Goneis Magazine

Home

Sports

A History of Sports in Ancient Olympia

Written by Dina Teka-Efstathiou

Article Index
A History of Sports in Ancient Olympia
Page 2

Page 1 of 2

The history of sports directly reflects the history and development of mankind. In their simplest form, sports were incorporated in the physical activity of daily life. Eventually, man’s competitive spirit took over and hence sports took the form of organized games and events. Today, sports are considered as a pastime, a physical need, and a career.

The inception of organized sports takes us to our ancestors of Ancient Olympia. Here, the Olympic games, or Olympiads, were first held in 776 BC. While the earliest games featured only one sporting event, many more were gradually added and the games spanned multiple days. In this article, we explore the sports included in the earliest Olympic games.

Running Race

Running happens to be the simplest and most natural form of physical exercise. From the 1st Olympic games in 776 BC through the 13th Olympic games of 728 BC, racing was the only competitive sporting event.

Racing also had simple requirements: a flat open space (600 feet was used), and demarcations for the start and finish points (blocks were used for these purposes).

There were four types of races:

S tadium, the most important and popular speed race
D iavlos, which tested speed, was run over two track lengths, or 1200 feet. The race commenced at the finish line, allowing athletes to run to the start line and back.
D olichos, beginning in the 15th Olympiads, were a test of endurance, usually covering a distance of 20 stadions.
Hoplite, in honor of deceased persons, this was a race of two stadions in length. Here, the participants were dressed in bronze armor, including a helmet and protective gaiters or leggings, carrying a shield. This initially appeared in the 65th Olympiads, and was the last race in the program.

Jump

The jump occurred in a rectangular pit filled with soft earth. A starting block at one end indicated the point where athletes began the jump. Some used stone alteres (weights) to assist them, throwing them backward to acquire more thrust.

Prev - Next >>