So though the exact Origin of Olympic Games is shrouded in mystery , the games on the whole became the central spark of the Greek culture very early and an important factor that controlled the unification of the Greeks with an exception of the language and the mythological problem.
With the passage of time, the Olympian site became very popular for its exquisite group of temples and monuments. The gold and the ivory statue of Zeus is considered one of the seven wonders of the world. The Olympic games were held every fourth year with a four year gap. Some of the sources point out to some of the startling facts regarding the idea of the Origin of Olympic Games, which is in the initial phase the game was a brutal one where the main emphasis was made on the strength of the players and the women were completely prohibited to enter the playing arena of the Olympics. Though the athletes competed in the games on an individual basis, some of the evidence suggests that cheating too had been the order of the day with players succumbing to mean acts of cheating as well. It is also said that participants or event officials who cheated were heavily fined and the money collected was used to build statues of Zeus, known as the Zanes. Initially most of the participants who took part in the games came from rich and wealthy background and aristocratic Greek class. Now as the years rolled on and the centuries too, Olympics narrowed down and and became comparatively less exclusive and thus the poor athletes got some sponsorship and were able to compete in the games.
One of the most interesting feature in relation with the Origin of Olympic Games, comprises of the fact that not all the events that a part of the modern Olympic today were part of the ancient Olympics as well. Some of the main events that were found their entry in the ancient Olympics were, Boxing which existed without rounds until one side was either knocked out or acknowledged defeat. No such weight divisions existed in that time and the opponents were selected by random lot. Boxers did not used to wear gloves instead wore himantes which were pieces of leather tied round the hands and wrists leaving free the fingers. Another favorite event was the Chariot racing. This was a sport in which only the wealthiest contestants took part. Some of the other important events that needs mention are, Horse racing, Pankration (combination of boxing, wrestling and judo),Running, hoplite race, Wrestling, pentathlon.
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