Ancient Olympic Games
Amateur athletes from all over the world take part in the modem Olympic Games.Any nation may enter a team in the games if it agrees to follow the roles of the International Olympic Committee.The games are held during the first year of each Olympiad.（An Olympiad is a period of 4years that begins in a leap year —1960，1964，1968，and so on.）
Olympic Games were held in ancient Greece at least as long ago as 776B.C.The custom lasted for more than 1000years but then died out under the rules of Rome.In the late 1800’s Frenchman，Baron Pierre de Coubertin （1862-1937），decided to try to start the games again.He wished to renew those ideals of excellence of body，mind and spirit shown in the ancient Greek Olympics.He succeeded，and the modem Olympic Games began in Athens，Greece，in 1896.
Through legend，the beginning of the Olympic Games can be found in religious celebrations that were held to show respect to the gods of the Greeks.These gods were tike humans in some ways，but they could not die，that is to say，they were immortal.They were said to have bodies of great size，strength，and beauty.They had the power to change from one form.to another.Pretending to be ordinary people，they sometimes entered the lives of men and women，married them，and had children.The first Olympic winners were said to be children of the Greek gods.
Three thousand years ago Olympia was an important religious center in southwestern Greece.Here was the Temple of Zeus，father of the gods and ruler of both gods and men.Here men came to worship and to approach as nearly as possible the skills and strength of the gods.Speed and skill in hand-to-hand fighting were necessary for survival.They were even more important for leadership among men.Physical excellence was very important，too，but it was not all.Next to family line from the gods，the Greeks valued fame through poetry and song.Poets and people were eager to sing the praises not only of victors in battle but also of victors in contests of skill and strength.So，the seeds of achievement in arts，in moral conduct，and in affairs of the mind were planted on the plains of Olympia at the feet of the good and kind Zeus.Here the Olympic Games began.They survived for centuries，inspiring the music and poetry and the architecture and sculpture that were to become the magnificence of the Golden Age of Greece.
The great poet Pindar wrote poems of praise in memory of the winners of the laurel or olive wreath.This prize looked like the crown of Zeus.It was for the wreath that Coroebus raced about 200yards to victory in the first recorded Olympic Games.This marked the beginning of the first Olympiad.By our calendar the year was 776B.C.
It was a cook，Coroebus，not a Greek nobleman，who was the first known winner of an Olympic award.A crowd of 45，000people rose from their seats on the grass in the stadium to cheer.
Although the Greeks were said to be democratic，slaves and women had few rights.Only freedom male citizens could take part in the Olympic Games.Women were forbidden，with death as the punishment，even to see the games.One woman did successfully get away from the punishment.The mother of Pisidorus continued the training of her son after this father died.Pretending to be a man，she attended the games.She was not recognized until shouted with joy over her son’s victory.She was pardoned，and in time women were allowed in the games.
Athletic competition became so important to the Greeks that the Olympic celebrations were a peaceful influence on the warlike city-states.Sparta，famous for its strict training of youth and its many Olympic honors，would wait until the games were over before sending fighters into battle.

Other cities followed this example. The “sacred month” of the games became a time for peace and friendship.（）