Where did the Olympics start?

The ancient Olympic Games were first held in 776 B.C. in Greece. Though these athletic competitions were often held in conjunction with religious festivals at the time, they were secular in nature. The modern Olympic Games were first held in 1896 in Athens, Greece.

The ancient Olympics thrived for several centuries before the Romans came to power in Greece. The ancient Games ceased around 400 A.D. Interest in reviving the Olympics began in the early 1800s, when the Greeks won independence from the Ottoman Empire. An International Olympic Committee was formed in the early 1890s, and the Athens Games marked the official start of the modern Olympics.