The first Olympic Games were in Ancient Greece in 776 BC. These Games were only for Greek athletes international athletes didn't participate. There were events like running and the pentathlon, but there weren't any team sports. The modern Olympics started in Athens in 1896. they take place every four years. The only exceptions were 1916, 1940 and 1944. They didn't take place those years because of the two world wars Winter Olympics began in 1924. Now 80 countries participate in the Winter Games. There are seven sports, including skiing and ice hockey. The Paralympics didn't exist until 1960. At the first Paralympics in Rome, there were 400 athletes. Now, nearly 4000 athletes participate in the Paralympics. Before 1960, people didn't watch the Olympics television. But in 2008, about one billion people around the world watched the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony! как читается