The first Olympic Games are traditionally dated to 776BC. Games were held all over ancient Greece; but the most famous were held every four years in the sanctuary at Olympia, in the Peloponnese ...

In 1896, a curmudgeonly classics scholar covered the first modern Olympics in Athens for The Atlantic; the games drew around 250 athletes from 14 countries (this summer’s games include ...

The 1908 London Games were the first in which the modern Olympics began recognisably to emerge. A large stadium was built at White City, and athletes joined an opening ceremony parade behind their ...