The Olympic and Paralympic Games - Introduction

The Olympic Games are considered to be the world’s foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Games are held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. The Paralympics have grown from a small gathering of British World War II veterans in 1948 to become one of the world’s largest international sport events.

The five rings of the Olympic logo represent the five continents involved in the games and were debuted at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics. The ancient Olympic Games were held in Olympia, Greece. The first Games took place in 776 BC.