No one is sure about the time when the Olympic Games started on an international basis, but some official records date back from 786 B. C. The games took place on the plain land by mount 'Olympus' in the month of August of that year. Thousands of spectators gathered there, but no woman was allowed even as a spectator. Slaves, women, and dishonored persons were not allowed to participate in the competitions.

The events included boys' gymnastics, horse-racing, discus, javelin throwing, and foot races that were very important events. Boxing, wrestling, and pentathlon were also there among the events. The victors were crowned with holy garlands of wild olive from a sacred wood. Though the winners did not get any prize money, they were richly rewarded by their state authorities. The competitions had to undergo rigorous ten-month training before the competitions were held. But yet runners sometimes dropped dead from strain at the winning post.

After an interrupted history of about twelve hundred years, the Games were abolished in 394 A. D. It was due to their pagan origin. Another fifteen hundred years elapsed before there was another such international athletes' gathering in 1896 in Athens. Such gathering was established after the 1908 London Olympics.  Since then the Games have taken place at four yearly intervals. Nowadays, the games are held in different countries in turn. The number of events has increased greatly in the recent times.