| The Turin Olympic Games will be seen in more countries than ever before, according to the International Olympic Committee. The IOC indicates that more than 200 different nations will have televised access to the Games. Four years ago, there were telecasts to a total of 160 nations during the Games. Laos and a number of Pacific islands are some of the newcomers to the televised Olympic Games. The IOC has a new agreement that adds an additional 40 countries in the South Sahara. Another agreement with an Arab based commercial television enterprise will allow viewing of the Olympic games in 18 Middle East countries, including in Iraq and in Palestine.
The first Games of the present Olympiad had indeed took place with big success. In spite of the fact that the participation in the Games had been accepted by less than 250 athletes, they became the largest sports event which has passed ever since the times of Ancient Greece. The Greek officials were so happy, that they have brought forth the offer on "forever" holding the Olympic Games on their native land, in Greece. But the IOC had introduced a rotation among the different countries so that every 4 years the Games changed venue.
After the first success, the Olympic movement had to face the first crisis in history. The games of 1900 in Paris (France) and 1904 in Saint Louis (Missouri, the USA) had been combined with World's fairs. Sports competitions lasted for months and almost did not evoke interest of the spectators. The American sportsmen were the only who participated in the Saint Louis Olympics because to reach there from Europe across the ocean was very difficult for technical reasons back then.
At the Olympic Games in 1906 in Athens (Greece), the sports competitions and results again came out on top. Though the IOC originally recognized and supported holding these "interim Games", these Games did were not classified as being Olympic. Some sports historians consider the Games of 1906 as the savior of the Olympic idea as they did not allow the games to become a senseless and unnecessary affair.
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