Olympics in Greece

1. Olympics in Greece Produced by: Jason Arnauckas

2. Olympic Facts • The Olympics began in 776 BC • The games were originally held in Olympia, Greece until 393 AD • During the ancient games, only young men were able to participate • The competitors were usually naked because the games were, in part, a celebration of the human body.

3. How did the Olympics get started? • There are different ideas of how the Olympics began. • One myth is that the Greek God Zeus started the games to celebrate his victory over his father Cronus for control of the world. • Another tradition states that the games began after Greek hero Pelops won a chariot race against King Oenomaus to marry the King’s daughter. The Olympic Flame

4. The Games Olympia Stadium • Athletic games were an important part of religious festivals from early on in Greek Culture. • The first 13 Olympiads sole event was the footrace. • Over time, the Greeks added longer footraces and different events. • The pentathlon and wrestling were the first new sports added in the 18th Olympiad. • Today, there are 52 different events between the summer and winter Olympic games.

5. The Games Continued • The ancient Olympics were very different from the modern games. • There were fewer games and only free men who could speak Greek, were allowed to compete. • The games were always held at Olympia Stadium instead of moving around to different cities. • One common link between ancient Olympics and the modern games is thatthe athletes were heroes to their home towns, as our athletes are celebrities today.

6. Training • Athletics were a key part of education in ancient Greece. • Greeks believed that developing the body was equally important as improving the mind for overall health. • Young Greek men trained to flute music to make the bodies harmonious. • The Palaestra was the place that the men trained and socialized in ancient Greece. The Palaestra NYC’s Proposed Olympic Stadium

7. Athletes • Ancient athletes competed as individuals, not for national teams, as they do now. • Athletes that won public competitions won permanent glory and fame. • Winning athletes made their town look wealthy and powerful. • In ancient Olympic games women were not allowed to compete.

8. Winning the Gold! • In today’s Olympics the top three finishers will receive Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for each event. • In ancient Olympics, the winner would receive a crown made of olive leaves and was entitled to a statue of himself at Olympia. 1948 Gold Medal Olive leaf Crown

9. Competitive Spirit • In ancient Olympic games the athletes that were found cheating would be fined and the money was used to make statues of the Greek God, Zeus. • The first known cheater was Eupolus of Thessaly, who bribed boxers in the 98th Olympiad. • Today, some athletes use illegal performance enhancing drugs. Ben Johnson Olympic sprinter accused of using steroids

10. Famous Ancient Olympic Athletes • Read about some of the more interesting athletes from the ancient Olympics. Theagenes of Thasos – winner in 75th and 76th Olympiads Milo of Kroton – 6 time Olympic winner Diagoras of Rhodes – won in Olympics and every other major Greek festival