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In ancient Greece religious and athletic festivals were held every four years at the temple of Zeus in Olympia, during which athletes from various Greek city states and kingdoms competed against each other. This was the origin of the modern Olympic Games.
In 1890 a French nobleman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, set up the International Olympic Committee to re-establish the Olympic Games. He presented his ideas during the first meeting of the Olympic Committee, which was held in Paris in 1894. It was decided that the first Olympic Games would take place in Athens in 1896. The first games brought together 14 nations whose athletes competed in 43 events.
In 1914 the Olympic flag was adopted, consisting of five intertwined rings, representing the five continents, on a white background. The flag was hoisted for the first time in the 1920 Olympics that were held in Belgium and has been used ever since.
The 1996 Olympics were officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad. This was the centennial edition and took place in Atlanta, USA. These Olympics brought together more than 10,000 athletes from 197 nations. Maltese athletes participating in this edition competed in athletics, boardsailing, swimming, judo and shooting.
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