Most people know that the origins of the Olympics come from ancient Greece. In fact, they date back to before the year 776 BC, the date from which we have written records of it. They took place in Olympia, hence the name that we still use today. And the flame was kept alight throughout the period of the Games.
The tradition was reintroduced for the modern Olympic Games in 1928 when they were held in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The famous torch relay is a modern invention from 1936. However, since it always begins at Olympia, where it is lit by the sun with the aid of curved mirrors, and ends at the opening ceremony wherever the games are being held, it is seen as reflecting the ancient traditions.
At first the ancient games only consisted of one race, a sprint which the Greeks called the stade. This is the origin of the word stadium, the place where the modern Games and other sporting events take place. Competitors at Olympia ran without clothes, though this tradition has long been abandoned. But we do have another word that relates to this – gymnasium. Based on the Greek word gymnos, meaning naked, this translates from the Greek into a school for naked exercise.
The ancient Olympic Games took place every fours years, but in 393 AD, they were abolished, as the Christian Emperor, Theodosius I, thought they were a heathen practice. In the mean time, the Games expanded to include other events such as long distance races and the pentathlon.
The time of the year when the ancient Olympics was held, was a time of peace, when battles were put on hold for several weeks so that athletes could attend the Games and be safe during their travels there and back. Our modern Games are still seen as a symbol of peace and harmony in the world as so many competing countries come together.
This, of course, is not without controversy, and this year’s demonstrations during the Olympic torch processions in various venues have not been the first human rights protests. The year 1908 saw the first boycotts of the Games. Irish athletes refused to compete in London, because of the issue of the independence of all Ireland. The 1936 Games were held in Berlin, where German anti-Semitism was being propagated and promoted. Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon absented themselves in 1956 because of the invasion of Suez, while The Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland did the same because of Soviet activities in Hungary. Indeed, incidents sparked by politics have occurred at almost every Olympic Games. It has become almost a tradition to use them to direct the attention of the world to repressed or vulnerable groups.
Other problems have been related to the athletes themselves and their zeal to win. A few have unscrupulously resorted to enhancing their natural performance with drugs. Sometimes they have been encouraged by their own coaches and authorities. In the 1960s, policing of this aspect of the Games was introduced. This has occasionally resulted in some innocent victims alongside the detection of the guilty.
The revival of the Olympic Games in 1896 was largely due to the efforts of Frenchman. Pierre de Courbetin, who felt that they would promote peace in the world. Sadly that aim was not successful and the modern world could not follow the Greek example of holding a truce for the period of the Games. During the Great War, the Games due in 1916 were not held. Nor were those of 1940 and 1944, in the time of World War II.
Nevertheless, the Games continue in times of peace and promote equality, cooperation and healthy, exercise filled life-styles. And the modern Olympics now have their own culture based on new traditions.
The Olympic Movement is made up of the different organizations responsible for making the Games happen every four years. They are headed by an International Olympic Committee, which has to select the Games’ hosts, prepare the programs of events and make various other decisions. Other important bodies in the Movement are International Federations, which are the governing bodies of individual sports, and National Olympic Committees (NOCs). Only countries that have NOCs are recognized for the purposes of entering their athletic teams.
On the Olympic flag are five interconnecting rings representing the coming together, or intermingling, of the countries and entities of the five major continents. Over 200 nations attended the last Games in Sydney in 2004.
The Olympic oath is taken during the opening ceremony when one athlete is selected to recite it on behalf of all of them. The oath promises that all competitors will keep to the rules in the “true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory and the honor” of their teams.
The Olympic creed states a philosophy that relates the Games to people’s lives, saying that it is more important to try your best, than to win. It is the philosophy that sees honor in the struggle, even if achievement is less than was hoped for. The Olympic motto also follows this theme as it is all about striving – “Swifter, Higher, Stronger.”
In 1957, an official Olympic anthem was adopted. This had been created for the first modern Olympics held in Athens in 1896. Fittingly, the music was by a Greek composer, Spyros Samaras, and the lyrics were written by another Greek, Kostis Palarnas.
For each Games, the medals have to be the same size, with the gold and silver ones made up from 92.5 percent silver, and the first place ones covered with 6 grams of gold. But the design of the medals is entrusted to the host country’s organizing committee.
The sports that are covered by the Olympics are now many and varied, spilling out from the stadiums of the host countries into other appropriate venues. Since 1900, women have had their own events alongside the men’s. In addition to the summer Olympics, we now have various other versions. The winter Olympics are held specifically for winter sports. Paralympics are held for paraplegic and quadriplegic athletes. In this way, the modern Olympics draw ever closer to achieving Pierre de Coubertin’s ambitions to involve all kinds of people in a level playing field, and promote racial and cultural harmony.
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