From Ancient Greece

To Modern Society

• Olympic Games in Ancient Greece

• Baron Pierre De Coubertin
• International Olympic Committee
• Modern Olympic Games
• Symbols,
• Ceremony,
• Summer OG
• Winter OG
 The story of Ancient Games
• It all started in the Peloponnese, in Greece around 3,000 years
ago
• The first games were held in Olympia (Greece) and they were
named by the location – “Olympic games”
• The Olympic games were a part of Panhellenic games -
religious festival honoring god Zeus and other gods.
• The first written mention of them dates back to 776 BC.
• Historically, the Games were created to provide unity to the
Hellenic world, which, at that time, was split into city-states
which were constantly at war.
• These Games were held every four years. This four-year
period acquired the name “Olympiad”, and was used as a
date system: time was counted in Olympiads, rather than
years – beginning of Greek calendar.
Panhellenic: Pan = all Participating in Games had 3
Hellen = Greek main criteria:
1.Only for Greeks.
2.Only for free men (citizens).
Panhellenic games were
3.Only for males.
organized to unite the nation Women, slaves and foreigners
of Hellens (Greeks) were excluded.

From Greece and the

colonies, people travelled to
take part in or attend these
Games, inspired by the shared
feeling of belonging to the
same culture or religion.
 Ideas of Ekecheiria and Kalokagathia
1. On the occasion of the four Panhellenic Games, a
EKECHEIRIA = SACRED TRUCE was proclaimed.
o A peace was considered important during the period of
competition.
o “No hands on guns”
2. KALOKAGATHIA – teaching based on philosophy
of moral, bodily and spiritual whole.
 The harmony of body and soul.
 Balance between physical and spiritual
 Only through training of the body
the mind could be developed.
 Disciplines and athletes
• For both training and competitions, athletes were always nude, to
illustrate the ideal of Kalokagathia.
• In every Greek city was gymnasium and palaestra
– Places where athletes trained and young boys were educated.
– Every young male Greek was educated in Physical education, Music,
Arithmetic, Grammar and Reading, all part of the sophisticated educational
programme.
• The athletes were not professional nor amateurs, but only the
best were allowed to participate in the Games.
• After some months of training, they travelled to Elis, and later to
Olympia where judges picked up only the bests.
• The athletes took an oath, as did the judges. They promised to
take part in the competitions in an honorable way, abiding by the
rules.
• Only the winner was decorated and got the prizes for winners.
• At each venues, the crowns were made with different leaves:
- Olympia – a wild olive leaf crown,
- Delphi – a laurel crown,
- Corinth – a pine crown
- Nemea – a wild celery crown.
• The modest crown of leaves was the highest possible reward in
the Greek world, as it guaranteed its holder honour and respect
from everyone.
Tribute to the winner:
– The fame all around Greece,
– The wild olive leaf crown,
– The red woollen ribbon, the taenia.
– The own statue,
– Material benefits,
– Freedom for paying taxes,
– Beiing a honoured citizen
The end of Ancient Olympic games
• For over 1,000 years, the Greeks, and
later the Romans, met at Olympia
to celebrate the festival in honor of
Zeus and ensure that the Games
„The sports remained an important event.
competitions are • In 393 AD, the Christian emperor
Theodosius I. forbade the celebration
connected to the of pagan cults, which included the
idea of peace of Games (honoring Zeus and other gods).
• Following Theodosius’ decree, pagan
nation, in the cults began to disappear gradually and
world“ the site of Olympia was abandoned.
• Earthquakes destroyed the edifices and
their ruins disappeared gradually under
the earth and sand.
• Thanks to Philosophers, Painters,
Archeologist, we have at least some
knowledge, some idea of the Ancient
Olympic games
•French nobleman, educator, historian and sport official
•The main inicitiator of the renewal of Ancient Olympic Games
•He founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894 in Paris.
•The president of the IOC in 1896 - 1925
•He is known for his statement:
“The important thing in a life is not the triumph, but the struggle, the
essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well."
•He wrote a piece celebrating the sport "ODE TO SPORT",
•He is considered as „the father of modern Olympic games“
•His ideals of Olympism had a strong links to spreading ideas based on not
making differences between people of different nation, religion, political
or cultural ideas. The only way ho to unite people all around the world is
sport, and the idea of Olympic Games as in Ancient Greece.
 The International Olympic Committee
• The International Olympic Committee (the IOC) was created on 23th of June 1894 after the
Coubertin‘s activities.
• The first president of The IOC was Demetrius Vikelas from Greece.
• The activities of IOC were:
– to organize the Modern Olympic Games - The first Olympic Games of the modern era were opened in Athens on 6 April 1896
- included 241 athletes from 14 countries competing in 43 event.
– to organize Olympic movement - The Olympic Movement has not stopped growing ever since;
– to establish Olympic symbols;
symbols
– to spread the ideals of Olympism.
Olympism

• The IOC in a not-for-profit independent international organisation that is committed to building a

better world through sport.
• The activities of IOC are:
– To develop and spread the Olympism, To promotethe Olympic Values, the ideas of Fair-play, Anti-Doping and others.
– To collaborate with the National Olympic Com, International sports federations, athletes, worldwide partners, UN agencies
– To establish educational programme, to support members and partners,
– To elect the host city for Summer or Winter OG, to control the organisation and ceremonies.

