The Olympics are the world's greatest sports competition, where athletes from nearly every country gather to compete in dozens of different events. Held every four years, the modern Olympics bring together runners, swimmers, gymnasts, basketball players, and competitors in sports from archery to wrestling. Athletes train for years hoping to represent their country and perhaps stand on the podium to receive a gold, silver, or bronze medal while their national anthem plays.

The Olympics began in ancient Greece around 776 BC, when Greek city-states would pause their wars to compete in athletic contests at Olympia. These ancient games featured running races, wrestling, boxing, and chariot racing. After lasting over a thousand years, the ancient Olympics ended in 393 AD.

The modern Olympics were revived in 1896 by a French educator named Pierre de Coubertin, who believed international sports competition could promote peace and understanding between nations. The first modern games in Athens included just 241 athletes from 14 countries, all men. Today, more than 10,000 athletes compete, with men and women competing in large and growing numbers.

There are Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics, now held two years apart. The Summer Games include sports like track and field, swimming, and soccer, while the Winter Games feature skiing, ice skating, and ice hockey.

The five interlocking Olympic rings on the Olympic flag represent the unity of the five inhabited continents: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.