Many people around the world watch the Olympic Games. It is a huge sports game. It began long ago in Greece. The old games were in Olympia, in Greece. At first, there was just one footrace. It was the only event.

The race was the stadion. It was about 192 meters long. The name stadion is the origin of the word stadium. The old games had footraces. They had throwing, jumping and boxing too. A winner got a wreath of olive branches.

In the old games, only men from Greece took part. There were no games for women. A Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, led the work to bring the games back. The first new games were in Athens, Greece, in 1896. Women first took part in Paris in 1900.

Players from many countries take part. There are Summer games and Winter games. The Summer games come every four years. The symbol is five rings linked together. The flag is plain white. It has five rings in the middle. The motto is Latin. It is Citius, Altius, Fortius. It means faster, higher, stronger.

Before each games, a flame is lit in Olympia, Greece. Then torchbearers take the flame to the host country. This is a torch relay. First place wins a gold medal. Second place wins a silver medal. Third place wins a bronze medal. As of November 2026, the next Summer games are planned for 2028. They are planned for Los Angeles, California.

Words to know

• stadion: old footrace
• wreath: leaf ring
• motto: short saying
• torchbearers: torch carriers