What event comes every four years, involves different varieties of sports, takes place in the summer and in the winter, and was first created in Ancient Greece? If you guessed the Olympics, you are correct. The Olympics Games were claimed to be first established in Olympia in 776 B.C., but there was a problem with this philosophy. Olympia, a secluded and private area, was the primary location where Zeus was worshiped. Over time, Olympia turned out to be a place where Zeus was worshiped through sports and competition rather than sacrificial offerings. How does this change all of a sudden? A few factors have been ruled the cause of this alteration such as the rise of the Greek city state. Each city state wanted power, so they would send representatives to Olympia to come to be the best in physical competition. The Games were a widely held method of getting men in shape for military training. “The traditional Greek view that the gods were championed a winner, so by establishing a competition aimed at producing supreme winners, they were thereby asserting the power and influence on humans of the supreme god, Zeus” (Instone). The Ancient and Modern Olympics differ in many ways; sports, traditions, and seasons.
The ancient Olympics, like modern day, had to make qualifications to participate in the games. Only free men who spoke Greek were allowed to sign up. They had to qualify for the foot races, and then have their name written down on a list. It was likely that only young men were allowed to participate. It has been written that one man was exempt from the races because he seemed too mature. In the beginning, the games lasted only one day, but soon grew to five days. Not only was it one day, but it had only one event.
This event was the stadion race. It was a short sprint, about 180-240 meters. Normally, it depended on the length of the stadium. In 724 BC, the diaulos was introduced during the 14th Olympic Games. This race was single lap of the stadium, about 400 meters. This is about the length of a track today. Another race was added 720 BC, four years later. This race was called the dolichos. It was about the length of 3 miles, or what today is considered a 5K race. Just like races today, it would start in the stadium, but the course would go through surrounding territory, and then finish again in the stadium.
The modern Olympics restarted in 1896 in the city of Athens, where the ancient Olympics were held. The first time there was a Winter Olympics was in 1901 and it was held in Sweden. The reason for the winter Olympics was to showcase winter sports such as ice hockey, curling, luge, and figure skating. The summer Olympics is much more large scale since more people compete in summer sports than in winter sports. For example, in the 2008 summer Olympics, there were 10,500 competitors that represented 204 countries. In the 2006 winter Olympics, there were 2,508 competitors representing 80 countries (Wikipedia).
The Opening and Closing Ceremonies are a major part of the Olympics. During the opening ceremony, each nation parades into the stadium in alphabetically order depending on the host country’s language. Greece is always the first country to enter in order to honor the Greeks for creating the Olympics. The host nation is always last to enter. A well-known athlete runs the torch into the stadium and lights the cauldron. This flame stays lit for the duration of the games. During the closing ceremony, all of the athletes walk into the stadium with no distinction from nation to nation. Three flags are also raised. These flags are the Greek flag, the host’s flag, and the flag of the next host city. The host city of the next Olympics will perform a theatrical piece that shows their culture (Wikipedia).
This event was the stadion race. It was a short sprint, about 180-240 meters. Normally, it depended on the length of the stadium. In 724 BC, the diaulos was introduced during the 14th Olympic Games. This race was single lap of the stadium, about 400 meters. This is about the length of a track today. Another race was added 720 BC, four years later. This race was called the dolichos. It was about the length of 3 miles, or what today is considered a 5K race. Just like races today, it would start in the stadium, but the course would go through surrounding territory, and then finish again in the stadium.
The modern Olympics restarted in 1896 in the city of Athens, where the ancient Olympics were held. The first time there was a Winter Olympics was in 1901 and it was held in Sweden. The reason for the winter Olympics was to showcase winter sports such as ice hockey, curling, luge, and figure skating. The summer Olympics is much more large scale since more people compete in summer sports than in winter sports. For example, in the 2008 summer Olympics, there were 10,500 competitors that represented 204 countries. In the 2006 winter Olympics, there were 2,508 competitors representing 80 countries (Wikipedia).
The Opening and Closing Ceremonies are a major part of the Olympics. During the opening ceremony, each nation parades into the stadium in alphabetically order depending on the host country’s language. Greece is always the first country to enter in order to honor the Greeks for creating the Olympics. The host nation is always last to enter. A well-known athlete runs the torch into the stadium and lights the cauldron. This flame stays lit for the duration of the games. During the closing ceremony, all of the athletes walk into the stadium with no distinction from nation to nation. Three flags are also raised. These flags are the Greek flag, the host’s flag, and the flag of the next host city. The host city of the next Olympics will perform a theatrical piece that shows their culture (Wikipedia).
As you see, the Modern Olympics are somewhat different today than what they used to be in Ancient times. The Olympics, today, is a prominent event that is broadcasted on television for sixteen days. Back then, the games were only held for one day because they only had one game to play. The Ancient Olympics only included a few sports, all based on running, but in the Modern Olympics, sports have evolved from just running to a huge, entertaining variety or new activities. The Winter Olympics taking place now in Vancouver, Canada include numerous sports that Ancient Greeks would have never thought of. Greeks based all of their sports off strength and running. Nowadays, the sports involve other equipment which would have seemed out of the question to use back in ancient times because most Greeks believe the Olympics were a way of finding a man’s physical strength and military ability. In modern times, the Olympics are a means of finding the number one contender for a certain sport and for entertainment purposes. Men and women can now compete in the Olympics; however, they do not compete against each other. Men compete against men and women compete against women. The Summer and Winter Olympics of today’s society are very popular and well-known; however, in the day and age of the Ancient Olympics, not everybody approved or appreciated the Olympic athletes. The Ancient Greek play called Autolycus “describes how athletes are slaves to their stomachs, but they cannot look after themselves, and although they glisten like statues when in their prime, become like tattered old carpets in old age” (Instone).
"Ancient Greek Olympics." Ancient Greece. Web. 17 Feb 2010 <http://cd7.e2bn.net/e2bn/leas/c99/schools/cd7/website/Greece.htm>.
Instone, Dr. Stephen. "The Olympics: Ancient versus Modern." Ancient history in-depth. 05 Nov 2009. BBC, Web. 9 Feb 2010. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greek_olympics_01.shtml>.
"Olympic Games." Wikipedia. 20/02/2010. Web. 17 Feb 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games#Modern_Games>.
Wikipedia contributors. "Ancient Olympic Games." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 17 Feb. 2010. Web. 17 Feb. 2010.
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