The story is a participant in the Olympic Games in Greece. Place of the Olympic Games in the culture of ancient greece. Differences between the modern Games and the ancient Greek ones

Lecture 1

1.1 Legends and myths about the origin of the Olympic Games.

1.2 The Olympic Games of Antiquity: the program, the rules of the event and the olympionics - the first winners of the Olympic Games.

1.3 Social, political and cultural significance of the ancient Olympic Games.

1.4 The decline of the ancient Olympic Games.

1.1 Legends and myths about the origin of the Olympic Games. Olympic Games. In this name one can hear the enthusiastic shouts of the winners of the competitions, the joyful noise and applause of the tribunes, the speeches of philosophers and poets, the connection between centuries and different cultures is guessed.

The history of Olympism began many centuries before our era, and speaking about the Olympic Games, one involuntarily wonders - who is the genius who invented this great holiday, equally attractive for the ancient Hellenes and modern man, for a trained athlete and aesthetic artist?

The Greeks believed that such a brilliant idea could only belong to Zeus the Thunderer. According to an ancient legend, the insidious god Kronos seized power over the world by cunning. . Fearing death at the hands of one of his children, he swallowed them as newborns. Unhappy mother Rhea, having given birth to another son, gave his father a stone wrapped in diapers instead of him, which he swallowed without noticing the substitution, and entrusted the newborn Zeus to the nymphs. When Zeus grew up and matured, he rebelled against his father and forced him to bring back the absorbed children. One after another, from the mouth of Kronos, he cast out his children-gods, beautiful, cheerful and bright. They began to fight Kronos and the Titans for world power. This struggle was terrible and stubborn. The children of Kronos established themselves on the high Mount Olympus. From here Zeus thundered thunder and lightning at the titans. The struggle lasted ten years. The earth moaned, everything around shook, the seas boiled. Finally, the mighty titans wavered. Their strength was broken. The Olympian gods fettered them and, together with Kronos, cast them into gloomy Tartarus, into eternal darkness.

In honor of this victory Zeus founded disinterested, honest competitions of the strong, dexterous and courageous, later named after the place where they were held Olympic. And these competitions were held in the ancient Greek town of Olympia, located in southern Greece, in the western part of the Peloponnesian Peninsula, on the territory of the city-polis Elis. Then they were called "agons". The word "agon" is translated as competition, game, tournament. The strongest, agile and bravest youths competed in honor of Zeus the Thunderer and the Olympian gods.

Other legends call the son of Zeus Hercules the founder of the Olympic competitions. It was in this place that he performed one of his feats: he cleaned the stables of the king of Elis Abgius, which had not been cleaned for 30 years. Hercules blocked the Penae River, knocking a rock, and the water carried away all the accumulated dirt in one day. But the greedy Augeas deceived the hero and deprived him of the promised reward. Outraged, Hercules killed the deceiver and organized the Games to commemorate his victory. Hercules himself set the distance for running - "stages", measuring it with his feet. One stage was equal to 600 feet, or 192 m 27 cm. The length of the Olympic stadium, as shown by archaeological excavations, was exactly the same.

The myth of Pelops, the grandson of the great Zeus, who by cunning defeated the king of Elis Enomaius, is also fanned with romance.

The latter was predicted death by the hand of his son-in-law, so he struck all applicants for the hand of his daughter Hippodamia with a spear during the dishonorable chariot races arranged by him. Pelops persuaded the chariot driver of Enomai to replace the bronze wheel checks with wax ones. During the races, they melted, and the cruel king died under the hooves of his horses. In memory of this event, Pelops erected a sanctuary in Olympia, where he offered sacrifices to the gods, and established the Games here once every four years.

The legend according to which the Elid ruler Iphit, tired of constant civil strife and continuous wars between individual city-states, turned to the Delphic oracle with the question of how to stop them, has a certain historical reliability. And I got the answer: "To resume the Olympic Games forgotten by people!" Iphit suggested to the king of the warlike Sparta Lycurgus to establish a competition during which a sacred truce - ekeikheria - would be established. Under the terms of the agreement, a heavy fine was imposed for violation of the ceasefire, and, what was even worse, the perpetrators were deprived of the right to participate in the Olympic Games. The reality of this fact is confirmed by the ancient Greek historian Pausanias, who wrote that as early as the 2nd century AD, a copper disk on which the armistice charter was inscribed between Iphitus and Lycurgus was kept in one of the temples of Olympia.

