Here are some historical facts about the winter Olympics that will surely amuse you. Read on!
Athletes from all around the world participate in the Olympics every four years in disciplines including the 100-meter dash, the long jump, the discus throw, snowboarding, and ice skating. What do they get as a reward? They'll bring honor to their nation and, you know, win a medal in the process. Yet, medals weren't always awarded to the winners. Olympic winners back in the day were given a crown made of olive leaves to celebrate their achievements. At Olympia, Greece, the Palaistra provided a protected environment for early Olympic competitors to hone their skills.
Olympia, a sacred place in southern Greece, hosted the first-ever Olympic Games in the summertime of 776 B.C. It was in honor of Zeus, the god's ruler in ancient Greece, that the Olympic Games were established. Athletes worshiped Zeus for wins and left offerings as thanks. One of the few areas of agreement among ancient Greeks was their devotion to Zeus. The Greeks fought frequently due to their division into city-states, or independent communities. Nonetheless, despite the instability, warring city-states agreed to a ceasefire so that athletes could compete in the Olympics. But, unlike modern-day competitions, only males were allowed to take part in these events, and they did so without any clothing on.
Sprinting and wrestling, for example, are still included in the current games. Chariot racing and other sports of like kind have long since passed into oblivion. Another one that has fallen into obscurity: The pankration was seen as the pinnacle of combat sports at the time. There were no regulations regarding weight or time limitations, and the only two prohibitions were on biting and eye gouging. Ouch! The contestants fought until one of them gave up or perished.
