The Way Games Were - Sports In Ancient Greece

The ancient Greeks were not only great inventors, philosophers, mathematicians, architects, and scientists – they were also great athletes. Not to mention that the first Olympic games happened in Greece on 776 BC in the then flourishing city of Athens during the classical period, a part of which is known as the Golden Age. Since religion played a huge part on the lives of the early Greeks, sports in ancient Greece were held as an offering to entertain their gods and goddesses.

Much of the events in the first Olympic games still survive until today. Art pieces depicting the type of sports they played are evidences of how much the early Greeks were involved in sports. And especially during the classical period, the form of government that they adopted, which was democracy, allowed ordinary citizens to expend their potentials through sports engagement.

The best athletes in Greece converged at the stadium of Olympia to compete in various events. Sports in ancient Greece included: boxing, weight lifting, chariot racing (equestrian events), pankration, pentathalon (which was a series of sports events such as javelin throwing, wrestling, running, discuss throwing, and long jumping). Ancient boxing was similar to the ones practiced today. The early Greeks used cloth to pad their hands and fought until one contender was knocked out.

There were three categories for the equestrian events: a 2-horse chariot and a 4-horse chariot races, and horseback riding subdivided into categories of full-grown horses and foals. The former commenced in 12 laps, which was equivalent to 9 miles, around the track in the stadium while the latter was 6 laps. The awards were given to the owner of the winning team (the jockey and horse) who could afford the training and equipment meant for this sport. Another sports in ancient Greece was pankration – a combination of boxing and wrestling in one event. It was a grueling event that allowed kicking an opponent's belly.

Cheating in sports in ancient Greece was considered a taboo because sports in ancient Greece were regarded as a show of disrespect to the gods. An athlete who was caught cheating was debarred from participating in any event.

Prizes did not have much value in the ancient times (the winning athletes were not paid in cash because they didn't have that yet). It was honor and fame that mattered to them most, winning meant giving pleasure to the gods. The winners of the sports in ancient Greece particularly participants of the Olympic games were awarded with a wreath of laurel (or olive leaves) which were worn on their heads. The winners upon receiving the wreath would then shout their names, family, and city to which they were from.