The 2021 Summer Olympics are kicking off today! The Olympic Games will be taking place in Tokyo, Japan from Friday July 23rd to August 8th.

History of the Olympic Games

The history of the Olympic Games originally dates back to 3,000 years ago in ancient Greece. The first written records of the ancient Olympic Games dates back to 776 B.C., when a cook named Coroebus won the only event—a 192-meter foot race called the stade (the origin of the modern “stadium”)—and became the first Olympic champion. The games were held from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD in honor of Zeus, the god of the sky. The first modern Olympics took place in 1896 in Athens, and it featured 280 participants from 13 nations, competing in 43 events. Since 1994, the Summer and Winter Olympic Games have been held separately and have alternated every two years. This year was delayed by one year however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Watch Your Favorite Events

The Olympics are universally loved! The known rigor and precision of Olympic events even make their way into cartoons like Spongebob Squarepants! Check out this clip of Spongebob preparing for his event during “The Fry Cook Games” episode.

Make sure you get in on watching your favorite Summer Olympic sports! The 10 most popular are: rugby, weight lifting, tennis, soccer, basketball, volleyball, water sports (diving, rafting, etc), track and field, swimming, and gymnastics. When tuning in, it’s important to know NBC is home to the Olympics, and they will be airing their first-ever live broadcast of the opening ceremony. The primetime coverage of the events will occur from 4:30 PST. The full schedule can be found here.

If you’re looking for ways to share the Olympics with your students, check out some more clips from ClassHook.