Level ​ : ​ Intermediate Advanced

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A Brief History of the Olympics 
Language Focus
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: 
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24 words - 
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Level
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: 
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Intermediate - Advanced 
 
There is no such thing as a “
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brief
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” history of the Olympics. That's because the Olympics started 
thousands of years ago in Ancient Greece. Greek city-states used to send athletes 
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to compete against
each other with the reputation of the city and its people 
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on the line
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. These ancient games helped create 
peace among the cities by bringing people together for friendly competitions.
The modern Olympics began in 1896, but the first one was very different to the Olympics we know 
today. Only 14 countries and 176 athletes, all of them men, competed in the games, which were hosted
 
in Athens. Still, the Olympics were successful and helped to improve cooperation between nations. Just 
four years later women competed in the 1900 Olympics in Paris. 
Over time the Olympics grew more popular and more nations started sending competitors. In 1924, the 
winter Olympics was started. The first winter Olympics was hosted in Chamonix, France. Only 16 
nations and 258 athletes participated, competing in just 16 different events. Like the summer Olympics, 
however, the winter games 
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gradually 
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became more popular. 
Following World War II, the Olympics became an important part of 
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the Cold War
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and were 
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vital 
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in 
maintaining world peace. During the Cold War, the world was divided between communism and 
capitalism, with the Soviet Union and United States competing intensely with each other. The Olympics 
were one of the main ways in which these two nations competed.
At the same time, many new nations were coming into existence. With the colonial empires of France, 
the United Kingdom, and others 
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