The Olympic Games are the most popular and largest international sporting competitions in the world.

These prestigious competitions, preserved from ancient times to the present day, have a broad socio-philosophical meaning and serve the world.

The Olympic Games were the sporting, social and cultural history of the ancient Greek calendar for almost 12 centuries. Olympia was the center of Greek civilization as a sacred place where religious ceremonies were regularly held, as well as ancient games.

The initiative to restore the ancient Olympic Games was proposed by the French public figure Baron Pierre de Coubertin at the end of the 19th century.

Since the French were thinking about the physical education of their youth, in 1889 they entrusted this work to the French teacher Baron Pierre de Coubertin. He traveled to all countries, visited universities, colleges, high schools and wrote letters to his foreign colleagues. He returned to France on November 25, 1892 and gave his famous lecture “The Olympic Renaissance” at the University of the Sorbonne. Only then, at the end of the 19th century, were the first lines written into the annals of the modern Olympic movement. The creation of sports organizations and clubs, international sports associations in many countries allowed the French public figure Pierre de Coubertin to realize this idea - to restore the Olympic Games.

In June 1894, Pierre de Coubertin presented, in the assembly hall of the Sorbonne University, in front of 79 representatives from 13 countries, a project for organizing the Olympic Games and creating the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Founding Congress approved Coubertin's proposal. The International Olympic Committee, to guide the Olympic movement and organize the Games, was created on June 23 of the same year. Representatives of the countries participating in the congress - France, Greece, England, Russia, Sweden, America, Spain and Hungary - voted for the composition of the committee. The Founding Congress approved Coubertin's Charter on the Basic Principles, Rules and Regulations of the Olympic Games. Congress decided to hold the Olympic Games according to ancient traditions - once every four years.

Once the decision was made, Coubertin proposed holding the first Olympic Games of the modern era in Paris in 1900. Everyone voted for it. However, the representative of Greece, the famous poet and translator Demetrios Vikelas, proposed holding the first games in 1896, without waiting six years. His proposal was accepted. The first president of the IOC was Demetrios Vikelas, and the secretary general was Baron Pierre de Coubertin (he later became president of the International Olympic Committee, from 1896 to 1925).

Thus, the first Olympic Games were held in 1896 in Athens, the capital of Greece. At this Olympics, 311 athletes from thirteen countries competed for medals in thirteen types of the Olympic program.

In 1947, at the 41st session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), held in Stockholm, Dr. Gruss, the IOC member for Czechoslovakia, proposed a World Olympic Day, arguing that celebrating such a day every year would play an important role in promoting the ideals of Olympic Games. The project he proposed was approved, and at the 42nd session of the IOC, held in St. Moritz in January 1948, it was decided to hold the International Olympic Day. The first International Olympic Day was celebrated on June 23, 1948 in 9 countries - Portugal, Greece, Austria, Canada, Switzerland, Great Britain, Uruguay, Venezuela and Belgium. The reason for choosing this date was that June 23 is the day of the creation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). International Olympic Day is also celebrated in Azerbaijan by holding competitions and various events.

The IOC headquarters is Lausanne, Switzerland. The official languages are English and French. The committee is based on the Olympic Charter.

The IOC has more than 20 commissions (including sports, culture and Olympic education, ethics, development, finance, marketing, law, medicine, press, radio, television, etc.), as well as 3 organizational, executive, anti-doping committees. The IOC is considering the possibility of recognizing not only countries, but also individual geographical territories by Olympic committees; is responsible for the legal protection of the Olympic flag, symbol and motto - (Latin “Citius, Altius, Fortius” - “Faster, Higher, Stronger”, which at the IOC meeting on July 20, 2021 in Tokyo, the capital of Japan, was changed to - “Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communiter” ,  in English - “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together”), also determines the inclusion of any sport, its methods and rules in the Olympic program, cooperates with a number of international organizations in various forms. For services to the development of the Olympic movement, the IOC awards the Olympic Order (gold, silver, bronze), an Olympic diploma and various awards.

The supreme body of the IOC is the session of the general meeting of members. As a rule, the session is convened at least once a year. An extraordinary session of the IOC may be called either by the President or upon written request of the members (provided there are at least 35 members). The session is held twice in the year of the Olympic Games. More than 200 national Olympic committees are members of the IOC, including the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan (since 2011).

The development of the Olympic movement in Azerbaijan is associated with the name of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan (NOC) began operating in 1992. However, after the election of Ilham Aliyev as chairman of the National Olympic Committee in 1997, the Olympic movement in Azerbaijan began to gain even greater momentum.

As a result of the sports policy pursued by President Ilham Aliyev, the Olympic movement in the country has entered a new modern stage of development. At the same time, the NOC, implementing targeted measures related to the development of sports, began to achieve great success in international arenas.

Since President Ilham Aliyev took office, the sports infrastructure has expanded, the working conditions of athletes and coaches have improved, and major domestic and international championships have been held. In addition, the country has improved the material and technical base of various sports, and many sports clubs and societies have successfully launched their activities. Major international sporting competitions have begun to be held frequently in Azerbaijan. During this period, a large number of international tournaments, World and European championships were held in Azerbaijan. Licensed Olympic Games tournaments were also held. The holding of such prestigious competitions as the First European Games, IV Islamic Games, Formula 1 Grand Prix and Chess Olympiad in Baku is the result of the multifaceted and targeted sports policy of President Ilham Aliyev.

Today, the country hosts a large number of competitions in all age categories, both in Olympic, non-Olympic and Paralympic sports, which has further expanded the geography of sports in Azerbaijan.

Currently, Azerbaijan is an active member of the International and European Olympic Committees. The successes of Azerbaijan, which has already become a sports power, are highly appreciated by international sports structures, which in every possible way support the development of sports and the Olympic movement in our country.

Recommended literature:

1. Hüseynzadə, Çingiz. Heydər Əliyev və Azərbaycanda Olimpiya Hərəkatı : Azərbaycan Milli Olimpiya Komitəsinin 10 illik yubileyinə həsr olunur / Ç. Hüseynzadə, C. Rəhmanov ; layihənin rəh. İ. H. Əliyev. - Bakı : [n. y.], 2002. - 43 s.
2. Quliyev, Dilqəm Qasım oğlu. Müstəqil Azərbaycan Respublikasında bədən tərbiyəsi və idmanın inkişafı : 1991-2011: dərs vəsaiti / D. Q. Quliyev ; Azərbaycan Dövlət Bədən Tərbiyəsi və İdman Akademiyası. - Bakı : Mütərcim, 2012. - 216 s.
3. İsayev, Xəzər Ağəli oğlu. Olimpiya tarixi. İdman siyasəti = История олимпийского движения. Спортивная политика = The History of Olimpic Movement. Sports Policy / X. A. İsayev ; tərc.: N. Kameristovna, N. İsmayılov ; red.: C. Abbasova, E. Səmədova ; Azərbaycan Respublikası Gənclər və İdman Nazirliyi. - Bakı : Azərbaycan nəşriyyatı, 2016. - 332 s.
4. Aslanov, Qələndər Asdan oğlu. Olimpiya hərəkatının fəlsəfəsi və idarəetmə siyasəti : tədris-metodiki vəsait / Q. A. Aslanov, K. Z. Bacarani-Qasımova, Ə. S. Qasımov ; red. S. B. Yolçuyev ; Azərbaycan Tibb Universiteti. - Bakı : Təbib, 2023. - 154 s.