Victory celebration. Long before the famous statue existed, the first Olympic Games, part of a festival honoring Zeus, were held in the Greek city-state of Elis in 776 B.C.

The graphic shows the Statue of Olympian Zeus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The Illustration based on the description by the historian Pausanias.

Learn how and why the Olympic Games began in Greece. ... These are the ruins of the Temple of Zeus. Inside stood a giant statue of Zeus made from gold and ivory.

The centerpiece inside was a 40-foot tall statue of Zeus, made of copper and bronze and covered with gold, and considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The statue was stolen in ...

The Olympics have always provided electrifying spectacles, from Bob Beamon's long jump in 1968, to gymnast Nadia Comaneci's perfect ten at Montreal in 1976, to Usain Bolt's record-breaking sprints ...

The Games began in 776BC in ancient Greece at the sacred site of Olympia, home to the temple of Zeus. They drew men from all corners of Greece to compete — naked — in a range of athletic and ...

Participants donned helmets and shields for these kinds of footraces, which were often religious tributes to Zeus. They drew some 40,000 spectators to Olympia where there is a statue of the Greek god.

Seats remain empty during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games table tennis first day competition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo on July 24, 2021.