task of turning the mass physical culture movement into a nationwide one, based on a scientifically based system of physical education, which covers all social strata of society, is being solved. There are state systems of program-assessment standards and requirements for physical development and preparedness of various age groups of the population. Compulsory physical education classes under state programs are held in preschool institutions, in all types of educational institutions, in the army. Since ancient times, the Olympic Games have been the main sporting event of all times and peoples. In the days of the Olympiads, harmony and reconciliation reigned throughout the earth. Wars stopped and all strong and worthy people competed in a fair fight for the title of the best. Over the centuries, the Olympic movement has overcome many obstacles, oblivion and alienation. But despite everything, the Olympic Games are alive to this day. Of course, this is no longer the competition in which naked young men took part and the winner of which entered the city through a breach in the wall. Today, the Olympic Games are one of the biggest events in the world. Games are equipped with the latest technology - computers and television cameras monitor the results, the time is determined to the nearest thousandth of a second, the athletes and their results largely depend on the technical equipment. Thanks to the media, there is not a single person left in the civilized world. Which I didn’t know - I wouldn’t have seen the Olympics or I wouldn’t have seen the competition on TV. In recent years, the Olympic movement has acquired a huge scale and the capitals of the Games for the duration of the Games become the capitals of the world. Sport plays an increasingly important role in people's lives. Familiarization with the rich cultural heritage of ancient Rome, which was the result of the synthesis and further development of the physical cultural achievements of the peoples of antiquity (the ancient East and ancient Greece), makes it possible to better understand the foundations of European civilization, show new aspects in the development of ancient heritage, establish living links between antiquity and modernity, a deeper understanding of modernity. We see that hand-to-hand combat is one of the oldest types of physical culture. Over the many millennia of its development and existence, it has become not only a method of self-defense, but also a way of spiritual and physical self-improvement of people. It is impossible to list the number of types and styles of hand-to-hand combat, each of which has its own historical and philosophical base. Unfortunately, recently the spiritual foundations of martial arts have been forgotten, mainly physical training and practical application are taken into account, while it is impossible to achieve perfect mastery of one or another type of martial art without knowledge of concentration and self-knowledge techniques. References 1. Khavin B. Everything about the Olympic Games. M., 1979. 2. Steinbakh V. From Athens to Moscow. M., 1979. 3. Olympic Encyclopedia. M., 1980. 4. Kuhn L. General history of physical culture and sports. M., 1982. 5. Your Olympic textbook. M., 1996. 6. History of physical culture in the USSR from ancient times to the end of the 18th century: Reader. - M. FiS, 1940. 7. Kun L. General history of physical culture and sports: Per. Svenger. Moscow: Rainbow, 1982. 8. Olivova V. People and games. At the origins of modern sports. - M.: FiS, 1985. 9. V. Barvinsky, S. Vilinsky “Born by the Olympics”; Moscow 1985. 10. B. Bazunov "Olympic torch relay"; Moscow 1990.