By DAVE SCHEIBER and JOANNE KORTH
Published August 8, 2004
"As in daytime there is no star in the sky warmer and brighter than the sun, likewise there is no competition greater than the Olympic Games." - Pindar, Greek lyric poet, 5th century BC
In honor of Zeus
Originally, the Games were part of a five-day religious festival honoring Zeus, the king of Greek gods. Held in Olympia, the festival was centered around the altar of Zeus, which stood on a spot struck by a thunderbolt hurled by the god from his throne on Mount Olympus. The Games were held every four years for more than 1,000 years, from 776 B.C. to 395 A.D. As the Games grew in popularity, Olympia became a central site for the worship of Zeus. A spectacular statue erected inside the Temple of Zeus made of ivory and gold and standing more than 42 feet tall was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. In keeping with the spirit of the festival, a truce was announced before, during and after each Olympic festival to allow athletes and visitors to travel safely.
Ancient athletes
Only Greeks were eligible to compete in the Games, though athletes traveled hundreds of miles from Greek colonies, some as far away as modern-day Spain, Italy, Libya, Egypt, the Ukraine and Turkey. Regional differences gave the Olympics an international flavor. Victors were memorialized in statues and in victory odes commissioned from famous poets.
Training
Athletic training was a basic part of every Greek boy's education, and any boy who did well was a candidate to compete at the Olympics. Just as today, an ancient athlete needed dedication and ability, but training for the Olympics took place only in the 10 months leading up to the Games. Many had professional trainers and followed strict routines and diets. Then, as now, Greeks debated proper training techniques. One month before the Games, athletes arrived in the nearby town of Elis to train under the strict supervision of the hellanodikai, a 10-member panel of officials or judges. Here, athletes were evaluated for their lineage, character and physical ability.
Amateurs or professionals?
While the concept of amateurism has been hotly debated in modern times, the ancient Greeks would have been puzzled by all the fuss. There was no such thing as an amateur, no Greek word for it. Victorious athletes were professionals in that they lived off the glory of their achievement, some for the rest of their lives, with free meals, cash, tax breaks, honorary appointments or leadership positions within the community.
High ideals?
As the 2004 Games return to Athens there is much talk about a return to the spirit and ideals of the Games' origins, but the Greeks were not entirely high-minded. There is evidence of cheating, even in antiquity. And politics reared its ugly head, as well. The earliest recorded cheater was Eupolos of Thessally, who bribed boxers at the 98th Olympiad. Callippus of Athens bought off his competitors in the pentathlon during the 112th, and two Egyptian boxers, Didas and Sarapammon, were caught fixing their matches at the 226th. Men who were caught cheating were fined and the money used to make bronze statues of Zeus, which were erected on the road to the stadium.
Spectators
The festival drew tens of thousands of visitors from great distances. The rich arrived on horseback, the poor on foot. Most slept under the stars, though the wealthy and members of official delegations put up fancy tents. Merchants, craftsmen and food vendors sold their wares. The busy schedule included religious ceremonies, sacrifices, speeches by well-known philosophers, poetry recitals, parades, banquets and victory celebrations. Political figures were warmly received, just as we like to spot celebrities at sporting events today.
Athletes as immortals
Athletes often achieved god-like status in ancient Greece. Thegenes of Thasos won titles in boxing at the 75th Olympiad and pankration at the 76th. Later, he won a footrace in the home of swift-footed Achilles, the hero of the Illiad. After his death, the people of Thasos memorialized Theagenes with a bronze statue. Allegedly, a man who never won a match against him came every night to the statue and beat it until, one night, the statue came loose, fell on the man and killed him. The Greeks believed all murders should be punished, and the statue was prosecuted for murder and dropped into the ocean. Years later, famine and plague struck Thasos, and the people sought advice from an oracle, who told them to welcome back all exiles. After some fishermen retrieved the statue of the athlete and it was put in its original place, the people of Thasos sacrificed to him as a healing god.
Cultural achievements
The ancient Olympic festival was more than just a sporting event and spawned more than just athletic excellence. It also prompted Greeks to produce lasting achievements in architecture, mathematics, sculpture and poetry. The most lasting cultural achievement was the poetry commissioned to honor the winners. Written by the most famous poets of the day, including Pindar, Bacchylides and Simonides, these poems truly immortalized the athletes. Whereas most of the sculptures and buildings are gone, the written word survived.
Prizes
Today, Olympic athletes receive medals: gold, silver and bronze. In antiquity, only victors received prizes. The "medal" was a crown called kotinos made from the branches and leaves of a sacred olive tree. The medals awarded this month at Athens are redesigned for the first time since 1928 and show a Greek character on both sides. All future medals will have this Greek influence.
Women in antiquity
Married women were forbidden to watch the Games, though unmarried women were admitted. Women certainly were not allowed to compete, though the equestrian arena provided a loophole in that women could own horses. Women competed in their own festival at Olympia called the Games of Herra, also held every four years. Winners were awarded olive crowns and had their paintings placed in the Temple of Herra.
End of an era
As years went by, the traditional religion faded and the Games lost their significance. The last were held in 394 A.D., after which Theodosius I, the Christian Emperor of Rome, banned pagan worship. A series of earthquakes and floods decimated the grounds in Olympia. It would be another thousand years before archeologists uncovered the site and the modern Olympics were reborn in Athens.
History of the modern games
The founder
His name doesn't leap from the roll call of great Olympians over the past century. He never won a medal. But without the efforts of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the Games of the modern era might never have materialized.
In 1894, the French educator proposed reviving the ancient event to a gathering of 79 sports leaders representing a dozen countries. His vision: to enhance the relations of nations around the world through a friendly competition of amateur athletes.
The concept previously had been pushed by Great Britain, Sweden and Greece, but it was de Coubertin who succeeded in pulling it off. The delegation he addressed at the Sorbonne in Paris granted him permission to form the International Olympic Committee. Two years later, on April 6, 1896, the modern Games began in the city that brought the Olympics to life, Athens.
By the numbers
Fourteen countries competed in 1896. Accounts vary about the precise number of athletes who took part - from 241 to 311. But all were male, and more than half were Greek. They participated in just nine sports - track and field, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, wrestling, swimming, weightlifting, tennis and shooting.
For the record, the first champion of the modern era was James Connolly of the United States, winner of the triple jump. The U.S. took the most first places (later listed as gold medals). Still, the most memorable moment was enjoyed by the host country, courtesy of obscure marathoner Spyridon Louis in an emotional triumph that triggered national jubilation, propelling the Olympics into the next century on a wave of heightened interest.
A lesser by still noteworthy performance was turned in by Robert Garrett of the United States. He had never set eyes on a discus, part of the ancient pentathlon, but won the event anyway.
It almost wasn't Athens
While the Games were the brainchild of de Coubertin, they relied upon the financial assistance of Greek businessman/architect Gergios Averoff, among others. Averoff provided the funds to rebuild the Panathinaiko Stadium, which dated to 330 B.C.
If Athens had not been able to finance the effort, the Games might have been moved to Hungary, and Budapest would have become the birthplace of the new Olympic movement.
