ANCIENT

OLYMPIC GAMES
&
MODERN
OLYMPIC GAMES

ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES

According to historical records, the first ancient

Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 BC.
They were dedicated to the Olympian gods and
were staged on the ancient plains of Olympia.
They continued for nearly 12 centuries, until
Emperor Theodosius decreed in 393 A.D. that all
such "pagan cults" be banned.

OLYMPIA

Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games, is in the

western part of the Peloponnese
Greek mythology is the island of "Pelops", (founder of the
Olympic Games)
Imposing temples, votive buildings, elaborate shrines and
ancient sporting facilities combined in a site of unique
natural and mystical beauty.
Olympia a meeting place for worship and other religious
and political practices as early as the 10th century B.C.
The central part of Olympia was dominated by the majestic
temple of Zeus, with the temple of Hera parallel to it.

THE GAMES AND RELIGION

The Olympic Games were closely linked to the religious

festivals of the cult of Zeus, but were not an integral part of
a rite.
Indeed, they had a secular character and aimed to show the
physical qualities and evolution of the performances
accomplished by young people, as well as encouraging good
relations between the cities of Greece.
According to specialists, the Olympic Games owed their
purity and importance to religion.

VICTORY CEREMONIES

The Olympic victor received his first awards

immediately after the competition.
Following the announcement of the winner's
name by the herald, a Hellanodikis (Greek judge)
would place a palm branch in his hands, while
the spectators cheered and threw flowers to him.
Red ribbons were tied on his head and hands as a
mark of victory.

VICTORY CEREMONIES

The official award ceremony would take place on the last

day of the Games, at the elevated vestibule of the temple of
Zeus.
In a loud voice, the herald would announce the name of the
Olympic winner, his father's name, and his homeland.
Then, the Hellanodikis placed the sacred olive tree wreath,
or kotinos, on the winner's head.

MYTHOLOGY OF OLYMPIC GAMES

The oldest myth which concerns the beginning of the

Olympic Games is that of Idaios Daktylos Herakles.
According to other myths, Zeus, the father of humanity,
fought and defeated Cronus in a struggle for the throne of
the gods.
Finally, the well-known demigod Herakles is mentioned.
He staged games in Olympia in honour of Zeus, because the
latter had helped him conquer Elis when he went to war
against Augeas.

 Zeus was considered the most

important of all the Olympic
gods.
God of meteorological change

Hera was the sister and wife of Zeus and

was worshipped all over Greece, but
especially in the region of Argos.
protector of marriage and the marital bond

ZEUS

HERA

ATHE
NA

APOL
LO

Athena was miraculously born out of the

head of Zeus.
She is depicted as a warrior goddess
wearing full armour from the prehistoric
era.

Apollo was the god of moral order and

music, but his main capacity was to
protect the art of divination

ATHLETES & PARTICIPANTS

Through the 12 centuries of the Olympic Games, many

wonderful athletes competed
Of the best athletes who left their mark on the sacred
valley of Olympia, some surpassed all limits and became
legends by winning in successive Olympic Games and
remaining at the forefront of their sport for more than a
decade.

ATHLETES & PARTICIPANTS

All free male Greek citizens were entitled to participate in

the ancient Olympic Games, regardless of their social
status.
Married women were not allowed to participate in, or to
watch, the ancient Olympic Games.
However, unmarried women could attend the competition,
and the priestess of Demeter, goddess of fertility, was given
a privileged position next to the Stadium altar.

ATHLETES & PARTICIPANTS

Astylos of Croton

Astylos of Croton in southern Italy won a total of six victory

olive wreaths in three Olympiads (488-480 B.C.) in the stade
and the diaulos (twice the stade) events.
Milon of Croton
Milon, a pupil of the philosopher Pythagoras, was one of the
most famous athletes in Antiquity
He was six times Olympic wrestling champion.

ATHLETES &
PARTICIPANTS

Leonidas of Rhodes
Leonidas of Rhodes was one of the most famous runners in
Antiquity.
For four consecutive Olympiads (164-152 B.C.), he won
three races, - the stade race, the diaulos race and the
armour race.
He won a total of 12 Olympic victory wreaths. He was
acclaimed as a hero by his compatriots.

ATHLETES &
PARTICIPANTS

Kyniska of Sparta
Kyniska, daughter of King Archidamos of Sparta, was the
first woman to be listed as an Olympic victor in Antiquity.
Her chariot won in the four-horse chariot race in the 96th
and 97th Olympiads, (396 B.C. and 392 B.C. respectively).
In the Olympic Games, it was forbidden for women to be
present and Kyniska broke with tradition

SPORTS EVENT

The ancient Olympic Games were initially a one-day event

until 684 BC, when they were extended to three days. In the
5th century B.C., the Games were extended again to cover five
days.
The ancient Games included running, long jump, shot put,
javelin, boxing, pankration and equestrian events.
Pentathlon The Pentathlon became an Olympic sport with
the addition of wrestling in 708 B.C., and included the
following:
Running the stade race (200m foot race), the diaulos (two
stades - 400m foot race), dolichos (ranging between 7 and 24
stades).

