History of the Olympics In 776 BC a foot race was run. The winner was the first Olympic hero ever. From that very first race to today, the Olympics have always been a way for nations to come together in friendly competition and international goodwill. The conditions of the first Olympics were not anything like they are today. The events were held in an open space in which a track had been paced off, areas for …showed first 75 words of 701 total…

…showed last 75 words of 701 total…held no more, as Zeus had lost his position. The site of the games was abandoned by order of the Roman Emperor Theodosius I in 393. Over time the location was devastated by earthquakes, invaders, and floods. In 1766 a British traveler found the site and in 1875 the first archaeologists began excavating it. It wasn’t until 1896, after a French aristocrat interested in promoting athletic events, particularly the Olympic Games, that the modern Olympic Games took place.