Paris 2024 Olympic Games: when Greek athletes were honored as true stadium gods in Olympia
|Le lancer du disque est l'un des gestes ayant le moins changé au fil des siècles sur le stade olympique. MAXPPP – KERIBAR IZZET
Representing their cities, the champions of ancient games were sometimes honored as gods, sometimes even with worship and funeral banquets. A look back at the major sports of the first Olympics.
From Olympia to Paris, from the Games of antiquity to those of the modern era, there is only one step in view of the ;rsquo;history of Humanity but a gulf between two worlds. The grandiose opening ceremony on the Seine, on July 26, a hymn to Parisian audacity and creativity, will remind us of this by echoing the very simple procession which opened the Olympic Games. rsquo;Olympia, from the 8th century BCE.
Like any religious festival, the ancient Games began with this long march starting from Elis, 35 kilometers away, and accompanying the athletes and a hundred oxen towards the original sacrifice on the sanctuary of ;rsquo;Olympia, facing the temple of Zeus. "The oath, the athletes took it with regard to the gods", recalls Eric Perrin-Saminadayar, professor of & rsquo;History and epigraphy of the Greco-Roman world and director of the faculty of human sciences and environmental sciences at Paul-Valéry. With the hope of becoming true stadium gods themselves.
"We were tearing down walls for the return of the heroes"
"Contrary to the motto that Coubertin would establish much later, the essential thing was not to participate but to win to show that we came from a powerful city, confirms the Montpellier. The victors were entitled to honors equivalent to those given to the gods, even going so far as to tear down walls for the bring into the city. The name of the hero and that of his father and his city were proclaimed. The notion of political recovery of the winners by the State already existed…"
Where the current Games, which have become Paralympics, are intended to be those of inclusion and parity, those of Olympia were those of exclusion: reserved for Greeks and forbidden to women. One of the reasons for this exclusion was the total nudity of the athletes to compete.
Sale of derivative products
The only exceptions were the horse racing events and the chariot races which traditionally opened the Games. Two-horse, four-horse chariots, mounted race… There was something for everyone, in front of a rather sparse audience at the beginning, the Olympia stadium not being equipped with stands.
"At the height of the Classic period, the stadium, which was rebuilt four times, could accommodate 40 000 people< /em>, says Eric Perrin-Saminadayar.Olympia was then transformed into a tent village. A few solid buildings were reserved for judges and athletes, but no hotel business was developed. On the other hand, a whole ephemeral fair was set up, where all kinds of goods and even trinkets, souvenirs, merchandising of the time were exchanged. .
Combat sports, stars of the Games
The events, spread over five days, already gave pride of place to athletics with three types of races: the "stadium" of approximately 200 meters, the double stadium and the long stadium (cross-country race from 1500 to 5000 m). All without the slightest measure of time. "The notion of a record did not exist, except through the number of victories at the Games. The only goal was to choose a winner in each event."
Doping and corruption, already
Since the main thing was to win, doping was tolerated but often linked to a rich diet (bull blood) which did not necessarily facilitate performance. It was said of Theagenes of Thasos, one of the most famous pancratiasts, that he was capable of eating an ox.
On the other hand, the corruption of judges or adversaries was prohibited and severely punished by heavy fines which entered the god's coffers for offerings and sacrifices. Despite everything, some cities did not hesitate to buy opponents into folding.
Our decathlon was replaced by a pentathlon mixing javelin, discus, long jump, running and wrestling. The combat events were the heaviest, notably pugilism, the ancestor of boxing, fought with leather straps around the fists, and especially pankration "a sort of ancient MMA where all the Beatings were permitted, except fingers in the eyes, in the ears and any attack on the genitals."
Olive wreath and linen strip as a reward
The Montpellier resident recalls that there were no weight categories but only ages:"Young people were distinguished from adults. Without marital status, the judges had to decide on the athletes' categories during the month preceding the competitions. There were no seeds, always a full draw. The most popular athletes were the pancratiasts. Some were honored as gods with statues, sometimes a cult and funeral banquets."
The only reward for the winner was an olive wreath and a strip of linen or wool around his head which he most often hung at the temple dedicated to the gods. Money ? These champions would then collect it in parallel competitions organized in the Greek world.
"They were very popular, ambassadors of their city, insists Eric Perrin-Saminadayar. The practice of sport was part of a man's normal activity, through horse riding, hunting, agriculture or war. But the Greeks made it a point of honor to converse in the palaestra (room), integrated into the gymnasium which designated the sports complex. A public place that has also become a place for courses, conferences and intellectual training. A place for complete education of body and mind."
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