In what year did the Olympic Games appear? Ancient Olympic Games

Olympic Games - the most significant in the world sport competitions. They are held every four years. Every athlete dreams of winning these competitions. The origins of the Olympic Games date back to ancient times. They were carried out as early as the seventh century BC. Why were the ancient Olympic Games called holidays of peace? In which country were they held for the first time?

The myth of the birth of the Olympic Games

In ancient times these were the greatest national festivals. Who is the founder of the ancient Olympic Games is unknown. Myths and legends played a significant role in the social and cultural life of the ancient Greeks. The Hellenes believed that the origin of the Olympic Games dates back to the time of Kronos, the son of the first god Uranus. In a competition between mythical heroes, Hercules won the race, for which he was awarded an olive wreath. Subsequently, the winner insisted that sports competitions be held every five years. Such is the legend. There are, of course, other legends about the origins of the Olympic Games.

Historical sources confirming the holding of these festivals in Ancient Greece include Homer's Iliad. This book mentions a chariot race organized by the inhabitants of Elis, the region in the Peloponnese where Olympia was located.

Holy Truce

A mere mortal who played a significant role in the development of the ancient Greek Olympic Games was King Iphitus. During his reign, the interval between competitions was already four years. Having resumed the Olympic Games, Iphit declared a sacred truce. That is, during these celebrations it was impossible to wage war. And not only in Elis, but also in other parts of Hellas.

Elis was considered a sacred place. It was impossible to wage war with her. True, later the Eleans themselves invaded neighboring regions more than once. Why were the ancient Olympic Games called holidays of peace? Firstly, the holding of these competitions was associated with names of the gods who highly revered by the ancient Greeks. Secondly, the aforementioned truce was declared for a month, which had a special name - ἱερομηνία.

Scientists have still not come to a consensus about the types of sports in the Olympic Games held by the Hellenes. There is an opinion that initially athletes competed only in running. Later, wrestling and chariot racing were added to the sports in the Olympic Games.

Participants

Among the citizens in Ancient Greece there were those who were subjected to public dishonor and contempt of others, that is, atymia. They could not become participants in competitions. Only dear Hellenes. Of course, barbarians, who could only be spectators, did not take part in the ancient Olympic Games. An exception was made only in favor of the Romans. At the ancient Greek Olympic Games, a woman did not even have the right to attend unless she was a priestess of the goddess Demeter.

The number of both spectators and participants was huge. If at the first Olympic Games in Ancient Greece (776 BC) competitions were held only in running, then later other sports appeared. And over time, poets and artists got the opportunity to compete in their skills. During the celebrations, even deputies competed with each other in the abundance of offerings to mythical deities.

From the history of the Olympic Games it is known that these events had quite an important social and cultural significance. Deals were made between merchants, artists and poets introduced the public to their creations.

Competitions were held on the first full moon after the summer solstice. Lasted five days. A certain part of the time was devoted to rituals with sacrifices and a public feast.

Types of competitions

The history of the Olympic Games, as already mentioned, is full of tales and legends. However, there is reliable information regarding the types of competitions. At the first Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, athletes competed in running. This sport was represented by the following varieties:

• Distance running.
• Double run.
• Long run.
• Running in full armor.

The first fist fight took place at the 23rd Olympics. Later, the ancient Greeks added martial arts such as pankration, wrestling. It was said above that women had no right to take part in competitions. However, in 688 BC, special competitions were created for the most purposeful inhabitants in Ancient Greece. The only one a sport in which they could compete, there were horse races.

In the fourth century BC, a competition between trumpeters and heralds was added to the program of the Olympic Games - the Hellenes believed that aesthetic pleasure and sport had a logical connection. Artists exhibited their works on the market square. Poets and writers, as mentioned above, read their works. Sometimes, after the completion of the Games, sculptors were commissioned to create statues of the winners, and lyricists composed songs of praise in honor of the strongest and most dexterous.

Ellanodon

What were the names of the judges who observed the progress of the competition and awarded awards to the winners? Ellanodons were appointed by lot. The judges not only presented the award, but also managed the organization of the entire event. At the first Olympic Games there were only two of them, then nine, and even later ten. Beginning in 368 BC, there were twelve Hellanodons. However, later the number of judges was reduced. Ellanodons wore special purple clothing.

How did the competition begin? The athletes proved to the spectators and judges that they had devoted the previous months exclusively to preliminary preparation. They took an oath in front of the statue of the main ancient Greek god - Zeus. Relatives of those wishing to compete - fathers and brothers - also took an oath. A month before the competition, the athletes demonstrated their skills in front of judges in the Olympic Gymnasium.

The order of the competition was determined by drawing lots. Then the herald publicly announced the name of the person entering the competition. Where were the Olympic Games held?

Sanctuary of Ancient Greece

Where the Olympic Games took place is clear from the name. Olympia is located in the northwestern part of the Peloponnesian Peninsula. This was once located here temple-cultural complex and sacred grove of Zeus. On the territory of the ancient Greek sanctuary there were religious buildings, monuments, sports facilities and houses in which participants and guests lived. This place was the center of Greek art until the fourth century BC. Later they were burned by order of Theodosius II.

The Olympic Stadium was built gradually. He became the first in Ancient Greece. In the fifth century BC this stadium hosted about forty thousand spectators. For training, a gymnasium was used - a structure whose running track was equal in length to the one located in the stadium itself. Another platform for preliminary preparation - palaestra. It was a square building with a courtyard. Mostly athletes who competed in wrestling and fist fighting trained here.

Leonidoion, which performed the functions, was built in the fifth century BC according to the design of a famous architect in Ancient Greece. The huge building consisted of a courtyard surrounded by columns and included many rooms. The Olympic Games played an important role in the religious life of the Hellenes. Therefore, local residents erected several temples and sanctuaries here. The structures fell into disrepair after an earthquake that occurred in the sixth century. The racetrack was finally destroyed during a flood.

The last Olympic Games in Ancient Greece took place in 394. Banned by Emperor Theodosius. In the Christian era, these events were regarded as pagan. The revival of the Olympic Games took place two millennia later. Although already in the 17th century, competitions reminiscent of the Olympic ones were held repeatedly in England, France and Greece.

Revival of ancient Greek traditions

The predecessors of the modern Olympic Games were the Olympias, held in the mid-19th century. But they, of course, were not so large-scale and had little in common with the competitions, which in our time are held once every four years. The French Pierre de Coubertin played a significant role in the revival of the Olympic Games. Why did Europeans suddenly remember the traditions of the ancient Greeks?

In the middle of the 17th century, archaeological research was carried out in Olympia, as a result of which scientists discovered the remains of temple buildings. The work continued for more than ten years. At this time, everything related to Antiquity was popular in Europe. Many public and cultural figures became infected with the desire to revive Olympic traditions. At the same time, the French showed the greatest interest in the culture of sports competitions in Ancient Greece, although the archaeological discoveries belonged to the Germans. This can be easily explained.

In 1871, the French army suffered a defeat, which significantly undermined the patriotic spirit in society. Pierre de Coubertin believed that the reason was the poor physical training of the soldiers. He did not try to inspire his countrymen to fight Germany and other European powers. The French public figure spoke a lot about the need to improve physical culture, but also advocated for overcoming national egoism and establishing international understanding.

The first Olympic Games: modern times

In June 1894, a congress was held at the Sorbonne, at which Coubertin presented to the world community his thoughts on the need to revive ancient Greek traditions. His ideas were supported. On the last day of the congress, it was decided to hold the Olympic Games in two years. They were supposed to take place in Athens. The committee for holding international competitions was headed by Demetrius Vikelas. Pierre de Coubertin took over as secretary general.

The 1896 Olympic Games were the largest sporting event. Greek statesmen put forward a proposal to hold the Olympic Games exclusively in their homeland. However, the committee decided otherwise. The location of the Games changes every four years.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Olympic movement was not widely popular. This is partly due to the fact that at that time the World Exhibition was being held in Paris. Some historians believe that the Olympic ideas were saved thanks to the intermediate games of 1906, held again in Athens.