It should be said that in the Alfea Valley, as in various other places in Greece, long before the Olympic Games, ritual competitions were held in honor of the initiation of young men into warriors. But they were local in nature. Ifit and Lycurgus gave the Olympics a pan-Hellenic scale.

The myths and legends of Ancient Greece are beautiful, but history needs a reliable starting point. This point was the first known monument erected in Olympia to the winner of the competition in 776 BC era(according to the generally accepted chronology today). Then the first famous champion of the Games was an athlete from Elis Koroibos (Koreib)- outstripped all rivals in running by one stage. This year was officially considered the year of the beginning of the Olympic Games. Other sources report that the 28th Games took place this year.

1.2 The Olympic Games of Antiquity: the program, the rules of the event and the olympionics - the first winners of the Olympic Games. The rules for organizing and conducting the Games were strictly regulated. The Olympiad was the time interval between the Games. The holiday was held in the "sacred month", beginning from the first full moon after the first solstice, once every four years, that is, in the first year of the Olympics.

At the time of the Olympic Games, a "sacred peace" was declared throughout Ancient Hellas, all wars were stopped, and the most severe punishment awaited those who violate this truce. At the end of the spring of the Olympic year, heralds were sent to the pan-Greek states, announcing the start of the Games and the onset of universal peace for up to three months. Thousands of people from all over Hellas went to Olympia to see the competitions of outstanding athletes and cheer for their compatriots. Those who went or went to the competition enjoyed the right of free passage through all the Greek states, including hostile ones. The curse of the gods and heavy fines were imposed even for insulting a traveler going to the Olympic holiday of the Hellenes. And yesterday's mortal enemies peacefully competed in strength and agility in the sports arena.

For almost seven centuries, only free-born men - Greek by origin were allowed to participate in the Olympics. Slaves, foreigners and women did not have such a right.

Moreover, women were even forbidden on pain of death to attend the Olympics as spectators. An exception was made only for one of them - the priestess of the goddess Demeter.

The winners of the Games - the Olympians - expressed the general Greek ideal of a harmoniously developed personality, not only in terms of physical, but also moral development. It is no coincidence that the Olympic rules emphasized that every Greek born free, not stained with a bloody crime and not burdened by the curse of the gods, can participate in the games. When introducing the participants, the herald-keriks asked the audience if they knew about any crimes of the athlete, if he or his parents were slaves, if he avoided training during the period prescribed by the rules, was convicted of violations, was flogged, fined and expelled from the stadium. In order to avoid perjury, the same punishment threatened the audience for libel. In addition, only those athletes who had the opportunity to train daily, for at least 10 months, were allowed to participate in the Olympic competitions. sports schools- the gymnasiums of his native city, then - a month at the gymnasium of Elis - the capital of the state, which owned Olympia.

The leaders of the Games - the Hellenodics - were elected from among the most respected citizens of Elis. They served as organizers and referees at the Games, rewarding the winners and punishing the guilty. They were charged with the responsibility of ensuring that only the best trained athletes participated in the competition. Therefore, they carefully watched the progress of the athletes' training, arranged a rigorous exam, selected the most worthy and then, for a month before the Games, they themselves supervised their training. The Ellanodics had the right to punish the guilty or negligent with rods.

After a month of intense training, the selection was carried out taking into account the manifestation of purposefulness, perseverance, physical and psychological conditioning. Those who survived the test made a 57-kilometer march to Olympia, where, after a short rest and religious ceremonies, they entered into a competitive struggle.

In the temples, before the opening of the Games, all participants took the Olympic oath. “I prepared honestly and persistently, and I will honestly compete with my rivals!” .

Initially, the program of the Olympic Games included only one type of competition - the stadium, or running a distance equal to one stage. Only after more than half a century did the program begin to expand. At the 14th Olympiad (724 BC) Races were introduced in running in two stages - diaulos.

Since the 15th Olympiad began to hold competitions in endurance running - dolichodrome, the distance of which ranged from 7 to 24 stadia. Program Games of the 18th Olympiad (708 BC) enriched with wrestling and pentathlon-pentathlon, which included a stadium, long jump, discus throwing, javelin throwing and wrestling.

