Games in the Ancient Olympics

The Olympics were initially a one-day event until 684 BC, after which it became a three-day event. Again, after the fifth century BC, it became a five-day event. During the Ancient Olympics, any type of game related to running was given importance. The very first game in the Olympiad was the "Stade race", a sprint of about 190 meters.

The "Pentathlon", unlike the modern pentathlon, was an event consisting of five competitions, namely "Stadion" or short foot race, Long Jump, Wrestling, Javelin Throw and Discus Throw. All five of them were considered beneficial for wars also and the training for them was part of the military practice. The athletes who used to compete in the pentathlon were considered to be very skillful. Except Wrestling, the rest four were held at the Stadion or the stadium.

The Stade or Stadion race was an old foot race about 180 meters to 200 meter long. The place it was conducted was known as Stadion; from which the English word stadium was derived. It was very big and at a time about twenty athletes could run. On the blow of the trumpet, the runner stood in the standing position with their arms stretched out, unlike today's runners who take the crouch position when about to start. Officials used to stand at the start and at the end to see to it that there were no false starts or any kind of cheating. In the case of a tie, there used to be a re-run. Any runner who broke the rules was punished. The winner of the Stadion race was the champion of the whole Olympic games.

The Diaulos race consisted of two Stades and was four hundred meter long. The Dolichos race consisted of seven to twenty four Stades. The other running events were Hippios and Hoplitodromos.

Athletes of Javelin Throw, instead of holding the shaft of the Javelin itself, used leather strap called Amentum. Javelin was a spear like rod usually made out of metal and wood. In Discus Throw, the Discus was made of stone, iron, bronze or lead. This game is like the modern freestyle Discus Throw. Five throws were allowed to the Discus and Javelin Throw athletes and the longest one was counted.

In the Long Jump, the participant to launch him or her and to increase the range of jump used weights called halters. The weights were held till the end of the jump and at the end they were ejected backwards. The jumps consisted of five different leaps, which is more similar to the modern triple jump. Here, too, the participants were given five attempts and the longest jump was considered.

The Wrestling Ring was a sand pit and was held outside the Temple of Zeus. It was a game of great military importance as it was combated without weapons. The winner was declared when the opponent admits defeat.

The boxers initially wrapped Himantes or soft straps, made out of Ox Hide, around their fingers, knuckles, and wrists to be able to give a firm punch. Later on the straps became hard which caused major injuries. The Sphairai were similar to Himantes and had pads inside to protect the knuckles, but on the outside they were really hard. After that Oxys were used which had many thick leather bands wrapped around the hand and forearms. The leather braces covered the complete hand so as to give a stronger punch.

The old form of martial arts was known as Pankration and was started in the Olympics of 648 BC. The word Pankration was derived from two other words, pan and kratos. Pan meant all and kratos meant strength. It was a combination of boxing and wrestling. At that time, this was one of the hardest sports. Philosopher Plato had won this game twice.

The Equestrian events consisted of chariot and horse races and were conducted in a flat and large open space, called Hippodrome. In both of them, there was great danger to both the driver and the horse, because there was a big probability of getting injured, which might even lead to death. The winner of these events was rewarded with a slave woman and a Cauldron (a big vessel).