Differences between modern Games and ancient Greek ones

The competitions were resumed on the model of ancient sports competitions. The modern Olympic Games unite athletes from all countries; discrimination against individuals on religious, racial or political grounds is not allowed. This, perhaps, is the main difference between the modern Games and the ancient Greek ones.

What did the modern Olympic Games borrow from the ancient Greek ones? First of all, the names themselves. The frequency of competitions was also borrowed. One of the purposes of the modern Olympic Games is to serve peace and establish mutual understanding between countries. This is consistent with the ideas of the ancient Greeks about a temporary truce during the days of the competition. The Olympic flame and torch are symbols of the Olympics, which arose, of course, in antiquity. Some terms and rules for conducting competitions were also borrowed from the ancient Greeks.

There are, of course, several significant differences between modern Games and ancient ones. The ancient Greeks held sports competitions exclusively in Olympia. Today the Games are organized each time in a different city. In Ancient Greece there was no such thing as the Winter Olympic Games. And the competitions were different. In antiquity in the Olympic Not only athletes, but also poets participated in the games.

Symbolism

Everyone knows what the symbol of the Olympic Games looks like. Five fastened rings of black, blue, red, yellow and green. However, few people know that these elements do not belong to any specific continent. sounds in Latin, translated into Russian means “faster, higher, stronger.” The flag is a white panel with the image of rings. It has been lifted at every Games since 1920.

Both the opening and closing of the Games are accompanied by a grandiose, colorful ceremony. The best organizers of mass events are involved in developing the scenario. Famous actors and singers strive to take part in this spectacle. The broadcast of this international event attracts tens of millions of viewers around the world to television screens.

If the ancient Greeks believed that in honor of the Olympic Games it was worth suspending any military action, then in the twentieth century the opposite happened. Sports competitions were canceled due to armed conflicts. The games were not held in 1916, 1940, 1944. The Olympics have been held in Russia twice. In 1980 in Moscow and in 2014 in Sochi.

Olympic Games

1 Ancient Olympic Games

2 Revival of the Olympic Games

3 Modern Olympic Games

• 3.1 Summer Olympic Games medalists in the team event

  3.2 Winners of the Winter Olympic Games in the team event

  3.3 Amateur spirit

  3.4 Funding

  3.5 Olympic venues

Olympic Games- largest international complex sports competitions, which are held every four years. A tradition that existed in Ancient Greece, was revived at the end 19th century French public figure Pierre de Coubertin. Olympic Games, also known as Summer Olympics, were carried out every four years, starting from 1896 , with the exception of years falling on world wars. IN 1924 were established Winter Olympic Games, which were originally held in the same year as the summer ones. However, starting from 1994, the timing of the Winter Olympic Games has been shifted by two years relative to the timing of the Summer Games.

In the same venues of the Olympic Games, two weeks later, Paralympic Games for people with disabilities.

Ancient Olympic Games

The Olympic Games of Ancient Greece were a religious and sports festival held in Olympia. Information about the origin of the games has been lost, but several myths have survived that describe this event. From history, many documents, buildings and sculptures of that period have come to us. If you look closely, we will notice that all the statues of that period show human bodies and not just any bodies, but beautiful ones. During that period of history, the cult of beautiful forms for buildings and the cult of beautiful bodies were widespread. “A healthy mind in a healthy body,” this is how one of the ideas and reasons for the appearance of such beautiful sculptures can be described. Sports and athletic competitions began already in this ancient period. The winners of the competitions were revered as heroes in war. The first documented celebration dates back to 776 BC. They were established by Hercules, although it is known that games were held earlier. During the games, a sacred truce (έκεχειρία ), at this time it was impossible to wage war, although this was repeatedly violated. The Olympic Games significantly lost their importance with the arrival of the Romans. After Christianity became the official religion, games began to be seen as a manifestation of paganism, and in 394 AD. e. they were banned by the emperor Theodosius I.

Revival of the Olympic Games

Baron Pierre de Coubertin

Even after the ban on ancient competitions, the Olympic idea did not disappear completely. For example, in England during 17th century“Olympic” competitions and competitions were held repeatedly. Later, similar competitions were organized in France And Greece. However, these were small events that were, at best, regional in nature. The first true predecessors of the modern Olympic Games are the Olympias, which were held regularly during the period 1859 -1888. The idea of ​​reviving the Olympic Games in Greece belonged to the poet Panagiotis Soutsos, brought it to life by a public figure Evangelis Zappas.

In 1766, as a result of archaeological excavations in Olympia, sports and temple buildings were discovered. In 1875, archaeological research and excavations continued under German leadership. At that time, romantic-idealistic ideas about antiquity were in vogue in Europe. The desire to revive Olympic thinking and culture spread quite quickly throughout Europe. French Baron Pierre de Coubertin ( fr. Pierre de Coubertin), later reflecting on the contribution of France, said: “Germany unearthed what remained of ancient Olympia. Why can't France restore its old greatness?

According to Coubertin, it was the weak physical condition of the French soldiers that became one of the reasons for the defeat of the French in Franco-Prussian War 1870 -1871 . He sought to change the situation by improving the physical culture of the French. At the same time, he wanted to overcome national egoism and contribute to the struggle for peace and international understanding. The “youth of the world” were supposed to measure their strength in sports competitions, and not on the battlefields. Reviving the Olympic Games seemed in his eyes the best solution to achieve both goals.

At the congress held June 16-23, 1894 in Sorbonne(University of Paris), he presented his thoughts and ideas to an international audience. On the last day of the congress it was decided that first modern Olympic Games should take place in 1896 in Athens, in the parent country of the Games - Greece. To organize the Games, it was founded International Olympic Committee(IOC). The first president of the Committee was a Greek Demetrius Vikelas, who was president until graduation I Olympic Games 1896. Baron Pierre de Coubertin became the General Secretary.

Poster for the first Olympic Games

The first Games of our time were a great success. Despite the fact that only 241 athletes (14 countries) took part in the Games, the Games became the largest sporting event ever held since Ancient Greece. Greek officials were so pleased that they put forward a proposal to hold the Olympic Games “forever” in their homeland, Greece. But the IOC introduced rotation between different states so that every 4 years the Games change their location.

After the first success, the Olympic movement experienced its first crisis. II Olympic Games 1900 V Paris (France) And III Olympic Games 1904 V St. Louis (Missouri, USA) were combined with World exhibitions. Sports competitions dragged on for months and attracted almost no interest from spectators. At the 1900 Olympics in Paris, women and a team participated for the first time Russian Empire. Almost only American athletes participated in the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, since Europe getting across the ocean in those years was very difficult for technical reasons.

On Extraordinary Olympic Games 1906 In Athens (Greece), sporting competitions and achievements once again took first place. Although the IOC initially recognized and supported the holding of these "interim Games" (just two years after the previous ones), these Games are now not recognized as Olympic Games. Some sports historians consider the 1906 Games to be the salvation of the Olympic idea, as they prevented the games from becoming “meaningless and unnecessary.”

Modern Olympic Games

The principles, rules and regulations of the Olympic Games are defined Olympic Charter, the fundamentals of which have been approved International Sports Congress V Paris V 1894 , who accepted at the suggestion of a French teacher and public figure Pierre de Coubertin the decision to organize the Games on the model of the ancient ones and to create International Olympic Committee(IOC). According to the charter, the Olympic Games “... unite amateur athletes from all countries in fair and equal competition. There shall be no discrimination against countries or individuals on racial, religious or political grounds...” Besides olympic sports, the organizing committee has the right to choose to include in the program exhibition competitions in 1-2 sports not recognized by the IOC.

