Information about The London Summer Olympic Games

1. L O N D O N O L YM P IC G A M E S
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The Origin of the Olympic
Games
Olympic Symbols
Opening Ceremony
Mascots
Sports and disciplines

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The Origin of The Olympic Games
The games were held in Olympia from
776 BC. The athletes were all male
citizens of the city-states from every
corner of the Greek world, coming
from as far away as Iberia (Spain)
and the Black Sea (Turkey).
The Games were held in Olympia every
4 years for almost 12 centuries.
Additional athletic events were
gradually added until the religious
festival consisted of a five-day
program. The athletic events
included: 3 foot races (stadion,
diaulos, and dolichos) as well as the
The ancient Olympic Games were primarily a pentathlon (five contests: discus,
part of a religious festival in honor of Zeus, javelin, long jump, wrestling, and foot
the father of the Greek gods and goddesses. race), pugme (boxing), pale
(wrestling), pankration, and the
hoplitodromos. Additional events,
were added throughout the course of

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OLYMPIC SYMBOLS
The five Olympic rings represent the five continents involved in the Olympics and
were designed in 1912, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the 1920 Antwerp
Olympics.
The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games.
Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its
origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the
celebration of the ancient Olympics

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Opening Ceremony
The eyes of the world will be on London on Receiving the Head of State of
27 July 2012 for the Opening Ceremony
of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The the Host Country
Ceremony will mark the beginning of the
XXXth Olympiad. It will provide an Parade of Athletes
opportunity for the world to view the
artistic expression of Danny Boyle and Speeches
his team, and the culture of our Host City
and the UK. Playing the Olympic Anthem and
the entry and raising of the
Olympic Flag
There are certain elements that must feature
Oaths
in every Olympic Games Opening
Ceremony, as outlined in the The Torch and lighting of the
International Olympic Committee's (IOC)
Olympic Charter: Cauldron

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MASCOTS
Wenlock and Mandeville are animations depicting
two drops of steel from a steelworks in Bolton

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SPORTS AND DISCIPLINES
The London 2012
Olympic Games will
feature 26 sports,
which break down into
39 disciplines.