Today’s Olympic Games take inspiration from an ancient Greek tradition, but most of the sports bear little resemblance to their origins.
The original Greek Olympics were a one-day event from their origin in 776 BC until 684 BC, when they were expanded across three days. They were extended again in the 5th century BC to cover five days.
While the ancient Greeks wouldn’t have been familiar with the luge or table tennis, several of the original Olympic sports are still included in modern-day Olympics.
The ancient games included:
- Running events, like the 200 meter and 400 meter races, plus a few longer track runs
- Long jump, though the participants carried weights to increase their jumping distance, and they’d drop the weights as they leapt
- Discus throw, shot put and javelin
- Boxing, with hands and wrists wrapped as in today’s sport
- Pankration, a form of martial arts that combined wrestling and boxing and was thought to be the most difficult of all Olympic sports
- Equestrian events, held in the Hippodrome, a flat, open space; these events included horse races and chariot races
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