• The president of the IOC from 2013 is Thomas Bach – the winner of gold medal in fencing in 1976
and 2006, athletes representantive in OG 1081 and founder of the IOC‘s Athletes Commisson.
Olympism
The idea from Ancient Greece
 Fundamental Principles of Olympism
(Olympic Charter)
• Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a
balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind.
• Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to
create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational
value of good example, social responsibility and respect for
universal fundamental ethical principles.
• The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a
peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport
practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic
spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of
friendship, solidarity and fair play.
• The Olympic Games are unique.
• Athletes from the entire world take part. Their achievements are
watched from both near and far by hundreds of millions of spectators.

What makes the Olympic Games different from other sports

events?
• The Games are held every four years = olympiad (4-years period btw 2 OG)
• They are the largest sporting celebration in the number of sports on
the programme, the number of athletes present and the number of
people from different nations gathered together at the same time in
the same place.
• The purpose of the Olympic Movement is to promote the practice of
sport all over the world and disseminate the Olympic values.
• It is in this spirit that the Olympic Games are held and celebrated, both
Summer and Winter OG.
 Olympic symbols
• Signs expresing Olympic idea and the universe of
the Olympic Movement
• they represent the aims and tasks of the Olympic
Movement.
• they are anchored in the Olympic Charter and
protected by laws against an abuse.
• The symbols are:
1. The Olympic Flag
2. The Olympic Torch,
3. The Olympic Anthem,
 The olympic symbol

• The symbol of International Olympic Committee consists of five

interlaced rings of equal dimensions (the Olympic rings), used
alone.
• The Olympic symbol expresses the activity of the Olympic
Movement and represents the union of the five continents and
the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the
Olympic Games.
• The symbol is on the flag, the flag first waved in Olympic Games
in Antverpes (Belgium) in 1920
 The Olympic Motto
• Expresses the aspirations
of the Olympic Movement.
 • The Olympic anthem is the musical work entitled
“Olympic anthem”, composed by Spiro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jro7dIoVcz4

1. The Olympic flame is the flame which is kindled in Olympia

under the authority of the IOC.
– The Olympic flame represents the theft of fire from Zeus by Prometheus
– The modern flame is now lit by the sun’s rays (using a parabolic mirror)
at the ruins of the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece.
– Since the OG in Amsterdam in 1928
2. The Olympic torch is a portable torch, or a replica, as
approved by the IOC and intended for combustion of the
Olympic flame.
– Olympic torch relay was the idea for the OG in Berlin in 1936
• The oath is a solemn promise made by one athlete, judge or
official from the host country (respect for the rules), and one
coach at the Opening Ceremony on each OG.
• For the first time was used in OG in 1920 in Antwerp's (Belgium)
The athlete‘s oath:
„In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic
Games, respecting and abiding by the rules that govern them, committing
ourselves to a sport without doping and without drugs, in the true spirit of
sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honour of our teams.“
• Is a set of prescribed ceremonies for the opening and
closing of the Olympic Games and for the prize-giving
taking place at the main Olympic stadium
• The OG is declared open by the Head of State of the
host country
• During the 20th and 21st centuries the evolution has resulted in several
changes to the Olympic Games.
– Creation of:
1. The Winter Olympic Games for snow and ice sports– First in Chamonix 1924
2. The Paralympic Games for athletes with disability
3. The Youth Olympic Games for athletes aged 14-18
4. The Continental Games – Pan American, Pan Asian, European, Pacific
5. The World Games for sports that are not on the list of Summer nor Winter Games
6. The Deaflympics and Special Olympics
– The ICO has had to adapt to a variety of economic, political, and technological advancements.
– The changes from Coubertin’s ideas of amateur sport to professionals competing in OG
– The growing importance of mass media created the issue of corporate sponsorship and
commercialisation of the Games.
– World wars led to the cancellation of the 1916, 1940, and 1944 Games.
– Large boycotts during the Cold War limited participation in the 1980 and 1984 Games.
• The Games have grown so much that nearly every nation is now represented.
• This growth has created numerous challenges and controversies,
including boycotts, doping, bribery, and a terrorist attack in 1972 Munich.
• The Games constitute an opportunity for the host city and country to
showcase themselves to the world, but it has some negatives as well.
"a healthy mind in a healthy body“