Held every four years this tradition continued for the next 12 centuries! It occurred in the hot months of summer between August and September. However, in AD they were banned for their link to paganism as they were originally held in honour of the Greek god Zeus. In the Olympics made a comeback, and the first modern Olympic games were held in Athens.
While the ancient games were far different from the Olympics we know and love today, it is incredibly interesting to learn about their origin and history. The ancient Olympics events were an incredible show of bravery, athleticism, and sometimes downright savage absurdity. Just wait until you read about some of them! In order to participate in the ancient Olympic events there were three requirements. You had to be male, freeborn and a citizen of Greece. Winners received nothing more than a wreath made from an olive tree branch.
But in saying this the winners received something far greater that any monetary prize for their champion status, they received fame.
The men who won these ancient Olympic events were worshiped as heroes, and even as gods! Women were not allowed to compete, and only unmarried women were allowed to watch the events.
In the very beginning the ancient Olympics only consisted of one event. More running events were introduced later. The hoplitodromos was a footrace competed in armour and was traditionally held last, symbolising the end of a temporary peaceful coexistence and a return to war. The pentathlon consisted of five events, running, jumping, discus, javelin and a wrestling match.
This competition was introduced in BC and the winners were held in high regard for their overall display of skill and strength in many fields. For the jumping part of this event the competitors would hold weights that they would let go of at the apex of their jump. This gave them momentum that helped to propel themselves forward. Of the three combat sports the other two were wrestling and boxing , pankration was the most dangerous.
It was a violent, bare-handed submission sport that had very little restrictions. According to Greek mythology, pankratos was invented by the heroes Heracles and Theseus, who used wrestling and boxing methods to defeat their opponents.
All boxing and wrestling techniques, as well as kicking, holds, locks, and chokes on the ground were acceptable. Pankration was so dangerous that several athletes died. Although the sport was violent, it was popular for centuries and even crossed over into Roman culture.
The four-horse chariot race, called tethrippon by the Greeks, was the first equestrian event added to the Olympic Games in BCE. To accommodate for the new event, the Olympics were expanded from a one-day to a two-day event.
The chariot events took place at the hippodrome , which was a wide, flat, open area where the starting and finishing line was defined by a pole. The track also had a second smaller pole, called the nyssa, which was a difficult turn that caused many accidents. It is believed that the tethtrippon consisted of 12 laps because the poet Pindar called the event dodekadromon — the laps equaled about 14 km 8.
Very little is known about the actual rules of any of the equestrian events, but historians know for sure that competitors were not allowed to swerve in front other racers unless he was way ahead of those behind him.
Boxing is not only one of the oldest Olympic sports, but it is also one of the oldest contact sports overall. Ancient Greek boxing , which was called pygmachia , was added to the Games in BCE and the second combat sport. After it was introduced, boxing was present at every ancient Olympiad and was highly popular in Greek culture for over one thousand years. Initially fighters wore ox hide leather wraps called himantes around their hands, knuckles, and wrists, but the gloves eventually became more lethal.
Boxers started using sharp-edged gloves called oxys , which occasionally led to deaths during matches. These ancient boxing matches only lasted for one round and the goal was to either knock your opponent unconscious or get them to submit. The pentathlon was the first multi-event competition added to the Olympics, which debuted with the separate wrestling event in BCE. It consisted of five events: discus toss, javelin throw, long jump, stadion foot race , and wrestling — discus, javelin, and long jump were not held as individual events at the early Games.
No one knows the exact order of the events of the pentathlon, but they were all held on the same day and they always ended with wrestling. It is also unclear how the winner of the pentathlon was chosen, but the foremost theory is that the top athletes selected for the final wrestling tournaments were the winners from the four other events.
Despite this, the Opening Ceremonies continued a day later than scheduled and 7, athletes from countries competed. Accusations mostly unproven were waged against several athletes suspected of using anabolic steroids to enhance performance. An "Olympic Boycott Games" known as the Liberty Bell Classic was held at the same time in Philadelphia to host competitors from those countries who boycotted. These Games also saw the return of China for the first time since These Games marked a return to their international popularity.
Because of a ruling in by the IOC to make the Olympic Games including Winter Games occur in alternating even-numbered years, this was the last year both Summer and Winter Olympic Games took place in the same year. It was also the first since to be unaffected by boycotts.
Nations of the former Soviet Union joined under The Unified Team consisting of 12 of the former 15 republics. A pipe bomb that exploded in Atlanta's Olympic Park killed two people, but motive and perpetrator were never determined. A record countries and 10, athletes competed. Praised as one of the best games in Olympic history, the XXVII Olympiad played host to countries and was relatively unaffected by the controversy of any type.
Security and terrorism were at the center of preparation for the XXVIII Olympiad in Athens, Greece due to the rising international conflict in the wake of the terrorist attack on September 11, These Games saw the rise of Michael Phelps, who earned 6 gold medals in swimming events. Of those who competed in the Games, an impressive 86 countries medaled earned at least one medal at these Games. Becoming the hosts with the most, London's XXX Olympiad marked the most times a single city has hosted the Games , and Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time with additions from the year totaling 22 career Olympic medals.
The United States earned the most medals, with China and Great Britain taking second and third place. Rio is the first South American country to host the Olympic Games. Instability of the country's government, pollution of its bay, and a Russian doping scandal-marred preparation for the Games. Brazil finished 7th overall. Istanbul and Madrid were also up for candidacy. They are now scheduled to take place from July 23 to August 8, Actively scan device characteristics for identification.
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