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OLYMPICS - ORIGINS & LEGENDS
The legend of Olympics has its origins on the plains
of Olympia in the ancient Greece in 776 BC. The Games
laid emphasis on the promotion of art and discipline
of the rhythmic movement of the human body at a level
of excellence, which the Gods might envy. The ancient
Greek civilization gave the world the institution of
the athelete and organised sport as an art form on par
with the arts of architecture, sculpture, poetry, theatre
and discourse. " We must be immortal as far as
we can ". The words of Aristotle sums up the spirit
of human aspirations to pursue excellence.
Legend talks of the Greeks offering their best at
the altar of Gods. The altar of Rhea, mother of Gods
was set up in Olympia in 1370 BC. Her worshippers raced
at dawn for the privilege of being the first to light
the fire on her altar. For the Atheletes it was a form
of prayer as much as a mark of human achievement. Another
legend credits the origin of the Games to Hercules in
honour of Zeus, his father. It is possible that the
Olympics did start from a Greek tradition of funeral
games held to honour dead heroes with feats of excellence
by competitors. The Olympic games were held every four
years in the environs of the temple of Zeus built on
the Olympian Plain. The ivory and gold statute of Zeus
created by Phidias, the master sculptor dominated the
games. The chariot race between Pelops and Oenomaus
is portrayed in the front gable of the temple with twelve
labours of Hercules on the rear.
While violent games such as boxing and wrestling often
resulted in fatal accidents the winner was honoured
posthumously. The violation of rules was punished. The
athelete represented the nobility of Gods symbolizing
the most heroic virtues; beauty of form, strength of
body, swiftness of limbs and skill of mind. The bronze
figure of discus thrower and the bronze charioteer of
Delphi remain symbols of victory and restraint. Besides
Olympic games, the Pythian games sacred to Apollo were
held at Delphi every four years. The Isthian games were
founded in favour of Poseidon by Theseus and the Nemean
games of Argolis were connected to Hercules.
The warring Greeks laid aside weapons during the Olympic
games and the city states violating the truce were punished.
The same code of peace protected individual atheletes.
Many atheletes made a living from the many games as
prize money was good. Homer’s Iliad details an
unusual prize in the chariot race at the funeral games
of Patroclus: “a woman skilled in all useful arts
and a three legged cauldron with handles which would
hold 22 measures”. The sporting heroes on their
return home were welcomed with arches built in their
honour and a grateful city would free them from taxes.
Some are assured a lifetime’s food supply and
front seat for public events. The garland of olive leaves,
the most prized trophy of atheletic excellence to the
winners of Olympic games was not intrinsically valuable.
The Roman conquest of Greece did not end the Olympic
games. The new rulers joined them. The last Olympic
games were held in 261 AD. When the Roman Emperor became
a Christian the games lost their patronage. The terrifying
piety of early Christians condemned both human ambition
and achievements as symptoms of folly and arrogance.
The religious fanaticism damned the search for beauty
and artistry as pagan. All pagan shrines were closed
in 393 AD by an edict of Emperor Theodosius I It took
more than 1500 years to revive the Olympic games in
1896 amidst the wars of feudal Europe, which had become
more bitter and destructive than the internecine warfare
of the city states of Greece. The sense and sentiments
of an Olympic movement afresh perhaps were never more
sorely needed. Rest is History.
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