Where are the Olympic Games held?

The Olympic Games are held every four years in a different city in the world. Athletes from many countries compete in a variety of sports which are divided into winter and summer games.
    The Olympic Games began in Greece more than 2,700 years ago. The games were originally part of a religious festival in honor of the Greek Gods. Eventually the games became the most important festival in all of Greece.
    The first recorded Olympic competition was held in 776 B.C. It was held in an outdoor stadium which was about 200 meters long and 30 meters wide. The stadium was in a valley, and about forty thousand people watched the event. The first thirteen Olympics consisted of only one race—running.
    Since 776 B.C. the games had been held regularly for abort 1,200 years. In the year 397 the Olympics were prohibited by the Roman Emperor.
    It was not until 1896 that the first Olympics of modern times were held in Athens. From then on the games are held every four years regularly. The Olympics have become the world’s most important athletic events and a symbol of the sporting friendship of all the people of the world.