Games of the Olympics, also known as Summer Olympics, are held in the first year of the 4-year (Olympic) cycle. The Olympiads are counted from 1896 when the first Olympic Games took place (I Olympiad - 1896-99). The Olympiad also receives its number in cases where the games are not held (for example, VI - in 1916-19, XII - 1940-43, XIII - 1944-47). The term "Olympiad" officially means a four-year cycle, but unofficially it is often used instead of the name "Olympic Games" . In the same years as the Olympic Games, with 1924 were carried out Winter Olympic Games, which have their own numbering. In the numbering of the Winter Olympic Games, missed games are not taken into account (behind the IV games 1936 followed by V games 1948 ). Since 1994, the dates of the Winter Olympic Games have been shifted by 2 years relative to the summer ones.

The location of the Olympics is chosen by the IOC; the right to organize them is granted to the city, not the country. The duration of the Games is on average 16-18 days. Taking into account the climatic characteristics of different countries, the Summer Games can be held not only in the “summer months”. So XXVII Summer Olympic Games 2000 V Sydney (Australia), due to Australia’s location in the Southern Hemisphere, where summer begins in December, were held in September, that is, in the fall.

Symbol of the Olympic Games- five fastened rings, symbolizing the unification of the five parts of the world in the Olympic movement, i.e. the Olympic rings. The colors of the rings in the top row are blue, black and red. In the bottom row - yellow and green. The Olympic Movement has its own emblem and flag, approved by the IOC upon proposal Coubertin V 1913 . The emblem is the Olympic rings. Motto - Citius, Altius, Fortius (lat. "faster, higher, stronger"). Flag- a white banner with the Olympic rings, raised at all Games, starting with VII Olympic Games 1920 V Antwerp (Belgium), where it also began to be given for the first time olympic oath. The parade of national teams under the flags at the opening of the Games is held from IV Olympic Games 1908 V London (Great Britain). WITH Olympics-1936 V Berlin (Germany) relay race is held olympic flame. Olympic mascots first appeared at the 1968 Summer and Winter Games unofficially, and have been approved since the 1972 Olympics.

Among the traditional rituals of the Games (in the order in which they are held):

grandiose and colorful opening and closing ceremonies of the Games. From year to year, the best of the best from all over the world are involved in the development of scripts for these spectacles: screenwriters, organizers of mass shows, special effects specialists, etc. Many famous singers, actors and other very eminent people strive to take part in this spectacle. Broadcasts of these events break records of viewership every time. Each country organizing the Olympics strives to surpass all previous ones in the scope and beauty of these ceremonies. Ceremony scripts are kept in the strictest confidence until they begin. The ceremonies take place in central stadiums with a large capacity, where competitions are held. athletics(exception: 2016 Summer Olympics, where central Stadium, will host football finals, without athletics).

opening and closing begin with a theatrical performance, which should present to the audience the appearance of the country and city, acquaint them with their history and culture.

ceremonial passage of athletes and members of delegations through the central stadium. Athletes from each country go in a separate group. Traditionally, the delegation of athletes from Greece, the parent country of the Games, goes first. Other groups are in order corresponding to the alphabetical order of the names of countries in the language of the host country of the Games. (Or in the official IOC language - French or English). At the front of each group is a representative of the host country, carrying a sign with the name of the respective country in the language of the host country of the Games and in the official languages ​​of the IOC. Behind him at the head of the group is a standard bearer - usually an athlete participating in the games, carrying the flag of his country. The right to carry the flag is highly honorable for athletes. As a rule, this right is trusted to the most titled and respected athletes.

delivering welcoming speeches by the IOC President (mandatory), the head or official representative of the state in which the Games are taking place, sometimes the mayor of the city or the Chairman of the Organizing Committee. The latter, at the end of the speech, must utter the words: “(serial number of games) Summer (Winter) Olympic Games I declare open.” After which, as a rule, a gun salvo and many volleys of fireworks and fireworks are fired.

raising the flag of Greece as the parent country of the Games with the performance of its national anthem.

Raising the flag of the host country of the Games and singing its national anthem.

uttered by one of the outstanding athletes of the country in which the Olympics are taking place, olympic oath on behalf of all participants in the games about fair fight in accordance with the rules and principles of sport and the Olympic spirit (in recent years, words have also been spoken about the non-use of prohibited drugs - doping);

the pronouncement by several judges on behalf of all judges of an oath of impartial judging;

raising the Olympic flag with the playing of the official Olympic anthem.

sometimes - raising the flag of Peace (a blue cloth depicting a white dove holding an olive branch in its beak - two traditional symbols of Peace), symbolizing the tradition of stopping all armed conflicts during the Games.

crowns the opening ceremony with lighting olympic flame. The fire is lit by the sun's rays Olympia(Greece) in the Temple pagan greek god Apollo(in Ancient Greece Apollo considered the patron of the Games). "High Priestess" Hera says a prayer with the following content: “ Apollo, god of the sun and the idea of ​​​​light, send your rays and light the sacred torch for the hospitable city ... (name of the city)" . “The Olympic torch relay took place all over the world until 2007. Now, for the purposes of the anti-terrorism campaign, the torch is carried only in the country in which the games are taking place. From country to country, the torch is delivered by plane, and in each country an athlete or other figure from that country runs his part relay race to pass the flame on. The relay arouses great interest in all countries through which the path of the Olympic flame lies. Carrying the torch is considered a great honor. The first part of the relay passes through the cities of Greece. The last part through the cities of the host country of the Games. On the opening day of the Games, the torch is delivered to the host city. Athletes of this country deliver the torch to the central stadium at the very end of the ceremony. At the stadium, the torch is carried around the circle several times, passing from hand to hand, until it is given to the athlete who is entrusted with the right to light the Olympic flame. This right is the most honorable The fire is lit in a special bowl, the design of which is unique for each Olympics. Also, the organizers always try to come up with an original and interesting way of lighting. The bowl is located high above the stadium. The fire must burn throughout the Olympics and is extinguished at the end of the closing ceremony.

presentation to winners and runners-up of competitions medals on a special podium with a lift national flags and execution of national anthem in honor of the winners.

During the closing ceremony there is also a theatrical performance - farewell to the Olympics, the passage of participants, a speech by the IOC President and a representative of the host country. However, the closure of the Olympics is already announced by the IOC President. This is followed by the singing of the national anthem, the Olympic anthem, while the flags are lowered. A representative of the host country solemnly hands over the Olympic flag to the IOC President, who in turn hands it over to a representative of the Organizing Committee of the next Olympiad. This is followed by a short introduction to the next city hosting the Games. At the end of the ceremony, the Olympic flame slowly goes out to lyrical music.

WITH 1932 the host city is building " olympic village» - a complex of residential premises for game participants.

The organizers of the Games are developing the symbols of the Olympics: the official emblem and mascot of the Games. The emblem usually has a unique design, stylized according to the characteristics of the country. The emblem and mascot of the Games are an integral part of the souvenir products produced in large quantities on the eve of the Games. Revenue from sales of souvenirs can make up a significant part of the income from the Olympics, but they do not always cover expenses.

According to the charter, the Games are a competition between individual athletes and not between national teams. However, with 1908 the so-called unofficial team standings - determining the place occupied by teams based on the number of medals received and points scored in competitions (points are awarded for the first 6 places according to the system: 1st place - 7 points, 2nd - 5, 3rd - 4, 4 -e - 3, 5th - 2, 6th - 1).

Summer Olympic Games medalists in the team event

Winners of the Winter Olympic Games in the team event

Rank Olympic champion is the most honorable and desirable in a career athlete in those sports for which the Olympics are held tournaments. Cm. Olympic sports. The exceptions are football, baseball, and other team sports that take place in open areas, since either youth teams (football - up to 23 years old) take part in them, or due to the busy game schedule, not the strongest players come.

USSR participated in the Summer Games starting from 1952 Olympics V Helsinki, in winter - from 1956 Olympics V Cortina d'Ampezzo. After collapse of the USSR on 1992 Summer Olympics V Barcelona athletes of the countries CIS, including Russia, participated in a united team under a common flag, and starting from Winter Olympics 1994 V Lillehammer- in separate teams under their own flags.

