Every 4 years, the Summer Olympic Games are held in a different city around the world. This year, Paris, France is the home of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad. This International event takes place from July 26^th to August 11^th and there are 10,714 athletes, from 206 nations, competing in 32 different sporting events. Since The Olympic Games are happening in Paris, their motto is “Ouvrons grand les jeux” or “Games wide open.”

History of the Olympic Games

The first Olympic Games were held in the summer of 776 B.C. The first Games were held at Olympia, an ancient site with temples used to worship Greek Gods. The Olympics were first created to worship Zeus, king of the Gods. Before and during the games, athletes would pray to Zeus for success during the games and leave him gifts if they were victorious during the games.

In Ancient Greece, only men were allowed to compete in the games and the athletes were not allowed to wear clothes during competition. In Ancient times, events such as chariot racing and pankration (the ultimate fighting sport) were popular. These events often had no time limit and athletic would compete till their opponent gave up or died. In today’s day and age, the rules have changed to accommodate modern times and create a safer environment for the athletes. Some events, such as sprinting and wrestling have withstood the test of time and are still parts of the modern games.

The Olympic Swim Trials

This year, Indianapolis hosted the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. These events took place June 15th-23rd. In order to make this happen, the football field at Lucas Oil Statum was converted to an Olympic regulation size pool. There were more than 1,000 prospective athletes competing for a spot on the US swim team. There were also about 250,000 fans and spectators in the audience. As a result of the event, 48 American athletes will be competing in the Olympic Games for team USA.

Connections to The Center

Here at The International Center, our very own Taina Lance, Director of Relocation Services, attended the swim trials and shares her perspective:

“It was thrilling to see the nation’s top swimmers compete in such a unique venue and see them treated with the fanfare and rock-star ambiance they deserve. No other city does sport events like Indy!”

Indianapolis is a hub for business and pleasure and here at The Center, we work on bringing the international connections around the city to you. The Olympic Games are a chance to celebrate the diverse nations in our world and come together to celebrate one common cause of national pride.