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Athens 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games facts & stats Olympia 776 B.C. - Athens 2004 A.D. Did you know that... ...the first modern international Olympic Games took place in Athens in 1859? Why international? Because there were competitors who were born outside of Greece. At the time Smyrne, Crete and Macedonia were all part of the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, the Olympic Games of 1859, 1870, and 1875 were international because competitors from more than one country participated. ...the French educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin did not found the Modern Olympic Games? He could not have, since they had already been founded more than 35 years earlier. He did, however, found the International Olympic Committee in 1894. Mr. Evangelis Zappas founded the first Modern National Olympic Games, which took place in Athens in 1859. Also Dr. William Penny Brookes founded the Wenlock Olympian Society (which presided over an "Olympic-like" Games) in 1860. Baron de Coubertin visited Dr. Penny Brookes in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, England and was inspired by him to establish the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which was founded on June 23, 1894. Baron de Coubertin was interested in reforming French education. The reason that everyone believes that Baron de Coubertin was the founder is down to him promoting himself as the founder selfishly and without mentioning Dr. Brookes or Mr. Zappas or Mr. Panagiotis Soutsos (Soutsos was Greek and the poet who first wrote about the revival in his poetry in 1833). ...that Mike Pagomenos is Founder of Zappas.org at www.zappas.org? Zappas.org was founded to help correct a historical error since there is a limit to how many times you can hear the same error without doing something about it.
...Athens Olympic Broadcasting (AOB) will feature a series of features, in cooperation with Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT)? Ten features cover the entire spectrum, from Greek music to classical Greece, to the treasures of Athens and the islands. Promoting Greece and the Olympic Games, these ten features, which will be produced by AOB, in cooperation with ERT, and distributed to the world Right Holders Broadcasters, are:
...While the Olympic Games are being staged in Greece, between 1,100 and 1,200 Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) employees, including technicians, directors, producers and reporters, will work day and night to bring every aspect of the Games, in all their glory, to the Greek people? ... Swatch, the Official Timekeeper, is proud to celebrate the Athens 2004 Olympic Games? Outstanding technical capabilities and advances in the fields of science and technology were already proven by Swatch during its role as the Official Timekeeper in both the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. ...the Athens 2004 Olympic Games are the first Olympiad of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium? ...Panasonic is proud to bring its long years of know-how in digital broadcasting technology to the Olympic Games? Once every four years countries unite for a global festival to celebrate the spirit of competition. Panasonic is determined to capture that spirit by using the latest systems in digital broadcasting for the best Olympic coverage ever. ...McDonald's has been an Official Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games since 1976? The company has exclusive rights to retail food services, which means that if you bring your own food to an Olympic venue, you will be asked to gobble it down before you go in! ...Coca-Cola and Samsung are the Official Sponsors of the Athens 2004 Torch Relay? The Olympic flame will travel from Ancient Olympia, where the Games were born in 776 B.C., to all five continents for the first time in a 78-day return journey. The Torch Relay will last 65 days. While the venue for the lighting ceremony is authentically ancient, the torch relay itself is a modern creation. It was the brainchild of Nazi-sponsored Olympic official Carl Diem, who choreographed the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Despite its latter-day peaceful symbolism, the first torch, which was first revived in 1936, was made of sterling silver from Essen-based metal works and munitions manufacturer Krupps, where Adolf Hitler was stockpiling munitions ahead of World War Two. Diem based the idea of runners bearing the torch from the Games' birthplace to the host city on ancient Greek drawings and the writings of the historian Plutarch. The idea was a hit and, after war interrupted the Olympics, the relay became a fixture from the Finnish Games of 1952 onwards. In 2004, the metal and wood torch, carved in the shape of an olive leaf, will pass through 34 cities, including Delhi (where the torch will hitch a ride on an elephant procession on June 10th, 2004) and Cairo (where the torch will go camel riding on June 11th, 2004). Prince Albert of Monaco, film star Angelina Jolie, former pole vault champion Segei Bubka and Australian athlete Cathy Freeman will be among more than 11,000 other torch-bearers in the 78,000-km. procession leading up to the August 13th opening ceremony. ...There are 58 venues nationwide, 28 events and 37 athletic contests. ...201 national Olympic delegations will be in Athens. ...10,500 athletes, 2,500 judges, 5,500 trainers will participate. ...2,041 medals and 301 award ceremonies will be given. ...5,500,000 tickets are targeted to be sold. ...21,500 accredited media will be in Greece, mainly just before and during the Olympic Games. ...An estimated 4 billion viewers world-wide will watch the Games. ...23,000 fixed telephone line connections are installed in the so-called "Olympic Network". ...12,000 broadcasting networks (both radio and TV) will be there. <<< Back to INVgr's main Athens 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games page Please carefully read our special disclaimer related to Athens 2004 Olympic Games material and information published on INVgr. INV International Ltd. is not responsible for the content of external Web sites.
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