Did you know …

- The first modern Summer Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896.

- The first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France, in 1924.

- The first Paralympic Games (for disabled athletes) were held in England in 1948. 

- The Olympic motto is ‘Citius—altius—fortius’ meaning ‘Faster—higher—stronger’.

- The five coloured rings of the Olympic flag represent the five international regions of the world—Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

- Greece is always the first country to enter the stadium at the Olympic opening ceremony.

The Paralympic Games originated in England in 1948 when a sports competition involving disabled World War II veterans was held. Four years later, competitors from Holland participated, and the Paralympic Games were born. Now there are summer and winter Paralympics, and both are held every four years, just like the Olympic Games. The sports played at the Summer Games include athletics, basketball, swimming, archery, cycling, rugby and fencing. The sports played at the Winter Games are different, and include skiing and ice hockey.  At the 2000 Sydney Summer Paralympic Games, over 3800 athletes from 122 countries participated. This was the largest number of countries ever to take part in the Paralympics.