Title: Ancient Greek Olympics - Facts for Kids
Headings: Ancient Greek Olympics
Ancient Greek Olympics
Where Were the Ancient Olympics Held?
What Events and Awards Were Part of the Ancient Olympics?
Prizes
Were Women Allowed to Participate?
A Special Truce
The Modern Olympics

Content: The Olympics were so important to Greek culture that the city-states stopped all their battles and observed a special truce for a full month before the games started. During this time, men could train for the events and participants could travel to the games without fear. Merchants also traveled to the games to sell food and other items. The Ancient Olympic games were held for over a thousand years and ended in 393 AD when the Roman emperor Theodosius banned them. He had outlawed the worship of the ancient gods because of new beliefs in Christianity. The buildings were eventually torn down and the city was buried under earthquakes and floods. The Modern Olympics
The modern Olympics were started in 1896 by a French educator and historian by the name of Pierre de Coubertin. Pierre loved sports and felt that the world’s countries would have more of an opportunity for peace if they gathered together to play sports. He designed the five color rings that are used to represent the Olympic Games today. The rings stand for North and South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.