Podcasts - Themes - The Olympic Games
Podcasts - Themes - The Olympic Games
Podcasts - Themes - The Olympic Games
Introduction
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In 2004 the Olympic Games returned to its home At the start of the games, every competitor had to
in Greece, where it began around 3000 years swear an oath that they were a free citizen of
ago. The first recorded Olympic festival took Greece who had committed no sacrilege against
place in 776 BC. Similar festivals had been the gods. In today’s Olympics, one athlete takes
organised for at least two or three centuries prior an oath on behalf of all the competitors, although
to this, but 776 BC saw the start of a regular of course it is a little different to the ancient Greek
festival which was to take place every Olympiad, oath. Today, competitors promise that they shall
or four year period. abide by the rules of the games, will act in an
honourable and sportsmanlike manner, and not
In ancient Greece citizens of different city states use any performance-enhancing drugs. Cheating,
could not always travel freely around the country, though, is almost as old as the games itself:
but during the Olympics the various rulers agreed records of the ancient Greek games are riddled
truces so as that their citizens could attend the with tales of athletes paying off their competitors,
Olympics without problems. Sport was only one and of boxers fixing the results of their fights. In
part of the festival; there were also ritual ancient Greece, though, there weren’t many ways
sacrifices, poetry readings, exhibitions of an athlete could cheat in a race: maybe take a
sculpture and trade fairs. It was a festival which shortcut, or borrow a horse. By the time of the St
celebrated on the one hand the Greek gods, and Louis Olympics in 1904, more modern means
on the other hand the abilities of the Greek were available. The original “winner” of the 1904
people. Olympic marathon, Fred Lorz, was disqualified
after it was revealed that he had travelled half the
The early athletic competitions were only running distance in a car. The man later declared the
races, but later other sports such as boxing and official winner, Thomas Hicks, wasn’t much
wrestling came to be included. It was not simply a better: he was carried across the finishing line by
matter of professional athletes arriving and two of his trainers. Hicks’s trainers had tried to
entering the competitions; for one thing, there enhance his running ability by feeding him a mix
were no professional athletes! All the competitors of egg whites, strychnine and brandy. This early
were ordinary Greek citizens who felt that they attempt at a performance-enhancing drug was
were among the best in their chosen sports. rather unsuccessful, as it left Hicks drunk and
Anyone wishing to compete had to arrive four incapable. The trick of having two men carrying
weeks early, and undergo a full month of training. him, though, seems to have worked.
It wasn’t only physical training, either: would-be
competitors had to prove that they were morally The motivation for cheating hasn’t changed much
and spiritually suitable to compete. Even if at all. Today, athletes compete primarily for the
someone was physically fit enough, they couldn’t honour of being awarded a gold medal, but also
compete unless the judges thought they were of for the enormous amounts of lucrative corporate
the right moral fibre. Curiously, all sportsmen sponsorship bestowed upon top sportspeople.
competed nude – it was widely believed that Similarly, while ancient Greek athletes were
wearing clothes slowed an athlete down! officially only competing for the honour of being
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Podcasts – Themes – The Olympic Games
awarded a symbolic olive branch, winners were politicians of the time felt that nations were no
usually sponsored by their city state, receiving a longer competing primarily in sport, but in
large sum of money, or a new home, or a lengthy agriculture and manufacturing. It was decided,
tax holiday. then, that these new Olympics ought to be as
much about competing in industry as in sport.
As mentioned earlier, the connection between The sports events were highly popular, but in
sport and business hasn’t changed much. Even terms of funding and regularity were of a lower
in the earliest Olympics, sporting competition priority than the commercial side, which
went alongside trade fairs and business deals. concentrated on the demonstration of agricultural
This was acknowledged in 19th century Greece and industrial inventions.
when the first modern attempts were made to
revive the Olympics. The “Zappian Olympics”, as However, the sporting side of the games were
they became known after wealthy organiser hugely popular with the public, and the level of
Evangelos Zappas, were the bridge between the support meant that, in Athens in 1896, the
ancient and modern Olympics, and took place in Olympics as we know them began. Despite the
Greece between 1859 and 1875. It was the first occasional shambles of the sort we saw in St
real international sporting competition, but Louis in 1904, it has continued from strength to
officially it was about far more than sport. Greek strength since then.
After reading
Exercise 1
Choose the correct answer to each of the following 5 questions about the text.
4. An “Olympiad” is:
(a) a promise not to cheat
(b) a type of ancient vehicle
(c) a four year period
(d) a festival
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The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.