2015-10-22
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The ancient Greeks had several gods. One was Zeus and his temple was at Olympia. The Olympic Games were held in his honour and always involved lots of religious ceremonies as well as sporting events.
THE FIRST OLYMPIC SPORTS
A guide to five events at the ancient Games:
The Dalius – a race of approximately 400 metres
The Dolichus – a race of approximately 5.000 metres
Athletes in these events had to run dressed in armour (heavy clothes worn by soldiers)
Chariot Racing – this took place around a circular (in the shape of a circle) course
The Pentathlon – there were five events in the pentathlon; running, the long jump, the discus, the javelin and wrestling
The Pankration – this was a violent and very popular mixture of wrestling and boxing
BARON PIERRE DE COUBERTIN (1863-1937)
He was a French aristocrat with a dream. Fascinated by the ancient Olympics, he decided in 1889 to try and revive them. For him the Games represented ideals which the modern world badly needed: co-operation between nations; honour; fairness; high moral and physical standards. Two important decisions had to be made… where and when? The answers were “Athens” and “1896”. A total of 295 athletes from thirteen countries took part in the first modern Olympics. Watched by 40.000 spectators, they paraded around the new Panathenean stadium on 6th April… then competition began.
5. Complete the following sentences:
1. Only men were allowed to…
2. The flame is a symbol of…
3. The most important thing is not to win, but…
4. The moto of the Olympic movement:…
5. The first recorded Games were held…
6. In the early days there was just one event – …
7. The ancient Greeks had several gods. One was Zeus and…
8. Two important decisions had to be made… where and when? The answers were:…
Make up a monologue about Olympic Games.
Summarize the following text