From the 23rd Olympiad (688 BC) fist fighters competed, And included in the 25th Olympiad ( 680 BC NS.) chariot racing immediately became a favorite sight in ancient Greece. They became the first sporting event involving horses.

Program 33rd Olympiad (648 BC) replenished with pankration - a combination of wrestling techniques and fist fighting. Since the 37th Games (632 BC) the Olympic competitions also included competitions in certain types of physical exercises for young men and children.

Many of the competitions included in the modern Olympic Games have ancient roots. Even in Hellas, weight lifting competitions were popular, for which huge heavy stones were then involved. Athletes trained and performed naked at the Olympic celebration.

The shame of nakedness was considered a sign of barbarism. For the Greeks, a tanned, trained nude body was an expression of a high level of culture. All over Greece - on the mainland, islands and colonies, sculptures were created that praised the strength and beauty of the human body. Historians claim that great sculptors sculpted gods and heroes from the Olympians. These sculptures are still admired for their perfection.

The main award to the winner of the Olympic Games - the Olympian - was an olive branch cut with a ritual golden knife from an old tree, which, according to legend, Hercules planted. The athlete's name was carved on a marble slab, and monuments were erected to the most prominent ones. Residents of the city, which represented the winner, presented him with expensive gifts, exempted him from taxes, and provided him with a free seat in the theater.

The return of the winner to his homeland, and the champions were from Elis, Sparta, Athens, Thebes and other cities of Greece, turned into a truly triumphal procession. The names of compatriots who won Olympic and other competitions were immortalized in gymnasiums and temples. A record of their achievements was painstakingly kept. Some of them were worshiped along with the gods. From the surviving records it is known that the athlete Feagen achieved 1,300 victories in various competitions.

Leonid from Rhodes became the Olympic champion twelve times in one, two stages and in running with arms during four Olympiads.

However, the most famous athlete of ancient Greece is Milon of Croton. In 540 BC, at the age of 14, he became an Olympic winner in wrestling. He was then crowned with the Olympic wreath six more times. About his unprecedented physical strength and dexterity were legends. Numerous sources confirm that Milon of Croton is not a mythical character, but a real person. It is interesting that Milo studied at the school of Pythagoras, where he received not only physical, but also general education. Therefore, he played an important role in the political life of his native community. During the war with Sybaritus, Milon was elected commander. He not only led the army, but, as contemporaries say, one replaced an entire unit. Thus, Milon of Croton was the ancient Greek ideal of citizenship and a harmoniously developed personality. And, like any ideal, it gradually acquired myths and legends. For example, the historian and geographer Strabo describes that during classes with Pythagoras, Milon accidentally knocked down a column of the house.

To prevent a catastrophe, he himself took the place of the column and supported the arch of the building until everyone left him!

The credibility of this legend is questionable, but this and other legends confirm with what great love and respect the outstanding athletes of Ancient Greece were surrounded.

Why did the winners receive such honors? The fact is that the participants in the Olympic competitions acted as representatives of a certain state. Therefore, when introducing the athlete, his name and hometown were necessarily named. The city was also indicated next to the name of the winner.

So, for example, after the sea battle between the Rhodians and the Athenians in 407 BC, the Rhodian Doria- multiple winner of the pankration competition - was captured by the Athenians. When they found out that the prisoner was an Olympian, he was released without even demanding a ransom. Alexander the Great did the same with the Lebanese Dianisandor as a sign of respect for his sporting achievements and for fear of incurring the wrath of the gods.

1.3 Social, political and cultural significance of the ancient Olympic Games. The spread of the cult of Zeus turned Olympia into a religious and cult center of all Ancient Greece. On donations from the inhabitants of the country no later than 456 BC, a majestic temple was erected here. Its main decoration was a 12-meter statue of Zeus, made of gold, wood and ivory by the sculptor Phidias. She was so striking in her artistic perfection that she was recognized by her contemporaries as one of the seven wonders of the world. In Olympia, about 70 sanctuaries were also built in honor of various gods, mythological heroes, kings, military leaders and Olympic champions.

Along with temples and monuments, Olympia had a whole complex of sports facilities: a stadium, a hippodrome, gymnasiums and a palestra. The stadium was located at the foot of Mount Kronos, which served as a platform during the competition and accommodated up to 50 thousand spectators. The gymnasiums kept all the materials on the organization and conduct of the Olympic holidays, lists of participants and statues of those who distinguished themselves. The gymnasium and the palestra were the training places for the participants of the Olympics a month before their holding. There was also the building of the Supreme Council of Elis, hotels for participants, judges and the most wealthy and honored guests of the Olympics.

