The History and the Near Future of the Olympic Games
According to historical records, the very first organized version of the Olympic Games most likely occurred around 776 BC in the plains of Olympia. Olympia is located in the western part of the Peloponnese peninsula that takes its name from Pelops, the King of Pisa on Peloponnese and the founder of the Olympic Games. The Greeks built large shrines, statues, and an athletic facility on Olympia with temples dedicated to both Zeus and Hera in the central most area.
Only free male Greek citizens were allowed to participate in the Olympic Games. Social status did not matter. Shepherds, Soldiers, Philosophers, even Royals were allowed to participate in the games. Married women were not allowed to participate in or watch the games. Only unmarried women could attend the competition. In fact, the very first recorded woman victor in the ancient games was Kyniska, Daughter of King Archidamos of Sparta. She was victorious in the four-horse chariot race of the 96th and 97th Olympiads.
Originally, the ancient games were a one day event. According to Hippias of Elis, who assembled a list of early Olympic victors around 400 BC, the earliest Olympic Games included only one event, the 200-yard dash referred to as a stadia.
That changed in 684 BC when the games were extended to 3 days. Those Olympic Games included, running, the long jump, an ancient form of no-holds barred wrestling called pankration, javelin throwing, boxing, and equestrian events. In 708 BC the Pentathlon became an Olympic sport with the addition of wrestling. The discus throw was later added as a sporting event as well. The discus was originally made of stone then later of iron or lead. The technique competitors used during the discus event is similar to the one used in the modern freestyle discus throw we recognize today.
Olympic victors received their awards immediately after completion of their competition. Once the winner's name was announced, a Greek judge called a Hellanodikis, would present the winner with a palm branch and red ribbons would be tied on his head and hands while the crowd cheered. On the last day of the games, a messenger would ascend the steps of the temple of Zeus to an elevated vestibule high above the crowd and announce the name of the winner, his Father's name, and the name of his homeland.
Then the Hellanodikis would place a sacred wreath made from an olive tree on the winner's head which was the only prize a victor would receive. This tradition can be traced back to King Iphitos, who was supposedly told by the Oracle of Delphi to plant olive trees from which victors' wreaths could be made. To the Greeks, honor was praised above all else. The fact that athletes competed for only an olive wreath, emphasizes this point perfectly.
The ancient Greeks would institute a sacred truce anywhere from a month to three months surrounding the Olympic Games. Messengers called "spondorophoroi" would spread the news about the truce and announce the dates of the games all over Greece. The truce would ensure a stoppage of all aggressions to permit athletes safe travel to and from the games. During the truce, armies and armed men were not permitted to enter the sanctuaries and no death penalties could be enforced.
In their beginning, the main purpose of the Olympic Games was to strengthen the bond between Greek citizens and instil a sense of national unity. As Greeks began to move to foreign areas like Syria, Asia, and Egypt, it became important to find a way for them to hold on to their Greek culture. One of the ways they were able to do this was by constructing athletic facilities in their new location, training in Greek athletic events, and then sending competitors from their towns to compete in the games. Thus, the international nature of the Olympic Games began.
The Olympic Games were banned in AD 394 by the Christian Emperor Theodosius because he believed they held too many Pagan influences. In 1894, a committee assembled by Pierre de Coubertin in Paris established the International Olympic Committee and named the Greek capital of Athens as the official host city. The committee also added cycling, fencing, shooting, swimming (which took place in the open sea), tennis and weightlifting. Rowing and yachting were also originally added but had to be cancelled due to strong winds and a lack of available boats. On April 6th, 1896 the games of the first Olympiad began.
Thirteen nations participated in the games and it is estimated that 80,000 spectators were in attendance. The 1896 Olympic Games were the first time that medals would be awarded to the winners. It should be noted that no gold medals were awarded to first place winners and competitors who placed third received nothing. The 1900 Olympic Games took place in Paris. Winter games were added in 1924. World Wars I and II forced the cancellation of the 1916, 1940, and 1944 games but later resumed in 1948. After 1992 the winter and summer games were no longer held during the same year. The Olympic Games would not take place in Greece again until 2004.
In the years since the very first Olympic games, much has changed. In antiquity, amateur athletes would compete solely for honor and notoriety. Those original games did not create a source of revenue for the Greeks but instead, created a sense of brotherhood and harmony among Greek citizens. As the games have evolved since their reinstatement in 1896, they have become much more than a sporting event.
Pierre De Coubertin worked to reinstate the Olympics as an amateur competition where ordinary people could compete and human achievement would be celebrated. They were never meant to be an outlet for political agendas or propaganda. Over the years, things changed. Adolf Hitler intended to use the 1936 Berlin games as a demonstration of his philosophy of Aryan superiority. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union spent a large amount of money on training athletes to demonstrate their country's power to the rest of the world. In more recent years, corporations have begun to sponsor athletes and have even provided them with access to expensive training equipment, and more time to train. Corporate involvement through product placement has also changed the look and feel of the games.
In 1981 The International Olympic Committee secured a brighter future for the games when they assembled in Germany to create the ICO Athletes' Commission. From that point on, opinions of the athletes would be taken into consideration in all decision making. Including planning, bidding, organization, and the program for all Olympic Games. The Committee also eliminated amateurism in the games, took a tougher stance on steroid use, and reaffirmed the Olympic movement's commitment to equality by allowing women to be elected as members of the IOC.
The next Summer Olympic Games will take place in London on July 27, 2012. Winter games will take place in Sochi, Russia on February 7, 2014. Technological advances in athletic training will make the games more entertaining and the accessibility of competition coverage on television and the internet will allow people around the world the opportunity to witness the centuries old Greek ideals of competition and brotherhood.
Some of the resources I used to make this fanpage about the Olympic Games