Olympia and Olympus, an immortal legend, why did it become Olympics?

The Beijing Winter Olympics is in full swing. I watched some wonderful scenes, where athletes in the arena were flying over rooftops and walls, and their "Kung Fu" was really amazing. Especially when they were flying down on snowboards, it was jaw-dropping. In front of this "real Kung Fu", the so-called Kung Fu in martial arts novels is really not worth mentioning.

Compared to the Summer Olympics, these athletes soaring in the world of ice and snow seem to more perfectly interpret the essence of the Olympics: faster, higher, stronger!

Speaking of the Olympics, we all know that the full name of this world's top event is the "Olympic Games", but how did this game come about, why is it called the Olympic Games, and what is the relationship between it and the often-used words such as Olympia and Olympus?

The Olympic Games originated from ancient Greek mythology sacrificial activities

Ancient Greece is a magical country and the birthplace of Western civilization and science. It has produced a large number of top masters who have led the world, such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Euclid, etc., who have left an indelible brilliance in many aspects such as philosophy, thought, science, poetry, architecture, literature, and drama.

The history of ancient Greek civilization also contains a rich mythological culture. It can be said that ancient Greece is a mythological kingdom. Many gods are recorded in the first written literary work in the history of Western literature, "The Iliad", and the genealogy and entanglements of the god king Zeus are all in it. In mythology, Mount Olympus, the highest peak in ancient Greece, is the place where the sendi lived and worked, so Mount Olympus is the spiritual mountain of the ancient Greeks.

Ancient cultural research believes that the late Neolithic Age to the early Bronze Age was the most prosperous period for the emergence of altars or temples for the worship of gods in various cultural belts around the world. At the same time, entertainment activities centered on sacrificial activities also appeared. The earliest entertainment content was mainly "playing" based on the inherent nature of animals, and then it developed into competition and gradually became standardized.

The man who founded the ancient Olympic Games in response to this trend was Ifitut, the king of the Greek border city-state of Elis. At that time, Greece was suffering from plague and war. In order to fight the plague, pray for peace and boost people's morale, Ifitus announced in 776 AD that he had consulted the gods and decided to hold sports competitions in Olympia every four years according to the will of the gods.

The ancient Olympic Games developed in such a culture. The first competitive event was only track and field, which was held in a 32-meter wide and 192.27-meter long stadium, which could accommodate 20 athletes at a time. The first Games began in 776 AD, and the first winner of the 192.27-meter sprint Olympic championship was a Dorian named Clos.

The ancient Olympic Games began in 776 AD and have been held for more than 1,200 years, with 293 consecutive sessions. The events have gradually developed from the original track and field to the pentathlon, including running, long jump, discus throwing, javelin, wrestling, boxing, horse racing, gladiatorial combat, chariot racing, armed running, etc., with a maximum of 23 events. The duration of each Olympic Games was only one day at the beginning, and later increased to five days.

The most intense event was the chariot racing, which was like today's F1 racing. Only wealthy nobles could participate. The thrill of speeding made people excited, but accidents of car crashes and deaths often occurred. Although it was dangerous, the thrill attracted more people, and thus it became an important event in the ancient Olympics.

As wars and social conflicts intensified, the ancient Olympic Games went from prosperity to decline. In the second century BC, Rome ruled Greece, and Emperor Theodosius I declared Christianity as the state religion. The ancient Olympic Games, which were held to worship Zeus, became a pagan activity. So in 394, Theodosius ordered the termination of the ancient Olympic Games, which had lasted for 1,169 years. From then on, the Olympic Games disappeared.

The Origin of the Olympics

It seems that after saying so much, I still haven’t made it clear how the word “Olympus” came about. Because in the previous introduction, there is both Mount Olympus and the town of Olympia. So is this “Olympus” related to “Peace” or “Pia”? Now let’s make it clear: it is actually a translation problem in Greek.

Mount Olympus is the highest peak in Greece and is considered a sacred mountain by the Greeks. They believe that Greece is the center of the world and Mount Olympus is the center of the center. In fact, Mount Olympus itself is not very high, let alone the center of the world.

The highest point of Mount Olympus is 2,917 meters above sea level, which is still considered high compared with several major scenic mountains in China, such as Mount Tai, Mount Hua, Mount Huang, Mount Song, Mount Lu, etc., but it is far from the real peaks, not to mention the 8,848 meters of Mount Everest Avenue, even the Tianshan Mountains, Kunlun Mountains, Tanggula Mountains, and Hengduan Mountains, just pick a few peaks, and they are all above six or seven thousand meters.

