In ancient times Olympia was the sacred place dedicated to Zeus, with the games established every four years in his honor, the famous Olympic Games. The first races took place in 776 BC, when, according to the tradition, Lycurgus from Sparta came to an agreement with Ifitos, the king of Ilida (Elis), regarding the establishment of worship events in Olympia, in honor of the God. During them, in fact, it was agreed that a ceasefire would prevail throughout Greece.
The festivities were held uninterruptedly every four years, until 393 AD, when the emperor Theodosius I abolished them, denouncing them as a pagan custom. The games revived much later, in 1896, when they were reorganized in their hometown under the initiative of Baron Pierre de Coubertin after many centuries, and since then they have been established as a worldwide event.