The Olympics: Where the tradition began...

Well, most everyone knows that the ancient Olympics began in Greece, thousands of years ago, and that eventually they were stopped. But now we observe summer and winter Olympics every 2 years, with summer and winter alternating. And with the 2010 Winter Olympics beginning in Vancouver in just 3 days, it's interesting to know how the modern tradition we know today got started.
Well, the man credited with reviving the Olympic Games is Baron Pierre de Coubertin. In the early 1890s he expressed interest in reviving the games, but his ideas were met with considerable opposition. It was not until 1894 when 9 countries agreed to support his efforts and it was at their meeting that the IOC (International Olympic Committee) was formed. Its first president, appropriately, was the Greek Demetrious Vikelas. The first modern games took place in Athens, Greece in April 1896 at the newly restored Panathenaic Stadium. These games had only 245 competitors, most of whom were from Greece. It was officially for men only, but at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, women were allowed to compete. The Paris Olympics brought in over 1000 competitors, and it is from here that the tradition has continued for over 100 years!
(This information comes from summerolympicgames.com.)