OLYMPIC GAMES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 12 July 1924, Page 10

OLYMPIC GAMES.

THE ANOIENT GRECIAN COM- • PETITIONS. "When the Olympic Games iii 1924 open the Colombus Stadium at Paris in Jiily, there will be few witnesses of the magnificent spectacle who will realise that the ancient games, from which these derive, their name and tradition, were even more splendid in setting than those of our day. More than seven centuries before Christ the contests at Olympia in Elis, which had been held at irregular intervals for several hundred years, and then discontinued for a while, were re-established on a firm basis, and then held at fouryear intervals until late, in the third eenturv.

The games, at* first only a foot race of 210 yards, gradually increased in number of events, until the programme included three foot races', wrestling, boxing, the pancratium, which was a sort of boxing and wrestling combined, the pentathlon, a series of five contests, usually running, jumping, throwing the discus, throwing the javelin, and, finally, as the programme became more elaborate, Various kinds of horse and chariot races. In addition, there were five or six events for boys. Every competitor had to be of pure Greek descent, and was required to take oath that he had been in training for ten months. Then for a month before the games, which were always held in midsummer, all contestants were required to train at the gymnasium at Olympia. This “gymnasium” was large enough for the practicing of the javelin and the discus, and had a 220-yard straightaway under a beautiful colonnade supported by marble columns. There were also places arranged for the mmps and another shorter racecourse. The dressing-rooms and baths were adjacent and very elaborate. During the month before the games the public were admitted once ‘ a week so that they might see how their favourites were progressing.

The contests themselves were held in the stadium.,, which was milch like those we have to-day. It contained a beautiful altar for the use of the trumpeters and heralds; and a sort of table said to he of gold and ivorv oh which the victors stood to receive their prizes, the wreath of olive and the palms. In addition to the buildings for t-hb sneetators and the athletes were a council hall, a building for the officials. and a. number of temples and elaborate shrines, for religion was inextricably. a part of the Olympic Games. They were held in honour of Zeus, and the great- statue of Zeus by Phildias domed the largest of the altars. The great sculptor's workshop was situated near the “Gymnasium,"} where he was convenient to his models. The entire group of buildings, stadium, temples and all, wore located on the hanks of a lovely winding river, theAlpheus, between the shore and the olive-dad hills rising to snowclad mountain*.

The story of Theagenes is one of the best. When he was "a boy of nine he saw a statue of bronze, standing upon its pedestal in the market place. It occurred to him that he would like to have the statue, and with boyish directness took it. In fact, he carried it home on his shoulder. The statue was a sacred one, and there was a rare todo. but Theagenes arranged matters to everyone,’s satisfaction when he replaced, the statue in the same way he had removed it. Then it was decided that a boy of sueli prodigious strength miist be prepared for the Olympic Games. Theagenes took up boxing and, as soon as he was old enough, entered the contests. He won the ’first of many notable victories, but it is recorded that the glory of this first conquest was not Quite perfect, because during its course he cqntinualy made insulting remarks to his opponent until the boy became so enraged that his skill deserted him, and he fell an easy victim to his stronger opponent. Incidents there are without number er en some of the records are preserved, but X fear they are unreliable. ■S e ™ nn l n S broad jump with u eights, the figure which has come down to us is fifty-five feet, an incredible leap. Of course, there was no method of timing in those days, so on tpe track events there is nothing. But, after all, the interest lies not so much in the detail as in the fact that in the Golden Age of Greece, when the highest culture of antiquity held sway in Athens the Greeks cherished for a thousand consecutive years the Olympic Games.—Christian Science Monitor