The Olympic Games

A brief history of the ancient

games
 Legendary Origin

Origin is unknown

Myth and legends

 The myth of Pelops
Pelops- King of
Olympia
-Hero
-Murdered by his father
and body parts served
to the Gods at a
banquet
-No more than funeral
ceremony to Pelops
 The myth of Hercules
-Greek Hero
-won a race at Olympia
-decreed it should be
re-enacted every four
years
 The myth of Zeus
-Greek God
-initiated games after
defeating the
Titan Cronus
-Titans-elder Gods
defeated by younger
Gods
 The myth of King Iphitos
-King of Elis
-tries to save his people
in 9th Century
-consults Pythia Oracle
at Delphi
-instructs him to hold
games in honor of the
Gods
 Why the name Olympics?
Regardless of the mythology all events take
place on or at the foot of Mount Olympus
-mountain where Greek gods were said to
have lived
Significance of the Olympic Games
Whatever the origin, the games were held
to be one of the two central rituals in
Ancient Greece.
-Olympic games
-Eleusinian Mysteries
 The real history of the
Olympic Games
-First started in Olympia, Greece in 786BC
-Held in a sanctuary site for the Greek gods,
near Elis and Pisa
 Sanctuary of Zeus
One of the Seven Wonders of the World
 Olympics (cont.)
Held every four years
One race only- foot race of 190 meters
Commemorates the feat of Hercules
Known as the Stadion Race- term
stadium is derived from this word
 The Early Olympics
Greek tradition of athletic nudity was
practiced beginning in 720 BC
 Panhellenic Games
Olympics were the most important of the
four separate games held every two or
four years
Organized so that one of the games was
held every year
Pythian games
Nemean games
Ithmian games
 Importance of the Games
Religious ceremonies to the Gods
Created rivalry and pride among
City/States
Ekecheiria was observed
Truce among fighting cities
Armies were forbidden in Olympia
Wars were suspended
Legal disputes and the death penalty forbidden
 Events of the Ancient Olympics
The stadion (foot race) 786 BC-190 M
The diaulos (foot race) 724 BC- 400M
The dlicos (foot race) 720 BC- 5KM
The hopliodromos (foot race in armor)
520 BC- 400M-800M
New Events Added to the Olympics
Boxing
Wrestling
Pankration
Chariot racing
Pentathlon- wrestling, stadion, long jump,
javelin, and discus
*long jump, javelin, and discus originally
were only in the pentathlon
 Extended games
Olympics were extended to a five day
festival
Day 1- sacrifices to Zeus
Day 2- chariot/horse racing, and the
pentathlon
Day 3- boys events
Day 4- classic field events
Day 5- more sacrifices and a banquet for
the victors
 The Romans take over the
Olympics
Games are opened to foreigners
Professionalism and corruption gradually
enter games
In 1 AD the Roman Emperor Nero
competes in the games
 What was won?
A crown of olive branches
Pride and Honor
Celebrity
Meat from sacrificed oxen or cow
 The end of the Ancient Olympic
Tradition
Christian Emperor Theodosius abolishes
the games- 393 BC
 Heraea Games
Games for Women
Held in Honor of Goddess Hera
First held in the 6th Century AD
 The Myth of the Sixteen Women
Games held in gratitude for her marriage
to Pelops (Olympic Mythology)
Perhaps held prior to Olympics
Myth: Sixteen female peacemakers and
athletes dressed like men, gathered to run
a single race
5/6 the length of their male counterparts
 What do the Heraea Games tell us
about the role of women?

Women were second class citizens initially

Not allowed to watch Olympic or any of the
Hellenic Games
Risked death of they were caught viewing
the games
Thrown from the cliffs of Mt. Typaion
 Heraea Games (Cont.)
The mere fact that
women are competing
in athletics indicates
that roles began to
change around 6th
Century BC.
 Sparta
Spartan Society was different
Encouraged women to be athletes
Felt female athletes mating with Spartan
males would produce a better warrior
Encouraged boys to watch women train
and compete (even in the nude) thinking it
might lead to marriage
 The Modern Olympics
Revived by Pierre de Coubertin in 1896
The Pierre de Coubertin medal (True Spirit of Sportsmanship medal)
is a special medal given by the International Olympic Committee to those
athletes who demonstrate the spirit of sportsmanship in Olympic events.
Why were the Olympics revived?

