Original Olympic Games Events

The Olympic Games are the pinnacle of sporting competitions. Today, The Olympic Games are the most watched sporting competition of the world. It has a great tradition coming from Ancient Greece, which gives us a unique feeling when we are watching the games. The events that take place at the Olympic Games have changed drastically over the years. Many events that seem to most of us weird, have become Olympic sports, while other, which we consider to be traditional have been left out. So let’s see what the original Olympic Games events were, to paint a clearer picture of what the Greeks had in mind:

1. Running: This was the original Olympic Games event. The ‘stadion’ was the first Olympic event. It was a sprint that had the length of one stadium, approximately two hundred meters. Only by the 14^th Olympic Games in 724 AD did other events begin to enter the calendar. Firstly the two stadium event, which was a 400 meter race, and the 5 kilometer race which was run similarly to modern day marathons. The runners would start the race on the stadium and afterwards leave it in order to complete the predetermined course around the Olympic grounds. Another growling event was a 400 meter race between runners that were dressed in full or partial armor, and were carrying a shield. This was particularly hard because the armor weighed around 27 kilos, and from depictions on pottery we can see that there were many cases of runners having to leap over fallen competitors, or over discarded shields. This event was meant to highlight the stamina of soldiers. Running is in the modern Olympic Games one of the most important events, but for Ancient Greece, it was the first of the original Olympic Games events.

2. Pankration: This is what would be regarded in modern terms as a contact sport. It is considered to be one of the bloodiest of the original Olympic Games events. It was a combination between boxing and wrestling, with no gloves, or protections on the hand and with very few rules. The only rules in this sport were that biting, or gauging one’s years, nose or eyes out with fingernails were outlawed. Other attacks, that are considered illegal in modern sports, such as kicking in the belly, were allowed.

3. Boxing: Similar to modern day boxing, the boxing event from the original Olympic Games had fewer rules, and no weight divisions other than men, and boys. The opponents were chosen randomly, and the fights went on until one of the fighters was knocked out, or admitted defeat. There were no rounds, and fighters were allowed to hit their opponents even after they fell to the ground. In stead of gloves, fighters had leather thongs wrapped around their wrists and hands, leaving their fingers free.

4. Chariot races: One of the most exciting of all the original Olympic Games events, these races had many categories. There were two horse chariots and four horse chariots, and distinct races for chariots drawn by foals, or by a team of two mules. The race was usually 12 laps long, around nine miles, and the winner was considered to be the owner of the chariots and the rider. Owning and training for such an event was very expensive so, only a few people could afford to take part in the competition. The olive branch, the sign of the winner was given to the owner, and they were allowed to participate with more than one chariot.

5. Discus: The discus was part of the pentathlon event. The discs varied in size, according to the category of men and boys, and were made from stone, bronze, or led. The event has remained largely unchanged till today, and the winner is considered to be the person who thru the discus the farthest.

6. The javelin: The javelin was also part of the pentathlon event, one of the most important original Olympic Games events. The javelin itself was about the height of a man; it was made from wood, and had either a sharpened end, or an attached metal point. It also had attached a leather throng, at its center of gravity, for better precision and grip.

These are some of the original Olympic Games events. The Olympic Games developed into one of the most important parts of ancient Greek civilization. During the Olympic Games, all wars were stopped in the Greek world. As it grew in popularity, the Olympic Games evolved from a one day competition to a five day competition. Only in three of these days did events take place, in the other two being performed religious activities, like the fact that on the first day every competitor had to vow in front of the statue of Zeus that they have trained every day for the last ten months.

Original Olympic Games Events

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