The Olympic Games, or Olympics, are an international athletic competition taking place every four years at a different site, in which contestants from various nations face each other in many sports. There are two types of Olympics, the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics. Originally held in ancient Greece until banned by Christian Byzantine Emperor Theodosius I, they were revived by a French nobleman, the Baron de Coubertin, at the end of the 19th century. The Games of the Olympiad, better known as the Summer Olympics, have been held every fourth year since 1896, with the exception of the years during the World Wars.
A special version for winter sports, the Olympic Winter Games, was established in 1924. Originally these were held in the same year as the Summer Olympics, but starting with 1994, the Winter Games are in between, two years after the Games of the Olympiad.
The modern Olympic Games began in Athens, Greece, in 1896. Pierre de Coubertin proposed that the Olympic Games of ancient Greece be revived with the goal of promoting a more peaceful world, as well as a positive force of growth and development in young people. The program for the 1896 Greece Games included about 300 athletes from fewer than 15 countries. Those athletes competed in 43 events in nine different sports.
Mormon athletes have participated in many Olympic Games, and in this site we will also provide information about them.