Abstract
This report will be limited to the modern era of the Olympic Games but we need to know the full history of this world event in order to understand all the characteristics of the Games. This history began 3000 years ago in 776 BC in classical Greece with the religious purpose of celebrating physical excellence. The values of the competitors were described in terms of honor, patriotism and altruism. Historians and writers announced that the foundation and ethos of the ancient Olympic Games were the religion, the country and the art. The Ancient Games were settled in 5 days with a lot of event such as the pentathlon, a chariot and horse race or running races. With the dreams of social peace and domestic harmony, Pierre de Coubertin met different people of different areas to create and organize the recent Olympic Games in 1896. At the same time he reached the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). These Modern Games were launched with Olympian Ideologies such as the notion of amateurism with the "strict amateur code" defended by Pierre de Coubertin. A high ideology of peace and respect were present between the athletes during the competition. The first Olympic Games in 1896 are thus the starting point of this World event which is becoming more and more important with every event. Thus, according to Lucas John A., there were only 245 athletes from 14 different countries in 1896 against around 10 000 athletes from 197 countries one century later in Atlanta. The event is becoming more and more diversified with only 43 events in 1896 against 271 in 1996. Year after year, the Olympic Games receive a bigger coverage by spectators or by the Media with more than 16000 journalists in Sydney in 2000. The Olympic Games are now a big world event, hosted every four years and this event requires a well structured organization, the IOC. There can be a big stake for countries in the hosting of the Olympic Games in political, social or and especially economic areas. Olympian values are espoused in the world in all continents, allowing people to show their opinions or to protest against the host country. We are now developing all these characteristics of this world event helped by the example of the last Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 and with the case study of the next Olympic Games of London 2012.
