The Olympic Games :: Olympics History Greek Olympia Essays

The Olympic GamesThe Olympic Games are an multinational sports festival that began in antiquated Greece. The original Greek games were staged every fourth year forseveral hundred years, until they were abolished in the early Christian era.The revival of the Olympic Games took place in 1896, and since then they havebeen staged every fourth year, except during World War I and World War II.Perhaps the basic difference amongst the ancient and modern Olympics isthat the former was the ancient Greeks way of saluting their gods, whereas themodern Games are a manner of saluting the athletic talents of citizens of allnations. The original Olympics featured competition in music, oratory, andtheater performances as well. The modern Games have a more expansive athleticagenda, and for two and adept-half weeks they are supposed to replace the rancorof international conflict with friendly competition. In recent times, however,that lofty ideal has not always been attained.The earliest reliable da te that recorded history gives for the firstOlympics is 776 BC, although roughly all historians presume that the Gamesbegan well before then.It is certain that during the midsummer of 776 BC a festival was held atOlympia on the highly civilized eastern coast of the Peloponnesian peninsula.That festival remained a regularly scheduled event, taking place during the pre-Christian golden age of Greece. As a testimony to the unearthly nature of theGames, which were held in honor of Zeus, the most important god in the ancientGreek pantheon, all wars would cease during the contests. According to theearliest records, only one athletic event was held in the ancient Olympics--afoot race of about 183 m (200 yd), or the length of the stadium. A cook,Coroibus of Elis, was the first recorded winner. The first hardly a(prenominal) Olympics hadonly local appeal and were limited to one race on one day only men wereallowed to compete or attend. A certify race--twice the length of the stadium--wa s added in the 14th Olympics, and a still longer race was added to the nextcompetition, four years later.When the powerful, warlike Spartans began to compete, they influenced theagenda. The 18th Olympics included wrestling and a pentathlon consisting ofrunning, jumping, spear throwing, discus throwing, and wrestling. Boxing wasadded at the 23rd Olympiad, and the games continued to expand, with the additionof chariot racing and other sports. In the 37th Olympiad the format wasextended to quin days of competition.The growth of the Games fostered professionalism among the competitors,and the Olympic ideals waned as royalty began to compete for personal gain,