A number of Games took place from Boycott the Olympics for political and other protest reasons. The boycott of the summer was especially widespread. 1980 Olympics V Moscow(from Western countries) and 1984 Olympics V Los Angeles(from the countries of the socialist camp).

amateur spirit

Coubertin originally wanted to make the Olympic Games amateur a competition in which there is no place for professionals who play sports for money. It was believed that those paid to play sports had an unfair advantage over those who practiced sports as hobby. They didn't even allow trainers and those who received cash prizes for participation. In particular, Jim Thorpe V 1913 was stripped of his medals - it was discovered that he played semi-professionally baseball.

After the war, with the professionalization of European sports and the emergence of state-subsidized Soviet “amateurs” on the international stage, the requirement for amateurism in most sports fell away. At the moment, the Olympic Games are amateur boxing(fights follow the rules of amateur boxing) and football(youth team competitions - all players except three must be under 23 years old).

Financing

The financing of the Olympic Games (as well as their direct organization) is carried out by the Organizing Committee created in the country where the games are held. The bulk of commercial income from the Games (primarily funds from the largest sponsors of the IOC marketing program and income from television broadcasts) goes to the International Olympic Committee. In turn, the IOC allocates half of these funds to the organizing committees, and uses half for its own needs and the development of the Olympic movement. The organizing committee also receives 95% of the proceeds from ticket sales. But the bulk of funding in recent decades has, as a rule, come from government sources, and the main costs are not for hosting games, but for developing infrastructure. Thus, the bulk of the costs of the Olympic Games in London in 2012 fell on the reconstruction of areas adjacent to the Olympic Park.

The ancient Olympic Games were brutal competitions in which athletes shed their blood and even gave their lives for glory and championship, in order to avoid shame and defeat.

Participants in the games competed naked. Athletes were idealized, not least because of their physical perfection. They were praised for their fearlessness, endurance and will to fight, bordering on suicide. In bloody fist fights and chariot races, few reached the finish line.

The emergence of the Olympic Games

It is no secret that for the ancient Olympians the main thing was will. In these competitions there was no place for politeness, nobility, exercise in amateur sports and modern Olympic ideals.

The first Olympians fought for the reward. Officially, the winner received a symbolic olive wreath, but they returned home as heroes and received unusual gifts.

They fought desperately for something that modern Olympians cannot understand - for immortality.

There was no afterlife in the Greek religion. hope for continuation of life after death it was only possible through glory and valiant deeds, perpetuated in sculpture and song. Losing meant complete collapse.

In ancient games there were no silver and bronze medalists, the losers received no honors, they went home to their disappointed mothers, as the ancient Greek poet writes.

Little remains of the ancient Olympic Games. The festivities that once rocked these places can no longer be returned. These columns once supported the vaults, in whose honor the games were held. The now unremarkable field was the stadium where the competitions were held, where 45 thousand Greeks gathered.

The tunnel has been preserved, in which the steps of the Olympians were heard as they entered the field. From the top of the triangular column, the winged goddess of victory, the symbol and spirit of the Olympic Games, looked at all this.

The origin can be called prehistoric, people lived here in stone houses around 2800 BC. Around 1000 BC Olympia became a temple to the god of thunder and lightning.

How did games come about?

From religious rituals. The first competition was running to the altar of Zeus – ritual offering of energy to god.

The first recorded games took place in 776 BC., they were held every 4 years continuously for 12 centuries.

All citizens could participate. Non-Greeks, whom the Greeks themselves called , were not allowed to participate, and women and slaves were also not allowed.

The games took place in August on a full moon. Athletes arrived here 30 days before the opening to train for a month. They were closely watched by judges called.

To those who carefully prepared for the Olympics, were not lazy and did not do anything reprehensible, the Hellenistics said move forward boldly. But if someone didn't train properly, they should have left.

In those times The entire ancient world came to the Olympics, 100 thousand people set up camps in the fields and olive groves. They arrived here by land and sea: from Africa, the territory of modern France and the southern coast of modern Russia. Often people came here from city-states that were at war with each other: the Greeks were quite quarrelsome by nature.

The games were of great importance and were respected, and therefore in honor of Zeus a truce was signed on the sacred disk, which protected all arriving guests for three months. Perhaps due to the fact that it was reinforced by fear in everyone, the truce was almost never broken: even the most sworn enemies could see each other and compete at the Olympics in the world.

But on the first day of the Olympiad there were no competitions; it was a day of religious purification and parting words. The athletes were led to a sanctuary and meeting place. There was also a statue of Zeus with a lightning bolt in his hand.

Under the stern gaze of the god, the priest sacrificed the genitals of a bull, after which athletes took the Solomon's oath To Zeus: compete fairly and follow the rules.

Everything was serious. The punishment for breaking the rules was severe. In the distance, the athletes saw statues of Zeus, called zanas, erected with money received in the form of fines paid by violators of competition rules.

Victory had to be earned not by money, but by the speed of the legs and the strength of the body - said the instructions of the Olympics. But the crown of victory was given with considerable blood.

Fist fight

The ancient Greeks admired the beauty and power of sports, but they were also drawn to savagery and violence: they saw this as a metaphor for life.

The Greek word for competition is agon, which is where the word agony comes from. The concept of struggle is one of the central ones in Greek culture. In the context of athletics, "agon" meant competition with pain, suffering and brutal competition.

Without a doubt, no sport has such fierce competition as boxing, which has its origins in

Fist fighting entered the games program in 688 BC, followed by wrestling and an even more brutal sport -. All of them quickly became the crowd's favorite sports because the risk of injury or even death was extremely high here, and the victims had to appease Zeus, so the battles were held in the sacred part of Olympia - in front of the 9-meter altar of Zeus, made from the ashes of sacrificial animals.

Modern boxers would be horrified by the rules of the competition, or rather, by the practical absence of them: there were no weight restrictions, there were no rounds, the opponents fought without a break, water, a trainer in the corner of the ring and gloves - the fighters were left to their own devices.

They were reeling Rough leather straps for fists and wrists to increase the impact force. The skin cut into the flesh of the enemy. The blows often landed on the head, everything was splattered with blood, they fought nonstop until one of the opponents falls.

Since 146 BC. The Romans became the hosts of the Olympics. With them, competitors began to insert three-centimeter metal spikes between their belts - it was more reminiscent of a knife fight than a fist fight, some almost immediately dropped out of the competition, others were very successful. Many beginners were slashed by these belt gloves, or rather, they were even torn into pieces.

To make the battles tougher, they were held in August afternoons under the scorching Mediterranean sun. Thus, the competitors fought each other with blinding light, dehydration and heat.

How long did the battles last? Four hours or more until one of the athletes gave up, for this all you had to do was raise your finger.

But the defeat was much more humiliating than today: many wrestlers preferred to die than to lose.

The Spartans, fanatical soldiers, were taught to never give up, so they did not participate in fist fights, since defeat was a mortal shame.

Wrestlers were admired not only for the blows they could inflict on their opponents, but also for the pain they could endure. They valued physically and philosophically the ability to withstand pain to the point where you would take blow after blow under the scorching sun, the heat, breathing dust - they saw virtue in this.

If the matter went to a draw, or the fight reached a dead point, the judges could appear climax, when the fighters had to exchange open blows. There is a famous story about two fighters who reached this point in a match - Krevg and Damoxena. Everyone had to strike a blow to the enemy. The first was Damoxen, he used a karate piercing cut, pierced his opponent's flesh and ripped out his intestines. Krevg was posthumously declared the winner, because the judges stated that technically Damoxenus struck him not with one blow, but five, because he used five fingers to pierce the enemy's body in several places at once.

The ancient fighters did not have equipment for training, but they were not inferior in physical strength to their modern colleagues.

Pankration - fights without rules

Wrestling matches were practically a battle to the death, but for the savagery - low blows and prohibited techniques- had my own sport, pankration.

