Everybody loves the Olympics, but not everybody knows the entire background of the games. The early events are definitely the most forgotten, but also the most important ones, because they root the modern games we all come to know and love today. Everybody knows its important to connect with your roots! You will learn about common and uncommon games. Have you ever heard of Pankration. Its a mixture of boxing and wrestling that might be the most hard core, intense activity I have ever heard of! You will indefinitely want to stick around for this tour through the ancient Olympic events and comparison of the events we have today.
Pankration is an ancient Olympic sport that is an intense mixture of wrestling and boxing that may be the most hardcore sport anybody has ever experienced in the human world. To win, the opponent has to tap-out, or quit, which rarely happened because the Greeks were so dedicated and serious about their Olympics, as they were with many other areas of culture. The competitors wore thin leather gloves to ease pain whenever someone was to swing a punch. Unlike sports and events in the Olympics today, once an athlete appeared injured, stuck on the ground, or helpless, the event would still go on, and the opposing player could punch and wrestle the helpless player until he gave up.
The Greeks still had track and field, though. One of the few differences was the track was way bigger than the one we see in the games currently. The ancient Greek track could hold up to twenty people! Our current track regulation for the Olympics is eight, and sometimes other tracks hold seven or nine. This shrink by twelve in track size has made it harder to compete and qualify, because there are less spots open for track events like the relay and the hundred meter dash. This has also made the Olympics way better, because instead of the twenty best competitors in the world, it is narrowed down to the eight best competitors on planet earth.
Greek Olympic winners were very well known all around the country of Greece. Some of the amenities included a wreath of leaves at the ceremony, a huge hero's welcome when they arrived home, invitations to parties, rich women, enjoy free meals, and the very best seats in the whole entire Greek Theater to the very best shows put on by the very best Greek actors. These methods of celebration are not extremely different from the ones that current day Olympic athletes experience. Obviously current day Olympic champions get invited to the best parties, because they are so popular and well known. However, the Olympics were one of the only professional sporting experiences that the ancient Greeks had, so they were and even bigger deal. Winners today may get more of a variety of ways to celebrate, though. This is because, being in a different city each year, the cultures are so different, as opposed to the ancient Olympics in which it was held in the same exact city each and every year. Winning the Olympics may be even more special, because the world did not have the Olympics for the stretch from 393 AD-1996 AD. This means that there are less winners of the Olympics than there could have been, which makes it a huge honor.
One of the ancient Olympic events that has evolved of the years is the Pentathlon, and it became an official event in 708 BCE. Today, Pentathlon events is not a household event, but the events included inside of it are. These events include all forms of running (such as the 100 meter dash etc.) and long jumping. Many of us today take these types of events very seriously, and compete in them at young ages, too.
One of the ancient Greeks events that has evaporated is the Equestrian Events. Equestrian Events included ancient sporting forms such as chariot racing and horse racing. These events took place in the Hippodrome, a large, open space that would provide flat land for the racing. We may not have events like these today, but the Greeks took their chariot and horse racing very seriously. It is very interesting to think about how different the Olympic games would be if they still included chariot racing. I would estimate that the turnout of the crowd would be very big, because it is such an important sport in the ancient world, and the tradition would hopefully live on in the modern world. If chariot racing was still in the Olympics today, it would not just affect the games, but also many ancient Greek culture aspects would still live on. It might even change the curriculum in schools, because schools would want to teach you more about ancient Greece because so much of it would be in the world today. This shows how sports may not just affect the Olympics, but also provide culture for the world and let us connect to our rots a little more often.
Pankration is an ancient Olympic sport that is an intense mixture of wrestling and boxing that may be the most hardcore sport anybody has ever experienced in the human world. To win, the opponent has to tap-out, or quit, which rarely happened because the Greeks were so dedicated and serious about their Olympics, as they were with many other areas of culture. The competitors wore thin leather gloves to ease pain whenever someone was to swing a punch. Unlike sports and events in the Olympics today, once an athlete appeared injured, stuck on the ground, or helpless, the event would still go on, and the opposing player could punch and wrestle the helpless player until he gave up.
The Greeks still had track and field, though. One of the few differences was the track was way bigger than the one we see in the games currently. The ancient Greek track could hold up to twenty people! Our current track regulation for the Olympics is eight, and sometimes other tracks hold seven or nine. This shrink by twelve in track size has made it harder to compete and qualify, because there are less spots open for track events like the relay and the hundred meter dash. This has also made the Olympics way better, because instead of the twenty best competitors in the world, it is narrowed down to the eight best competitors on planet earth.
Greek Olympic winners were very well known all around the country of Greece. Some of the amenities included a wreath of leaves at the ceremony, a huge hero's welcome when they arrived home, invitations to parties, rich women, enjoy free meals, and the very best seats in the whole entire Greek Theater to the very best shows put on by the very best Greek actors. These methods of celebration are not extremely different from the ones that current day Olympic athletes experience. Obviously current day Olympic champions get invited to the best parties, because they are so popular and well known. However, the Olympics were one of the only professional sporting experiences that the ancient Greeks had, so they were and even bigger deal. Winners today may get more of a variety of ways to celebrate, though. This is because, being in a different city each year, the cultures are so different, as opposed to the ancient Olympics in which it was held in the same exact city each and every year. Winning the Olympics may be even more special, because the world did not have the Olympics for the stretch from 393 AD-1996 AD. This means that there are less winners of the Olympics than there could have been, which makes it a huge honor.
One of the ancient Olympic events that has evolved of the years is the Pentathlon, and it became an official event in 708 BCE. Today, Pentathlon events is not a household event, but the events included inside of it are. These events include all forms of running (such as the 100 meter dash etc.) and long jumping. Many of us today take these types of events very seriously, and compete in them at young ages, too.
One of the ancient Greeks events that has evaporated is the Equestrian Events. Equestrian Events included ancient sporting forms such as chariot racing and horse racing. These events took place in the Hippodrome, a large, open space that would provide flat land for the racing. We may not have events like these today, but the Greeks took their chariot and horse racing very seriously. It is very interesting to think about how different the Olympic games would be if they still included chariot racing. I would estimate that the turnout of the crowd would be very big, because it is such an important sport in the ancient world, and the tradition would hopefully live on in the modern world. If chariot racing was still in the Olympics today, it would not just affect the games, but also many ancient Greek culture aspects would still live on. It might even change the curriculum in schools, because schools would want to teach you more about ancient Greece because so much of it would be in the world today. This shows how sports may not just affect the Olympics, but also provide culture for the world and let us connect to our rots a little more often.