The Greek name for Mount Olympus is Όλυμπος, which is also translated as Mount Olympus or Mount Olympus. It has nothing to do with the name of the Olympic Games. The real origin of the name of the Olympics is the name of the town of Olympia, where the ancient Greek Olympic Games were held.

Olympia belongs to the ancient Greek region of Ilys. Its ruins are located in the state of Ilia, about 190 kilometers west of the capital Athens, with coordinates of 37°63'79"N, 21°63'00"E. It is located at the foot of a lush and green hill in Kronos. In ancient times, it was considered the place where the gods lived, so there were many temples. The surrounding states came here to worship Zeus, so it gradually developed from a sacrificial competitive activity into the ancient Olympic Games.

The Greek word for Olympia is Ολυμπία, which is translated into English as Olympia. Since the suffix will change when a noun is turned into an adjective in Greek, the Greek word for Olympic Games is Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες, which is translated into English as Olympic Games. In this way, the English word Olympia becomes Olympic, and the Chinese transliteration changes from Olympia to Olympic, which becomes a synonym for the Olympic Games.

The name of the modern Olympic Games is Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες in Greek, Jeux olympiques in French, Olympic Games in English, and the Chinese name is the Olympic Games, or "Olympic Games" for short, based on the English transliteration and translation.

This is the origin of the Olympics. The Greek word for Olympia, the earliest birthplace of the Olympic Games, changed from a place name to an adjective. The Chinese transliteration after being translated into English has nothing to do with Mount Olympus.

The Rebirth of the Modern Olympic Games

The modern Olympic Games were initiated by French educator Pierre de Coubertin 1,500 years after the ancient Olympic Games were suspended. On November 25, 1892, Coubertin delivered a brilliant speech at the celebration of the 5th anniversary of the founding of the French Athletics Federation at the Sorbonne University in Paris, calling on people to "persevere in the pursuit and realization of a great and beneficial cause based on modern living conditions."

This historic speech by Coubertin was later called the "Olympic Manifesto". In 1894, after discussing with 79 representatives from 12 countries, Coubertin decided to establish the International Olympic Committee to carry forward the spirit of the ancient Olympic Games and create the modern Olympic Games. This was a great feat, but it was ridiculed and mocked by many people at the time.

Amid controversy, the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece in 1896. Since then, the Olympic Games have been held every four years, and the dead Olympic spirit has been resurrected! Since then, the Olympic Games have become the world's greatest competitive sports event, not only promoting people's physical fitness, but also demonstrating the indomitable spirit of mankind.

One hundred years later, Coubertin has been honored as the "Father of the Olympics". In 1998, the world-renowned Life magazine praised Coubertin's feat of restoring the Olympics as one of the great events of the millennium, and selected Coubertin as one of the 1,000 people who have influenced the world since the millennium.

Coubertin died of a heart attack in 1937. When he was alive, he borrowed the words "faster, higher, stronger" from a speech by his good friend, Abbot Didon of the Aquile Monastery in Paris, as the Olympic spirit and made his own interpretation:

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

Therefore, the Olympic Games has long been more than just a sporting event, but a symbol that inspires all mankind to persevere and move forward courageously.

Modern Olympic Games events and medals

The modern Olympic Games are hosted by the International Olympic Committee. They are the most influential and largest comprehensive sports event in the world. They are held every four years and last no longer than 16 days. Since 1994, the collective Olympic Games have been divided into the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics, both of which are held every four years but are held alternately.

At the same time, the Summer Paralympic Games, Winter Paralympic Games, Summer Youth Olympic Games, Winter Youth Olympic Games, World Summer Special Olympics, World Winter Special Olympics, Summer Deaflympics, Winter Deaflympics, etc. were separated to give more opportunities to different groups of people.

There are 206 member countries and regions of the IOC. There are more than 100 or even 200 countries and regions participating in each Olympic Games, and tens of thousands of athletes. They are all the best in certain competitive fields in their countries, participating in dozens of major events and hundreds of minor events. There will be some adjustments and changes in the events of each Olympic Games. For example, the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics had 28 major events and 302 minor events; while the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics has 33 major events and 339 minor events.

The Summer Olympics include: athletics, swimming (including diving, water polo, synchronized swimming), shooting, weightlifting, cycling, archery, basketball, volleyball, football, handball, hockey, gymnastics (including artistic gymnastics), fencing, international wrestling (freestyle and classical), boxing, judo, rowing, kayak and canoeing, sailing (including windsurfing), equestrian, modern pentathlon, table tennis, badminton, tennis, baseball, etc.