Pankration was a very brutal event, it was the most brutal of all ancient competitions. They say about him that it is a mixture of unclean boxing with unclean wrestling: it was allowed to hit, push, choke, break bones - whatever you want, no prohibitions.

Pankration appeared in 648 BC. It had only two rules: Don't bite or gouge out eyes, but these prohibitions were not always observed. Opponents fought completely naked, blows to the genitals were prohibited, but even this rule was often violated.

Technique was not important in these ancient fights without rules, very soon they became the most popular event at the Olympics.

Pankration was the personification of violence in ancient sports, it was a most exciting and popular spectacle, and it gives us some idea of ​​the spirit of humanity in those days.

Wrestling is a relatively civilized combat sport.

Wrestling was the only combat sport that could be called relatively civilized by today's standards, but even here the rules were not strict. Simply put, everything was used: much of what is prohibited today - chokeholds, breaking bones, tripping - everything was considered normal technique.

The ancient fighters were well trained and taught many techniques: throwing over the shoulder, vice grips and various grips. The competitions were held in special shallow hole.

There were two types of competitions: lying on the ground and standing. The wrestlers fought either on their feet - in this case, any three falls meant defeat, or the opponents fought in slippery mud, where it was difficult for them to stay on their feet. The fight continued, as in wrestling or pankration, until one of the participants gave up. Fights were often akin to torture.

In the 7th century BC. e. judges realized the need to introduce ban on breaking fingers, but was often ignored. In the 5th century BC. Antikozy won two victories in a row, breaking the fingers of his opponents.

Chariot racing is the most dangerous sport

But it wasn't just wrestlers who risked their bodies and lives at the ancient Olympic Games.

Long before the appearance of the Olympic Games, the Greeks loved to combine sports with sometimes even mortal danger. Bull jumping was a popular sport in the 2000s BC. The acrobats literally took the rushing bull by the horns, performing on its back.

The most dangerous Olympic sport was chariot racing. The chariots competed in the hippodrome, which is now an olive grove: the hippodrome was washed away around 600 AD. river Althea suddenly changed course.

The racing strip of the hippodrome was about 135 meters long, its width could accommodate 44 chariots, each of which was harnessed by 4 horses.

Tens of thousands of Greeks watched the races, which were real a test of control skill and nerve resistance. 24 laps of 9 kilometers each freely accommodated 160 horses, beating their hooves at the start.

The most difficult part of the distance was turning around: the chariot had to be turned 180 degrees almost on the spot, i.e. the chariot rotated around its axis. It was at this point that most accidents occurred: chariots overturned, athletes were thrown, and horses bumped into and tripped over each other.

The level of danger of racing reached the point of absurdity, mainly due to the lack of dividing strips. Chariots often collided head-on. The poet writes that in one of the races, 43 out of 44 chariots crashed, leaving the winner the only survivor on the field.

Zeus ruled Olympus, but the fate of the chariots rather depended on the god of horses, whose statue looked over the hippodrome. His name was, he instilled fear in horses, so before the race the participants tried to appease him.

The only element of order in this racing chaos was introduced at the start. The Greeks came up with an original mechanism to ensure fairness on the field: the bronze eagle of Zeus rose above the crowd, which meant the start of the race.

The chariots were small in size and had two wheels; they were open at the back, so the driver was not protected in any way.

It was erected by participants almost as prestigious as the Olympic ones. The Greeks praised control and self-control in the midst of violence and chaos. The statue embodies these ideals.

Was it possible for women to participate in competitions?? Not as charioteers, but they could display their chariots.

On the pedestal on which stood the statue of the king’s daughter, there is an inscription: “ Sparta kings are my fathers and brothers. Having defeated the chariots on fleet-footed horses, I, Kiniska, erected this statue. I say with pride: I am the only woman who received this wreath.”

Kiniska was the first woman to win the Olympics, sending his chariot to the games.

As today, boys often acted as jockeys in the horse racing that followed chariot racing. The main thing here was the right combination of uncontrollability and control. Jockeys raced bareback horses controlling them only with knees and a whip.

The horses were wild. In 512 BC. the mare named Veter threw off the jockey as soon as she burst into the field, ran without a rider and won the race.

Pentathlon is the most prestigious competition

Olympians trained here in palaestre, practicing fist and hand-to-hand combat. In the gymnasium they trained for the most prestigious competition among the ancient Olympic Games - pentathlon.

If in chariot racing the Greeks demonstrated fearlessness and fury, then in the pentathlon other Olympic ideals were valued: balance, grace and well-rounded development.

The event was imbued with idealism, the Greeks attached great importance proportions and balance in a person. We can see the embodiment of all this in pentathletes.

It was the pentathletes who served an example of an ideal body, when ancient sculptors depicted gods. The Greeks appreciated correct proportions, the winner in the pentathlon was recognized main athlete of the games.

He competed in five different competitions: running, jumping, discus throwing, javelin throwing and wrestling. Craftsmanship and timing were extremely important.

Pentathletes trained for years in the gymnasium in rhythm to the sound of a flute. The competition was interestingly different from modern ones. For example, in javelin throwing the Greeks used loop in the middle of the spear shaft to enhance the throw. They threw a disc weighing 6 kilograms 800 grams - three times heavier than a modern one. Perhaps that is why they performed such perfect twisting and throwing techniques that these techniques have survived to this day.

The most intriguing difference occurs in the long jump: the Greeks held loads in their hands from 2 to 7 kilograms to increase momentum and increase the length of the jump.

Holding weights to jump further seems absurd. In reality you can catch the impulse of a flying cargo and it will literally drag you through the air so that you will feel the inertial force on yourself. This actually adds length to the jump.

The length is incredible: the jumping pit was designed for 15 meters, which is 6 meters more than the modern world record. Pentathletes, like all Olympians, competed naked.

Nude Olympics

From the point of view of modern people nudity is the most amazing aspect ancient Olympic games. All the competition took place without clothes: running, discus throwing, wrestling and everything else.

But why participants began performing naked? History says that this has been the case since the 8th century BC. In 720, a runner named Arsip lost his loincloth during the competition. He won, and all the runners decided to compete naked. Gradually this custom spread to other sports.

Modern scientists reject such explanations and note that nudity and homosexuality were not considered shameful in Greek society. The very word “gymnasium,” where the Greeks studied, meant “nakedness.”

Invented in the 600s BC. These were training facilities. And at the same time, the importance of homosexuality increased, it ceased to be a secret among the Greeks. This may be partly why nudity was introduced into the games.

Homosexuality was not only not shameful in Russia, it was even encouraged, because It is important for a man to marry a virgin and have children. The only way to keep virgins intact was homosexual relations. The atmosphere at the Olympics was very electric, these were the best men of the city-states: they were the most attractive, trained and there was sexual attraction between them.

As well as between men and women who were allowed to watch nude games. Oddly enough, but married women were strictly prohibited from watching games, even just crossing the Altis River, which skirted the sacred place. Violation of the ban was punishable by death. Women caught on sacred ground were thrown into an abyss that yawned near the temple.

But young virgin girls could watch the games, despite the nudity of the athletes and the brutality of the spectacle. Unmarried girls were allowed into the stadium, because in some ways they were ignorant, they needed to get used to the idea of ​​a man being a part of their life. The best foreplay was the performance of naked men.

One of the modern researchers said that this order was developed so that married women would not see what they could no longer have, but young maidens looked at the best of the best to know what to strive for.

Gerean games

Virgos could compete in their games called Heroes in honor of the wife of Zeus. The Heroes consisted of three races: for girls, teenage girls and young women, one lane long in the Olympic stadium, shortened by one-sixth in proportion to a woman's stride.

Spartan girls trained from birth just like boys, so they were the leaders of the games.

Unlike men, girls did not compete naked: they wore short tunics, chitons, revealing the right breast.

Women's competitions were a ritual event, something like public demonstration of their strength and spirit before they were tamed by the bonds of marriage and before they became women, it was a ritual transition.

