Daniel


 * __The __****__ Ancient and Modern Olympics __**

The popular and the most important games of Olympics started hundreds of years ago in ancient Greece. These games successfully survived till now, the 21st century still very popular and famous. People from all around the world come to see the games and cheer for their country’s competitors. As before, because it was only in ancient Greece, people cheered for their city-state competitors. You’ll see how the ancient and the modern Olympics are linked.

The ancient Greece Olympics started in776 BC in Olympia, Greece. The ancient Olympic Games consisted of several of athletic competitions between main city-states in Greece.  After a little time, the range of these games widened to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. It was meant as a religious festival in honour of Zeus. The Greeks found the Olympics so important that they counted years with the term “Olympiads”. One “Olympiad” was four years because Olympics were held every four years. Even wars between city-states halted in time of the Olympics.  When the wars halted, soldiers from the wars were allowed to compete in the Olympics. These are all the signs that help us understand how the Olympics were so important back then. The participation of these hard fought games was very strict. It was only limited to males only , and mostly the rich only competed. Since these hard fought games were very physical and hard to do, almost all the competitors were young. People who were old were not allowed to participate. Because the general idea of these games was a religious festival for Zeus, people who were free and only those who could speak Greek were allowed to compete. People that weren’t from Greece or those who couldn’t speak the language were strictly forbidden to attend.  As you can see, these games were strictly based on Greece. The Olympics started out with a single event but gradually got filled with a lot of competitions.  The first and only event that was held in the early Olympics was the stadion race. This race was an all out foot race, where you have to sprint a lot. People had to run about 190 meters which is about 200 yards. The competitor that won this event had the game and the four year cycle named after him. After about fifty years later, a 2-strade race was introduced during that 14th Olympic Games. This race was a single lap of the stadium (400 meters). *  Scholars debate d  whether or not the runners had individual " turning" posts for the return leg of the race, or whether all the runners approached a common post, turned, and then raced back to the starting line ** .  A third foot race was introduced in 720 BC. This race was very long, with a standard of 18-24 laps of the stadium. The course eventually led outside the stadium, passing important statues. The last running event added was the Hoplite race which was introduced in 520 BC. This race involved running 800 yards with full armour, with weapons non-stop. This race emulated the speed and stamina needed for warfare. Over the years, more events were added such as boxing, wrestling, pankration, chariot racing, several other running events, long jump, javelin throw, and discus throw. The winner of every Olympic game got olive wreaths, palm branches, and woolen ribbons as prizes. <span style="COLOR: #cc99ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">The winners were also respected and honoured at his hometown. <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">People that competed in the Olympics believed in a very unusual that they thought it would make them better at competing. It was nudity. Nudity was first introduced in 720 BC. It is said that it all started when a man lost his shorts during a race. Another belief is that the Spartans brought up the idea. The main objective of competing naked was to take the minds off their opponents. They thought that their opponents would care more for other people’s bodies than winning the game. Other people say it’s just because of the weather. <span style="COLOR: #cc99ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">This bizarre “technique” was used by a lot of competitors. <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">

<span style="COLOR: #993300; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Because the Olympic Games were meant to be religious festival for Zeus, it started with a religious event, and ended with a religious event <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">. The first day was all about religion and the last day was also all about religion. Another thing that happened on the first day was the sacrifice to Zeus. The sacrifice was 100 oxen <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> being killed <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">. Before each competitor signed up, they had to take an oath to Zeus that he had been training for ten m <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">onths <span style="COLOR: #cc99ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">. <span style="COLOR: #cc99ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">It was very important with the beginning rituals to be completed in the ancient Olympics <span style="COLOR: #993300; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Almost everyone in Ancient Greece loved the Olympics, which is the reason why it lasted for so long. <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> The years of the Ancient Olympics were from 776 BC to 393 AD. What happened it 393 AD is that religion for people in Greece converted to Christianity. <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> With people not believing in Zeus and the other gods anymore, the emperor thought there was no use to the games. So as a result, he banned it. <span style="COLOR: #cc99ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">The great games of Ancient Greek Olympics were ceased from then.

<span style="COLOR: #993300; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">The first modern Olympics started in 1896 in Athens <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">. It was the first Olympic Games since the games were banned in 393 AD. The first International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded by Pierre Fredy, Baron de Coubertin, a French man that was determined to get the Olympics back. As you can see, he has succeeded. They decided that it will be every four years, just like the ancient Olympics. The main sign of the Olympics are the five rings that are connected. They represent the five continents, counting two Americas as one. Another sign of the Olympics is the torch. It is said that the purpose of the torch is to commemorate the theft of fire from Zeus and the other gods of fire. This was introduced in 1928 and is lighted several months before the actual event. Even though the Olympics came back, it was very unpopular. People barely cared about the Olympics, and 80% of the competitors were American. But as time passed, it became famous again with people coming to participate all around the world. <span style="COLOR: #cc99ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">The largest amount of competitors was 11100 people. <span style="COLOR: #cc99ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">The Olympics, has officially come back.

<span style="COLOR: #993300; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">The modern Olympics were different in some ways from the Ancient Olympics <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">. First of all, the modern Olympics were subdivided into summer and winter games. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">For the summer Olympics, the kind of events were track and field, fencing, weightlifting, rifle and pistol shooting, tennis, cycling, swimming, gymnastics, and wrestling. More sports were added over the years, as right now there are 28 sports with 38 disciplines. The winter Olympics started a bit later. Currently, there are alpine skiing, bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, curling, figure sk ating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, short track speed   <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">skating, ski jumping, and speed skating. Snowboarding was added the most recently in 1998. The prizes are either gold, silver, or bronze medals. First place is the gold, second is the silver, and the third is the bronze. The gold medalist’s country’s national anthem will be played at the medal ceremony and also the country’s flag will be raised. <span style="COLOR: #cc99ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">The medal ceremonies were held after right after an event had finished. <span style="COLOR: #993300; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Because there are a lot of countries participating, there are a lot of problems as well <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">. The biggest and the main problem currently are doping. If one is caught doing it, they will be either suspended or banned from the games. Secondly, Politics is a very big problem also. Governments of many countries have caused many problems for the IOC. Another is criticism. The Olympic Games have been held in America more than any other continents or countries. <span style="COLOR: #cc99ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">These problems are reducing every time, but the IOC says there’s a long way to go. <span style="COLOR: lime; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">As you’ve read already, the Olympics have been a favourite event for many people, over many generations. As it started as a religious festival, and got banned later, it bounced back and is in the headlines of our newspapers again. I expect this game to be continued for many future years, even if there are a lot of problems along the way. In my opinion, I think the ancient and the modern Olympics are the greatest event, created by humans. <span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Californian FB'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">