Olympics
Talk to any athlete and most of them say that they wish that one day they could compete at the Olympic Games. I know I wish I was good enough to.
The Modern Olympic Games follow that of the Ancient Olympics; the events are held once every four years.
The Olympics have changed greatly since ancient times beginning with only young naked men being allowed to compete and having trained for a minimum of 10 months (which they had to swear an oath to Zeus).
It started with only a short sprint (stadion) somewhere between 180 and 240m in length. The aim was to be first past the end stake (or finish line).
The games eventually progressed to the inclusion of the 400m (diaulos) at the 14th Ancient Olympic Games. Then at the 15th, the 3 mile race (dolichos) began. This event was ran similar to today's marathons where the race would begin and end in the stadium, but the rest was outside.
Finally, 200 years later, a final running race was added. This traditionally became the last event of the Games (hoplitodromos) where the athlete would run a single or double diaulos in full armour while carrying a shield, all together weighing around 50-60lbs.
As the years went by, more events were added:
- Boxing
- Wrestling
- Pankration (full contact fighting)
- Chariot racing
- Pentathlon (wrestling, stadion, long jump, javelin, discus)
Unlike today, the winner of the Olympic Games won an olive branch and given large amounts of money. They were also honoured and praised for their achievements through sculpture and poetry. Actually, then again, it was a bit like today.
Females were finally allowed to compete in the late 390BC, however, only in equestrian events.
Most information is taken from wikipedia