The women's races took place on a day when the men were resting. It was a day of rituals and feasts, leading to the culmination of the religious part of the ancient games.

Art in Olympia

But people came to Olympus not only for the games, they literally wanted to see people and show themselves off: - here any of them could be found in the crowd. , the world's first professional historian, earned his fame here, reading his works at the Temple of Zeus.

People came to enjoy the works of art that decorated the temple. Those who saw this place for the first time were amazed at its beauty. These ruins were once home to thousands of masterpieces, a “forest of sculptures,” as one writer put it.

But only a few of them have survived to our times - those that archaeologists pulled out from under the cobblestones a little more than a century ago. Unfortunately, nothing remains of the legendary one that stood in the temple and was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

It took countless amounts of gold and ivory. Zeus's entire body was made of ivory, his throne was made of ivory, ebony and precious stones. Zeus's robe was entirely made of gold - gold foil.

Dozens of gutters in the shape of lion heads decorated the temple and surrounded the statue. Outside, along the perimeter of the temple, sculptures depicted scenes from. Bright ornaments on the walls of some buildings in the complex made the temple even more dazzling.

The ruins, surrounded by 182 columns, were once a hotel Leonidio, where only the richest people stayed. Of the hundreds of thousands who came to Olympus, only 50 guests could be accommodated here at the same time.

There is no trace left of the altar of Zeus. Once it was located between the temples of Zeus and, it was the main shrine Olympia, animals were sacrificed here every day. This cone-shaped altar, more than 9 meters high, was famous throughout Ancient Greece. It consisted entirely of the ashes of sacrificial animals. The altar was symbol of worship of Zeus: the more sacrifices they made to him, the more honors he was given, and this is a clear reminder of how many sacrifices were made to his divine essence.

The ashes were mixed with water and pressed into a mold. Steps were carved into the side of this ash mound, along which the priests climbed to make another sacrificial offering.

At noon on the third day of games the sacrifice became a special spectacle: a herd of bulls – a whole hundred – stabbed and burned in honor of Zeus. But in reality, only a small symbolic piece from each animal was given to God.

They took the most useless parts of the animals, placed them on the altar, and then burned them for the gods. They cut up and cooked 90% of the carcass, and in the evening everyone got a piece. The meat was distributed to the crowd, it was quite an event.

Running is the very first sport

There was an even bigger event the next morning: a men's running competition. The very first and once only sport had special significance for the Greeks, who named each Olympics after the winners of cross-country or sprint.

Treadmills were practically no different from modern ones. There were indentations on the starting line, which runners could rest their toes on. The distance was about 180 meters long. According to legend, he could run exactly this distance in one breath. On both sides, 45 thousand roaring spectators sat on the slopes. Many of them camped here and cooked food at night.

Interestingly, even in the August heat, they watched the games with their heads uncovered: wearing hats in the stadium was prohibited, because they could block someone's view.

Despite the wealth and prestige of the games, on the hillsides never built shops like in other stadiums. The Greeks wanted to keep the ancient democratic tradition of sitting on the grass. Only 12 stone thrones in the center were intended for the Hellanodic judges. Another seating area was provided the only married woman who could be present at the stadium- priestess, goddess of the harvest, who was once worshiped on Olympus even before Zeus.

20 runners could compete at the same time in the stadium. Starting positions were drawn by lot, then they were called to the start one by one. False starts were strictly prohibited: those who took off ahead of time, judges beat with rods.

In the 4th century BC. The Greeks invented the hysplex starting mechanism - wooden starting gate, guaranteeing a fair start.

What was the main thing difference between ancient races and modern ones? In starting positions. Such an arrangement of runners would seem strange to us, but we needed to understand how everything was arranged: when the boundary board fell, the athletes’ arms dropped, the body leaned forward, the toes pushed off from the depressions in the ground - the starting jerk was very powerful.

It is unknown how fast the Greeks ran; they would not have recorded time even if they had stopwatches. They never compared the competition to any records. For the Greeks the idea and the meaning of the sport was a duel between men, in the struggle and what they called the word “agon”.

However, legends about speed have survived. One of the statues says that Phlegius of Sparta did not run, but flew over the stadium. His speed was phenomenal, incalculable.

In addition to sprinting, the Greeks competed in double distance running, i.e. there and back on a treadmill, and also in Darikos, where you had to run 20 times along a 3,800-meter-long circular track.

Ironically, the famous torch relay race were not included in the program of the Olympic Games, like those that the Greeks considered form of communication, being phenomenal long-distance runners. Immediately after the victory at Dorikos in 328, an athlete named Augeias ran from Olympus to home, 97 kilometers, in one day.

The last race of such a day was the most unusual: a grueling test of speed and strength in which Greek infantrymen, called , ran twice back and forth along the stadium track in full uniform and equipment. Imagine what it’s like to run 400 meters with 20 kilograms of weapons at the highest speed and turn around.

It is interesting that the hoplite race was held at the very end of the Olympiad, it meant end of the olympic truce and a return to hostility and hostilities. It was a reminder that the beauty of the games had to come to an end, to be replaced by other important events.

Legends of the Ancient Olympic Games

For more than 12 centuries, the best athletes of the Ancient world came to Olympia to compete in games that were the main test of strength and agility.

What did the winners receive? Only branch cut from an olive tree in the grove behind the Temple of Zeus. But as soon as they returned home, they were showered with gifts: free food for life and rewards for every win, commensurate with a modern hundred thousand dollars.

Them worshiped like heroes or even gods, even their sweat was revered as a symbol of struggle. Athletes' sweat was an expensive commodity. It was collected along with dust from the site during competitions, placed in bottles and sold as a magic potion.

A stone has been preserved that contains the names of the winners of the Olympics. Unfortunately, statues of game legends such as the wrestler, won 6 Olympiads in a row. He was so feared that his opponents immediately dropped out of the game, crushed by his glory. They said he had superhuman strength. Ancient texts report that Milo once carried a full-grown bull through the stadium, then butchered it and ate it whole in one day.

Another Olympian was a famous strongman - champion of pankration in 408 BC. He was known for his exploits outside the stadium: they said that Polydam fought with an adult lion and killed him with his bare hands, and also stopped the chariot at full speed, grasping the back with one hand.

Among the runners the best was Leonid of Rhodes. They said he was as fast as a god. He won three races during 4 Olympics in a row. He was revered as a god.

But the main Olympic record belongs to the jumper Failu, who participated in the 110th Olympiad. The story goes that the jumping pit was 15 meters long, this is unimaginable to us, because modern athletes jump a little further than 9 meters. They said that Fail jumped over that pit and landed at about 17 meters with such force that he broke both of his legs.

But Fail's jump is nothing compared to the Olympics' leap in time. The temple also reflects an outstanding history. This round monument was erected by the king and his son in honor of the victory over the Greeks in 338 BC. They built this memorial in the heart of Olympia to show their strength and power.

The Romans did the same a couple of centuries later, installing 21 golden shields around the Temple of Zeus when Greece became a Roman province. Thus, Olympia became the embodiment of Roman greatness, and the Romans put a lot of effort into maintaining the sanctuary in decent condition: they built an aqueduct that brought water to one of the structures, in addition, the Romans built baths there and a kind of club for athletes, discovered by German archaeologists only in 1995

Only the winners of the games could be members of the club. The building was paved with marble tiles, even the walls were covered with it. There is evidence in ancient sources that similar clubs existed. The winning athlete at Olympia was immediately included in the circle of the elite.

The building was built by an emperor who considered himself a god. In '67 he took part in a chariot competition. While driving a cart pulled by 10 horses, Nero lost control and, crashing the chariot, did not finish the race. Nevertheless, he was declared the winner. A year after the death of the emperor this the decision was reconsidered.

The end of the ancient Olympic Games

How and when did the tradition of games end?

Until very recently, it was believed that the last Olympiad took place in 393 AD, when the emperor Theodosius I, who was a deeply religious Christian, put an end to all pagan traditions.

