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History of the Modern Olympic Games
The origin of the modern Olympic Games dates back to France at the end of the 19th century. Motivated by the ideal of peace, educator Pierre de Coubertin came up with the idea of reviving the Greek tradition of the Games of the Olympiad to bring nations together every four years.
On June 23, 1894, de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to organize the Games. Two years later, in 1896, the first Olympic Games of the modern era took place in Athens with approximately 250 athletes from 14 countries.
Bringing Nations Together...
The growing popularity of winter sports led to the introduction of the Olympic Winter Games in 1924, in Chamonix, France. The Olympic Games were subsequently established as the Games of the Olympiad, or Olympic Summer Games, and Olympic Winter Games. Initially, the Summer and Winter Games took place within the same year, every four years. However, starting in 1992, they were held alternately, every two years.
Although Canada had participated in the modern Olympic Games since their beginning as part of American teams, the first time it sent a delegation of athletes was to the London Games in 1908. The creation of an Olympic Committee in 1907, which became the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), enabled the Canadian team to participate officially in the Olympic Games.
Today, the COC, whose goal is to promote sport throughout the country, exercises leadership at the international level in the areas of marketing and education.
