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Level 2 – Pre-intermediate
History of the Olympic Games
The Olympic Games were born in Greece over 2000 years ago. The first recorded Games took place in Athens in 776 BC but they were probably older than that. Records suggest that the Olympics were already an important international event in those ancient times. Thousands of people travelled to Athens every four years from around the ancient world to watch the Games. Countries which were at war, stopped fighting during the Games. Then in 393 AD, the Roman emperor Theodosius 1 abolished the Games because he was a Christian and he believed they were unchristian.
Fortunately for us today, a Frenchman called Pierre de Coubertin revived the Games in 1896. These first modern Olympics took place in Athens and the athletes competed in the ancient Panathinaiko Stadium. Three hundred sports people from thirteen countries took part in these first Olympics of modern times.
The Games were a great success and they have taken place every four years since 1896 except during the war years. The 2004 Olympics took place in Athens to celebrate their 100th anniversary.
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Answer the questions below to check how well you understand the text.
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C2 Mastery
