THE FIRST GREEK OLYMPICS

776 BC

ALL ABOUT THE FIRST OLYMPICS

• Only men were able to compete and they had to compete naked

• According to historical records, the first ancient Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 BC. They were dedicated to the Olympian gods and were staged on the ancient plains of Olympia. They continued for nearly 12 centuries, until Emperor Theodosius stoped them in 393 A.D.

EVENTS

Jumping

• Athletes used stone or lead weights called halteres to increase the distance of a jump. They held onto the weights until the end of their flight, and then threw them backwards.

Discus throw

• The discus was originally made of stone and later of iron, lead or bronze.

Wrestling

• This was highly valued as a form of military exercise without weapons. It ended only when one of the contestants admitted defeat

Boxing

• Boxers wrapped straps around their hands to strengthen their wrists and steady their fingers.

EVENTSPankration• This was a combined wrestling and boxing, and was considered to be one of the toughest sports. Equestrian events• These included horse races and chariot races and took place in the Hippodrome, a wide, flat, open space.Pentathlon• The Pentathlon became an Olympic sport with the addition of wrestling in 708 B.C., and included the

following: • Running / Jumping / Discus ThrowRunning• Running contests included: • the stade race, which was the test of speed, covering the Olympia track from one end to the other

(200m)• the diaulos (two stades - 400m)• dolichos (ranging between 7 and 24 stades).

MODERN AND ANCIENT GAMES

• Although the ancient Games were staged in Olympia, Greece, from 776 BC through 393 AD, it took 1503 years for the Olympics to return. The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. The man responsible for its rebirth was a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who presented the idea in 1894. His original thought was to unveil the modern Games in 1900 in his native Paris, but delegates from 34 countries were so enthralled with the concept that they convinced him to move the Games up to 1896 and have Athens serve as the first host.

PRIZES IN 776 BCThe awards were olive plant

crowns made of laurel and

olive leaves, jars of olives,

beautiful pots or vases, wool,

silk, linen to make into clothes,

Tons of money and they got to

choose who they married.