The Olympics, an event
now famous for extravagance, feats of athletic prowess, and glory for one's
nation, has not always been so. 2,800 years in the past the Olympics differed
immensely in the political, economic, and social aspects of the games.
The
start of the games is partly due to the formation of city states. Because these
city states were often locked in combat with each other, times of peace were
rare. Therefore during the games no fighting shall occur so that Greek citizens
may attend the games without fearing death or injury at the hands of rival
cities. This rule was broken by Sparta, the warmongering city state who led
siege to a fort during the games. Which led to Sparta being banned from the
games. A modern comparison to this would be the first and second world wars. Where
the central and axis powers were not invited to join the summer games.
The
Olympics have come a long way from its start in 776 B.C. ancient Greece, to being
hosted in modern day cities and has changed with the times. Where ordinary
citizens, not professionals mind you, competed in various events for honor and
glory. Originally hosted at mount Olympus, a site once used to worship the god
Zeus. The famous lighting of the torch to symbolize the start of the game has
changed immensely since its conception. In the early years a sacrifice of a
hundred oxen were burned in order to keep flies away from the meat offerings.
While now the lighting of the torch is to show a cooperation of nations. It is
first lit in Greece, where the Olympics originated and several rituals are
performed. Then the torch is sent to the host nation where an athletic
celebrity from that country will carry it to its final destination, a giant pit
that will burn during the length of the games. The costs of modern day Olympic Games
continues to rise because of nations trying to outdo the previous games and
break new records. Bigger and bigger stadiums are being erected to show power
and wealth. The problem is that those facilities will more than likely to
become abandoned after the games because they have little to no use for
anything but the Olympic Games. However the money invested in the
infrastructure doesn’t return a profit, usually only half of the original
investment is earned during the games which makes hosting the game a case of
hot potato. Because previous hosts know the negative aspects all too well, is
why only two nations volunteered to hold the games in 2024.
The
Olympics now boasts over three hundred events, stemming from twenty-six to
twenty-eight sports (not including the winter games). In the first thirteen
years of the Olympics there was only one event, the 196m dash. Which was known as
the stadium race (because it was the length of the stadium). The next two
events were just modified versions of that. After the next few decades boxing,
wrestling, the pentathlon, a race while wearing armor, an 'all-power' race
(where one could with by any means necessary, even attacking), and the always
famous chariot race which was shown to the modern world via Ben Hur.
In
modern days the games last sixteen days. Two of the first days are ceremonies
where doves are released, the president gives a speech, and an athlete from
each country swears an oath to uphold the sanctity of the Games. Each event has
its own medal ceremony. So with three-hundred events, there will be
nine-hundred medals being received. These medals are the source of national
pride and rivalry. Nations with the most medals receive pride for home and
country, also bragging rights over rival nations who didn’t do as well.
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