The history of the Games goes back around 3,000 years, to the Peloponnese in Ancient Greece. Sports contests organised at Olympia took place every four years and acquired the name Olympic Games. We do not know exactly when they started, but the date of 776 BC is often cited in written sources.

The first Olympic Games took place in 776BC The original Olympics began as part of an Ancient Greek festival, which celebrated Zeus, the Greek God of sky and weather. The whole competition lasted for up to six months, and included games like wrestling, boxing, long jump, javelin, discus and chariot racing.

The ancient Olympic Games were originally part of a religious festival held in honor of Zeus, the god of gods. The games included a series of athletic competitions between athletes of city-states of the Greek world, spreading from the far ends of the Iberian Peninsula all the way to the Black Sea region in Turkey.

The origin of the Olympics is shrouded in mystery and legend; one of the most popular myths identifies Heracles and his father Zeus as the progenitors of the Games. According to legend, it was Heracles who first called the Games "Olympic" and established the custom of holding them every four years.