What Are the Summer Olympics?

Please note this summary of pages 83 and 84: These pages discuss Greg Louganis, who won gold in platform diving after hitting his head on the diving board. Six years after winning, he told the world that he was gay and had the AIDS virus. He was afraid that he had gotten blood in the pool after his injury and had spread the virus. Many gay men had the disease, and back then some people felt that it was a punishment for being gay.

Back in 775 BC, athletes from all over Ancient Greece came together to compete in various games. The contests were held every four years and winning athletes brought honor and respect to their homelands.

The tradition of the Olympic Games faded over time until 1896, when they were brought back to life. The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, with over two hundred athletes from fourteen countries. Today, nearly three thousand years after the first Games, the Summer Olympics attract one hundred thousand top athletes from over two hundred countries. Billions of fans around the world cheer on their national teams to bring back the gold.