30 years later, in 426 AD. his son finished what he started, setting on fire the sanctuary and Temple of Zeus.

However, scientists have found evidence that the tradition of games continued for almost a century up to 500 AD. This information was found on marble tablet, found at the bottom of an ancient latrine. There were inscriptions on it left by the hand of 14 different athletes - winners of the Olympics. The last inscription dates back to the very end of the 4th century AD. Thus, it should be considered that the history of games should be extended for another 120 years.

The ancient games finally disappeared along with Olympia itself, destroyed by two earthquakes at the beginning of the 5th century. Subsequently, a small Christian village arose on the ruins, the inhabitants of which turned the only surviving building into a church - the workshop of the great sculptor who sculpted the once legendary statue of Zeus.

By the 6th century floods destroyed it along with everything, what remained of ancient Olympia, hiding the ruins under an 8-meter layer of dirt and earth for 13 long centuries.

The first excavations were carried out in 1829. German archaeologists appeared here in 1875 and since then work has never stopped.

However, excavations turned out to be so difficult and expensive that the stadium was liberated from earth captivity only in the 1960s. The cost of excavating the hippodrome, hidden by groves, is so great that it will probably remain underground forever.

However, the spirit of this place is reborn, just as the Olympic Games themselves were revived in 1896 at the height of the excavations. Every 4 years for 12 centuries here the Olympic flame was lit, and this tradition has resumed in our time. From here the fire begins its path in the hands of the runners, symbolizing the beginning of the games, games that will never be able to achieve the scope and brilliance of the Olympics of the past.

But the administration of Athens and the Greek government expressed doubts that the necessary funds would be allocated to hold competitions of this rank. The government motivated this attitude by the fact that Athenians are poorly versed in sports and that the city does not have the necessary sports facilities, and the financial situation of Greece does not allow inviting representatives from many countries to the Olympics. Many prominent government and political figures supported the government's statement. For example, the influential political figure Stephonos Dratomis wrote that Greece was unable to realize the magnificent idea of ​​​​Pierre de Coubertin and the Games were best postponed until 1900, as part of the World Exhibition in Paris.

But Pierre de Coubertin, as well as the Greek Crown Prince Constantine, who supported him, believed that they could only count on help from private individuals. The Crown Prince created a special commission to facilitate the holding of the Olympic Games. He appointed the former mayor of Athens, Philemon, as secretary general of the commission, and also appealed to the people to donate funds to the Olympics preparation fund. Money began to come not only from the residents of Greece, but also from London, Marseille, Istanbul (Constantinople) and other cities where rich Greek colonies existed. With funds received from Alexandria from Georg Averoff, the ancient Olympic stadium was restored. A velodrome and a shooting range were also built in Athens. Tennis courts are located in the city center. Athletes were provided with pavilions with boathouses and locker rooms for rowing competitions.

The preparation of the Olympic venues was carried out by the Greek National Olympic Committee, which managed to complete all the preparatory work in one year. The International Olympic Committee and national committees of other countries selected participants for the Games, which turned out to be a difficult task. Here is what Pierre de Coubertin wrote about this: “Most of the gymnastic associations in Germany, France and Belgium are filled with the consciousness of their own exclusivity: the members of these associations do not intend to tolerate in the program of the Games those sports that they do not cultivate. They especially hate the so-called “English” sports... Other associations were ready to send their representatives to Athens only after providing them with information regarding the interest the planned sports festival was arousing... The German press, to top it all off, declared, that the Olympics are an exclusively Franco-Greek enterprise. Meanwhile, Mr. Kemen in Hungary, Major Balck in Sweden, General Butovsky in Russia, Professor Sloan in the USA, Lord Ampthill in Great Britain and Dr. Gut-Jarkovsky in Bohemia (modern Czech Republic) did everything possible to create interest in the upcoming competitions."

The competition was originally planned to take place in the stadium at Olympia, site of the Ancient Greek Olympic Games. But this idea had to be abandoned because the stadium needed serious restoration. It was decided to hold the Games at the Athens stadium, where athletes competed in ancient times. The opening of the Games took place on April 6 at the Marble Stadium in Athens; the opening ceremony was watched by about 80 thousand spectators (a record figure before the 1932 Olympic Games). After the King of Greece announced the Games of the First Olympiad, a choir of 150 voices performed the Olympic Ode, written especially for this occasion by the Greek composer Samara.

311 athletes from 13 countries took part in the competition: Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Denmark, USA, France, Chile, Switzerland, Sweden. However, more than 70% of the participants competed for Greece. The teams of Germany (21 athletes), France (19), and the USA (14) were quite representative.

Russian athletes were actively preparing for the Olympics, but due to lack of funds, the Russian team was unable to attend. Several athletes from Odessa, eager to participate in the Games, decided to travel to Athens on their own, but due to financial problems they had to return back. Kiev resident Nikolai Ritter, however, managed to get to Athens and even applied to participate in wrestling and shooting competitions. But he did not compete, later withdrawing his application.

Only men took part in the competition.

The program of the first modern Olympic Games included competitions in Greco-Roman wrestling, cycling, gymnastics, athletics, swimming, shooting (bullet), tennis, weightlifting, and fencing, in which 43 sets of medals were competed. Rowing competitions were also planned, but due to a lack of applications they did not take place.

According to ancient tradition, the Games were started by track and field athletes. The first Olympic champion was the American athlete James Connolly, who won the triple jump with a score of 13 m 71 cm. The champion was a full meter ahead of his closest rival Alexandre Tuffer from France. Harvard University student Connolly arrived at the Olympics without official permission from the administration; moreover, professors and teachers disapproved of the willfulness of the future champion. But after James returned with an Olympic gold medal, the pundits changed their anger to mercy. He was later even awarded an honorary doctorate from Harvard. Connolly became famous not only in sports, becoming the first Olympic champion of our time, but also in journalism, he also has 25 popular novels to his credit.

The second gold medal was also won by the American athlete, discus thrower Robert Garrett, who literally snatched the highest Olympic award from the hands of the Greek Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos. This circumstance shocked the Greek fans - after all, the Greeks were considered beyond competition in discus throwing!

The happy American told the startled journalists an entertaining story of his victory. While a student at Princeton University, Garrett learned that the Games program included discus throwing, and decided to take part in it. Since in America they knew about this sport only by hearsay, he decided that at the Olympics they would use the same discus that ancient athletes used.

After delving into books, Garrett ordered a similar disc for himself and, having familiarized himself with the technique, began training. Already in Athens, he discovered that modern equipment was so much lighter and more convenient that it was not difficult for him to beat the favorites with a score of 29 m 15 cm.

The next day, fortune once again smiled on the lucky American: in the absence of the main contender, world record holder Dennis Horgan (Ireland), Garrett won another gold medal in the shot put with a result of 11 m 22 cm. Garrett went down in the history of the Olympic Games by paying trip of three athletes of their team.

The central competition was the marathon. The winner, the Greek postman Spyridon Louis, became a national hero and received high honors. In addition to the Olympic awards, he received a gold cup established by the French academician Michel Breal, who insisted on including marathon running in the program of the Games, a barrel of wine, a voucher for free food for a year, free tailoring of a dress and the use of a hairdresser throughout his life, 10 centners of chocolate, 10 cows and 30 rams.

Pierre de Coubertin described the victory of Spyridon Louis this way: “When Louis appeared at the stadium, the 60 thousand spectators who were waiting for him jumped out of their seats, overcome with extraordinary excitement. A flock of pigeons released from cages took off again... Some spectators, who were closest to Louis, tried to make their way to him in order to carry him out of the field in triumph. Louis would have been strangled in his arms if the Crown Prince and Prince George had not escorted him from the arena.”