Generally, each event will award one gold, one silver, and one bronze medal, representing the champion, runner-up, and third place, that is, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Sometimes, if there is a tie, more medals will be awarded. For group events with multiple participants, as many medals will be awarded as there are participants. In this way, each Olympic Games will award 300 to 400 gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Before the 1978 Olympic Regulations were established, there were no specific regulations on medal production, which were constantly changing. After the establishment of the Regulations, it was stipulated that Olympic medals must not be less than 60 mm in diameter and not less than 3 mm in thickness. Gold and silver medals must be made of 92.5% silver, with gold medals containing at least 6 grams of pure gold, and bronze medals must be made of 95% copper and 5% zinc.

Olympic medals have value not only in terms of materials and craftsmanship, but also in terms of the spiritual value of the games and athletes that go into them, the latter of which is immeasurable.

Up to now, a total of 32 modern Olympic Games have been held. China has hosted one Summer Olympics and one Winter Olympics and participated in 11 Olympic Games, winning a total of 254 gold medals, 191 silver medals, and 171 bronze medals, ranking fourth in the world medal list.

Olympic flame

In ancient times, the Olympic Games held in Olympia would gather people in front of the temple of Zeus in accordance with religious regulations. After a solemn sacrificial ceremony, torches would be lit with the fire from the altar. Torchbearers would then hold the torch high while running and shouting: Stop all wars and participate in the games!

The torch was like an imperial decree, with supreme authority. Wherever it was raised, the flames of war would stop, bringing peace to the cities that were fighting. A sacred truce began, and people forgot about war and hatred and rushed to Olympia to participate in the Games.

It can be seen that in ancient times, the Olympic flame could allow people who hated each other to temporarily put aside their hatred, stay away from the breath of death, and integrate into the joyful and peaceful atmosphere, bringing people beauty, hope and passion.

But light does not always defeat darkness. The Olympic flame was once extinguished. After 1,500 years, it was rekindled by Sir Pierre de Coubertin. The modern Olympic Games began in 1896 and have been held every four years until today. However, the Olympic flame first appeared at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.

In fact, as early as 1912, Coubertin proposed the idea of ​​lighting the Olympic flame, but because the First World War had not yet ended, the restoration of this ancient tradition was delayed until 1928.

In 1934, the International Olympic Committee confirmed the flame lighting ceremony and held a flame lighting ceremony in Olympia for the Berlin Olympics on July 20, 1936. The modern Olympic flame lighting ceremony still follows the ancient Greek tradition and is held in front of the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece.

Only 11 priestesses (actors) participated in the process of collecting the sacred fire. There was no crowd watching. The chief priestess recited an ode to the sun god in front of the Temple of Hera in Olympia, and then used a concave mirror to focus the sunlight and ignite the sacred fire with the high temperature at the focus. The whole process was solemn and dignited.

Once the flame is lit, it is placed in an ancient brazier and carried by the chief priestess to the altar of the ancient Olympic Games, where she shows the flame to those waiting there and lights the torch held by the first torchbearer before beginning her journey to the host city, near or far, where the flame must remain unextinguished.

This has become the only classic way to collect the Olympic flame.

Every country and city that hosts the Olympic Games attaches great importance to the relay of the Olympic flame. It is a great honor to be a torchbearer, because what they pass on is not just a flame, but also a symbol of the immortal spirit of mankind since ancient times.

The torch is passed through a variety of methods, including ancient human activities such as running with a relay in hand and passing it on horseback, as well as modern means of transportation such as airplanes and ships, crossing the oceans and ultimately reaching the main venue of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, where athletes will pass the baton on a few occasions and deliver it to the main torch stand for lighting.

The modern Olympic Games pay more and more attention to the shape and lighting method of the main torch, which are becoming more and more novel and mysterious. The secrets will not be revealed until the final lighting. Each lighting is magnificent and exciting.

However, the torch lighting of the Beijing Winter Olympics, which opened on February 4 this year, was innovative. The final main torch was the hand-held torch passed by the athletes, which was placed in a huge crystal snowflake. The big snowflake was composed of small snowflakes with the names of the 92 countries and regions participating in the Games. The torch did not ignite a blazing fire, but only a small flame, demonstrating the concept of low-carbon and environmental protection.

But no matter whether the Olympic flame is a raging fire or a spark, the core it contains is the everlasting spirit of mankind, symbolizing light, unity, friendship, peace and justice.

I hope this spirit will always guide humanity forward. What do you think? Welcome to discuss, thank you for reading.

The copyright of Space-Time Communication is original. Infringement and plagiarism are unethical behavior. Please understand and cooperate.