Races

The simple race , the » stage » was the first sport introduced . Until the 15th Olympics athletes taking part wore a short skirt , and later fought completely naked, showing their performance in the War walking and jogging . End point was that the prize is , while the spectators were standing right and left along the sandy path length was six hundred Olympic feet ( approx . 192 meters) . Athletes compete in teams of four . Individual winners competed against each other , also in groups of four . In the “ channel “ athletes running dual path back to the starting point , while the » Dolichos » route was twelve » channels «, ie 24 » stages «. The route of the » street soldier » had along two » stages » , and warriors initially wore full equipment ( helmet , greaves , shield ) and later was naked and only holding shield . Teenagers struggling only simple “ step “ , namely the race a route. Pausanias also mentions the race of » Ilia virgin » , which took part dressed in a short tunic , his right shoulder bare and her hair loose .

Multiprocessing

The fight was very popular sport . According to the legend, Theseus was the one who discovered the technique of struggle, so that the winner can not be dependent Sole from its natural physical strength , but technique, flexibility and swiftness of movements . The teen Cratinus not only gained fame for his victory , but also for the elegance of his movements . In the struggle we distinguish two events. At first the athlete had intended to throw an opponent three times shoulders on the ground, while in the second match continued even to the ground, until the defeated was forced to concede defeat by raising his hand .

Boxing

The boxing was violent and often fatal event. Hands were reinforced with thick leather straps from the elbow to fists and fingers remained uncovered close forming punch . The straps can be doped with small leaden lumps or nails . If the fight lasts a long time without a winner , the fighters had to make so-called » scale» . That boxers stood motionless , without defending themselves or avoid the blow , alternatively exchanged blows until one of them collapsed . Although we have many testimonies to the terrible and bloody wounds of the event , the art of boxing was another . The winner was the one who managed to avoid being hit . Even better was the one who managed to not hit nor to hit the opponent, causing it to collapse simply exhausted by the fruitless aggressive efforts.

Pankration

The most difficult sport in the Olympic Games was undoubtedly pankration . It was a combination of city and boxing . The winner had to beat combining the flexibility and power of the fist , symbolizing the heroic struggle of unarmed warrior in battle . Unlike boxing itself , athletes pankration fighting with bare hands and do not hit with his fist , but with the fingers of the fist . Two legendary athletes pankration stayed in history, Theagenes and Polydamas Androsthenes

Pentathlon

The pentathlon consists of five individual events , jogging , jumping , wrestling , discus and javelin . Athletes of pentathlon were famous for the elegance of perfectly toned their bodies. The holding of the pentathlon begins with the disc throwing or jumping, and continued to throw javelin , the race and the fight. The preliminary exercise was in sports gyms included four categories jumping , jumping height ( on site ) , jump height ( in forums ) , jump mikouskai depth jump, while the Olympics only mentioned the long jump . The jump was accompanied by the sounds of flute playing the » Pythian chant .» The start was made by a plastic board , the » diving board «, while the athletes were using an auxiliary instrument , the » dumbbells «. The sport regulation imposed on the athlete to land upright and stand still just at the point of contact with the ground . The point of possible landing was excavated to be the soil a little softer . Often found in relevant angiographies pickaxe which serves for the excavation of hard soil of the summer drought , or to mark the performance soil. The discus was shooting sport that evolved from the stone throwing in battle , and initially carried with simple stones somewhat large , as we conclude from an archaeological find in Olympia. Homer also mentions the stone disk of Corfu . The disc throwing technique is immortalized in many angiographies , reliefs and statues , the most famous of these is the global gnostosdiskovolos Myron . The javelin was also inspired by the respective war or shotgun, though in this form was specially made ​​for exclusive sports use . Were shorter , thinner and lighter , and result in long pointed end . In the middle of the shaft was adjusted by the “ loop “, which was strap or loop to assists the athlete in the dart , but is not verified by the exact function of the eye . It is also not known if the spear was shot or sport shooting . The road and boxing events presented above.

Chariot

The chariot is performed in a separate step , the » race track » unknown dimensions today . The unique carousel rescued today in Greece is located in Lykaio term and has a length of 300 meters , or a half step , and a hundred meters wide. The Olympia arena should , in the words of Pausanias to have a greater width . The boot device was invented Klioita , which perfected Aristides . At one end of the racecourse was built round the altar of taraxippus , since horses are susceptible to panic when unexpectedly passed from this point

Nowadays, a lot of this sports are changed and a big percentage of new modern sports have been added such as badminton, tennis, polo, ice hockey and others.

Anna Lambrou

Anastasia Andreou