The Olympic Games began over 2,700 years ago in Olympia, in southwest Greece. The Games were part of a religious festival. The Greek Olympics, thought to have begun in 776 BC, inspired the modern Olympic Games (begun in 1896) The Games were held in honour of Zeus, king of the gods.
The Games They Played
The Olympics of ancient Greece weren't exactly the worldwide (mundial) spectacle that we have today. For one thing, only Greeks took part. For another, there were only nine events .
- Boxing: . Boxing matches had no time limit and ended only when one boxer held up his hand or fell to the ground.
- Discus: The throwers of the discus originally threw a circular stone and then later a circular shape made of iron ( hierro), lead (plomo) or bronze. .
- Javelin: The javelin of ancient Greece was made of wood and was about as tall as an average man. . The Games featured two kinds of javelin events: throwing for distance and throwing at a target (diana)
- Jumping: This was long jump only, and the main difference in ancient times was that the jumper carried a weight in each hand. .
- Pankration: This was a sport that has been lost. It was a combination of boxing and wrestling that was very, very rough ( duro ). The only things outlawed(prohibida) were biting and gouging out ( arrancar ) an opponent's eyes. Two versions of the pankration were offered. In the first, whoever hit the ground first lost; in the second, whoever lost consciousness first lost. Soldiers were usually very good at this sport, and it was not unusual for pankration athletes to be seriously injured or even die.
- Pentathlon: This event combined five other events: discus, javelin, long jump, running, and wrestling.
- Running: The running races were usually very popular. The three distances were 200 meters, 400 meters, and a long-distance race, which ranged from 1400 to 1800 meters. Various running races took place, including one in which athletes wore armor( armadura ). In every case, the winner was the one who crossed the finish line first.
- Wrestling: This, too, was similar to wrestling today. The object was to get an opponent to fall to the ground. The first man to fall three times lost. Hitting, as in boxing, was not allowed, nor was biting or gouging out one's eyes. Tripping ( poner la zancadilla ) was allowed, however.
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Equestrian Events These included horse races and chariot races and took place in the Hippodrome, a wide, flat, open space.
All of the athletes were men, of course; women couldn't compete in the Olympic Games. And unlike today's athletes, who wear their countries' colors on their uniforms, the ancient Greeks usually competed without wearing any clothes at all.
The Rewards of Victory:
An Olympic victor was crowned with an olive wreath and had his name inscribed in the official Olympic records. Some Olympic victors were fed for the rest of their lives by their poleis, although they were never paid. They were considered heroes who
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