Olympic Sports and How They Have Developed Through the Years

The ancient Olympics and Ancient Greek wrestling events are often confused or perceived as the same thing. Although, they are both separate athletic events, they have a lot in common. Both sports require skills, both need stamina and both are highly competitive. There is a very clear correlation between the two games. Therefore, if you are interested in participating in the ancient games of Greece, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

In the ancient greece, both horse riding and wrestling were associated with religious events. Many of these games had sacred rituals and beliefs. Therefore, they also had sacred symbols as well. Amongst the most popular of these symbols was the emblem of the Olympic Games. If you are not familiar with the meaning behind the Olympic Games symbol and why it came to be considered so important during the first modern Olympics in Athens, here is the history of the emblem and why it is included in most equestrian events at an Olympic level.

The Olympic Games or the ancient greek Olympics were first organized by the Greeks around 4500 B.C. This was a time when the citizens of the greece were trying to build up their civilization and their athletic ability by allowing the city of Troy to compete for the right to participate in the Olympic Games. At this point in time, the Olympics were not just about physical competition, but it was all about leadership, spirit and self belief. So, when the ancient greeks started organizing the first modern Olympics in Athens, they included the chariot racing event and the polo games as well. The ancient greeks built these games into a social and political occasion.

When the ancient games included running, it was called the Olympic game and the people that participated in it began to refer to themselves as athletes. Athletes in ancient greece always had a strong sense of camaraderie and they never cared who they were playing against, they only wanted to win. So when they were running in the Olympics they would use special gait that allowed them to move faster than others. Their shoes also helped them to stay on top of their competitors because they were constructed with very stiff soles.

As time progressed and the ancient greeks built more sophisticated sports equipment such as polo machines and equestrian events, the idea of placing sporting events into the Olympics started to get expanded out and even included in the Olympic Games. The ancient games themselves included wrestling, boxing, basketball and even something as simple as a polo game. But soon after that, along with the development of machinery to make things lighter and faster, the idea of placing sporting events into the Olympic Games took off and soon there were tournaments all over the world. Now we have athletic events like track and field, tennis, swimming and even fencing which have been added to the list of Olympic Sports.

Today we have even more different types of equestrian events, not just those that were in ancient Greece. We have modern greek games such as cycling, swimming, cross-country skiing and rowing, and even some things like roller skating, speed skating, bobsled racing and even ice skating. The Olympic Sports have become so much more than they used to be and if you want to spend a day or two participating in these activities, then do it, but remember that the Ancient Greeks practiced equestrian events too. After all, without the idea of winning and placing in the Olympic Sports, these ancient Greek athletes, without any shoes, would never have been able to compete in any Olympic events.