History of the Olympic Games - Essay Example

Olympic Games have advanced through various developments from the time they started. This paper will analyze the history of the Olympic Games. Specifically, the paper will look into the developments that have occurred since the Olympic Games started up to the present day. The Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 B.C. when the first Olympic Games were held in Greece. The purpose of these games was to honor Olympian gods, and they used to take place on the plains of Olympia, hence the name Olympics.

A son of Zeus by the name Heracles is credited to be the father of Olympic Games. During the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C., an athlete run naked for about 192 meters and successfully completed the race, emerging as the sole winner in the event. The athlete’s name was Coroebus, a cook who hailed from Elis. Following the victory in the first Olympic Games, Coroebus became the first Olympic Champion (Guttmann 7-50). Among the Greeks, Olympic Games had significant religious, political as well as social influences.

The Greeks believed that the Olympic flame used for the first time during the games was lit from the sun rays. Olympic Games were of such immense importance that the Greeks calculated time with regard to the cycle of Olympics, which ran for a period of four years. The Greeks treated winners of the Olympic Games with a lot of respect; they would immortalize the images of the winners in Olympia by erecting statues. Those who won the Olympics could receive many benefits from the society, unlike those who never won the games or did not participate in them.

For example, if a prisoner won during the Olympic Games, he or she would be released and treated with a lot of respect in society. On the other hand, those who lost during the Olympic Games would be regarded as a disgrace to their respective societies (Young 102-155). The Olympic Games held during the ancient times