Amul , Reliance, Adani, BPCL amongst key sponsors of Indian Olympic team

By DairyNews7x7•Published on July 29, 2024

History of Olympic games

An important tradition linking sport and culture, the Olympic Games boasts a history dating back well over 2,000 years.

The history of the Olympic Games may be disjointed in places, but the Games have well and truly made a comeback. Even the early festivals organised by the Ancient Greeks demonstrated the values that still form the core of the Olympic Spirit today. Moreover, in Antiquity, warring states observed a truce throughout the sporting competitions – a tradition that continues today, with the United Nations General Assembly adopting the Olympic Truce ahead of each edition of the Games. The history of the Games is incredibly rich and spans millennia.The first written evidence of the official Games dates from 776 BC, when the Greeks began measuring time in Olympiads, or the duration between each edition of the Olympic Games. The first Olympic Games were held every four years in honour of the god Zeus. From then on, a number of artistic activities such as music, singing, poetry and theatre were organised at the Pythian or Delphic Games (a separate event to the Games held in Olympia), linking culture and sport right from the beginning of the Games.

In 393 AD, the Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned the Olympic Games for religious reasons, claiming that they encouraged paganism. They were not revived until the modern era.

THE OLYMPIC GAMES REVIVED IN PARIS

A number of initiatives to re-establish an international sporting event were attempted at the end of the 19th century, but failed due to the lack of coordination among the worldwide sporting movement – until one man decided to bring the main stakeholders together in Paris. The Olympic Games were therefore revived at the first Olympic Congress, organised by Baron Pierre de Coubertin and held at the Grand Amphitheatre at the Sorbonne University from 16 to 23 June 1894. Two thousand people attended, including 58 French delegates representing 24 sports organisations and clubs, and 20 delegates from Belgium, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Russia, Spain, Sweden and the United States representing 13 foreign sports federations.

As the congress came to an end on 23 June, the Olympic Games were reborn and the International Olympic Committee created. The principles that guided Baron Pierre de Coubertin in this endeavour and inspired Olympism and the Olympic movement include :

Promoting the development of the physical and mental qualities that form the foundation of sport;
Educating young people through sport in a spirit of mutual understanding and friendship with a view to help build a better, more peaceful world;
Sharing the Olympic ideals with the whole world and creating an international sense of goodwill; and
Bringing together athletes from all over the world for a major celebration of sport every four years, the Olympic Games.

While most of the EUR 7 billion in private funding for the Paris 2024 Games comes from media rights, sponsorship, and ticketing, private investment in long-term infrastructure projects is also significant. This funding includes an International Olympic Committee (IOC) contribution of USD 1.7 billion in cash and services.

Indian Olympic Association

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the governing body for the Olympic Movement and the Commonwealth Games in India, has already secured around Rs 50 crore in sponsorship revenue from reputable brands and establishments. This amount is nearly double the Rs 24 crore to Rs 28 crore raised for the Tokyo Games in 2020 and a staggering 2,000% increase from pre-Rio 2016 figures.

Additionally, the IOA has secured 14 Olympic partners for this year, which include:

Global and regional brands spanning various industries
Companies committed to supporting athletes and promoting sports in India
Sponsors focusing on long-term partnerships to boost India's presence in the Olympic movement

These efforts reflect a significant growth in financial support and sponsorship for Indian athletes, indicating a robust commitment to enhancing the country's performance and infrastructure in global sporting events. Amul the dairy giant of Asia and most favorite brand in India is also an associate sponsorer to Indian Olympic team.