The Olympic Games began to be held in the 8th century BC. on the territory of Ancient Greece in the region of Olympia, which was considered at that time a sacred place. There are several legends about their origin, the main of which is the legend of King Iphite, who was instructed by the priestess of Apollo to hold athletic festivities in honor of the Olympic gods. Such a sports festival was needed to end the war that was tearing apart Greece at that time. Taking care of the safety of athletes and spectators, public figures have established the order of the games for a long time.
Games were not a place for conflict, so the most important rule was the complete prohibition of weapons of all types on them. During the Olympics throughout Greece, a truce was concluded between the belligerent regions.
The second basic principle was the honesty of the athletes participating. Despite the fact that doping scandals were not familiar to the citizens of Ancient Greece, there were already attempts to bribe participants or judges at that time. An athlete caught in such unsportsmanlike behavior could be subjected to corporal punishment or a large fine.
Any free-born Greek could take part in the Olympic Games, and slaves and people from other countries were not allowed to compete. There is an opinion that Alexander the Great had to prove his Greek origin to participate in the competition.
The first and last days of the Olympic Games were devoted to sacrifices. Each athlete had his own patron god, whose favor and help he tried to get by bringing his gifts.
Even then, the training of athletes was not allowed to take its course, but was held under the strict supervision of the most authoritative citizens of the city. During the year preceding the Olympics, athletes trained and then passed the standards. We can say that in Ancient Greece there was a qualification selection for the national team, as a result of which the strongest participants were allowed to compete. The last month before the Olympics, training was carried out in a particularly intense mode and under the supervision of coaches.
The game program expanded very gradually. At first, it included only one-stage running, i.e. at 192, 27 m. Over the years, new sports have been added: running in 2 stages, jumping, wrestling and throwing a javelin and a discus, chariot races.
An athlete who won the Olympics received a laurel wreath as an award and became one of the most respected residents of his city. And the three-time champion could even put up his own statue!
Spectators attended the games for free, but already in ancient Hellas there was gender discrimination. Only men could directly observe the action, while women were threatened with the death penalty for attending the games. The only exceptions were the priestesses of Demeter, who were allowed to serve their goddess.
Having existed for more than 10 centuries, in 394 A. D. The Olympic Games were canceled by the Roman emperor, who actively promoted the Christian religion.
