In the first Olympics, young male athletes from Ancient Greece came together to challenge one another in a “stade” or short sprint across the stadium.  Throughout the early years of the games, other events were added. Boxing, chariot racing, long jump, and the javelin and discus throw all made their way into the arena.

According to Wikipedia, “The athletes usually competed naked, not only as the weather was appropriate, but also as the festival was meant to celebrate, in part, the achievements of the human body.”

Boy oh boy, have the Olympics come a long way. Not only in sporting events, but uniforms as well.

Over the years there have been events added and removed from the Olympic program. The International Olympic Committee has an Executive Committee who votes on which events make it into a program and which sports are removed. Decisions are based on whether or not an event is practiced around the world and how many countries are able to participate.

Did you know that floorball, lifesaving, tug of war, and wushu are all games that are recognized by the IOC? “Floorball, hmm,” you may scratch your head and wonder, “what exactly is floorball?” It’s a type of indoor hockey developed in the 1970’s. It is mainly played in European countries as a year round sport.

Softball and baseball have officially made their way off of the Olympic program. Coming from the American Continents that may flabbergast you. How could a defining American sport be removed from the Olympic program? That’s just it. It’s an American sport that is not played universally across the globe.  That’s not to say that it won’t make a return in future games. There just needs to be more countries willing to play ball.

What is interesting is that as of late, golf and rugby have made it back onto the Olympic program, and you will be seeing these athletes perform in future Olympic games.

What can you make of this? That evolution is absolute.  Even as the world around us continues to evolve, so do the Olympic games.