All About History History of the Olympic Games - 2nd Edition 2022

134 Pages·2022·59 MB·English

NEW
100% UNOFFICIAL
OLHYISTOMRY OF PTHE IC
presents
Over
2,000
years of
sport, politics and
competition
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10 i moments that
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the greatest
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SECOEDITI

Welcome to
HISTORY OF THE
I
t’s been called the greatest show on Earth, and that’s not far from the truth.
Every four years, the world comes together to watch the best of the best
compete for gold, silver, bronze and glory. It’s a spectacle filled with fire,
spirit and national pride. It’s the Olympic Games.
Now you can chart the entire history of the Olympics, from its earliest
days in Ancient Greece all the way to the postponed Tokyo Games. Uncover
the real reason the Romans did away with the competition, and meet the
Frenchman who brought it back in 1896. Find out about the Olympics-inspired
competitions like the Special Olympics and head around the world to see the
birth of the Paralympics and Winter Olympics.
But it’s not all glory and riches. We reveal the truth behind controversies like
the Russian doping scandal, and explain why some cities end up in crippling
debt after hosting the sporting event.
Everything you ever wanted to know about the history of the Olympic
Games is just over the page…

HISTORY OF THE
OLYMPIC
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History of the Olympic Games Second Edition (AHB4398)
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Part of the
bookazine series
CONTENTS
THE
18
GAMES
10
The Ancient Olympics
-
16
Ancient Olympians
- 84
18
The Birth of the 58
Modern Olympics The Special
48
Olympics
-
26 -
Women and 62
the Olympics Murder in Munich
- -
30 66
The Strangest Sports Liberty Bell
in Olympic History Classic
- -
36 68
The First Atlanta 1996
Winter Olympics -
- 74 74
China’s First
40
The Nazi Olympics Olympics
- -
48 80
Rise of the Russia’s Doping
Paralympics Scandal
- -
54 84
The Tlatelolco Building up to
Massacre Tokyo 2020
6
THE 92 96 102
40
Keeping the Hosting the Keeping to
RITES
Flames Alive Olympic Games Tradition
102
92
58
80
THE 112 120
Nadia Comaneci Alice Coachman
OLYMPIANS
- -
114 122
Aladár Gerevich Sawao Kato
108
Usain - -
Bolt 116 124
Simone Biles Larisa Latynina
-
110 - -
Jackie 118 126
Joyner-Kersee Vera Cáslavská Sky Brown
7
T H E
G A M E S
18 58
68
8
40
10 40
The Ancient The Nazi Olympics
Olympics -
- 48
Rise of the
16
Ancient Olympians Paralympics
- -
18 54
The Birth of the The Tlatelolco
Modern Olympics Massacre
- -
26 58
Women and The Special
the Olympics Olympics
- -
30 62
The Strangest Sports Murder in Munich
in Olympic History -
- 66
Liberty Bell
36
The First Classic
48
Winter Olympics -
68
Atlanta 1996
-
74
China’s First
Olympics
-
80
Russia’s Doping
Scandal
-
84
Building up to
84
Tokyo 2020
9
The Games
The
Ancient
Olympics
The origins of these spirited events revealed
Words David Stuttard
E
very four years from 776 BCE to around So it remained for two generations, but from and Nemea – the Olympics reigned supreme. By
425, competitors and spectators flocked to a 724 BCE other events were introduced, and the 6th century BCE, competitors were arriving
sanctuary in southern Greece to participate the reputation of the festival began to spread. at Olympia from all over the Greek world and,
in one of the most extraordinary events of the Coincidentally, this was a time of new beginnings when in the early 5th century mainland Greeks
ancient world. It was a festival in honour of Zeus, for the Greeks, as many mainland cities sent successfully fought off the Persian invasions
king of the gods, who ruled from the snow-capped shiploads of citizens to plant new settlements while Sicilian Greeks defeated the Carthaginians
peaks of Mount Olympus far to the north. Indeed, in foreign lands from Marseilles in the west to and Etruscans, it was at Olympia that they made
it was from Olympian Zeus that the location of the Byzantium in the east, and from Cyrene in Libya offerings of thanks.
sanctuary was named: Olympia. to Epidamnus in modern Albania. As the festival’s status grew, the Games
The festival had humble origins. In its early As Greek territory expanded, Greeks felt a expanded to cover five days. At the same time,
years, participants came mainly from Elis, the city growing need to maintain, or create, a cultural new opportunities to display power through
just under 65 kilometres away that controlled the identity. The 5th-century-BCE historian Herodotus sacrifice and banquets meant that Olympia was
sanctuary. On the morning following the August writes that what united them was “kinship now attracting not just athletes but the rich and
full moon, they sang hymns, chanted prayers, and in blood and speech, the shrines of gods, the influential as well as kings and politicians eager
sacrificed oxen to Zeus, burning the bones and fat sacrifices that we have in common, and the to strut the international stage, hold high-level
on the altar as an offering before cooking the meat similarity of our lifestyle”. He might have added conferences and negotiate high-profile deals.
for that evening’s banquet. ‘competitiveness’, because inspiring almost every Many were keen to compete in the chariot
As the mouth-watering aromas filled the air, Greek was the advice given to Achilles in the Iliad, race, the Games’ most expensive event. Among
many of those present made their way a little to an epic poem with its roots in the 8th century them was Alexander I, king of Macedon, whose
the east, stripped down to their loincloths – only BCE: “Always to be best and to surpass all others”. people many considered not to be pure Greeks.
from 720 BCE were competitors naked – and, As the Iliad, with its tales of bravery culminating In 504 BCE, he successfully proved his eligibility
while the rest looked on, raced back to the in funeral games for Patroclus, was fuelling the by tracing his ancestors back to the Peloponnesian
finishing line near the altar. The distance, around Greeks’ imagination, the setting where they could city of Argos.
180 metres, was called in Greek a ‘stade’, the origin locate themselves as the true heirs of the heroes Almost a century later, in 416 BCE, the Athenian
of our word ‘stadium’. In 30 seconds the race was of the Trojan War was fast becoming recognised playboy politician Alcibiades also used the
over, and in 776 BCE the winner was proclaimed. as Olympia and, although other sports-related Olympic chariot race to proclaim his wealth and
He was a local baker called Coroebus, that year’s festivals sprang up – notably at Delphi, Corinth power by entering an unrivalled seven teams.
only victor, for the foot race was the only contest.
RIGHT Quatremère de Quincy’s 1815 reconstruction of Pheidias’ statue of Olympian Zeus wrongly imagines it beneath an arched roof
The Olympic Games began as one Olympic game.
10