The Olympics Story

Internet is not a source of all stories or knowledge, it can never be. Having watched many Olympics on TV, having run a few marathons (42.195 km), having read dozens of books on the subject, and having browsed the internet for years, I thought I was fairly knowledgeable about Olympics in general and marathon races in particular. However, after coming to Greece, I learnt new details about the Olympics and heard the story of the first marathon.

Ancient Olympic Games

The first ancient Olympic Games were held almost 2800 years ago, in 776 BC. Thereafter every four years, men from all across the Greek world gathered at the Greek town of Olympia. Olympiad was a religious festival, dedicated to Zeus, the sky-god. (Dyews, the Sanskrit equivalent in Rig-Veda, is the origin of the word Dev, meaning God in Indian languages. Indians and Greeks probably had common ancestors in times more ancient.)

The Olympics were designed to initiate young boys into adulthood. The participants didn’t represent cities or countries, but competed as individuals. Winning was the goal, not mere participation. Boxing, wrestling, pankration (a variety of wresting), four foot races, pentathlon (long jump, discus, javelin, sprinting, wrestling, chariot racing and horse racing) were the Olympic disciplines. Interesting to note that each Olympic sport aimed to develop skills needed in warfare.  

In every event, only a single winner was announced (not three). His reward was not a medal, but an olive wreath. The wreath was made of wild olive branches that grew at Olympia. Rich winners would pay poets to compose a victory ode in their honour to gain immortality. In later years, they commissioned sculptors to carve their marble statues.

All competing athletes were nude.

Nudity and application of oil

Like the marble sculptures we see in modern European museums, male bodies of the athletes were on display at the Olympics. Oil was applied on the body to highlight its contours. Nudity in sport was a norm in Greece. In gymnasiums, men always exercised naked. In fact, gymnasium originates from the Greek word gymnos meaning naked. [When I wrote a story called Nude Man in Gym (opendiary week 19: 2005), I didn’t know this].

Runners covered their male organs with a narrow leather strip, but that was to minimise discomfort while running rather than a result of shame.

Ironically, married women were not allowed to attend the Olympics, while unmarried girls attended in thousands. The athletes were in their twenties. An unmarried girl and her father watched the oiled, nude features of the athletes along with their sport performance before selecting a husband for the girl.

Shorter races were organised for unmarried girls (probably so that brides could be chosen). Girls were not nude. They wore loose, light dresses above the knees, but the right breast had to be completely exposed.

Ancient Olympics, exclusively held in Greece, went on for nearly 1200 years. Records suggest the last Olympiad was held in 393 AD. By this time, Greece had been under the Roman rule for a few centuries. At the height of his powers, the Roman emperor ‘Theodosius the Great’ wanted to impose Christianity as the state religion. He considered the Greeks as pagans. On his watch, major Greek temples were destroyed. Theodosius banned the Olympic Games. No Olympiad would happen for the next 1500 years.

1896: Athens: The first modern Olympics

After being ruled over for nearly 2000 years; first by the Roman and then by the Turkish Empire, Greece finally became independent in 1821. The Greeks wished to bring back the glorious traditions of their ancient past. The Olympics, though, was revived not by the Greeks but a Frenchman. Baron Pierre de Coubertin was a born aristocrat. He was an intellectual who had devoted himself to education. For years, he tried to introduce physical education into French schools. Paradoxically, Baron Coubertin failed in that attempt, but succeeded in organising the first international Olympics of modern times.

Coubertin was a fan of ancient Greek history. He founded the International Olympic committee (IOC). He spent years persuading the Greek government to agree to hold the Olympiad. An estate of a Greek business family Zappas sponsored the refurbishment of the stadiums. In 1894, it was unanimously agreed to hold the Olympics in Athens. Greece was, after all, the birth place of that tradition. Coubertin altered the ancient philosophy by declaring: ‘The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle, the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.’

Only Greeks could take part in the ancient Olympics. Modern Olympics would be truly international. The Athens Olympics of 1896 was an all-male affair. It was the only Olympics not to have a single female competitor. Women took part from 1900, and in 2012 London Olympics women participated in every sport.

The anthem for the 1896 Olympics was written by Kostis Palamas, composed by Spyridon Samaras, both Greeks as should be obvious by their names. The same anthem is played till now to open each Olympiad.

The 1896 Olympics was attended by more than 100,000 spectators. A marathon race, revived for the first time, would be its final event.

