The first Olympic Games were held in 776 B.C. They began as a religious festival in a valley of Ancient Greece at a place called Olympia. The Games continued until around 400 A.D. when Emperor Theodosius of Rome formally abolished the Games.
After then, a young Frenchman named Pierre de Coubertin began the revival of the Olympics in the first week of April 1896. He organised all the interested countries and promoted the idea of restoring the Games. Since the Games were not well publicized internationally, contestants were not nationally chosen but rather came individually and at their own expenses. Approximately 300 athletes participated, representing 13 countries.
Pole-vaulting, sprints, shot put, weight lifting, swimming, cycling, target shooting, tennis, marathon and gymnastics were all events at this Olympics. The swimming events were held in the Bay of Zea in the Aegean Sea. Gold medallist, Alfred Hoyos Guttmann described it: "I won ahead of the others with a big lead, but my greatest struggle was against the huge twelve-foot waves and the terribly cold water!"
Compared with modern Olympics, the games of 1896 must have been very simple. Athletes did not have expensive equipment or scientific training. They competed in a much less commercialised environment!
