The Olympic Games are always an opportunity to reconnect with the spirit of this most significant sports event, which once had a different purpose than it does today.
There is still debate about when they originated, although the majority of historical sources agree that the first Olympic Games of the ancient world were held in 776 BC. However, according to myths linking them to gods and heroes, they go much further back in history but were interrupted and revived. One myth states that Zeus himself arranged the games out of joy for defeating his father Cronus and ruling Olympus, while another claims that Hercules held the first Olympic Games in honor of his father Zeus…
In the beginning, the Olympic Games were as much a religious ceremony as an athletic event. Athletes, imitating Hercules, would showcase their skills. Excellence at the religious ceremony was of great importance and was seen as an honor for the city-states of that time to such an extent that rival cities would declare a truce during the Olympic Games.
On the first Olympic Games, the only discipline that resembled a sports event was the 176-meter race, a distance supposedly set by Heracles and called stade, from which the word stadium was derived. In addition to the race, the ceremony also included artistic disciplines such as sculpture, singing, and poetry. At the same time, the word athlete has a broader meaning because Greek gymnasiums offered not only physical exercises but also lectures in philosophy, literature, music, and medicine. They were an important part of social and spiritual life in Greece. The education of young people almost exclusively took place in gymnasiums in order to raise upright, healthy citizens with strong morals. A sound mind in a sound body, as well as a well-shaped soul in a well-shaped body. The Olympic Games made this one of the most important ceremonies of ancient Greece to the extent that historical events were associated with the Olympics. At the Olympic Games, other disciplines such as wrestling, boxing, javelin throwing, and others were added.
No matter how fiercely athletes from rival countries competed, mutual respect was highly valued. Defeat in any discipline was not seen as a personal failure but as an acknowledgement that the opponent mastered the skill they were engaged in better. Moral character and discipline to overcome one’s own challenges were instilled in gymnasia from a young age, as well as the ability to accept defeat and recognize the skill of the opponent. That is what differentiates victory from success.
It is possible to be a winner even in defeat. Being a winner is our ability to rise after a defeat in any challenge we have chosen or that life has brought us. Only when we are tested do we learn to fight with our weaknesses.
The competition to promote excellence was the mindset of that time and that spirit would later be revived in the main principle of modern Olympic Games: The most important thing at the Olympic Games is not to win, but to participate. s of the Croatian translation:
It is not about winning, but about participating, just as in life, victory is not the most important thing, but the struggle. A great man is the one who doesn’t achieve something without an honorable fight.
This quote by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the International Olympic Committee, perfectly reflects the noble spirit of competition that the Olympic Games can evoke, the difference between victory and success.
About the Olympic Games
Heracles from Ida is credited with being the first to hold the games and gave them the name Olympic. He determined that they should be held every five years, as he and his brothers made up a group of five. Some say that Zeus wrestled with Kronos for power, while others say that he established the games in honor of his victory over Kronos. Other winners are also mentioned: Apollo outran Hermes in a race, and he defeated Ares in boxing. It is said that because of this, the Pythian flute was introduced when jumping in the pentathlon, as the flute is dedicated to Apollo, and Apollo achieved the first Olympic victory. (Guide to Hellas, Pausanias)
The Greek ideal of kalokagathia, which consists of In accordance with the beautiful and good, he requested that the achievements of the spirit and mind not be forgotten during the competition of physical abilities. Poets and singers competed in front of the gathered people, philosophers and politicians publicly explained their views in the groves, and painters and sculptors sought recognition and inspiration. In Olympia, Herodotus publicly read chapters from his history, and Empedocles his poems. Aetius exhibited his paintings there, and Eunopus displayed tiles with astronomical calculations. Gorgias and Hippias interpreted their philosophy, and Lysias delivered speeches.
Not only athletes and fans came to the games, but also the entire Hellenic world gathered there. Official delegations from Greek city-states came to establish connections and make agreements. The Olympic festivities were not only the greatest sports events, but also the greatest cultural and political event of the ancient Greeks.