1896 Olympics Marathon race

The world was familiar with an ancient story, historically true or not, about Pheidippides, a messenger, who in 490 BC ran from the battle of Marathon to Athens (25 miles/40 km) carrying news of the Greek victory. He burst through the doors of the leaders’ meeting room, and could only say: “Greetings! Victory is ours!” before collapsing and dying.

This story often upsets the families of modern marathon runners. It should be noted that just before that run, Pheidippides was sent running from Athens to Sparta (140 miles/225 km) to ask the Spartans for help against the imminent Persian landing at Marathon. In short, Pheidippides died after running 265 km and not 40 km.

The Athens Olympics, 1896 decided to revive the 40 km race from Marathon to Athens. Until then, a marathon was known only as a legend, nobody in modern times had run that distance. (World’s oldest race, the Boston Marathon, started the following year, in 1897, inspired by the Olympics race). Would anyone be able to finish it? People were curious. The Australians and Americans came trained and were serious about their sport. The Greeks knew they stood no chance against them. As hosts, they were at liberty to include a few Greeks. They even bent protocol to include a shepherd. Being a peasant, the shepherd was not a gentleman, not part of any athletic club, a normal requirement for participation in those days. Fifty thousand people packed the stadium and thousands lined the running route. The race would end in the stadium. The Greek king and the two princes were waiting there to greet the winners. One Greek aristocrat lady had announced that she would marry the winner, if he was Greek.

The race began at 2 pm and every hour the tension mounted. Albin Lermusiaux, a Frenchman, was leading the race for a long time. He was followed by Edwin Flack, an Australian, and Arthur Blake, an American. Flack had won both 800 meters and 1500 meters and was tipped to complete the treble. Thousands of Greek spectators were cheering, though disappointed that the three leaders were not Greeks.

The Greek competitors, with nothing to lose, were relaxed during their run. Spyridon Louis, the shepherd who was allowed to compete, even stopped briefly to have a glass of wine.

It was a hot, sunny day. Those athletes who ran very hard at the beginning started falling like soldiers on the battlefield. The American dropped out at 23 km. The Frenchman soon followed. It seemed Flack, who was leading after 30 km would earn his treble. By now the shepherd, Louis, sunburnt and covered in dust had caught up with him. Two other Greeks were behind Louis. Trying to outpace Louis, Flack collapsed with three km still to go.

Louis entered the stadium completing his race in less than three hours. Two Greek runners finished second and third. The crowd went crazy waving their hats and Greek flags. The band played the Greek anthem again and again. The two princes showered flowers on Louis. Even the king was waiting at the finish line enthusiastically waving his hat. De Coubertin, in his memoir, mentioned the scene as one of the most extraordinary spectacles in his life.

In the following days, women sent gold chains and watches to Louis, men offered big amounts of cash. A few cafes offered free meals and coffee for the rest of his life, a salon announced free haircuts for him. Louis refused all the gifts. The lady who had offered to marry the Greek winner was relieved at his refusal. She had expected an aristocrat to win, not a peasant. Spyridon Louis remained unassuming, went back to his village life, away from the limelight. Forty years later, he led the Greek team at the Berlin marathon. The Greek language now has a proverb “to do a Louis” meaning to exert oneself in a supreme effort. The Olympic stadium in Athens in named after him.

The extra yards

Marathon runners often wonder why the marathon distance is 42.195 km (or 26 miles and 385 yards). Why not have a round figure?

For the 1908 London Olympics, indeed, the distance agreed was 26 miles. The marathon would start at the Windsor Castle.

At the opening ceremony, UK’s King Edward the seventh was in the royal box. Delegations of all nations were expected to lower their respective flags as a sign of respect towards the king. Americans refused to do so. Allegedly, their captain said: ‘this flag dips to no earthly king’. This had irritated the royal family.

The marathon finish line was 385 yards from the royal box. Irritated by the American insult, the British Royalty decided to demonstrate the power of monarchy. The king would not walk to the finish line; let the finish line be drawn to where the king was. To the distance of 26 miles, 385 yards were added. Since that day in 1908, marathon races all around the world have to live with those extra 385 yards (195 meters). Hail Edward the seventh!

Sport as a substitute

The other interesting thing I learnt about the ancient Olympics was that for the period of the Olympics all wars were stopped. It was agreed between warring states that the passage of sportsmen for the competitions would be safe. This was a truce and ceasefire, faithfully implemented.

Olympics equalled war minus corpses. It was a substitute for the gory battles. Olympics truly represented peace.

I would love to see that tradition being revived. Replace war with sports. Maybe organise an international Olympics in Syria.

As a minimum, India should start playing cricket with Pakistan again. As long as they play cricket, bats and balls might be the only weapons used.

Ravi