The Olympic Games
The Olympic Games are one of the
most spectacular reminders of the debt we owe to the Greeks.
The original Olympic Games were held
every four years in honour of Zeus, the supreme god of Greek religion. The
first record of the games dates from 776 BC, but it is certain that they
existed prior to that. They were held continuously for over 1.000 years until
they were abolished in the reign of King Theodosius about 392 AD The Olympic
festival was a great unifying bond between the Independent city-states of
Greece.
The important sports in the original
Olympic Games were running, jumping, wrestling, throwing the discus and
throwing the javelin. Only men competed and they wore no clothes in order to
have greater freedom of movement. Each competitor had to take the Olympic Oath
- A promise to behave in a sportsman-like fashion.
The modern Olympic era began in 1894
when Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin decided to revive the ancient Greek
tradition of celebrating health, youth and peace with a sports festival. Baron
de Coubertin created the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the first
modem Olympiad took place in Athens in 1896. Since then the Olympic Games have
been held every four years with only two exceptions because of the two world
wars.
Even though the modern Olympic Games
embrace the whole world, the connection with Greece is still very strong. A
lighted torch is brought all the way from Greece, carried by a relay of
runners, in order to light the Olympic Flame which bums all through the Games.
As in ancient Greek times, the competitors still take the Olympic Oath. The
long-distance race is still called the Marathon. Marathon was a village about
26 miles from Athens. In the year 490 BC the Greeks defeated a powerful Persian
army at that spot. After the fierce day's fighting a soldier volunteered to
bring news of the victory to the anxious citizens of Athens. He ran all the way
and after gasping out the message. "Rejoice, we conquer!" he
collapsed and died.
One important rule of the Olympic
Games is that the competitors must be amateurs. This rule has been under a lot
of pressure in recent years because modem sport is so professional and
competitive. Athletes train for years to take part in the Olympics and some
countries spend much more than others on equipment and facilities. But despite
these pressures, the amateur rule remains.
In modern times the Olympic movement
has become an enormous and expensive organisation, It's controlled by the
International Olympic Committee, which consists of members from all the
participating countries. The IOC is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It chooses
the locations of both summer and winter games (both take place once very four
years, with winter games half a year before summer Olympiads). It also controls
the rules of the competitions and selects new Olympic sports. The famous flag
of the IOC shows five rings of different colours linked together. The rings
represent the five continents.
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