In 1920 the Olympic flag was presented. The flag contains five interconnected rings with a white background. The rings symbolize the five significant continents and are symbolize the friendship to be gained from these international competitions. The rings are blue, yellow, black, green, and red. These colors were chosen because at least one of them appears on the flag of every country in the world.

The Olympic Games are held every four years. The Olympic Games are held throughout the world. The location of the games changes each time. Two locations are chosen each time. One to host the Winter Olympics and one to host the Summer Olympics. The next Olympics will take place 2008. Beijing will be the host.

Participating in the Olympic Games is a very special honor. The participants spend hours each day training and preparing for the games. They often have to move far from home to be close to Olympic training facilities. Qualifying for a spot on the Olympic team varies for each sport. However dedication, skill, motivation, hard work, and a desire to win are a part of the right formula for anyone dreaming of participating in the Olympic Games.

The best team or individual in each event is awarded a goal medal. The second best is awarded a silver medal, and third place earns a bronze medal. In 1896 first place received silver medals because gold was considered beneath silver. At the Olympic Games in 1904 held in St. Louis gold replaced silver as the first place medal. The gold medals presented today are actually made from sterling silver. They are then covered with a thin coat of pure gold.

Regardless of the medals earned, the Olympic Games give athletes the opportunity to present their knowledge and skills. The Olympics are very popular because of the competition and because they bring people from all countries together for a short time to not only compete with each other, but to remind us of the quest for peace among all nations.

Since 1896, the Summer Olympics have taken place every four years. The location changes each time. A different place is selected each year to allow all the countries to have the opportunity and honor of hosting the ceremony. The Summer Olympics did not take place in 1916 due to World War I. They were cancelled again in 1910 and 1944 due to World War II. Greece and Austrailia are the only nations who have attended every Summer Olympic ceremony.

Unfortunately, the Summer Olympics have seen their share of tragic events during what is to be a peaceful gathering of all nations. In 1972 the summer games were held in Munich, West Germany. Eleven members of the Israeli team where taken hostage by terrorists. Nine of the hostage were killed as was one policeman. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, a bomb went off killing two people and injuring over one hundred others. Since 9/11, security at all Olympic games has been increased due to the fear of terrorist attacks.

The cold war resulted in fewer nations participating in both the 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, leading to the United States and sixty four other nations refusing to attend the Winter Olympic Games in Moscow that year. Eighty nations chose to participate, but it was the lowest number of nations to gather for the games.

The 1900 Summer Olympics took place in Paris. The event attracted four times the amount of participants as the 1896 ceremony. This year, women were allowed to compete for the first time. Eleven women participated in the ceremonies. The participated in croquet, golf, sailing, and tennis.

Women finally got the opportunity to participate in the track and field events at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Coca-Cola became the first company to sponsor the Olympics at during this ceremony. They have continued to sponsor the Olympics as a whole since.

The world became more fascinated with the Winter Olympics and the ice skating events in 1994. Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked as she left a practice. She was hit with a metal bar in the knee. Until then, she stood a very good chance of taking home the gold medal in that event. In her absence, Tonya Harding was given the opportunity to represent the United States team.

Soon evidence was pointing to the assault being set up by Tonya Harding and her ex husband to get Tonya into the competition. Tonya claimed she did not know about the attack until after it happened, but she did not report what she knew to the police.

Nancy Kerrigan recuperated enough to compete. The media was recently in portraying Nancy as the victim of an evil plot. Millions of viewers watched the competition, cheering for Nancy to claim the gold medal. In the finals, Nancy was in first place. Tonya in tenth. In a very controversial decision by the judges, Nancy was given the silver medal.

Nancy Kerrigan accepted her silver medal with honor and grace. While we will never know if she would have won the gold if the attack had not occurred, she earned the respect of many nations by performing her best in spite of what happened to her.

The luge events are full of on the edge of your seat action. However, they have been very controversial over the years. At this years Winter Olympics the luge test events were called off after a series of accidents. There have been several serious injuries in this event including the loss of a leg, and even the loss of life.

At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Shani Davis, became the first African American athlete to win an Olympic medal in the speed skating event. The Winter Olympics continues to offer views an action packed series of events to watch. From skiing at neck breaking speeds to the double turns of the figure skaters, there is always plenty to watch. Don’t worry if you happen to miss that controversial event as our media promises to have it available for your viewing again and again.

Junior Olympic Games is known as the largest multi-sport event for youth in the United States. Just like the Olympics, the Junior Games are held at a different location each year, although some of the locations have had the honor of hosting the event more than once. This is because the Junior Olympic Games take place every year rather than every four years as the Olympics do. The games have been conducted in nineteen states and thirty cities across the United States. ‘There’s nothing junior about it’ has become the theme of the Junior Olympic Games. There are currently more than sixteen thousand participants. All fifty states are represented.

Qualifying to participant in the Junior Olympic games depends on the event you wish to participate in. Some events have age requirements, so have weight requirements, and others have no requirements at all. To get information on qualifications for events you can search the internet or get information from most school counselors. Once you find out if you qualify for an event, you will need to submit an application packet. It is required that each athlete has a coach at the event.

The Junior Olympics, along with sponsors, promotes various events throughout the United States to get athletes involved in the organization. In February of 2006, they announced the Junior Olympic Skills Competition presented by Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes. The program took place in communities across the U.S. with a culminating event at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado in August. The competition is designed to teach youth about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle by promoting fitness, physical activity and sports participation.

The Junior Olympics program offers athletes across the United States the opportunity to enjoy physical activity, and possibly prepare for the actual Olympic Games when they are older. It also promotes their self confidence, encourages participation in sports, and offers the support of the organization to all participants.

The idea for the Special Olympics program emerged in 1962. Eunice Kennedy Shriver started a summer day camp for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. She wanted to explore their capabilities in a variety of sports and physical activities.

In 1968 the Chicago Park District and the Kennedy Foundation held the first Special Olympics competition. The event was held in Chicago at Soldier Field. One thousand athletes with intellectual disabilities competed for the gold medal.

The program is on an international level. It currently has over two million participants. Special Olympics holds summer and winter ceremonies similar to the regular Olympics. However Special Olympics are held every two years while regular Olympics take place every four years. For each Special Olympic ceremony a different location in the world is chosen to be the host. The next Special Olympics ceremony will take place in 2007. China has the honor of hosting the event.

Competitions are designed by grouping individuals to compete against others who have the same abilities. This allows the competitions to be fair, fun, and competitive for everyone. The competitions are for the same medals as they give out for the regular Olympics. A gold medal goes to the first place winner, a silver medal for second place, and a bronze medal for third place.

One of the goals of the Special Olympics is to encourage capable athletes to move from Special Olympics training and competition into school and community programs where they can compete in regular sports activities. The decision to leave or to continue involvement in Special Olympics is the athlete’s choice.

The Special Olympics program encourages community involvement for the program. Special Olympics activities are operated by local volunteers. Such volunteers include school age children, college students, community members, churches, and senior citizens. The goal is to create an opportunity for public understanding of intellectual disabilities.