5 BIG Questions About the Olympics

A very long time! The first Olympics were held in Greece nearly 2,800 years ago, in 776 B.C. The only event was a footrace. The Games later grew to include sports such as wrestling and chariot racing. They were held every four years until 393 A.D. and didn’t return until 1,503 years later. 

This year is the 125th anniversary of the first modern Olympics, which were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. Since then, the Summer Olympics have been scheduled to take place every four years in a different city.*

^{*The Olympics were canceled due to world wars in 1916, 1940, and 1944.}

Tokyo, Japan, is hosting the Summer Olympics for the second time. In 1964, Japan’s capital became the first city in Asia to host the world’s biggest sporting event. This year’s Games, which are set to begin on July 23, will be unlike any other in history. 

For starters, they are taking place a year later than planned. The Games were originally scheduled for last year but were postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, to curb the spread of the virus, Japan won’t allow foreign spectators to attend the events. The U.S. and other nations are working to get athletes vaccinated before they travel to Japan. Olympic officials say it’s important for the Games to take place. 

“The Olympic flame can be the light at the end of the dark tunnel that we are currently in,” says Thomas Bach. He is the president of the International Olympic Committee.

Athletes from around the world will compete in several new sports this year. Baseball and softball are returning to the Olympics for the first time since 2008. Also, three-on-three basketball will make its debut. It’s similar to basketball played on school playgrounds, with both teams shooting at the same basket. 

Sport climbers will also be going for the gold for the first time. They’ll race against the clock—and each other—to scale a wall using handholds and footholds. Other new Olympic sports this year include karate, skateboarding, and surfing.

We don’t exactly know yet. The teams have been chosen for sports like surfing and sport climbing. But athletes in many other sports still need to take part in competitions that will determine who qualifies for the Olympic team. 

At each Olympics, some athletes emerge as worldwide superstars. At the 2016 Games, gymnast Simone Biles was one of them. She won five medals—four of them gold. Will she shine again in Tokyo? And which other athletes will become Olympic heroes? We’ll find out this summer!