The Ancient Olympic Games took place in Olympia, Greece from which it derived its name though legend dictates that Heracles, son of Zeus, named the Games as such. The Games were celebrated as a festival of sorts and was held, even then, every four years and was believed to have been initiated in 776 B.C.
Through the centuries, however, the popularity of the Olympics declined gradually even though the term ‘Olympic’ itself, was used for a variety of athletic games and the term survived up until the nineteenth century where, subsequent to Greek War of Independence when a revival of the Games was witnessed.
Thereafter, the first modern Olympic Games took place in 1859 and was funded by Evangelos Zappas and the Games, eventually, regained its status as one of the most celebrated events in the world calendar. At present, over two hundred countries participate in the event while the Summer and Winter Olympics also take place every four years. In the recent past, Australia, Greece, Beijing and London have hosted the games while Brazil will host the spectacle scheduled to be held in 2016.
Preparing for such a global event is no easy task for a host nation. Though the hosting privileges are considered a great honour as well as a source of income for the country, each host nation has surpassed expectations in terms of organising every detail with careful planning. Each nation also has to bear the tremendous cost of preparing the arenas and stadiums where the spectacle will take place.
The Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium is one such commitment, made by the Chinese Government, to prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympics. While construction began in 2003, it took four years for it to be completed and is referred to as the “Water Drop”.
For those staying in apartments in Tianjin central business district, an excursion to see this mammoth structure bestowed with honour, is an easy task. If you choose to stay at Somerset Olympic Tower Tianjin, a mere fifteen minutes from the district, you will find that this serviced apartment Tianjin is located centrally to a multitude of other attractions such as the Hai River, the Museum and the Dule Temple thereby making your sightseeing tour that much more convenient.
Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.