Ancient Greek Influence On Modern Sports

There’s something about the five interwoven rings, the words Cituis Altius Fortius, and the lighting of a giant flame that incites excitement among sports fans everywhere. All of these iconic symbols belong to one of the most famous sporting events known to man; the Olympic games. The rings, standing for the five continents, the motto, which is translated to “higher, faster, stronger”, and the classic ritual of lighting the flame are all modern day Olympic symbols that represent the 17 days of high intensity sport and competition. However, the Olympic games have not always been what they are today. Originally developed by the Ancient Greeks, the sports games consisted of only a few sports and were intended to be a homage to their gods. Eventually,
They have provided exercise and entertainment for any of those who chose to participate or watch. Originally, sports were invented for humans to showcase their abilities. The Olympics was a good indication of this. The Ancient Greeks wanted to give a gift to the gods, specifically to the Greek god, Zeus; so they created the Olympics. According to Scholastic, “The Greeks idealized physical fitness and mental discipline, and they believed that excellence in those areas honored Zeus, the greatest of all their gods”. It was believed that Zeus, in a battle for control over the world, fought and defeated his father, Kronos, on a mountain that overlooked the valley called Olympia. Upon the area of defeat and triumph, a temple and statue was built. The legend prompted the Greeks to hold the Olympic festivities
A man from France, by the name of Pierre de Coubertin took a main part in the revival of the fallen ancient games. Starting off, the first rebirth of the Olympic games was held in Athens, out of respect for the Greek games. It was also decided that the games would be held every four years, just like they had been in ancient Greece. One big development, however, was that athletes from all over the world could come participate in the Olympic games and represent their respective countries, unlike in the ancient times when they were limited to only Greek men. The firsts few Olympic games didn’t allow women to participate. In 1900, however, women were officially allowed to participate in the Olympic games, which were being held in Paris that year. New sports also began being added to the games. Swimming, volleyball, rowing, cycling, and football were just a few of the many sports that began to make their way into the development of the Olympic games. In 1924, the Olympic games made a huge development by adding in the winter games, which according to Olymmpic.org was due to the fact that “snow and ice sports began to enjoy soaring popularity.” While the games followed the Ancient Greeks and added in the closing ceremony, there was a decision to have an opening ceremony as well. The opening became a big art spectacle and to this day has grown even bigger each year. The opening ceremony consists of the