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The Olympic Games
In ancient Greece athletic festivals were very important and had strong religious
associations. The Olympian Athletic Festival, held every four years in honour of Zeus,
eventually lost its local character, became first a national event, and then, after the
rules against foreign competitors had been waived, international. No one knows exactly
how far back the Olympic Games go, but some official records date from 776 BC.
The Games took place in August on the plain by Mount Olympus. Many thousands of
spectators gathered from all parts of Greece, but no married woman was admitted even
as a spectator. Slaves, women and dishonoured persons were not allowed to compete. The
exact sequence of the events is uncertain, but the events included boys' gymnastics,
horse-racing, field events such as discus and javelin throwing, and the very important
foot races. There was also boxing and wrestling and special tests of varied ability such
as the pentathlon, the winner of which excelled in running, jumping, discus and javelin
throwing and wrestling. The evening of the third day was devoted to sacrificial offerings
to the heroes of the day, and the fourth day, that of the full moon, was set aside as
a holy day.
On the sixth and last day, alt the victors were crowned with holy garlands of wild
olive from a sacred wood. So great was the honour that the winner of the foot race gave
his name to the year of his victory. Although the Olympic winners received no prize money,
they were, in fact, richly rewarded by their state authorities. The public honour also
made the strict discipline of the ten-month training period worthwhile. In spite of the
lengthy training, however, runners were known to drop dead from strain at the winning
post. How their results compared with modem standards, we unfortunately have no means
of telling.
After an uninterrupted history of almost 1,200 years, the Games were abolished in
394 AD. the Christian era, because of their pagan origin. It was over 1,500 years before
there was another such international athletics gathering. The Greek Institution was
revived in 1896 and the first small meeting took place in Athens. After the 1908 London
Olympics, success was re-established and the nations sent their best representatives.
In times of peace, the Games have taken place ever since at four-yearly intervals. In
Munich in 1972, the competitors from more than 120 countries were watched by huge crowds.
Nowadays, the Games are held in different countries in turn. The host country
provides vast facilities, including a stadium, swimming pools and living accommodation,
but competing countries pay their own athletes’ expense. Athletic contests are still
the main feature, but now many more sports are represented, with women also able to
compete. The ancient pentathlon, for example, has been modified into a more comprehensive
test, and the marathon races, initiated in 1896, are now a celebrated event.
The Olympics start with the arrival in the stadium of a torch, lighted on Mount
Olympus by the sun's rays. It is carried by a succession of runners to the stadium. The
torch symbolizes the continuation of the ancient Greek athletic ideals, and it bums
throughout the Games until the closing ceremony. The well-known Olympic Flag, however,
is a modem conception; the five interlocking rings symbolize the uniting of all five
continents participating in the Games.
The Olympic Flag
The Olympic Flag
The design of the Olympic flag was adopted in 1913, but it was first flew over the Antwerp
games in 1920. The five rings represent the five continents, Africa, America, Asia,
Europe and Oceania.
At least one of the colours of the rings appears in the flag of every country in the
world.
Unified German Olympic Flag 1960-1968 For the 1960 games Germany was allowed to have
a unified team and after a dispute over which flag should be used it was decided to create
this special flag. After 1968 the two Germany competed as separate teams until
re-unification.
Chinese-Taipei National Olympic Committee 1984
After Taiwan lost its seat in the United Nations to China, the IOC decided that it could
no longer compete under the name "Taiwan" or using its national flag. Instead they compete
under the name
"Chinese-Taipei" and use this special Olympic flag.
South African National Olympic Committee 1992
When South Africa was re-admitted to the Olympics after abolishing apartheid they were
not allowed to use their national flag. Instead they competed under this special Olympic
flag. In 1996 they were able to compete under their new national flag.
Korean Olympic Flag 2000
For the Sydney Games the two Korean NOCs agreed to march as together in the opening
ceremony behind this special flag. They still competed as two separate countries.
The Ancient Olympics
The ancient Olympics grew out of religious festivals that many Greek cities held
to honor their gods. Athletic contests, like foot racing and wrestling, were part of
these festivals. As Greece became a bigger and more important country, the cities started
holding a large festival as a sign of unity. They eventually chose a place called Olympia
to hold the festival, partly because of its many religious temples. Every four years,
all wars were stopped as the country came together to honor the god Zeus.
These early Olympics each lasted between one and three days, but from around 400
BC on, the festival was a full five days as more and more events were added. Many of
these events are still held today, like running races, javelin and discus throws,
wrestling and boxing. Some other events included chariot racing and contests for boys.
Even though Olympics had been held for hundreds of years, the first time anyone kept
track of the winners was in 776BC. A cook named Coroebus is the first champion listed,
winning the stadion, a race of about 210 yards.
During the 1000 years after those first "official" Games in 776BC, Greece came under
Roman rule. After the 293rd Olympics in 393 AD, the Roman emperor Theodosius II declared
that the Games would no longer be held, and the Olympic movement ended.
Ancient Olympic Games
The history of the Ancient Olympic Games can be traced back over 3,000 years to
ancient Greece. While celebrating physical excellence, they were mainly held for
religious purposes. In 884 BC, the king of Elis reached a treaty with the kings of several
other city states to hold regular athletic contests and to fulfill the “sacred truce”.
That meant to cease fire in the Greek world for as long as the games were on. The Hellenic
Olympic Games came into being soon afterwards. But why were the games held at Olympia?
Because Olympia was one of the oldest religious centers in ancient Greece. Since athletic
contests were regarded by the ancient Greeks as a way to show their respects to their
gods, especially Zeus, they chose Olympia, the site of the major temple, as the venue
for the Games. The first recorded games were held in 776 BC. After that, they were held
once every four years during the second or the third full moon after the summer solstice
(in July or August). During their peak time in the fifth century BC, the games would
last for five days.
Olympic Motto
The spirit of the Modern Olympic Games is embodied in the Olympic motto, “Citius,
Altius, Fortius.” Latin for “Faster(Swifter), Higher, Stronger.” In 1886, in the
early days of modern Olympism, the abbot Father Didon, a Dominican priest and school
teacher, expressed the essence of his educational canon in just three words: citius,
altius, fortius, Latin for faster, higher, stronger. These words were taken up with
enthusiasm by de Coubertin and became the official Olympic motto, expressing the
athlete's ambition to run faster, jump higher, and throw more strongly. According to
the Olympic Charter, it expresses the message which the IOC addresses to all who belong
to the Olympic Movement, inviting them to excel in accordance with the Olympic spirit.
This phrase has been inspiring modem Olympians since its introduction at the 1920 Games.
But these words should not be understood simplistically as a call for unfettered
improvement of man’s physical performances, but rather as urging man to surpass himself
in the very essence of his very being. The Olympic motto supposes the progress of human
capacity on the basis of mental and physical improvement of man's natural qualities.
The Olympic motto not only applies to the individual athlete who makes great strides
in his or her chosen field. But it also applies to sports bodies, clubs, organizations
and even states committed to the philosophy of modern Olympism.
马拉松比赛的来历
Although it has roots in Greek legend, the marathon is one of the most modern of
races. The legend grew up around a famous battle that took place in 490 BC, when Athenian
troops defeated a large Persian invasion force on the plain of Marathon, about 25 miles
from Athens. The legend arose that Pheidippides, a Greek soldier, had been sent to Athens
to bring news of the victory at Marathon. After reaching the city, he said, “Rejoice,
we conquer.” And then he died of the exertion.