The name comes from Olympia, a sacred place in Ancient Greece, where the first Ancient Olympic Games took place. The Games were a very important event for the Ancient Greeks and they took place every four years, from 776 BCE to at least 393 CE. The Games were very different from the ones we know now! They were essentially a religious festival, the athletes were mainly soldiers, and women were not allowed to compete. Married women were not even allowed to attend! Sports included boxing, wrestling and chariot racing. Athletes competed completely naked, and occasionally even died during combat sport competitions.

From Ancient Greece, we fast forward .................. the 1896 Olympics in Athens, which marked the beginning ................... a new era of the Games. The 1896 Olympic Games saw 280 athletes .................. 12 countries competing ................... 43 events, including the first marathon competition. By the time the Paris Olympics took place in 1924, there were around 3,000 athletes, including more than 100 women, from more than 44 different countries. This was also the year that the first Winter Olympics were held. The Paralympic Games first took place in Rome, Italy, in 1960, with 400 athletes from 23 countries.

The ‘Olympic rings’ are a globally known symbol of the Olympic movement and were introduced in 1913. The colours of the five linked rings are, from left to right, blue, yellow, black, green and red, and they appear on a white background. They represent the union of five continents and the meeting of athletes from around the world.

The name comes from Olympia, a sacred place in Ancient Greece, where the first Ancient Olympic Games took place. The Games were a very important event for the Ancient Greeks and they took place every four years, from 776 BCE to at least 393 CE. The Games were very different from the ones we know now! They were essentially a religious festival, the athletes were mainly soldiers, and women were not allowed to compete. Married women were not even allowed to attend! Sports included boxing, wrestling and chariot racing. Athletes competed completely naked, and occasionally even died during combat sport competitions.

From Ancient Greece, we fast forward .................. the 1896 Olympics in Athens, which marked the beginning ................... a new era of the Games. The 1896 Olympic Games saw 280 athletes .................. 12 countries competing ................... 43 events, including the first marathon competition. By the time the Paris Olympics took place in 1924, there were around 3,000 athletes, including more than 100 women, from more than 44 different countries. This was also the year that the first Winter Olympics were held. The Paralympic Games first took place in Rome, Italy, in 1960, with 400 athletes from 23 countries.

The ‘Olympic rings’ are a globally known symbol of the Olympic movement and were introduced in 1913. The colours of the five linked rings are, from left to right, blue, yellow, black, green and red, and they appear on a white background. They represent the union of five continents and the meeting of athletes from around the world.

An essential factor in harmonious communication among peoples and an enabler of multilateral diplomacy, multilingualism is of particular importance to the United Nations. By promoting dialogue, tolerance and understanding, multilingualism ensures effective participation of all in the Organization’s work, as well as greater transparency and efficiencies and better outcomes.

Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the six official languages of the United Nations; English and French being the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

Parity among the six official languages has been an ongoing concern of the Secretary-General. The use of all the official languages, on an equal footing, is actively promoted to guarantee that all stakeholders can participate in the work of the United Nations. To ensure that the goals and actions of the UN are understood by the widest possible public, non-official languages are also in use at the UN on a daily basis. To achieve these objectives, the UN Secretariat promotes an organizational culture in its ranks that values and nurtures multilingualism throughout the human resources continuum.

(adapted from:https://www.un.org)

An essential factor in harmonious communication among peoples and an enabler of multilateral diplomacy, multilingualism is of particular importance to the United Nations. By promoting dialogue, tolerance and understanding, multilingualism ensures effective participation of all in the Organization’s work, as well as greater transparency and efficiencies and better outcomes.

Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the six official languages of the United Nations; English and French being the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

Parity among the six official languages has been an ongoing concern of the Secretary-General. The use of all the official languages, on an equal footing, is actively promoted to guarantee that all stakeholders can participate in the work of the United Nations. To ensure that the goals and actions of the UN are understood by the widest possible public, non-official languages are also in use at the UN on a daily basis. To achieve these objectives, the UN Secretariat promotes an organizational culture in its ranks that values and nurtures multilingualism throughout the human resources continuum.

(adapted from:https://www.un.org)

An essential factor in harmonious communication among peoples and an enabler of multilateral diplomacy, multilingualism is of particular importance to the United Nations. By promoting dialogue, tolerance and understanding, multilingualism ensures effective participation of all in the Organization’s work, as well as greater transparency and efficiencies and better outcomes.

Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the six official languages of the United Nations; English and French being the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

Parity among the six official languages has been an ongoing concern of the Secretary-General. The use of all the official languages, on an equal footing, is actively promoted to guarantee that all stakeholders can participate in the work of the United Nations. To ensure that the goals and actions of the UN are understood by the widest possible public, non-official languages are also in use at the UN on a daily basis. To achieve these objectives, the UN Secretariat promotes an organizational culture in its ranks that values and nurtures multilingualism throughout the human resources continuum.

(adapted from:https://www.un.org)

An essential factor in harmonious communication among peoples and an enabler of multilateral diplomacy, multilingualism is of particular importance to the United Nations. By promoting dialogue, tolerance and understanding, multilingualism ensures effective participation of all in the Organization’s work, as well as greater transparency and efficiencies and better outcomes.

Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the six official languages of the United Nations; English and French being the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

Parity among the six official languages has been an ongoing concern of the Secretary-General. The use of all the official languages, on an equal footing, is actively promoted to guarantee that all stakeholders can participate in the work of the United Nations. To ensure that the goals and actions of the UN are understood by the widest possible public, non-official languages are also in use at the UN on a daily basis. To achieve these objectives, the UN Secretariat promotes an organizational culture in its ranks that values and nurtures multilingualism throughout the human resources continuum.

(adapted from:https://www.un.org)