Just how did these Games Develop?

Just how did the Games Develop?

You may be asking, “How long have the Olympics been around?” or “How did this all develop?”Humans since the beginning of time have always been competitive by nature. The Olympics have always been an opportunity for athletically skilled humans to compete against one another. The first Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 BC(olympics.org). The Original Olympic Games were held in Olympia of ancient Greece between city-states and select kingdoms.

One of the most popular myths on the Olympics is that Hercules and his father Zeus are the progenitors of the Games. Heracles was the first to call the Games "Olympic" and establish the custom of holding them every four years. When the ancient Greeks created the stadiums and arenas, they also developed select systems of measurements (olympicorigins-britannica.com).Only free men that could speak Greek could compete.  An “Olympic truce” was called which allowed athletes from warring cities or kingdoms to safely travel and compete in the games.  Winners would receive statues and be honored with great reverence.

The Olympics differed from what they consist of today. These games most likely entailed athletic events as well as combat and chariot racing rather than modern sports such as soccer or rugby (Swaddling 54). 

When the Romans rose to power, the Olympics began to fade away. In 426 AD Lord Theodosius II ordered the destruction of all Greek temples and with that, the Olympic tradition vanished.

It was not until the 19^th century that the Olympics tradition was reborn and International Olympic Committee (IOC) formed (Crowther). In ancient times, the Olympics were held in the same city.  Now the IOC selects a city to host the games.  The games have evolved over the years.  Each year, new sports are added.  As society has changed so have the Olympics.  Sports restricted to male athletes have changed and now female athletes compete.  These games saw countries send women to the games that normally only sent men. 

The rules and regulations of the games have evolved.  With trials and tribulations throughout Olympic history, the IOC created rules that athletes must follow. The track & field zero-tolerance false start policy is considered the crudest rule in sports. One of the most famous false starts occurred during the 1996 Olympics where Linford Christie took off before the gun had sounded in the 100 meter dash. Furious that he was unable to defend his title from the 1992 Olympics, Christie famously delayed the race by refusing to leave the track (sports.yahoo.com). Usain had had a false start in the 2011 World Track &Field championships..

Athletes using performing enhancing drugs are disqualified from the Olympics.  This can be traced back to even Ancient Olympics where Olympians would eat lizard meat hoping that it would give them an athletic advantage (national geographic history). To ensure fairness, the IOC mandates the testing of athletes for performance enhancing drugs through blood tests and urine analysis. There are countless drugs that are banned from use prior to and during competition. Some of the most common drugs are exogenous & endogenous steroids, isomers, hormone stimulants, diuretics, all narcotics, glucocorticoids, and beta blockers (wada-ama.org).  

There are countless inspiring stories and victories in the Olympics. Many have heard about famous current Olympic record holders and medalists such as Michael Phelps, Serena Williams and Usain Bolt. However there are also athletes that have set world records that have not been broken in over 25 years. Track & Field athlete Jesse Owens earned four gold medals in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin and even held a long jump world record for over 25 years. Like Owens, Gabby Douglas holds multiple gold medals and also claims the title for being the first African American to win the individual all-around event. Another popular athlete and social activist, Muhammad Ali was a gold medal Olympic boxer during the 1960’s (biography.com).