"There, the method of premliminary training and the kind of exercises are decided by others, and it is not the trainer, but the Hellanodikes who, entirely on his own initiative and without being bound in any way, organizes everything, in accord with the particular circumstances pertaining from time to time. And the Hellanodikes has the whip at his disposal, not only for the athlete, but also for the trainer, and he uses it in case of any contravention of his orders; and all have to conform with the orders of the Hellanodikai, since those who violate them may be immediately excluded from the games."1
Philostratos, ca. 3rd century AD
HOW ARE THE JUDGES SELECTED?
"A Jury of Appeal and a Ground Jury (Judges) shall be appointed for each sport. The choice of them is left to the international federations. One delegate of each international federation must be present in order to check the entries. The members of these juries and the officials must all be amateurs. Where a jury has not been formed by th etime it should have started to function, the Organizing Committee will advise and decide how to form one. The Juries of Appeal for the sports not governed by an international federation shall be formed by the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and must be composed of five members of different nationalities, who shall elect their own president."2
Region
Judges did not come from all over the Greek world, but were drawn from Elis, the local region which included Olympia. Even though the judges were all Eleans, local Elean Greeks were still allowed to compete in the Olympics. The Elean people had such a reputation for fairness that an Elean cheating at the games was a shock to other Greeks.
Number
Like the athletes, the hellanodikes also underwent a long period of preparation for the ancient games. The judges were instructed for a period of ten months by Elean magistrates. Historians disagree about the number of the judges, but apparently not more than one or two judges officiated at the early Olympic games, where but one event was contested. When the athletic program was expanded to take in many events and last for five or more days, the number was increased, although there seems to be no record of more than ten judges at a single celebration.
One source states "At the ninety-fifth festival nine umpires were appointed. To three of them were entrusted the chariot-races, another three were to supervise the pentathlum, the rest superintended the remaining contests.
Since 776 BCE, the Olympics have been a way for people of different cultures to come together and compete in friendly competition. In 1892 the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, although it had been over a thousand years since the last game it still had brought together an assortment of different religions and ethnic groups together. Many factors shaping the Olympic Games reflect the changes that have taken place in our world since the last game in 393 CE in Greece such changes include woman’s suffrage, global economy, world wars, and proving competency.
Sutherland, Mary, and Michael T. Wise, eds. Chronicles of the Olympics. New York, NY: D.K. Pub., 1998.
ABSTRACT: The purity of the Olympics has been smeared by scandal, corruption, boycotts, political disputes and even acts of terrorism. Sadly, politics have taken control of the Olympics and turned it into a political and money-making extravaganza. Olympic boycotts became a way for countries to protest each other. Hitler tried to use the Games to prove his belief of racial superiority. Wars interfered with the Olympics. Bloodshed even covered the Olympics, in the 1972 Munich Games where terrorists killed eleven Israeli Olympic members. Unfortunately, throughout Olympic history, politics have overshadowed the true focus of the Games. They were "intended to unite the countries of the world through friendly competition" not segregate them through politics (Siggers 1).
Only men and unmarried women were allowed to attend the Olympic events and only men were actually allowed to compete in them. Married women had to stay at home and were not allowed to come to the Olympics at all. If a Married women did come by and someone found out they were to be flung to their death off of a nearby cliff, even though this penalty never had to be carried out. The only loophole in this rule is to own a chariot in the chariot races because they are not directly in the race. Other than that the only time women were to compete was in the Hera games and sometimes they would race with the boys before the games in the cities of Corinth and Delphi. They were still shamed for running naked or wearing short clothes while running and there was only one place where they actually received physical education which was Sparta. The whole system of male superiority in the Olympics also reflects to normal Greek life where males would work and women would stay at home or constantly looking for a good
The feeling is all too familiar, from the front row to the last seats in the bleachers; a
The General assembly has only two options to vote, while following the rules that they were given (“Bautista” para. 3). The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has exposed and expelled any scandal that wasn't good, and got to determine the future locations of the games (“Bautista” para. 1). Over six permanent members of the organization of (IOC), was said to have committed crimes, when grant the olympics to Salt Lake City, causing permanent expulsion (“Bautista” para. 2). If they look in the tangled web of bribery within the (IOC) they will see that they throw out the old elements (“Bautista” para.5). During the 2006 winter olympics site, there was a trial basis that was held for a few months,that will also be put to test during that 2006 year olympic site (“Bautista” para. 3).
