Ancient Vs Modern Olympics

If you are like me, you can’t wait till the next Olympic Games just moments after one ends! The Olympics are watched all over the world! However, the Olympics haven’t always been what we know them as today. In the following paragraphs, we will strengthen our knowledge on the Ancient Olympics, the events and athletes, and the Modern Olympics in order to decipher the Ancient and Modern Olympics.

The very first recorded Ancient Olympic Games were held in 776 BC. However, Oxlade and Balheimer believe that the Olympics were actually established hundreds of years before 776 BC (10). The Games were held every four years in four main locations in Greece: Olympia, Delphi, Corinth, and Nemea (Middleton 5 & 7). The word “Olympic” comes from “Olympia,” the site where the Games first took place. In the very beginning, the Olympics were held as a religious festival for the Greek gods including: Zeus, Apollo, and Poseidon (“Welcome”). As a way of honoring the gods, there was often a sacrifice of 100 oxen given (Duddleson).

The Olympics had a very positive effect on the surrounding areas in Greece. They created and provided unity. This was important at the time, because the city-states were constantly fighting against each other (“Welcome”). Not only did they unite the city-states, but they created many memories for the athletes and the spectators. Even today, the Olympics still are proving such memorable events (McGuire 6).

Unfortunately the Ancient Olympic Games did come to an end. In 394 AD, the Christian Emperor, Theodosius 1, terminated the Games (McGuire 10). With it being a Christian Emperor, it is obvious to see why he would disapprove of the Games. The biggest of the issues being that the athletes competed in nudity (“Penn Museum”). For about 1,500 years, the history of the Ancient Olympic Games remained hidden under the dirt of the ground (McGuire 10).

Over the years, the events held at the Olympic Games have changed multiple times. In the Ancient Olympics, the events included: the pentathlon which consisted of discus, long jump, javelin, running, and wrestling, running and wrestling as individual sports, the diaulos which was 400 meters, the dolichos which was 7-24 laps around the stadium, the race in arms which was a diaulos in armor, the stade race which was 200 meters, horse races, chariot races, boxing, and pankration which was a combination of wrestling and boxing (“Welcome”) Today there are about 70 different events an athlete can compete in the Modern Summer and Winter Olympic Games. A few of them are: archery, volleybal, basketball, swimming, diving, cycling, tennis, skiing, bobsledding, hockey, figure skating, snowboarding, and many more (“Sports”)! Events are constantly being added and being taken away. Sometimes events are taken away and then added back later such as tennis, synchronized swimming, and curling (Oxlade and Balheimer 30-31).

If you’ve ever watched the Olympics, you know that they last more than one day, but how long do they actually last? The Ancient Olympics lasted 5 days. Now, that doesn’t seem like a lot, but you have to keep in mind, that were barely any events back then. Over the course of the five days, the athletes took an oath, competed in events, a sacrifice was made, and the winners were honored (“Welcome”). Today however, the Olympics last a whole 16 days! There are many more events that take place so therefore they last longer. There is no longer a sacrifice made. However, the are the Opening and Closing Ceremonies that are a lot like the oath the athletes took and when the athletes were honored (“How many”).

Not just anyone could compete in the Ancient Olympics. If you weren’t of Greek origin, no Olympics for you. If you weren’t a male, no Olympics for you either. If you were a slave, also no Olympics for you. Only free, male, Greek citizens could participate in the Olympics. Interestingly enough, women couldn’t even watch the Olympics (“Welcome”). Women first participated in the Olympics in the 20th century at the Atlanta Games in 1996 (Middleton 24-25).

One of the reasons women weren’t allowed to attend the Games was because most of the time the men competed in nudity (“Penn Museum”). Throughout the years, that has obviously changed. In the Modern Olympics, there have been many changes to the “outfits” that the athletes wear. They have gone from heavy wool and flannel to stretchy one-piece (Oxlade and Balheimer 40).

We all know that there are athletes of all ages that compete in the Olympics. One of the most common questions when it comes to this topic is, “Is there a certain age you have to be to compete in the Olympics?” Oddly enough, there is and there isn’t at the same time. Each sport has their own requirements. For example, Chloe Kim, who competed in snowboarding in the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, actually qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics, but according to snowboarding standards, she couldn’t compete until she was at least 15 years old. However, Chloe Kim was not the only 15 year old competing in the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, Wu Meng and others were right there with her. One of the youngest ever athletes to compete was Dimitrios Loundras, a gymnast, she was 10 years and 218 days old (Quackenbush). The moral of the story is that it depends on the sport you are competing in.

The very first recorded Modern Olympics was in 1896 held in Athens, Greece. There were a grand total of 60,000 watching 280 male athletes competing in 43 events. However, this wasn’t when the Modern Olympics truly took off after the 1924 Paris Games. In these Games there were about 3,000 athletes, about 200 being women, from 44 different nations (Editors).

Not only was 1924 the spark for the Modern Olympics, it was also the beginning of a brand new idea, the Winter Olympics. They were first held in Chamonix, France. Altogether, 17 countries brought 258 athletes (Duddleson). By the 1990’s, both the Summer and Winter Olympics were just booming, and because of this, the Winter Olympics were moved to a different schedule than the Summer Olympics (“History”).

The Paralympics were also a new idea in the 20th century. They were first held in Rome, Italy in 1960. There were a total of 400 athletes from 23 different countries. The first Winter Paralympics were held in 1976 in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden (“IPC”). The Paralympic Games are for those with physical and mental disabilities (Oxlade and Balheimer 28).

Every Olympic Games is held in a different place. The first Modern Olympics was held in Athens (Editors). Last year, the 2018 Winter Olympics were held in PyeongChang. Here are a few of the places future Games will be held: 2020 Summer Olympics: Tokyo, 2022 Winter Olympics: Beijing, 2024 Summer Olympics: Paris, and 2028 Summer Olympics: Los Angeles (Bruner). As you can see, the Olympics are held all over the world and are competed in by athletes from all over the world!

There is a lot more behind the Olympics than people realize. Just the history behind the Ancient Olympics, how the events and athletes have changed over the years, and what were considered the first Modern Olympics versus what they are today. Lord willing, those of us desperately waiting for the next Olympics, will be able to watch them! 

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