Ancient Olympic Games

The first written form of the Olympic Games was found in 776 BC, which were held every four years. The Greeks were very fond of sports and considered them a part of their religion. The Olympic Games used to last for months in Olympia in which thousands of people gathered and enjoyed the games.

Importance of Ancient Olympic Games-

Greece has made an important contribution to introducing the world to sports. It is said that Greece holds an important place in philosophy, science, and sports. Whenever we talk about great personalities like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Homer, etc., we get a picture of the prosperity of Greece, which was there thousands of years ago. In that early period of development, Greece laid special emphasis on physical development and strength so that man could develop physically, mentally, and socially. The Olympics has a very important place in the history of sports, it is the biggest competition in the world. There are many legends regarding the history of the Olympics, according to some the first Olympic Games were organized in 1253 BC due to the efforts of Hercules, but the available evidence is to the contrary. According to available evidence, the Olympic Games were organized in 884 BC. Contrary to history and historical evidence, the most authentic fact is that the ancient Olympic Games were organized in 776 BC in the city of Elis, a place called Olympia in Greece. This place was surrounded by the Altis Valley, due to which the game got its name Olympic.

Rules of ancient Olympic games-

The Olympic Games were held only for men, women could not participate in them or watch them.
Participants must be Greek by birth.
Amateurs were allowed to participate.
Must have trained for 10 months before the Olympic competition.
Must have spent the last month under the supervision of the official judges of the Olympic Games.

Operation of Olympic Games –

Oath ceremony

Before the start of the Olympic Games, all the participants, the participant’s coach, the participant’s father, and brother, used to take an oath in the temple of Zeus that they would not use any kind of wrong means to achieve victory.
The judges also took an oath that they would maintain honesty and impartiality while making decisions.

Sacrifice ceremony

Before the start of the game, a pig was sacrificed to the Greek god Zeus.

March Past

Before the start of the competition, there was a march past in which the bugler, all the players, and officials participated. During the march past, as the player passed in front of the announcer/commentator and the audience, the announcer would take the participant’s name, his father’s name, and his city’s name, and ask the audience if anyone had any objection. The silence of the audience was considered as proof of no objection for the participant.

Inauguration ceremony

The announcer used to announce or declare the opening of the games. The head of the jury and some eminent personalities addressed the participants, after which the competition began. The sacred fire continued to burn without any interruption in honor of the god Zeus.

Competitions-

In the ancient Olympic Games, racing was the only event and was completed in a single day. Later, events like walking race, goodwill race, pentathlon (running, long jump, discus throw, javelin throw, and wrestling), boxing, etc. were also included. Due to more competition, the duration of these games was increased from one day to five days.

• Religious sacrifices and oath-taking ceremonies were held on the first day of the Olympics; no competition was held on this day.
• There was a march past on the second day. In which the players were introduced to the audience, and the games were inaugurated. Firstly there were competitions like the goodwill race, horse race, and pentathlon, etc.
• On the morning of the third day, 100 cattle were officially sacrificed to the Greek gods. In the afternoon, foot races, wrestling, and boxing competitions were held for boys.
• The fourth day was reserved for the main athletic games (men) in which competitions like foot races, wrestling, etc. were organized. At the end of the program, an armored race was held.
• The fifth and last day was celebrated as a festival and celebration.

Women were not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games and married women were also not allowed to watch the competition. Later, a festival named Herka started being celebrated by women in honor of Hera, wife of the Greek god Zeus. Athletic competitions for women were organized in this festival. Later, women were also included in the Olympics and allowed to run only as a goodwill gesture.

Awards-

• Olympic winners were given a lot of respect at that time.
• It is believed that the winner of the seventh Olympic Games was honored with a tripod and other valuables.
• Later, leaves from the sacred olive tree planted in the temple of Zeus were plucked and given as prizes.
• Poets immortalized the names of the winners in their poems and artists carved them on stones.
• The winning contestant was sent to his home by his companions in a victory procession.
• These winners received some gifts and special rights.
• At that time, they were brought into the city, not through the ordinary gates of the city, but special gates were built to welcome them.
• Being an Olympic winner was considered the biggest honor for Greece.

Decline and demise of the ancient Olympic Games-

The ancient Olympic Games had a very glorious history that lasted for 12 centuries, during which 293 Olympic Games were successfully organized. As soon as Rome took control of Greece in 394 AD, Roman Emperor Theodosius banned the Olympic Games. When Greece came under the rule of the Romans, sports lost its original dignity, importance, and acceptance and got mired in corruption. Thus the ancient Olympic Games declined.