The
Spirit of the Olympics
"The
Olympic flame was first lit at the opening ceremony of the Amsterdam
Olympics in 1928."
The
modern Olympics began in Athens in 1896. The Olympics is the story
of the human spirit, mind and body and its ability to break barriers
and reach new levels. It is a story of co-operation between countries.
The world stops and watches as athletes from all over come together
to compete. In 2000, 199 countries competed.
In 1896, 14
countries competed in the first modern Olympics. On 6 April, 1896,
an American, James Connolly, won the triple jump and became the
first Olympic champion in more than 1500 years.
The Olympic
flame was first lit at the opening ceremony of the Amsterdam Olympics
in 1928. During June and July this year (2004) the Olympic flame
has travelled around the world, passing through 26 countries and
34 cities on its way to Athens for the opening ceremony of the 2004
games on August 13.
The world is
watching with a little fear and a lot of goodwill, hoping that the
2004 games in Athens will be a magnificent, exciting and safe event.
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