On the 23rd of June 1894 the International Olympic Committee was founded at the Sorbonne in Paris. Prior to the IOC establishment by Pierre de Coubertin the British physician Dr. William penny Brookes had set up the Wenlock Olympian games in the English market town of Much Wenlock although he always maintained that he had the idea of reviving the ancient Olympic Games for amateur athletes himself, Coubertin entered correspondence with Brooks and benefited from his connections with the Greek government Coubertin was the Secretary General of the Union of French sports associations.

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Coubertin first proposed establishing a modern Olympic Games at his meeting on the 25th of November 1892 although his enthusiasm was met with little more than general polite applause Coubertin wasn’t deterred and commenced to get the groundwork for what was to become the primary Olympic Congress at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1894. Initially invited participants to a gathering entitled reflections on and propagation of the principles of amateurism Coubertin later changed the name to a congress on the revival of the Olympic Games seventy-nine delegates from nine countries subsequently met at the Sorbonne though Coubertin himself recognized that there was still little enthusiasm for reviving the games. Despite this a vote was held at the last word meeting of the Congress on the 23rd of June that established the International Olympic Committee Coubertin was elected to the role of general secretary with the Greek businessman and writer Demetrius Vikelas because the first president it had been further agreed that the primary modern Olympic Games would happen in Athens in 1896. The second in Paris four years later the IOC has remained liable for the Olympic Games ever since.

There are two main events there are the Winter Olympics and the Summer Olympics if you’re wondering when the winter and summer olympics take place they take place every four years when you see the Olympic logo there are five rings the reason for that is in history it has been told that a man named Baron de Coubertin saw the five rings on an ancient Greek artifact the reason we see five colors on each ring is to represent the five continents Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Americas finally with sports like track gymnastics figure skating and more each category is awarded a gold silver and bronze medal for the first second and third place winners. Hope you enjoy the Olympics.

Image source: Smithsonian magazine