The first serious violation of sports ethics was associated with the marathon. Immediately after the finish, the Hungarian athlete Deze Kellner, who came fourth, protested, demanding the disqualification of the Greek runner S. Vasilakos. Kellner claimed that third-place finisher Vasilakos mysteriously disappeared during the marathon and appeared in front of him a few hundred meters before the finish line. The investigation showed that the enterprising Greek covered almost the entire distance on a cart in order to appear at the finish line in the glory of a winner. The Hungarian athlete received his rightful bronze medal, as well as a gold watch, along with an apology from the organizers.

For fraud, Vasilakos was deprived of the right to wear the national costume, he was publicly condemned and disqualified for life.

The outstanding French athlete Paul Masson turned out to be unattainable in the sprint race on the track, as well as at distances of 2000 and 10,000 m. At the first Games, he won the most gold medals. Another French athlete Leon Flament demonstrated an example of sportsmanship and fair fight. Leading the 100-kilometer race, he suddenly noticed that his main rival Georgios Koletis was forced to stop due to a bicycle breakdown. The Frenchman, as a sign of solidarity, decided to wait for the Greek cyclist and resumed the race only after Koletis was able to continue. And despite the delay, Flamand was the first to reach the finish line. He became not only an Olympic champion, but also one of the most popular athletes of the Olympics.

There were no divisions into weight categories in wrestling competitions. All the more honorable was the victory of the athlete from Germany Carl Schumann, who was the lightest of all the participants. In addition to the victory in wrestling, Schumann won 3 more gold medals in gymnastics competitions - vault, as well as in the team championship in exercises on parallel bars and horizontal bar.

In the weightlifting competition, the Englishman Launceston Elliott distinguished himself with a result of 71 kg in the exercise with one arm and the Dane Viggo Jensen (111.5 kg with both arms).

In the shooting competitions, Greek athletes were out of competition, winning 3 medals in exercises with a military rifle. In Revolver 2 shooting, the Americans won the highest awards.

The Hungarian swimmer Alfred Hajos won a striking victory. In stormy weather, he managed to get ahead of the other contenders and won the 1200 m swim. Hajos remained in the Olympic annals not only as the first swimming champion: 28 years after his victory in Athens, he again took part in the Olympic Games and won a silver medal in the arts competition in the architecture section - for the stadium project.

Of course, not everything at the Games of the 1st Olympiad, despite the enormous enthusiasm and efforts of the organizers, went smoothly. The result would have been more significant if representatives from not 13, but a larger number of the 34 invited countries had participated in the competition. A number of countries sent weak teams to the Olympic competitions, and some of the strongest athletes did not come to the Games.

However, it is difficult to overestimate the importance of the first international competitions of this scale. Coubertin praised them, noting: “As far as Greece is concerned, the result of the Games seems to be twofold: sporting and political... If we realize the influence that physical education can have on the future of the country and on the spiritual forces nation as a whole, the question involuntarily arises: did not a new era of development begin for Greece in 1896? It would be interesting if sport became one of the factors that could influence the solution of the Eastern question!.. These are hypotheses, and the future will confirm or refute the correctness of our forecasts...”

The winners were awarded on the closing day of the Games - April 15. In accordance with the ancient ceremony, the Olympic champion was crowned with a laurel wreath, he was given an olive branch cut from the sacred grove of Olympia, as well as a medal and diploma. Since 1896, the tradition of playing national anthems and raising state flags in honor of the winners has been established.

At the Games of the 1st Olympiad, Greek athletes won the largest number of medals - 46 (10 gold, 19 silver and 17 bronze); US Olympians received 19 medals (respectively, 11, 7, 1); German athletes - 14 medals (7, 5, 2). The Olympians of Bulgaria, Chile and Sweden were left without medals.

After the successful hosting of the Games of the First Olympiad, Greece hoped that subsequent Olympic Games would be held in Athens, which would become a modern Olympia. However, the International Olympic Committee decided to give the Games a truly international character and hold them alternately in different countries and on different continents. The International Olympic Committee did not object to major international competitions being held in Greece between the Games. Such competitions were planned to be held in 1898, and then in 1902. But for organizational and financial reasons they did not take place.

One of the most striking and massive events on the planet are the Olympic Games. Any athlete who manages to take the podium at the Olympic competitions receives the status of an Olympic champion for life and his achievements remain in the world history of sports for centuries. Where and how did the Olympic Games originate and what is their history? Let's try to take a brief excursion into the history of the origin and holding of the Olympic Games.

Story

The first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896 in the country where they originated - Greece, Athens. To organize the Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was created, whose first president was Demetrius Vikelas. Despite the fact that only 241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the first Games of our time, they were a huge success, becoming a significant sporting event in Greece. Initially, it was intended that the Games would always be held in their homeland, but the Olympic Committee introduced a decision that the location would change every 4 years.

The II Olympic Games of 1900, held in France, in Paris, and the III Olympic Games of 1904, held in the USA, in St. Louis (Missouri), were less successful, as a result of which the Olympic movement as a whole experienced its first crisis after a significant success. Since the Games were combined with World Exhibitions, they did not generate much interest among spectators, and sports competitions lasted for months.

In 1906, the so-called “intermediate” Olympic Games were held again in Athens (Greece). At first, the IOC supported the holding of these Games, but now they are not recognized as Olympic Games. There is an opinion among some sports historians that the 1906 Games were a kind of salvation of the Olympic idea, which did not allow the Games to lose their meaning and become “unnecessary.”

All rules, principles and regulations are determined by the Charter of the Olympic Games, approved in Paris in 1894 by the International Sports Congress. The Olympiads have been counted since the first Games (I Olympiad - 1896-99). Even if the games are not held, the Olympics receives its own serial number, for example the VI Games in 1916-19, the XII Games in 1940-43 and the XIII in 1944-47. The Olympic Games are symbolized by five rings of different colors fastened together (Olympic rings), denoting the unification of the five parts of the world - the top row: blue - Europe, black - Africa, red - America, and the bottom row: yellow - Asia, green - Australia. The selection of venues for the Olympics is carried out by the IOC. All organizational issues related to the Games are decided not by the selected country, but by the city. The duration of the Games is approximately 16-18 days.

The Olympic Games, like any strictly organized event, have their own specific traditions and rituals

Before the opening and closing of the games, theatrical performances are held that present to the audience the appearance and culture of the country and city in which they are held;

The ceremonial passage through the central stadium of athletes and members of delegations. Athletes from each country march in separate groups in alphabetical order by country name in the language of the country in which the Games are being held or in the official language of the IOC (English or French). Each group is preceded by a representative of the host country, who carries a sign with the name of the corresponding country. He is followed by a standard bearer carrying the flag of his country. This highly honorable mission is usually granted to the most respected and titled athletes;

Without fail, the President of the International Olympic Committee makes welcoming speeches. Also, the speech is made by the head of state in which the Games are being held;

The flag of Greece is raised as the country in which the Olympic Games originated. Her national anthem is played;

The flag of the country in which the Games are being held is raised and its national anthem is also performed; - one of the outstanding athletes of the host country of the Games takes an oath on behalf of all participants about fair fight and competitions that will comply with all the principles and rules of the sport;

The opening ceremony ends with the lighting and relay of the Olympic torch. The initial part of the relay passes through the cities of Greece, the final part - through the cities of the country in which the games are being held. The torch with fire is delivered to the city that organizes the Games on the opening day. The fire burns until the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games;

The closing ceremony is also accompanied by theatrical performances, a speech by the IOC President, the passage of participants, etc. The IOC President announces the closing of the Olympics, followed by the playing of the national anthem, the Olympic anthem, and the lowering of the flags. At the end of the ceremony the Olympic flame goes out.

Each country taking part in the Olympic Games develops its own official emblem and mascot of the Games, which become part of the souvenirs.

The following sports are included in the Olympic Games program:

A: Crossbow sport

B: Badminton, Basketball, Running, Skating, Bobsleigh, Biathlon, Billiards, Boxing, Freestyle wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling

IN: Cycling, Water polo, Volleyball

G: Handball, Sports gymnastics, Rhythmic gymnastics, Alpine skiing,