Greek Olympics

According to popular error, the Olympic competition is purely a tribute to physical prowess alone. A boorish individual establishes this casual observation upon sighting the obvious athletic talent that exists in every participating athlete, while ignoring the underlying Olympian spirit or philosophy that has been consistent since the advent of the first Olympics in 776. While it is clear that individual athletes die, the spirit of the Olympics cannot. Even when the Olympic games were terminated under the onslaught of a disseminating Christian philosophy, and were later revived in the nineteenth century, the modernization of the Olympics failed to contort the spirit of competition, and the drive for excellence that existed amongst athletes, and of nations.

The ancient Olympics nevertheless, differed from the Modern Olympics in many specific ways that were outside of human nature. The social climate of the ancient Greek Olympics reflected on gaming( intellectual and physical), gender policies, training/education, and the penalties and rewards for performance, differently than the modern Olympics did. The political climate of the ancient Greek Olympics, reflected on ethnocentric trends, commercial markets, militarism and pacifism, differently than the modern Olympics did. The spiritual climate of the ancient Greek Olympics reflected on religion, mythology, and Olympic symbolism differently than the modern Olympics did. Thus, socially, politically, and spiritually, the Greek Olympics differed from the modern Olympics.

The Greeks approached gaming in the Olympics, with a different philosophy than exists today. The Greeks did not limit the Olympics strictly to athletic competition. In fact, competition involved artistic composition in the form of poetry, music, or dance. Often the subject of composition (Epinician poems for example) immortalized the athlete. Due to the auspicious cultural development experienced in Olympia, the "godly" city-state, an ideal location for the Olympics could exist.

Like the running event, the jumping event is linked to ancient Greek warfare. The geography of Greece was(and still is) notorious for its ravines, which soldiers avoided through learning how to jump long distances. Unlike modern jumping, where the only equipment is the jumpers footwear, the original Olympic athletes used stone or lead weights called halteres, which resembled dumbbells. The ancient jumper gained his forward acceleration by running up and swinging the weights. He held onto the weights until the end of his flight, when he jettisoned them backwards. He then came down on soil (not always soft and protective!) with his feet juxtaposed. The ancient jumper also established rhythmic movement through the accompaniment of a flute player's music. In the modern Olympics, the competition often lacks these spiritual aids.

The discus is one of the events which had no bearing on military exercises, or farm work.

Originally made of stone, it was later made of iron, lead or bronze. Today, the discus is often a composite of metals. In Greek mythology the discus has been connected with numerous accidental killings, however there are no reports of any accidents during the competitions, because the spectators sat on the embankments. In the modern Olympics however, the discus has not earned itself as dangerous ...