Fun Fact: The main riff in NBC's Olympic them is from Bugler's Dream (1958) by  Leo Arnaud. History Most believe games started in 776 BC as part of a religious festival in Greece to honor Zeus; however, some evidence suggests it could have started as early as the 10th century BC The stadion race was the first event, a 600 foot race. This may have been the only event for the first 13 Olympics They occurred every four years for twelve centuries, until 396 AD; then there was a...