The netpaper about Elftowners, by Elftowners, for Elftowners.
Cid's Sports!
by [Thunder Cid]
Analytical View of the History of the Olympics
By [Thunder Cid]
Foreword
Why are the Olympic Games so important? Why did people from all around the world come in the summer of 2008 to Beijing to either watch or compete in them? Why is it that billions of people around the world will sit in front of their television sets to watch these games? To answer these questions we need to go back in history to find the meaning of the Olympic Games.
The Ancient Games.
In ancient Greece, sports and competition were very important. The Greeks believed that physical exercise and mental training were connected to each other. The Greek word for education meant the development of the entire human being and could not be divided into physical and mental education, because the mind cannot exist without the body, and the body has no meaning without the mind. Their rule of thumb was, "Educate children with gymnastics and music." Religion encouraged this kind of education, and great athletic and musical contests were held in holy places, under the protection of the gods, and in front of thousands of spectators from all over Greece. The contests were called Games, and the most famous were held at the Sanctuary of Olympia in southwestern Greece. The Olympian or Olympic Games started in 776 BC, and were held every four years in honor of Zeus, the king of the mythical Greek gods. They were at their peak in the 5th and 4th centuries BC, but they were suppressed in 394 AD by the Roman emperor Theodosius before the Games, special messengers would set off in every direction to announce the beginning of a sacred truce. All disputes and warfare among the city-states were then suspended. The sacred truce was to protect Games-goers from assault and lasted three months. The competitions were open only to honorable Greek men, and lasted five days. On the first day of the Games the athletes and the judges swore that they would compete and judge honestly. On the second, third, and fourth day the different contests were held. The main event at Olympia was the stadion or single-course race, and the winner of that race gave his name to the Olympiad. On the fifth day, at the conclusion of the Games, the victors were awarded a crown of wild olive leaves. The olive crown was the greatest honor for the contestant and also for his family and his city. It was an honor that could never be outranked either by money or official position. The victors were linked to the immortals, celebrated by poets and sculptors, and they often lived for the rest of their lives at public expense. A strong bond joined every athlete with his gods, to whom he believed he owed his success.
The Revival of the Games.
The idea of the revival of the Olympic Games was not a passing fancy: it was the logical culmination of a great movement. In the 19th century, there was a revival of people's interest in physical exercise. Educational changes made in the United Kingdom in 1840 stated that, "Physical exercise holds, in a certain manner, the fundamental basis as a means for ethical conduct. In other words, as the Greeks used to say, "A healthy mind comes from a healthy body. At the same time, because of the invention of the railways and the telegraph, different nations were brought closer to each other. In 1876, archeologists discovered 50 structures and 130 statues in the ruins of Olympia and renewed interest in the ancient games grew. French sportsman and educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin was fascinated with the idea of the ancient Olympic Games, and was convinced that physical exercise and competition build moral values. Inspired by the discoveries at Olympia, he proposed the modern Olympics for the first time in 1892. After two years of tireless efforts he gathered enough public support to organize the International Athletic Congress of 1894 in Paris. The Congress appointed the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and approved an Olympics to be held in Athens, in April of 1896. During the first Modern Olympics 311 athletes from 13 countries competed in a stadium with room for 50,000 spectators. Although Greek and American college athletes dominated the events, performances were mediocre and athletes benefited from the poor athletic organization. Since then, with the exception of the two World War periods, the Olympics have been held every four years in one of the world's major cities.
The Games Today.
The site of the games is chosen, usually six years in advance, by the IOC. The games last two weeks and include many more contests than the original Games did. Athletes of all nations are eligible to participate. A record 10,500 athletes from a record 197 countries participated in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. An elaborate ceremony traditionally opens the Olympics. The athletes parade into the stadium, led by the Greek team, in honor of the founding of the Olympic Games, with the host nation marching in last. The Olympic Hymn is then played and the official Olympic flag (five interlocking rings on a white background, symbolizing the unity of the continents) is raised. A runner then enters the stadium bearing the Olympic torch, lit by rays of the sun at Olympia, Greece and carried to the present site by a relay of runners. The ceremony closes with the release of doves, symbolizing the spirit of the games. Is the only hope for brotherhood, understanding and dialogue. It is a symbol of badly needed unity among all members of the human race, adds historian and journalist I.F. Stone. De Coubertin had the idea that he was going to bring all the people of the world together onto the same playing field. He thought that "athletics will emerge greater and ennobled and that international youth will draw from it the love of peace and respect for life. Indeed, The Olympics are the only times in the history of the world when so many nations come together in one spot in an association of friendship,. On the other hand, the Games are merely games. What one has here, after all, are simple contests, simple consequences, the simple delight of observers at basic human activities. Remove the banners, the noise, the fencing, and the scene is pastoral. Someone jumps or throws a discus. Someone swims. People play ball. There is absolute serenity and innocence the history of the Olympic Games is long and consistent. Every four years, people from all around the world gather to compete in sports, in an environment of peace and mutual understanding. They did it for almost twelve hundred years in ancient times and again for the last hundred years in modern times. Therefore, the Olympics is "the longest lasting social activity that exists."The meaning of the Games is simple and helps us see what really matters in life: Let us get together and play. Let us get together and compete with ourselves and with each other. Let us get together and make friends. The Greeks had it right; when we compete, we don't fight. After all, underneath all the differences we are one race, the human race. Let us imitate the doves. The doves are pure and innocent, and can keep on going higher and higher into the skies. Let us embrace the Olympic motto to do it, Faster.
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