Information on the Olympic Games at Summer Olympics 2004: Bike Sale Triathlon page. Find information on Olympics and the Olympic Games, Olympic history and Summer and Winter Olympics resources here. Topics include Summer Olympics , Winter Olympics , Olympic Information and Olympic Facts.

The first ancient Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 BC. They were dedicated to the Olympian gods and were staged on the ancient plains of Olympia.

Through the 12 centuries of the Olympic Games, many wonderful athletes competed in the stadium and the hippodrome of ancient Olympia's sacred area, moving the crowds with their great achievements.

The ancient Olympic Games were initially a one-day event until 684 BC, when they were extended to three days. In the 5th century B.C., the Games were extended again to cover five days.

The famous marathon race did not exist in the ancient Games. The starting pistol of the first Olympic marathon was fired on 14 April 1896 at 2 p.m.

Although the ancient Games were staged in Olympia, Greece, from 776 BC through 393 AD, it took 1503 years for the Olympics to return. The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896.

The idea of the Olympic torch or Olympic Flame was first inaugurated in the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. There was no torch relay in the ancient Olympic Games. There were known, however, torch relays in other ancient Greek athletic festivals including those held at Athens. The modern Olympic torch relay was first instituted at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

The ancient olympics had a rich variety of games (or contests, as they were called by the Ancient Greeks). Many of these games are the ancestors of our modern olympic games and had rules and playing conditions modern athletes would not be unfamiliar with.

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Beijing 2008: Groundbreaking at Qingdao Sailing Marina

The Qingdao International Sailing Marina for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games saw a groundbreaking in the coastal city of Qingdao today. Qingdao is the co-host city of the Olympic Sailing Regatta for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

45 hectares:  Located on what used to be the Beihai Shipyard, the Qingdao International Sailing Marina is to cover a total area of 45 hectares. It will include the Olympic Village, the administrative management centre, the athletes’ centre and the press centre. The venue construction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2006.

National aquatic sports training centre When completed, the international sailing centre will not only host the sailing events in 2008, but will also become a national aquatic sports training centre for both athletes and sports enthusiasts.