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The Ancient Olympics: Fact SheetIf you happened to live in the city of Elis, near the valley of Olympia in the year 776BC (2787 years ago) then you may have been fortunate enough to witness the very first Olympic Games! Like all Greeks, the people of Elis worshiped many gods. They believed that the gods were ruled by Zeus, the ‘King of the Gods’, who looked down on them from the top of Mount Olympus.

The people of Elis wanted to keep the gods happy and so they decided to hold a festival in honour of Zeus. As part of the festival it was decided to hold competitions in which athletes from all the regions ruled by Greece would be invited to take part.

Celebrity culture!

These ‘games’ were staged every four years and the time between each of the games was called an ‘Olympiad’. The first Olympiad was named after the athlete Coribus who won the 200 metre foot race. It was a great honour to win at the games and, just like today’s athletes. Greek athletes became very famous in their homeland. Winners were looked upon as celebrities and were invited to luxurious parties!

A time of peace

Whilst the games took place, the valley of Olympia and the city of Elis were declared ‘sacred’. No armed man was allowed to set foot nearby. A time of peace was declared for the three months leading up to the games and the three months following. This was a time when all the peoples living in regions ruled by Greece settled their differences and competed fairly and honourably in the games.

Spectators

People travelled from far and wide to attend the festival. However only freeborn men, boys and unmarried girls were allowed to watch the games. Married women were not allowed to watch the athletic contests, as the men were naked! Any married women caught sneaking in were punished. It is said that one woman wanted to see her son take part so much that she dressed as a man and when her son won she became so excited she leapt up and gave the game away!

Taking part

Only freeborn men could take part in the games. Slaves and women were not allowed to participate, although women were allowed to own and race chariots. A month before the games all athletes were expected to come to Olympia or Elis to swear an oath to Zeus, train for their event and learn the rules of fair play. Many athletes had their own personal trainers just like athletes today.

The first Olympic Games held a simple foot race but gradually over the centuries the Ancient Olympic Games had fourteen contests that took place over a period of four days. We have certainly come a long way since then!

FACT SHEETS | History Page 1