Year 3 Project: PE - Olympic Games

The Olympic Games began over 2,700 years ago in Olympia, in south west Greece. Every four years, around 50,000 people came from all over the Greek world to watch and take part. The ancient games were also a religious festival, held in honour of Zeus, the king of the gods.

The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896. They were revived by a Frenchman - Pierre Fredy, the Baron de Coubertin. When he was young, Coubertin was a very keen sportsman. As he grew older, he developed a passionate belief that sport could encourage peace throughout the world and bring people from all over the world together.

 

The Olympics are still held every four years, although they were postponed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic).  This is only the fourth time in the history of the Modern Games that the Olympics has been cancelled or postponed, with the others coming during World War One and (twice) during World War Two.

 

The Olympics are a part of everyday life and culture and the world stops once every four years to marvel at the amazing achievements of sports stars! You will enjoy exploring the Olympic Games in this week’s project and can even host your own on Friday to celebrate!