When the Olympics were first held in 776 BC it was just a one-day event attended by Greeks with a dozen or so sports. Once occurring during the summer every four years, the Olympics has grown to a 17-day international event held both during the winter and summer totaling 35 sports and nearly 400 events.

Perhaps the most dramatic change has been in the number of viewers. From just a few thousand live Greek spectators, the Olympic audience has grown to nearly four billion viewers from around the world, thanks to the magic of television and other technologies. Special visual effects now help these viewers learn why their favorite athlete did or did not win. Behind the scenes, coaches are using sophisticated tools to tweak the athletes' performance so that they can stand in the top spot on the podium.