Hello, I'm Matthew Pinsent. Olympian what does it mean? As well as being an inhabitant of Olympia it can also mean: majestic in manner, superior and surpassing all others. Nowadays it usually means a contestant in the Olympic Games, but it still implies a superior athlete, a great competitor and someone to be admired.
This pack will tell you about the history of the Olympic Games from its beginnings in Ancient Greece to the huge event it is today. It will also tell you about the first modern games in England at Much Wenlock, Shropshire, in 1850. To be an Olympian then you could excel in the wheelbarrow race or "an old woman's race for a pound of tea". I think probably the training schedule was a bit easier than it is today. The first modern international Olympic Games were held in 1896 in Athens the creation of Baron Pierre de Coubertin. His dream was to bring athletes from countries around the world to compete in sport in a fair and friendly way.