Modern Olympic History

Modern Olympic history dates back to April 1896 in Athens at the Panathenaic Stadium, where Olympic Games, such as pole vaulting and swimming, were held. During these games, James Connolly, an American, won the triple jump, making him the first Olympic champion in nearly 1,500 years. As part of the modern Olympic history, winners were awarded silver medals and an olive branch crown.

In 1900, the Olympics were held at the Exposition Universelle Internationale in Paris, which was the first time in modern Olympic history, women were permitted to participate in the events. Great Britain athlete, Charlotte Cooper, was the first woman champion due to her participation in the tennis events. Due to poor publicity, low attendance at the Olympics was an issue.

These modern Olympic history traditions continued until 1908, when the Olympics were held in London. During this time, the Opening Ceremony began marching the athletes in separated by nations and new sporting events were added to the Olympic Games.

Throughout modern Olympic history, the Olympic Games became more and more well organized and the attendance of spectators and athletes continued to grow as publicizing techniques increased. The events women were permitted to participate in continued to grow as well. Although the success of the games began to increase, in 1916 the Olympic Games were cancelled due to World War I.

In 1920, after the war had ended, the modern Olympic history continued to include the Athlete's Oath. As the Olympic games continued throughout the years, despite the turmoil of World Ward II and the Cold War, the number of events included in the Olympic Games continued to increase, as well as the number of athletes participating in each Olympic event. Today, the Olympics are based on the modern Olympic history and each time the Games are held, the excitement of the spectators increase due to the large amount of publicity surrounding each event boosts the excitement of the Olympic Games.