Olympia

... should not be confused with Mount Olympus.

Olympia is a sanctuary (a sacred site) in the district of in Elis, near the western coast of the Peloponnese peninsula. The ancient site consists of an unordered arrangement of various buildings, including temples dedicated to Hera and Zeus, as well as a hippodrome and a stadium. It was also known for the gigantic statue of Zeus, made of ivory and gold, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The modern Olympic flame is lit by reflection of sunlight in a parabolic mirror in front of the Temple of Hera. When the modern Olympics came to Athens in 2004, the shot put competitions (men's and women's) were held at the restored Olympia stadium.

The modern municipality of Olympia had a population of almost 13,500 in 2001. A monument to Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, was built there after his death in 1937, and his heart was buried there.

Mount Olympus (which the ancient Greeks believed to be the home of the gods) is in northern Greece, on the border of the regions of Thessaly and (Greek) Macedonia. It's over 300 miles (500 km) from Olympia.