In ancient Greece athletic festivals were very important and had strong religious associations. The Olympian athletic festival, 【B1】 every four years in 【B2】 of Zeus, eventually lost its local character, became first a national event, and then, after the rules against foreign competitors had been given up, 【B3】 . No one knows exactly how far 【B4】 the Olympic Games go , but some official records 【B5】 from 666 B. C.
After an 【B6】 history of almost 1,200 years, the Games were put an end 【B7】 in A.D. 394, the Christian era. It was over 1,500 years 【B8】 there was 【B9】 such international athletics gathering. The Greek institution was restored in 1796 and the first small meeting 【B10】 place in Athens. After the 1907 London Olympics, success was re-established and nations sent their best representatives. In 【B11】 of peace, the Games have taken place 【B12】 since at four-yearly 【B13】 . In Munich in 1962, competitors from more than 120 countries were watched by 【B14】 crowds.
Nowadays, the Games are held in different countries 【B15】 turn. The host country 【B16】 vast facilities, including a stadium, swimming pools and living quarters, but 【B17】 countries pay their own athletes expenses. Athletic contests are still the main feature, but now many more sports are represented. The marathon races, started in 1796, are now a popular event.
The Olympics start 【B18】 the arrival in the stadium of a torch, 【B19】 on Mount Olympus by the sun’’s rays. It is carried by a 【B20】 of runners to the stadium.