The medals, the torch relay and events for females didn’t exist in the ancient games, but the four-year cycle and the concept of a major sports spectacle still continue.

In ancient Greece, the Olympics were never solely about the athletes themselves; instead, the heart and soul of the festival was the experience shared by all who attended.

ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece -- Even without the help of Apollo, the flame that is to burn at the Paris Olympics was kindled Tuesday at the site of the ancient games in southern Greece.

Ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games which get underway next month, we look back in time at the importance of the games in ancient Greece.

(RNS) The Olympics began in ancient Greece as a festival to honor a single god, Zeus. But organizers of the games must now navigate myriad sacred fasts and holy days. By Chris Lisee.

The Olympic flame was lit at the birthplace of the Games in Greece on Tuesday in a ceremony rich with ancient traditions that will launch a torch relay culminating in Paris on July 26.

Greek actress Xanthi Georgiou, playing the role of the High Priestess, lights the torch during the lighting of the Olympic flame at Ancient Olympia site, birthplace of the ancient Olympics in ...

The site of the ancient Olympic Games in Greece was saved Thursday as firefighters battle blazes around southern Greece, which along with the devastating wildfires in Turkey and other areas along ...

Ancient Greece originated the Olympic Games. The Paris Olympics website outlines a bit of the history: The history of the Games goes back around 3,000 years, to the Peloponnese in Ancient Greece.

Forest fires continue to burn in Greece, but firefighters manage to save the archaeological site at the birthplace of the ancient Olympics. Forest fires rage in Greece, threaten Olympics ...

At the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, a French judge admitted being pressured to vote for the Russian skaters in order to secure an advantage for France in the pairs ice dancing competition. In ...