Modern Day Olympics are a huge tradition that sweeps the screens of televisions across the world. Competitors take the arena with uniforms that dawn their countries colors and designs that are meant to resemble their designated flag. For months the news is centered around the games; the preparation, the athletes, and of course the competition. Countries aren 't obsessed, they are inspired and full of pride seeing athletes from their country compete and show their incredible skill. This tradition dates back to ancient Greece where the games began. Tony Perrottet writes about the traditions of the ancient game in his book The Naked Olympics.
Politics is the art or science of government or governing, especially the governing of a political entity, such as a nation, and the administration and control of its internal and external affairs. The Olympic Games is an event held every 4 years, which includes a variety of sport activities in which different countries compete against one another. “Sport is frequently a tool of diplomacy. By sending delegations of athletes abroad, states can establish a first basis for diplomatic relations or can more effectively maintain such relations” (Espy 3). One might think that politics and the Olympics have nothing to do with each other, but in fact they do have a lot in common. How did politics affect the Olympic Games in 1936, 1968 and 1972?
As we all know, Beijing, China is the host for Summer Olympics 2008, were a major international multi-sport event from August 8 to August 24, 2008. Even though Olympic Beijing is all dress up, but no one is going because the organizer was struggling to handle an unexpected inside Summer Games venues. The Olympics officials feel disappointed because so many empty seats at nearly every event and the lack of pedestrian traffic throughout the park. To overcome the problems the officials are busing in teams of state-trained cheer squads to help fill the empty seats and improve the atmosphere and encourage residents to apply for access to the heavily secured park.
When we think of an Olympic athlete it is one who has proven himself not only to be a champion in his own country, but one of world-class skill. This idea contrasts with the Ancient Olympic athlete who could only be a free man that spoke Greek. Furthermore, there were fewer events in the games of old. There wasn't any water polo, ping pong, or any other games that strayed from the basic contests. Another way the games of Ancient Greece differ from the modern games is that the ancient games were always held in the same city of Olympia. That is much different from today, as the games are held in a different country every time and nations compete for the honor of holding the games in their country years in advance. Two things do remain constant though, the games are still held every four years and winning athletes are treated like gods. (Perseus)
The Olympics are fabled to have originated from a Greek myth, in which Hercules won a race at Olympia, a plain in the small state of Elis, and then decreed that the race should be enacted every four years. The more likely story is that the Olympic festival was a local religious event until 884 BC, when Iphitus, the king of Elis, decided to turn it into a broader festival. To accomplish that, he entered into a temporary truce with other rulers, allowing athletes and others to travel peacefully to Olympia while the festival was going on. In 776 BC, the Greeks based their chronology on four-year periods, called Olympiads, and the Olympic festival marked the beginning of each Olympiad.
The Ancient Greek Olympics were not only sporting events, it was a celebration to honor the great and powerful Zeus. The Ancient Olympics were held every four years at the famous Olympia, a district of Elis, here all free Greek men were allowed to compete. The first record of the Olympic Games was held in 776 B.C. The main sports were the Pentathlon, the Equestrian Events, Pankration, and Boxing.
Every four years, there will be an international sports event held. Under this topic, we are not talking about the FIFA World Cup, which hold in the next month, but the Olympics Games. Most of the Olympics Games can hold successfully, the credit of an international organization is indispensable. This international organization is International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Every four years the games where started on the first full moon after the summer solstice, lasting for five days. For over 1100 years, from 776 BC to 393 AD the games where played, thousands of people ceased all warfare and flocked to a small sanctuary in northwestern Greece for five days in the late summer for a single reason, to witness the Olympic Games.
The Olympic Games were a vital part of Greek culture which was heavily influenced by athletics. Today, the Olympic Games are the world's largest presentation of athletic skill and competitive spirit. Thousands of athletes and spectators participate in this universal event. Revived in 1896, the Olympic Games had their beginnings in ancient Greece, and since then the event is very much comparable to modern Olympic events.