Historical Dictionary of the Modern Olympic Movement

Book excerpt: The first "Games of the Modern Era" were celebrated in Athens in 1896 and have grown from a quaint idea of the 1890s to a major world happening. It is a testament to the founders of the Games that the ideals upon which the Olympic Movement was founded have continued throughout the years and will be carried into the next century in Sydney, Australia. Valued for their idealism and revered for the moral code they demonstrate in heroic sporting contests, the Olympic Games are the foremost sporting event in the world. Divided into sections of the Summer Games and the Winter Games, this unique reference work shows the historical context in which each of the Olympic Games has taken place. The book includes chronologically arranged entries on each of the Games from 1896 to the Centennial Games planned for 1996, the Olympic Games planned for 1998 in Nagano, Japan and the year 2000 in Sydney.