From an old festival in Greece to the biggest sports event in the world.
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These are the new words for the Olympic Games. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.
1 = D (an athlete) · 2 = F (a race) · 3 = C (to win) · 4 = B (a stadium)
5 = H (a medal) · 6 = E (a crowd) · 7 = A (to compete) · 8 = G (to train)
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
The Olympic Games are very old. They started in Greece, in a place called Olympia, a long time ago — in the year 776 BC. But they were not only sport. They were also a party for a god. The Greeks loved a god called Zeus, and they held the games in his honour.
Greece had many small cities, and often they were at war. But every four years, they stopped fighting. This time of peace was called a "truce". Now people could travel to Olympia safely. Athletes and crowds came from all over Greece to watch and to compete.
There were running races, wrestling and boxing. The most exciting event was the chariot race, with fast horses. The winner did not get money or a gold medal. He got only a crown of leaves from a tree. But this was a very big honour. His city was so proud of him, and everyone knew his name.
1. Where and when did the Olympic Games start?
2. What was the "truce", and why was it important?
1. In Greece, in a place called Olympia, in the year 776 BC. They were held in honour of the god Zeus.
2. A time of peace every four years. The cities stopped fighting, so people could travel to the games safely.
The games were very popular for more than a thousand years. Then the Romans took control of Greece. They liked the games too, so the games did not stop. They got even bigger and more famous. One Roman emperor, Nero, even wanted to compete himself — and, of course, he always "won".
But then the world changed. A new religion, Christianity, became very strong. For the new religion, a party for the old god Zeus was a bad thing. So, in about the year 393 AD, a Roman emperor said "Stop!" and the games ended. After more than a thousand years, there were no more Olympic Games.
Time passed. Earthquakes broke the temples at Olympia. Rivers covered the old buildings with mud. Soon, nobody knew where Olympia was. The games became only an old story. For about fifteen hundred years — 1,500 years! — there were no Olympic Games at all.
1. What did the Romans do with the games?
2. Why did the games stop in about 393 AD?
1. They liked the games and did not stop them. The games got even bigger and more famous.
2. The new religion, Christianity, was against a party for the old god. A Roman emperor stopped the games.
Many years later, people found Olympia again. Scientists dug in the ground and found the old temples and the old running track. This gave one man a big idea. His name was Pierre de Coubertin, and he was from France. He thought sport was good for people, and that it could bring different countries together in peace.
In 1894, Coubertin met people from many countries in Paris. Together, they made a plan: to start the Olympic Games again. And where was the best place for the first new games? Greece, of course — the home of the very first games.
So, in 1896, the first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens, the big city in Greece. About 240 athletes from 14 countries came. That is very small — today there are thousands of athletes! The big hero was a Greek man, Spyridon Louis, who won the marathon, a very long race. Today, the Olympics are the biggest sports event in the world. But the old idea is still the same: to run faster, jump higher, and be stronger.
1. Who was Pierre de Coubertin, and what was his big idea?
2. Where were the first modern games, and who was the big hero?
1. A man from France. His idea was to start the Olympic Games again, because sport is good and can bring countries together in peace.
2. In Athens, in Greece, in 1896. The big hero was Spyridon Louis, a Greek man who won the marathon.
This story is all about comparing: which athlete is faster? Which games are bigger? We use comparatives to compare two things.
Use the word in brackets and add than. Say your answer out loud.
1. The marathon is a short race. (long)
2. Today the games are the games in 1896. (big)
3. This athlete is the other one. (fast)
1. longer than (short word + -er)
2. bigger than (short word, double the g)
3. faster than (short word + -er)
Choose -er or more. Then read the sentence out loud.
1. The chariot race was the running race. (exciting)
2. Spyridon Louis was after he won the marathon. (famous)
3. The new stadium is the old one. (modern)
1. more exciting than (long word → more)
2. more famous than (long word → more)
3. more modern than (long word → more)
Fill each gap with the comparative of the word in brackets. Read it aloud when you finish.
The modern Olympics are much (big) than the old games. There are more athletes, and the stadiums are (large). But is modern sport really (good) than before? Some people say the old games were (simple) and more honest.
bigger (short word, double the g) · larger (short word + -r) · better (good → better!) · simpler (short word + -r)
Remember: short words take -er, long words take more, and good becomes better.
There is a real podcast about the Olympics. It is for native speakers, so it is fast and quite difficult — that is normal! You do not need to understand every word.
From the Noiser podcast network. About 50 minutes. It plays on the Noiser site, or search "Short History Of The Olympics" on Spotify.
Play on Noiser →Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of the Olympic Games in your own words. Use these steps to help you: the old games in Greece for the god Zeus → the truce and the crown of leaves → the Romans and the end of the games → 1,500 years with no games → finding Olympia again → the first new games in Athens in 1896.
Try to use comparatives (bigger, faster, more famous) and some of the key words (athlete, race, win, stadium, medal, crowd, compete, train).
Compare the old games and the new games. Which are bigger? Which are more famous? Which do you like more, and why? Use comparatives: "The new games are bigger than…", "The old games were more…".
Talk about sport in your life. Compare two sports, two teams, or two players. Use comparatives: faster, stronger, better, more exciting.
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: