Olympics Return to Greece

The Modern Olympics have survived two World Wars and a Cold War, numerous boycotts, and quadrennial manipulation by governments and corporations. So, as the games open tonight in Athens, in the shadow of Mount Olympus, it is delightfully wondrous to listen to those with a vested interest in the "purity of the movement" go on about the games being bloated, threatened by doping and in general, living on the edge of doom. Yet another reason to teach the classics to eager young minds as early as possible -- the Modern Games are every bit as clean as the ancient Olympics, and in fact, are in some ways better.

For example, initially participants in the ancient games had to be free, male and of Greek origin. In the 3rd century, the daughter of the King of Sparta, Kynisca by name, won several chariot races -- it only took a few centuries before the girls could play. It took the Roman conquest of Greece in 146 BC to get Roman athletes admitted. The universal modern games do a much better job of uniting humanity on the field of sport -- if that has any value. Also, the ancient Greeks competed naked. While the physical beauty of athletics may add to the experience, it makes baseball, soccer and field hockey painfully impossible.

Modern athletes are condemned for possible doping, there have been bribes in the Olympics (remember the odd scores awarded by the East German judges?), and there are cases of people fiddling passport and nationality rules to make it to the games. Ancient athletes did the same. Potions and prayers were on sale before the events that were "guaranteed" to enhance performance (like marijuana does for snowboarders -- not at all).

As for bribery, Pausanias noted, that "Eupolus of Thessaly bribed the boxers who entered the competition, Agenor the Arcadian and Prytanis of Cyzicus, and with them also Phormio of Halicarnassus, who had won at the preceding Festival." This was the first time anyone was fined for violating the oath of the games, but not the last. Numerous statues of Zeus were erected by those caught, often with apologies or confessions inscribed on the so-called Zane -- these were placed at the entrance as a reminder to competitors of the price of cheating.

And the ancients switched nationalities. Astylos of Crotona was an athlete for Crotona, and later participated for Syracuse, hoping he'd get a few favors from Hieron, the Tyrant of Syracuse. The Crotonians destroyed his house and his statue in retaliation.

And the vulgarity of money? The ancients didn't just play for olive wreathes. By the early sixth century BC, Athens was handing out 500 drachma rewards to winners. Some put the modern value at $300,000, but that seems steep. Still, Thucydides says the Athenian rowers during the Peloponnesian War were paid a drachma a day, so 500 was a hefty sum. This was in addition to free meals and front-row seats at the theater.

But above all, the modern games in Athens will remain under Greek supervision. Around 365 BC, the Arkadians conquered Olympia, and in 364, they hosted the games. During the pentathlon, the Elean Army marched in to take back Olympia. Diodorus says that during the ensuing battle in the Sacred Grove, spectators cheered the soldiers during their hand-to-hand combat. The Arkadians won, but before the next Olympiad, they gave in to pressure from their allies to return Olympia to Elis, which never recognized wins from the 364 BC games.

Citius, altius, fortius but ever the same.


© Copyright 2004 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.


Home