THE OLYMPIC GAMES
“As in the daytime there is no star in the sky warmer and brighter than the sun, likewise there is no competition greater than the Olympic Games.”
Pindar, Greek lyric poet, 5th century bc.
ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES
According to historic 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 famous for its magnificent temples of the gods Zeus and Hera. They initially had a religious character and combined a number of ancient sporting events, many of which were based on ancient Greek Myths.
The ancient Games actually occupied an important position in the life of our ancestors. An Olympiad was a time unit, measuring the four-year interval between two Games. Patricipants came to compete from every corner of the Greek world aiming at the ultimate prize: an olive wreath and a “heroic” return to their city-states. But apart from the glorious victory, it was the Olympic values themselves which accorded special meaning to the Games: noble competition and the effort to combine body, will, and mind in a balanced whole.
As the Games developed, so did a set of procedures such as a standardised schedule of events and the practice of the Olympic Truce. They continued for nearly 12 centuries, until Emperor Theodosius decreed, in 393 AD, that all such ‘pagan cults’ be banned. He asserted that the Games placed an excessive public focus on athletic and spiritual affairs and abolished them.
REVIVAL
Major Contributors to the Revival of the Games
Pierre de Coubertin
Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France
(1863-1937) was a brilliant educator and scholar who believed that part of the glory of the Golden Age of Greece had to do with the emphasis placed on physical challenges and frequent athletic festivals. His enthusiasm for the Olympic Games also derived from the parallel he drew to his commitment to a French education system that incorporated moral and social education in a structure of school games.
He organised two international meetings of the “Union des Societes Francaises de Sports Athletiques” (USFSA) at Sorbonne, Paris, in 1892 and 1894, where he first presented the rebirth of the Olympic Movement, in the presence of representatives of nine different countries.
MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES
In the 19th century, intellectuals such as Evangelos Zappas and Demetrios Vikelas who believed in the spirit of noble contests and the Olympic ideals, lent their voices and efforts to the revival of the Olympic Games. However, it was French Baron Pierre de Coubertin who orchestrated the re-establishment of the Games, by advocating the marriage of sports and Greek classicism and leading the way to the first Modern Olympic Games in 1896.
From the very beginning, the Greek public embraced the revival, and joined the efforts to organise the Games. Any financial difficulties faced by the Greek state at the time, were met through the mobilisation of people and benefactors alike. The marble renovation of the ancient Panathinaikon Stadium that hosted the first modern Games was financed by George Averoff, a Greek benefactor from Northern Greece.
With the revival of the Olympic Games, a number of symbolic Olympic Traditions were also developed and established (i.e. the Olympic Anthem, the Olympic Creed, the Olympic Flag, the Olympic Oath, the Olympic Flame and Torch, the Olympic Truce).
Over the years, the Olympic Games travelled to different countries and continents, and in 2004, they will return to the country of their birth and the city of their revival for the hosting of the XXVIII Modern Olympic Games.
The Panathinaikon Stadium
Known also as the ‘Kallimarmaron’, which means ‘beautiful marble’, the Panathinaikon Stadium has a long history that dates back to the classical era. Historic records indicate that a stadium existed on the site as early as 329 BC during the time of Lykourgos, pupil of Plato. Records also show that the Greek benefactor Herodus Attikos (139 to 194 AD) improved the stadium with marble upgrades. Philosophers and historians of the time (e.g. Pafsanias, Philostratos) describe it as one of the best stadiums of the period.
During the Middle Ages, it was destroyed and its marble was used for other construction purposes. In 1896 it was reconstructed for the first Modern Olympic Games thanks to the generous donation of George Averoff. In its 48 rows of seats it accommodated 45, 000 spectators. It is considered to be a great achievement in terms of its construction as, even today, the supply, processing and placing of its huge marble stones would have been a great challenge. In addition, the particular construction technique, especially the curved rows of seats that allow spectators to have a better view, is still admired.
In 1906, Propilea, a special entrance with Corinthian-style pillars, was added at the front of the stadium and was later removed (in 1952). In 1997 the Opening Ceremony of the World Track and Field Championships was staged at the Panathinaikon stadium with great success.
For more information about the latest Olympcs which were held in Beijing between 8 and 24 August 2008, visit the official site of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, http://en.beijing2008.cn/