To ennoble and
strengthen sport. -

-Pierre de Coubertin
 Where did the first modern
Olympics take place?
Athens, Greece
In 1896
To commemorate the
first Olympics
 What was the purpose of the
modern games?
To improve the human
race and strengthen
understanding of all
people.
 Citius, altius, fortius!
Olympic motto-

swifter,
faster,
stronger
 Symbols of the games
The Olympic Oath
"In the name of all competitors, I promise
that we shall take part in these
Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by
the rules that govern them, in the
true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of
sport and the honor of our teams."
 Opening Ceremonies
The parade of nations
Carrying the flag greatest honor for athlete
The lighting of the Olympic flame
Officially begins the games
The releasing of birds (Doves)
Symbolic of peace
 The Winter Olympics
The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was
held in Chamonix, France, in 1924.

The original sports were alpine and cross-

country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic
combined, ski jumping and speed skating.

In 1992 the governing body for the Olympic Games,

the International Olympic Committee (IOC), decided
to place the Summer and Winter Games on separate
four-year cycles in alternating even-numbered years.
 Winter Games (contd)
The Winter Games have evolved
since their inception. Sports have
been added:
luge, short track speed skating,
and freestyle skiing (permanent
sports)
Others, such as, bandy, and skijoring,
were demonstration sports,
 Sports and Diplomacy
Diplomacy - chief instrument of foreign
policy
- the way in which nations
negotiate without using
force; military or otherwise
 Sports and diplomacy
Throughout history, sports have played an
important role in social, political, and
economic lives of people and nations

Sports are more than just the social role

we have been studying to this point
 Sports as diplomatic tools
Ancient Greece- Olympics
Declared truces during the games
 Understanding between nations
has occurred due to sport
Ping Pong Diplomacy- China/USA
Wrestling diplomacy- Iran/USA
Harlem Globetrotters
Baseball Diplomacy
 Ping Pong Diplomacy
1949- China becomes The Peoples
Republic of China
- U.S. does not recognize the new
government
-U.S. and China fight against each
other in Korean War (1950s)
-U.S. China fight against each
other in Vietnam War (1960s-1970s)
 Ping Pong Diplomacy
(Continued)
1971- China invites U.S. to play an
exhibition in table tennis
-President Nixon becomes first
U.S. president to visit Communist
China (1972)
 Wrestling Diplomacy
1979- Iranian students take American
embassy in Tehran and hold 52
Americans hostage for nearly a year

1998- American wrestlers invited to Iran

- Not very successful
- Tension remains still today
 Harlem Globetrotters
1951- Globe trotters travel to Berlin as
American ambassadors to curb
Cold War tensions
-despite efforts Cold War lingers on
for 57 more years
-Trotters have travelled to every
continent spreading goodwill.
 Baseball Diplomacy
1934- Major league stars including
Babe Ruth travel to Japan
- U.S. uses Moe Berg to spy on
Japan while catching on the tour
 Baseball Diplomacy
(Continued)
MLB has numerous Latin players
-often return home to promote baseball
and teach skills
 Japanese Players in MLB
More Japanese players as well as other
Asian players from South Korea and
Taiwan are playing baseball in America
Using sport to foster patriotism and
national unity
1936- Hitler tries to prove to rest of the
world that the Aryan race and Germany
are the master race
(Aryan- blond haired, blue eyed master race)
Plan derailed by Jesse Owens and other
African-American athletes
 Patriotism & Unity
(continued)
1980- Soviets refuse to boycott
Lake Placid Olympics in light of
American boycott of Moscow
Moscow Games
(Invasion of Afghanistan)
- felt they would show superiority of
Communism through World Champion
hockey team
 (Continued)
Once again Americans spoil plan of
another adversary (Soviets)
 Modern Olympics
U.S. and Soviet boycotts emphasize that
the Olympics has become an even greater
diplomatic tool (Soviets 1984- L.A.)

Bolstering an image, achieving national

goals, and extending spheres of influence
are often behind the reality of the modern
era Olympic Games
 International Relations
Often took place via non-governmental
organizations and activities
Each had a special focus including sports
1985- Sports America sends coaches
and athletes to developing nations
-Muhammad Ali in Africa
 U.S. foreign policy
Message sent by many people not just
those in the diplomatic core

(Apartheid- white minority controlled the

black majority as a rule in
South Africa)
 Arthur Ashe
1969- Ashe refused a visa by South Africa
because he was black
-Appears before U.N. to ask nations
to boycott tennis, and ultimately all
international competition, in and with
South Africa, until apartheid ends
- ends in 1992 with a South African
Olympic team of mixed race
 U.S. Policy
(continued)
For several decades the U.S. has actively
sought to influence both its allies and its
adversaries through:
Cultural outreach
Sports
 Peaceful Contacts
As a tool of diplomacy, sports can be used
to create peaceful contacts between
nations and exert influence
2005- NFL sends aid to Tsunami victims