The Olympic Games owe their true revival to the physical education enthusiast Pierre de Coubertin. In the early 1880s, Coubertin and like-minded people founded the National League of Physical Education in France, and at the end of the same decade – the Committee for the Promotion of Physical Education (together with the Minister of Education Jules Simon) and the Union of French Athletic Societies. In 1889, at the initiative of Coubertin, a congress on physical culture was held in Paris as part of the World Exhibition, and in 1892 he first spoke at the Sorbonne with the initiative of multi—sport international competitions – the new Olympic Games. The founding Congress of the Olympic Games was held two years later with the participation of delegates from 39 sports societies in France, Great Britain, the USA, Russia, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Greece, Belgium and the Netherlands (assurances of support from Australia and Japan were also received). The delegates decided that the first Olympic Games of modern times would be held in 1896 in Greece, and the International Olympic Committee was established. The first Olympic Games were held in April 1896. Competitions were held in Greco-Roman wrestling, cycling, gymnastics, athletics, swimming, shooting, tennis, weightlifting and fencing – a total of 43 sets of awards were awarded; the planned rowing competitions did not take place due to the absence of participants. A total of 241 athletes from 14 countries participated in the Games (more than 200 of them from the host country), athletes from ten different countries won medals in total. After that, the Olympic Games of our time are held every four years, with the exception of the years that fell during the world wars.
The trends of sports as a mass spectacle have developed with the advent of mass media and global communications. The sport became professional, which further increased its popularity. Modern post-industrial society, based on resources such as information and knowledge, using the possibilities of individual contacts of people using Internet technologies, actively cultivates intellectual sports such as poker and online multiplayer games.
Sport has become increasingly organized and regulated from the time of the ancient Olympic Games right up to our century. Industrialization has led to the advent of motorized transport and increased leisure time, allowing people to attend and follow sports events, as well as participate in sporting events. These trends have continued with the advent of mass media and global communication. Professionalism became predominant, which further contributed to the growing popularity of sports, as sports fans followed the exploits of professional athletes, enjoying physical exercises and competitions related to amateur participation in sports. Since the beginning of the 21st century, there has been an increasing debate about whether transgender athletes should be able to participate in sports activities that correspond to their post-transition gender identity.
Technology plays an important role in modern sports. They are a necessary part of some sports (for example, motorsport), and in others they are used to improve performance. In some sports, it is also used to make decisions off the field.
Sports science is a widespread academic discipline and can be applied in areas involving athletes' performance, such as using video analysis to fine-tune equipment or equipment such as improved running shoes or a competitive swimsuit. Sports engineering emerged as a discipline in 1998, with an increasing focus not only on material design, but also on the use of technology in sports, from analytics and big data to wearable technology. To control the impact of technology on fair play, governing bodies often establish special rules that control the impact of technical advantage between participants. The development of technology has also made it possible to make or revise many decisions in sports matches off the field, when another referee uses instant replays to make decisions. In some sports, players can now challenge decisions made by officials.
Research shows that sport is able to introduce young people to positive adult role models and provide positive development opportunities, as well as promote the acquisition and application of life skills. In recent years, the use of sports to reduce crime, as well as to prevent violent extremism and radicalization, has become more widespread, especially as a tool to increase self-esteem, strengthen social ties and give participants a sense of purpose.
There is no high-quality evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of activities to increase the participation of the sports community in sports, such as media campaigns, educational sessions and policy changes. There are also no high-quality studies examining the impact of such interventions on promoting healthy behavior in society.