SPORTS EVENT

Jumping Athletes used stone or lead weights called halteres to

increase the distance of a jump. They held onto the weights until
the end of their flight, and then jettisoned them backwards.
Discus throw The discus was originally made of stone and
later of iron, lead or bronze. The technique was very similar to
today's freestyle discus throw.
Wrestling This was highly valued as a form of military exercise
without weapons. It ended only when one of the contestants
admitted defeat.
Boxing Boxers wrapped straps (himantes) around their hands
to strengthen their wrists and steady their fingers. Initially, these
straps were soft but, as time progressed, boxers started using hard
leather straps, often causing disfigurement of their opponent's face.

SPORTS EVENT

Pankration This was a primitive form of martial art

combining wrestling and boxing, and was considered to be
one of the toughest sports. Greeks believed that it was
founded by Theseus when he defeated the fierce Minotaur
in the labyrinth.
Equestrian events These included horse races and
chariot races and took place in the Hippodrome, a wide,
flat, open space.

PIERRE DE COURBERTIN
Father of the modern Olympics

BACKGROUND

Pierre de Frdy, Baron de Coubertin, was born in Paris on

1st January 1863.

He was the youngest of four children.

His father, Charles de Frdy de Coubertin, was a painter.

His mother, Marie-Marcelle Gigault de Crisenoy, inherited

the family chteau at Mirville (Normandy), where Pierre
de Coubertin spent most of his childhood when not
travelling around Europe with his family.

BACKGROUND

Coubertin had a classical education at the Jesuit College of

St Ignatius in Paris.
In 1880, he passed his baccalaureate in literature.
Although accepted by the Military School of Saint Cyr
like many sons of noble families at the time he chose
instead to study at the Law Faculty of the Political Sciences
School.
However, with little enthusiasm for a career in this field, he
turned to education, which became a veritable passion.

BACKGROUND

In 1883, influenced by the work of French philosopher and

historian Hippolyte Taine, and that of the Englishman
Thomas Arnold (the Head of Rugby School), he went to
England to compare the British and French education
systems.
After this trip, he began his lifes work, namely reforming
the education system through sport.
Convinced of the importance of including sport in the
balanced education of a person devoted himself to
spreading this idea using all means available: lectures,
publications, setting up sports or educational societies, etc.

BACKGROUND

Pierre de Coubertin died on 2 September 1937, felled by a

heart attack in the La Grange park in Geneva.
He left behind his wife, Marie Rothan (1861-1963), whom
he married on 12 March 1895, and his two children,
Jacques (1896-1952) and Rene (1901-1968).
In accordance with his final wishes, his body was buried at
the Bois de Vaux cemetery in Lausanne, and his heart was
placed in a marble stele commemorating the revival of the
Olympic Games in Olympia (Greece).

OLYMPIC GAMES

Coubertin realized that to capture the attention of disinterested

persons he would have to originate something spectacular.
He found his answer when he visited the Much Wenlock
"Olympic Games" in Shropshire, England at the age of 27.
Here was an institutionthe ancient Olympic gamesthat
embodied all the ideals he was working so hard to promote The
reports from the excavations at Olympia fired his imagination
even more.
The founder of the Much Wenlock games, a Dr. William Penny
Brookes, was an enormous help and encouragement to the
young Frenchman. Coubertin began to dream of a revival of the
Olympic games.

OLYMPIC GAMES

Two years later at a meeting of the Union des Sports

Athletiques in Paris (the organization he had founded five
years earlier), Coubertin proposed the idea of reviving the
Olympic games for the first time.
Although the idea was met with apathy and derision,
Coubertin was not deterred. He decided that more drama
was needed next time to augment his powers of persuasion.
To this end, thirty-one-year-old Coubertin organized an
international congress of sportsmen and physical education
enthusiasts in 1894.

OLYMPIC GAMES

The "International Congress on Amateurism" was attended

by 79 delegates representing 49 organizations from nine
countries.
By the end of the Paris Congress, Coubertin had formed
the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and plans
were in place to stage the first modern Olympic games in
Athens, Greece in 1896.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MODERN

GAMES

The revival of the Olympic Games began with

Baron Pierre de Coubertin (18631937) of France.
Coubertin was greatly interested in education, and
he firmly believed that the best way to develop the
minds of young people was to develop their bodies
as well; learning and athletics should go together.
After he visited the ruins of ancient Olympia, it
occurred to Coubertin that perhaps the best way to
generate widespread acceptance of his theory was
to resurrect the Olympic Games.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MODERN

