Olympic Fever: From Ancient Greece to Modern Global Spectacle

Team Udayavani, Jul 19, 2024, 5:07 PM IST

With just 6 days left for the Olympics to begin, let’s delve into the captivating history of this grand sporting event. The origins of the Olympics are shrouded in mystery, but they are believed to date back to ancient Greece. Let’s take a journey back in time to explore how the Olympics began.

The Ancient Olympics

The origins of the Olympics can be traced back to around 3000 years ago in ancient Greece, specifically in Peloponnese. Records suggest that the first Olympic Games were held here in 776 BCE. Initially, the games were held every four years at Olympia. Although the exact reason for the inception of the Olympics remains unknown, it is believed that the games were established for entertainment. These ancient games, known as Olympiads, continued until the 4th century CE when Emperor Theodosius banned all pagan festivals, including the Olympics.

The Revival in Athens

After a hiatus of 1500 years, the tradition of athletic competitions was revived. In 1894, Pierre de Coubertin of France founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC), leading to the first modern Olympic Games held in Athens in 1896. This marked the beginning of the modern Olympics.

Events and Participation in the First Modern Olympics

The 1896 Athens Olympics featured ten sports and a total of 43 events. Some of the sports included tennis, swimming, shooting, marathon, cycling (both individual road race and track), athletics, gymnastics, weightlifting, wrestling, and fencing.

Women’s Entry into the Olympics

Although the modern Olympics started in 1896, women were not allowed to participate until the 1900 Paris Olympics. British tennis star Charlotte Cooper, who had won Wimbledon five times, became the first female Olympic champion. Only 22 women participated out of a total of 997 athletes, competing in just five events.

America’s Dominance in Medals

In the 1896 Athens Olympics, 214 male athletes from 14 countries participated. Initially, winners were awarded silver medals and runners-up received copper medals. Later, the IOC adopted the current practice of awarding gold, silver, and bronze medals to the top three finishers. The United States won the most gold medals (11) at these games, while Greece, the host nation, won the most total medals (47), including 10 golds, 18 silvers, and 19 bronzes.

Participating Nations

The 1896 Athens Olympics saw participation from 14 countries: Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain-Ireland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.

Ancient Olympic Awards

Unlike today’s gold, silver, and bronze medals, winners in ancient Olympic Games were awarded an olive leaf crown, a symbol of peace, and sometimes laurel, pine, or wild celery crowns.

India’s First Participation

India did not participate in the first modern Olympics in Athens. The country made its debut in the 1900 Paris Olympics, represented by Norman Pritchard, who won silver in the 200m race, marking India’s first Olympic medal.

Ancient Olympic Competitions

The ancient Olympics featured events like pankration (a type of unarmed combat), pentathlon (comprising five events), horse riding, running, long jump, shot put, javelin, boxing, discus throw, and wrestling. These competitions were quite different from today, with athletes often competing barefoot and using stones as discus weights.

The Olympic Torch Tradition

The lighting of the Olympic torch symbolizes the continuity between ancient and modern games. This tradition began at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, where the torch was first lit atop a tower overlooking the Olympic Stadium. The torch relay, starting from the 1936 Berlin Olympics, involves carrying the flame to the host city.

-Translated from a Kannada article by Sadashiva S.