Olympic Games History
Modern & Ancient
- Games in Modern Greece -
- Torches -
Olympic torch designs from Berlin (1836) to Athens (2004)
The
Athens Hash House Harriers
Olympic Games History
Modern & Ancient
- Games in Modern Greece -
- Torches -
Olympic torch designs from Berlin (1836) to Athens (2004)
Olympic torch being carried along the Great Wall of China (near Beijing) in
June 2004
(It had first come from Tokyo Japan then Seoul, South Korea)
- Logos and Posters -
1896 - Athens - Greece - The first modern Olympic Games
1900 - Paris - France
1904 - Saint Louis - USA
1908 - London - England
1912 - Stockholm - Sweden
1920 - Anvers - Belgium
1924 - Paris - France
1928 - Amsterdam - Holland
1932 - Los Angeles - USA
1936 - Berlin - Germany
1948 - London - England
1952 - Helsinki - Finland
1956 - Melbourne - Australia
1960 - Rome - Italy
1964 - Tokyo - Japan
1968 - Mexico
1972 - Munich - West Germany
1976 - Montreal - Canada
1980 - Moscow - USSR
1984 - Los Angeles - USA
1988 - Seoul - South Korea
1992 - Barcelona - Spain
1996 - Atlanta - USA
2000 - Sidney - Australia
2004 - Athens - Greece
- Games
in Ancient Greece -
Digital image reconstruction of the stadium entrance in Ancient Olympia
Ancient Greek vase
These were frequently used to depict scenes of athletic events...as below:
Olympic runners
(Note that they ran naked)
An Olympic winner leaves with his prize
Javelin thrower
Wrestlers - scene of submission
Women runners
Scene from a boxing match. The contestant's nose is dripping with blood.
4- horse chariot race
Winners of a 4-horse chariot race
HISTORY-
ATHLETES:
Originally the Games were held in honour of Zeus because he was thought to bestow
on athletes the power and prowess that enabled them to excel at sport. They
made offerings before they competed and they promised thanksgiving should they
win. It was coming first that mattered - the names of those coming in second
and third were not kept for the record. The only prize at the Olympics was an
olive wreath from the sacred tree at Olympia. But the victors were given a triumphant
return to their cities & enjoyed substantial privileges in their home states,
such as free board and tickets to cultural events for life. The athletes had
to be men of some means, as training periods at Elis, the city that controlled
the Games, lasted between one and ten months. The men would thus have to leave
their livelihood for a protracted period - although the Games were held in August
when one could leave working the land once the harvest was in. The Greeks competed
nude, because they were very proud of the way they trained and honed their bodies.
They trained for years to achieve the perfect physique, and they competed naked
to show off what they had achieved. It was regarded as barbarous or foreign
to compete in any athletic activity wearing clothes. In some cases, states would
sponsor an athlete to attend, fund their training and sometimes pay for the
votive statue victors could erect (which could cost more than a year's wages).
In Athens, Solon decreed that victors would receive the hefty sum of 500 drachmas.
- Another Mad Dog special section -
(Acknowledgement to various Greek publications)