GAMES

He hoped the new Games would bring back the ideals of

physical, mental, and spiritual excellence displayed in the
ancient Games as well as build courage, endurance, and
a sense of fair play in all who participated.
In addition, he hoped the Games would turn the tide he
saw worldwide of the growing commercialism of sports.
In 1892, Coubertin first introduced the idea of starting the
Olympic Games again.
Few people were ready to accept his idea. But in 1894
Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) and began planning the first modern Olympiad.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MODERN

GAMES

The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896 in

Athens, Greece a fitting place to rekindle the spirit of
the early Greek Games.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MODERN

GAMES

Coubertin remained president of the International Olympic

Committee until 1925.
In this office he directed the course the Games were to
take. He wrote the Olympic Charter, protocol, and athletes'
oath, and he also planned the ceremonies.
Although the modern Olympic Games are patterned after
the ancient Greek Games, there are differences.

MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES

TIMELINES
Year

Description

1896

Athens hosts the first modern Olympics, with 14 countries participating. James Brendan
Connolly, a triple jumper from Boston, becomes the first Olympic champion in more than
1,500 years.

1900

Women make their first appearance in Olympic competition, when a handful of female
athletes compete in lawn tennis and golf at the Paris Games.

1904

The gold medal is introduced. Previous top winners in the modern Games took home a
silver medal and an olive wreath, because Greeces Crown Prince Constantine didnt want
it to seem as if the athletes were being paid.

1908

The Games are moved from Rome to London after the 1906 eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. The
London Olympics are credited with restoring much-needed credibility to the Games.

1911

The Winter Games are established, but because of World War I they do not take place until
1924, in Chamonix, France.

1913

American Jim Thorpe, who dominated the 1912 games and took the gold in
decathlon and pentathlon, is stripped of his medals when officials learn he
had played professional baseball, going against the IOC rules that athletes
should not be paid. His medals are restored posthumously in 1982.

1916

The Summer Games in Berlin are cancelled due to World War I.

1928

The Olympic flame returns at the Amsterdam Summer Games. The flame was

MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES

TIMELINES
Year

Description

1936

In a blow to Adolf Hitlers plan to have the Berlin Olympics prove Aryan superiority, black
U.S. track and field star Jesse Owens becomes the first Olympian to win four gold medals.

1940

Summer and Winter Games scheduled to take place in Japan are switched to Germany and
Finland after Japan invades China, then cancelled altogether due to the start of World War
II.

1944

Summer Games in England and Winter Games in Italy are cancelled due to World War II.

1948

The IOC bans both Germany and Japan from competing as punishment for their actions
during the war. They return to the Games in 1952.

1964

South Africa is banned from the Olympics because of apartheid, and is not welcomed back
until the segregationist system is abolished in 1992. Similarly, Rhodesia was banned due to
its racist practices in 1972; it returns in 1980 as the new nation of Zimbabwe.

1968

Drug testing and gender verification testing make their debut at the Mexico City Olympics.
A Swedish pentathelete is disqualified for having consumed too much alcohol.

1972

Palestinian terrorists attack Israelis at the Munich Games. Following a 21-hour standoff,
11 Israel athletes and coaches, five terrorists and one police officer are dead. Meanwhile,
U.S. swimmer Mark Spitz wins a record seven gold medals. Spitz, a Jew, leaves before the
closing ceremony.

1976

Nadia Comaneci, a 14-year-old Romanian, scores the first perfect 10 in Olympic

gymnastics, at the Games in Montreal. She receives the top score seven times, earning

MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES

TIMELINES
Year

Description

1980

The United States boycotts the Moscow Olympics, in protest of the Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan. Several other nations join in. Its the second major boycott of the Olympics; in
1976, 22 African nations stayed home because New Zealands national rugby team had
competed in South Africa.

1984

The Soviet Union boycotts the Los Angeles Olympics in retaliation for Americas 1980
boycott.

1992

In the first year professionals are allowed to compete in mens basketball, the U.S. Dream
Team, including Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, wins the gold in
Barcelona.

1996

A bomb left in a backpack at Centennial Olympic Park explodes during the Atlanta Games,
killing one woman and injuring 111 people. Accused serial bomber Eric Rudolph, who is
also a suspect in bombings at abortion clinics and a gay nightclub, is charged in the case.

2004

The Games return to their birthplace, Athens, after 108 years. The Panathenianstadium is
reused for events including archery and the finish of the Marathon. The Zappeion, the first
indoor Olympic arena, was utilized as the Olympic Press Centre. Participation records were
broken, with 201 nations and 10,625 athletes taking part in 301 different events. The U.S.,
Russia and China lead the medal count.

EVOLUATION OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Although the modern Olympic Games were inspired by the

past, they are also quite different

EVOLUATION OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES

EVOLUATION OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES

EVOLUATION OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES