1. What are the two most well-known myths about how the ancient Olympic Games were started? Illustrate your answers and add more myths or legends about the history of ancient Olympic Games.
A:
The most common myth was the story of the hero Pelops, after whom the Peloponnese is named ("Pelops’ isle"). The story of Pelops was displayed prominently on the east pedimental sculptures of the Temple of Zeus. Pelops was a prince from Lydia in Asia Minor who sought the hand of Hippodamia, the daughter of King Oinomaos of Pisa. Oinomaos challenged his daughter's suitors to a chariot race under the guarantee that any young m an who won the chariot race could have Hippodamia as a wife. Any young man who lost the race would be beheaded, and the heads would be used as decoration for the palace of Oinomaos. With the help of his charioteer Myrtilos, Pelops devised a plan to beat Oinomaos in the chariot race. Pelops and Myrtilos secretly replaced the bronze linchpins of the King's chariot with linchpins made of wax. When Oinomaos was about to pass Pelops in the chariot race, the wax melted and Oinomaos was thrown to his death. Pelops married Hippodamia and instituted the Olympic games to celebrate his victory. A different version of the myth refers to the Olympic games as funeral games in the memory of Oinomaos.
Another myth about the origin of the Olympic Games comes from the Tenth Olympian Ode of the poet Pindar. He tells the story of how Herakles, on his fifth lab or, had to clean the stables of King Augeas of Elis. Herakles approached Augeas and promised to clean the stables for the price of one-tenth of the king's cattle. Augeas agreed, and Herakles rerouted the Kladeos and Alpheos rivers to flow through the stables. Augeas did not fulfill his promise, however, and after Herakles had finished his labors he returned to Elis and waged war on Augeas. Herakles sacked the city of Elis and instituted the Olympic Games in honor of his father, Zeus. It is said that Herakles taught men how to wrestle and measured out the stadium, or the length of the footrace.
Greek demigods
Demigods whose lives were described in legends, played an important role in the Greek mythology. Outstanding people who deserved gratitude, became, after their death, demigods. So demigods were mainly founders of dynasties, lawmakers, war heroes, priests, prophets, great poets, and people who improved people's life with their inventions. A demigod's grave was a great sanctity of the community. It was usually located on the market square, at the gate or on the border of the community. Sometimes the grave was a mystery, in fear of the enemies, who could steal the holy relics. Over the grave a chapel (heroon) was built, surrounded by an olive or cypress grove. No single branch could be taken from these groves, under a severe penalty. At the grave there was a small altar, with a ditch around, to collect the offerings'
blood. The church service took place at night or at dusk.
In the moments of terror people raised their prayers to demigods because these guardians could come to their rescue most easily. Many demigods were depicted as snakes. A snake, crawling on the ground, hiding in a cleft was to indicate underground nature of these demigods. On demigod's graves temples were erected and Olympic Games took place.
http://www.ancient-greece.us/Myths-and-legends.html
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn//greeks/religion/myths/pictures/pelops.jpg
http://web.viu.ca/webquests2/mythology/fronth.gif
2.What is the Olympic symbol? What is the Olympics motto? What is the Olympic flag and what do the symbols on it mean? Give your explanations with illustrations.
A: Olympic Symbol and Flag - Five interlaced rings (blue, yellow, black, green, red) symbolize the five continents (Africa, America s, Asia, Europe and Oceania). It is said that at least one of the five colors appear in the flag of every nation of the world. The Olympic flag appeared for the first time in Antwerp 1920.
Olympics motto is : "Citius, Altius, Fortius" which means - Swifter, Higher, Stronger.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_symbols
3. When did women first take part in the modern Olympic Games? Give the details of the fields of sports women participated in.
A: Olympic events for women made their first appearance in 1912.
Source: http://www.solarnavigator.net/olympic_games.htm
4. Why aren’t the Winter Olympic Games held in leap years now? Give the short overview of the history of winter Olympic Games.
A: The first international multi-sport event specifically for winter sports were the Nordic Games , held in 1901 in Sweden. The Nordic Games were organized by General Viktor Gustaf Balck. They were held again in 1903, 1905 and then every four years there after until 1926. Italian count Eugenio Brunetta d'Usseaux proposed that the IOC stage a week with winter sports as part of the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. The organizers opposed this idea.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Olympic_Games
5. What are the principles of the modern Olympic movement?
A: The Olympic Movement is the concerted, organised, universal and permanent action, carried out under the supreme authority of the IOC, of all individuals and entities who are inspired by the values of Olympism.
Source: http://www.olympic.org/en/content/The-IOC/Governance/Introductionold/
6. When have the modern Olympic Games been cancelled and why?
Source: http://kiat.net/olympics/history/index.html
7. How many types of Olympic Games are there nowadays? When and where were the first Special Olympic Games officially held?
The first Special Olympic Games were officially held in Chicago in 1968.
8. Where will the next winter Olympic Games take place? Characterize the city.
A: The next Winter Olympic Games taks place in Sochi, Russia.
Sochi is a Russian resort city, situated in Krasnodar Krai just north of the northern Republic of Georgia border and the southern Russian border fronting the Black Sea. It sprawls along the shores of the Black Sea and against the background of the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus Mountains. At 145 km (90 mi), Greater Sochi claims to be the longest city in Europe. As of the 2002 Census, it had a population of 328,809, down from 336,514 recorded in the 1989 Census. In 2006, the population was estimated to be 395,012
Sources: http://www.reedline.com/Workout/geoimages/Map_Sochi.gif
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sochi
9. Why are the Olympic Games of 1936 and 1972 specific? Give a short overview of the events of those games.
A: The 1936 Berlin Olympic Games had been handed to Berlin before the Nazis came to power but now it was the perfectopportunity for Hitler to demonstrate to the world, how efficient
the Nazi Germany was.
By far the most famous athlete in the world was Jesse Owens of America - an African American and therefore, under Nazi ideology, inferior to the athletes in the German team. The 'racially inferior' owens won 4 gold medals. During the Games he broke 11 Olympic records.
There were 10 African American members of the American athletics team. Between them they won 7 gold medals, 3 silvers and 3 bronze - more than any national team won in track and field at the Games, except America itself.
Hitler refused to shake hands with this 'negro' , and told that the Americans should be ashamed of theirselves.
The 1972 Munich Olympic Games
The 1972 Summer Olympics were the second Summer Olympics to be held in Germany, after the 1936 Games in Berlin. The Munich Olympics were intended to present a
new, democratic and optimistic Germany to the world, as shown by its official motto, "the Happy Games." The emblem of the Games was a blue solar logo (the "Bright Sun"). The Olympic mascot, the dachshund "Waldi", was the first officially named Olympic mascot. The Games also saw the introduction of the now-universal sports pictograms designed by Otl Aicher. Soon, however, the killings of 11 Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists in an event known as the Munich massacre took center stage.
Source: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/1936_berlin_olympics.htm
10.What is the historical background of the marathon of the ancient and modern Olympic Games? Who hold the world records of the modern Olympic Games among men and women?
A: The name Marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger. The legend states that he was sent from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon (in which he had just fought), which took place in August or September, 490 BC. It is said that he ran the entire
distance without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming "Νενικήκαμεν" (Nenikékamen, 'We have won.') before collapsing and dying.
Modern Olympic games: the idea of organizing a marathon race came from Michel Bréal, who wanted the event to feature in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens. This
idea was heavily supported by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, as well as the Greeks. The Greeks staged a selection race for the Olympic marathon on March 10, 1896 that was won by Charilaos Vasilakos in 3 hours and 18 minutes (with the future winner of the introductory Olympic Games marathon coming in fifth). The winner of the first Olympic Marathon, on April 10, 1896 (a male-only race), was Spiridon "Spiros" Louis, a Greek water-carrier. He won at the Olympics in 2 hours 58 minutes and 50 seconds.
The women's marathon was introduced at the 1984 Summer Olympics (Los Angeles, USA) and was won by Joan Benoit of the United States with a time of 2 hours 24 minutes and 52 seconds.
The Olympic men's record is 2:06:32, set at the 2008 Summer Olympics by Samuel Kamau Wanjiru of Kenya. The Olympic women's record is 2:23:14, set at the 2000 Summer Olympics by Naoko Takahashi of Japan.
Sources: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/pictures/1991.07.1134.jpeg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon
