the olympics

A detailed Summary of the olympics


The Olympics have been around for many years and are a part of ancient history. The first Olympic trials were held many years ago in ancient Greece around 776 BC. Dedicated to Zeus, they were celebrated in the summer of every four years at the sanctuary of gods, Olympia. There was just one event called a stade. A stade was a single foot race with a distance about 192 meters, nearly the length of the stadium of Olympia. Over time, new events would be introduced such as: wrestling, the pentathlon in 708 BC, boxing in 688 BC, chariot racing in 680 BC and the pancratium (a combination of boxing and wrestling in 748 BC).

Athletes had to arrive a month before the games began for training and to see if they were qualified to compete. The competitions were open only to honorable men of Greek descent. Each competitor had to take an oath that he committed no disrespect against the gods. The first held race of the Olympics was won by a young cook, Coroebus, from Ellis. In that time, the highest award was a crown of olive and a palm branch; the second, a Loral crown. There were other prizes given to an Olympic


Women were not allowed to participate or watch the games, to enforce this rule the punishment would be pain or death. Men were only allowed to compete. Olympia was dedicated to Zeus, therefore it was a sacred area for men. Although women could not participate, they had there own sacred festivals in honor of the goddess Hera.

In the 1980 and 1984 Games a soviet boycott had occurred because of the invasion of Afghanistan. Then President Jimmy Carter acted a refusal of the Moscow games because of the invasion the USSR and its allies retaliated by boycotting both of the Olympic games.

The Ancient Olympics began to lose their importance when the Romans began to take over Greece. Romans kept the games going; however, they had destroyed the Olympic spirit and the scared traditions that have been with them throughout the years. In 394 AD, Theodosius the emperor of Rome officially abolished the Olympic Games. He was a Christian and wanted to put an end to pagan festivals. The Olympics had lasted over a thousand years and it left behind an ember that was to burst again into flame in the late 19th century. Over the next 1

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Category: Miscellaneous

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