Dedicated to the Greek god Zeus, they took place on the plains of Olympia in the Peloponnese every four years. 献给希腊天神宙斯，奥运每四年在伯罗奔尼撒半岛的奥林匹亚平原上举行。

Sports included running, wrestling, boxing, a primitive form of martial art known as pancratium, equestrian competitions, and pentathlon. 运动项目包含赛跑、角力、拳击、一项名为角斗的古老武术形式、马术竞赛以及五项全能。

The ancient Olympic Games fell into decline when Rome conquered Greece in 146 BC and were finally abolished in 393 AD by Emperor Theodosius I. 古代奥运在罗马于公元前 146 年攻占希腊时开始没落，最后终于在公元 393 年时被大帝狄奥多西一世废除。

The site of the Games, Olympia, sank into oblivion, ravaged by earthquakes and floods. 奥运举办的地点奥林匹亚被遗忘、被地震和洪水摧毁。

It wasn't until 1,500 years later that the modern Olympic Games were born in Athens in 1896, featuring 280 participants from 30 nations. 直到 1,500 年后，现代奥运才在 1896 年时于雅典诞生，主轴为来自 30 个国家的 280 位参赛者。

The Games slowly grew under the guidance of Pierre de Coubertin, who founded the International Olympic Committee in 1894. 奥运在 Pierre de Coubertin 的领导下逐渐成长，他在 1894 年成立国际奥林匹克委员会。

In the 1900 Games, women were allowed to take part for the first time. 1900 年的奥运，女性首度被允许参加。

By 1924, the Olympic Games in Paris had captured the public's imagination. 到 1924 年，巴黎奥运吸引大众目光。

More than 3,000 athletes took part from 43 nations. 超过 3,000 名运动员从 43 个国家来参加。

The 1936 Berlin Olympics were the first to be televised to a limited audience and took place under Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime. 1936 年柏林奥运是首度电视转播给少数观众的一次，且在希特勒的纳粹政权下举办。

Hitler sought to use the Games for propaganda purposes to showcase his Aryan race, 希特勒试图利用奥运来达到宣传目的，展示他的雅利安民族，

but history remembers the four-gold-medal performance of African-American athlete Jesse Owens. 但历史却记得非裔美籍选手 Jesse Owens 的四面金牌表现。

It wasn't until Rome 1960 that the Olympics were broadcast live across Europe, and Tokyo 1964 that they reached a worldwide audience. 直到 1960 年罗马奥运，奥运赛事才在全欧洲直播，而 1964 年东京奥运时，奥运才触及全球观众。

At the height of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement during the 1968 Mexico City Games, 1968 年墨西哥奥运期间，美国民权运动颠峰时，

African-American runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos staged a protest at the medal ceremony. 非裔美籍跑者 Tommie Smith 以及 John Carlos 在颁奖仪式上演抗议举动。

They were stripped of their medals but inspired a whole generation of black athletes. 他们被夺去奖牌，但影响了整个世代的黑人运动员。

During the 1972 Games in Munich, Palestinian militants invaded the Olympic Village, 1972 年慕尼黑奥运时，巴勒斯坦激进份子入侵奥运选手村，

killing 11 Israeli athletes and coaches as well as a West German police officer. 杀害 11 名以色列运动员和教练，还有一名西德警察。

Today, the Games are the world's largest sporting celebration, with more than 10,500 athletes from 206 countries taking part in Rio 2016. 如今，奥运是全世界最大的体育盛事，2016 年里约奥运有超过 10,500 名来自 206 个国家的运动员参加。