First Olympic Games

If you believe the legends, the first Olympic Games in ancient times organized Hercules in the 1210s. They were held once in five years, but then for unknown reasons this tradition was interrupted and was revived under the reign of King Iphith.

The first Olympic Games in Greece were not numbered, they were called exclusively by the winner's name, and in the only form of competition at that time - running for a certain distance.

Ancient authors based on materials began counting competitions from 776 BC. E., it is from this year that the Olympic Games became known by the name of the athlete who won them. However, there is an opinion that they simply could not establish the names of earlier winners, and therefore the conduct itself could not at that time be considered as a valid and reliable fact.

Although Africa Julius, author of the third century, claims that the games considered the first to be 776 BC. - Error, in fact they are the fourteenth.

The first Olympic Games took place in Olympia, a small town located in South Greece. Participants and tens of thousands of spectators from many Polis policies from Hellas traveled by sea or by land.

In the competition in agility and strength participated runners, as well as wrestlers, discus throwers or spears, jumpers, fist fighters. The games were held in the hottest month of the summer, and at this time, on the horror of death, wars between policies were banned.

Heralds throughout the year carried around the cities of all Greece the news of the declaration of the sacred world and the fact that the roads leading to Olympia are safe.

All the Greeks had the right to participate in the competition: both the poor and the noble, rich and not ignorant. Only women were not allowed to attend them, even as spectators.

The first Olympic Games, as well as the subsequent ones, were dedicated to the great Zeus in Greece, it was exclusively a man's holiday. According to legend, one very brave Greek woman in men's clothing secretly entered the city of Olympia to look at the performance of her son. And when he won, the mother, unable to restrain herself, enthusiastically rushed to him. The unfortunate woman was to be executed by law, however, out of respect for her victorious son, she was pardoned.

Almost ten months before the start of the Olympic Games, everyone who was going to participate in them had to start training in their cities. Day after day for ten months in a row the athletes continuously exercised, and a month before the opening of the competition they arrived in South Greece and there, not far from Olympia, continued training.

Usually most of the participants in the games were usually prosperous people, because the poor could not afford to train for a year and not work.

The first Olympic Games lasted only five days.

On the fifth day in front of the temple of the chief god Zeus, a table made of ivory and gold was set up, and on it prizes for the winners were placed - wreaths of olive.

The winners came one by one to the supreme judge, who placed these award-winning wreaths on their heads. At the same time, the herald publicly announced the name of the athlete and his city. At the same time, the audience exclaimed: "Glory to the winner!".

The glory of the Olympic Games has survived many centuries. And today every inhabitant of the planet knows the Olympic symbol: five rings, which mean the unity of the continents.

The first Olympic Games of our time laid the foundation for the tradition: to swear an oath. There is also another beautiful tradition: to light the Olympic flame in Greece, as in ancient times, and then to carry it by relay through the countries in the hands of people devoted to sports, to the venue of the next Olympiad.

And although as a result of the strongest earthquake all the Olympic structures of antiquity were wiped off the face of the earth, however in the 18th century, as a result of excavations in ancient Olympia, many attributes of the games were found.

And at the end of the XIX century, the permanent and first president of the IOC, Baron de Coubertin, inspired by the work of the archaeologist Curtius, revived the games, and also wrote a code that defines the rules for their conduct - the "Olympic Charter".