How Did I Miss That?
Welcome to Episode 12,
Is Greek! Put Some Windex on It.
I’m Lisa Blank and this is How Did I Miss That?
As the world gears up for another Summer Olympics this year, I’m over here asking all the questions. I’ve always known where the Olympics began and had a basic idea of when in history the first games were held. But I’m definitely fuzzy on the details. After my son asked a question about the first games and who was there, I decided to jump down the Olympic sized rabbit hole called Google to learn more about the games, its history, and any other interesting tidbits I could dig up…here’s what I found out.
The first Olympic games were held in 776BC as part of an Ancient Greek festival celebrating Zeus. He’s the Greek god of sky and weather, in case you’re a bit rusty on your Greek mythology. The site of the games, Olympia, was the main centre for worship of the king of the gods. Originally, there was only one event, the Stadion which was a 192-meter foot race. Interesting footnote: Stadion is where we get the word stadium. In the words of Gus Portokalos, Is Greek! According to historical records, the winner was a cook by the name of Coroebus (co-ray-bus) of Elis. Here's a tidbit I had never heard…according to legend, Hercules, the son of Zeus and Alcmene (alk-mee-nee), who was a mortal princess and the granddaughter of Perseus and Andromeda, founded the games many years prior to the Stadion.
Thirteen Olympiads passed with the Stadion being the only event. By the year 648BC, the Ancient Greeks were competing in combat games of wrestling and boxing, games of strength like long jump, javelin, and discus, and what I probably would have enjoyed watching the most, chariot racing. Only free born male citizens of Greece were allowed to compete and women were not only banned from taking part in the competitions but were also not allowed to even attend the games.
In 146BC, the Romans conquered Greece which led to a decline in the quality of the Olympics until finally in 393AD, Emperor Theodosius I banned all festivals deemed “pagan” by his Christian standards. The ancient tradition of the Olympic games ended after almost 12 centuries and wouldn’t be revived for nearly 1500 years.
Fortunately, in November of 1892 at a meeting in Paris, Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France suggested a revival of the games and was given approval for the formation of the International Olympic Committee or IOC two years later. Going back to its roots in Greece, the first modern Olympic games were held in Athens in 1896. This inaugural event included 280 participants from 12 nations and the number of competitions expanded to 43 different sports. In addition to the ancient track & field, and wrestling games, this first modern Olympics included swimming, cycling, tennis, and gymnastics. Since then, the games have grown to over 400 events and include athletes from 206 countries. Coubertin also created the Olympic rings symbol that is now known the world over. He originally drew and colored it at the top of a letter he wrote in 1913. He was later quoted as saying, "These five rings represent the five parts of the world now won over to Olympism and ready to accept its fertile rivalries. Moreover, the six colours thus combined reproduce those of all the nations without exception."
Aside from the iconic rings, the Olympic torch is probably the most recognized image of the games. The 1928 Amsterdam Games were the first in the modern era to feature the Olympic torch and flame. It was lit and remained burning at the entrance to the Olympic stadium for the duration of the games. But even this is steeped in Greek tradition. Most historians agree that a flame burned during the ancient games on the alter in the sanctuary of Hestia. Then when Zeus was honored at the games each Olympiad, flames were lit at his temple and also at the temple of his wife, Hera. It is here, at the temple of Hera, where the modern torch is lit each Olympiad by the sun using mirrors and transported to the host city via a relay race that runs across the world. It is definitely considered an honor to be chosen as a torch runner. For the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, Boerne’s own Sam Champion, my former high school principal and quite possibly the greatest man I’ve ever known outside of my father, carried the torch. He was one of 2500 community heroes chosen for the auspicious task.
Prior to 1924, only one Olympic event was held every four years in the summer. But that year, the IOC decided to hold two events, one in the summer and one in the winter. They quickly realized what an undertaking that was and made the wise decision to hold the Winter and Summer games alternating every 2 years, so that each event still has its own Olympiad, or 4-year span.
Here's my last interesting tidbit…up until the 1912 Stockholm Games, the first-place medals were solid gold! Now they are only covered in about 6 grams of gold. The talented few that will walk away with a medal in the 2024 Paris Games will also take a piece of history with them. The medals for this year’s events will contain a piece of the original iron from the Eiffel Tower. Pretty cool!
Okay, maybe one last, last tidbit…the medals for the 1896 Games in Athens were designed by a French sculptor and made in the Paris Mint. They depicted Zeus holding Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. Bet you didn’t know where your running shoes got their name, now did you?! Maybe you did, but it is certainly a fact that I somehow missed! And that my friends, is what this show is all about.
Thanks for listening! If you like what you’re hearing, please make sure to share this podcast with all your friends and neighbors. And don’t forget to click follow or subscribe. Then join me every Tuesday and Friday as I uncover another interesting tidbit of knowledge and wonder… how did I miss that?!