Having arisen as an integral part of a religious and cult ritual, the Games throughout their existence were dedicated to Zeus and, thereby, united all the Greek lands. According to the ideas of the Greeks, communication between people and gods took place through competitions. It was the gods who bestowed victory on the most worthy. But in order to achieve the favor of the gods, one had to engage in self-improvement, physical and spiritual, not to commit bad deeds, etc. At the same time, the winner of the competition, as it were, received a divine sign of special disposition, which allowed him to be equated with the gods themselves.

The period of the highest heyday of the ancient Olympic Games (IV century BC) is associated with the ideals of harmony between man and the world around him: this is the harmony of his physical and spiritual development; harmony of personal striving for victory and constant readiness to serve the native city, to protect and glorify it.

In the life of Greece, the Olympic Games, especially during their heyday, were of great social and cultural importance in connection with the sacred truce. During the Games, outstanding philosophers, poets and scientists came from all over Hellas, which contributed to the further development of the amazing phenomenon of Greek culture. And since the 84th games (444 BC..) the arts competition became an official part of the Olympic Games program. Great philosophers spoke to a large audience Plato, Socrates, Diogenes, Heraclitus, fathers of history Herodotus and Thucydides, founder of medicine Hippocrates, classics of ancient Greek poetry Sophocles, Pindar, Euripides, mathematician Pythagoras, who himself was an excellent athlete and winner in fistfighting competitions.

Philosophical conversations, poetry and oratory, contemplation of masterpieces of architecture and art, admiration for the beauty and physical perfection of athletes formed and developed a single Greek culture. While maintaining the specifics of the development and originality of various Greek poleis, without the pressure of any centralized authority, it was here, at the festivities, that the national identity of the Greeks naturally formed. It was the consciousness of a high social civilization, spiritual and physical culture, the consciousness of superiority over slaves and neighboring barbarian peoples. In ancient Greece, the Olympic Games, in addition to the competitive ones, performed other social functions: religious, cultural, educational, economic, political, and entertainment.

However, the great social significance of the Olympic Games of this period was determined, first of all, by their influence on the unification of the Greek world and the formation of a single national identity. It is no coincidence that the most magnificent and colorful Games of antiquity took place in 476 BC, when the united Greek troops, first in Marathon, and then in the naval battle of Salamis, defeated the Persian troops and thus preserved the freedom and independence of Greece. The Olympic Games then became a grandiose celebration in honor of the victory over the formidable enemy.

1.4 The decline of the ancient Olympic Games. From the 4th century BC, gradual changes in the nature and content of the Olympic Games began. More and more attention was paid to the spectacularity of the competition, the harmonious beauty of the body did not cause former admiration. The audience was increasingly drawn to wrestling, fistfights and pankration, rich in poignant, dramatic moments. And there have been changes in these types.

If earlier the outcome of the fight was decided mainly by speed and dexterity, then during this period physical strength becomes the decisive quality.

The reward for winning competitions increases. Cities, striving to demonstrate their power and win the favor of the gods, attract the most famous fighters, even if they live in other places or do not comply with the Olympic rules. In this regard, professional athletes take part in the competition for the first time.

The desire to win at any cost has led to the violation of rules and established norms. For the first time, cases of bribery, cruelty, violations of the preparation system for the Games were registered at the Olympic competitions. But the judges fought against an unfair victory. It is known that the fist fighter Eviol of Thessaly tried to bribe his rivals in order to secure his victory. As punishment, he paid such a large fine that six statues of Zeus were installed in Olympia with this money. Epigrams were knocked out on the pedestals, reminding athletes that victory is achieved not by money, but by physical training.

The changes taking place in the appearance of the participants in the competitions are clearly visible in the visual arts of Ancient Greece: if in the 4th century BC the ancient heroes, whose models, as you know, the participants in the games served, are young and beautiful, have a harmoniously developed figure without excessive muscle hypertrophy.

The sculpture of a fist fighter, made by Apollonius in the 1st century BC, captured an immensely tired middle-aged man. Gnarled muscles, a face disfigured in battles, a meaningless look - this is the image of a professional athlete.

The ancient Greek historian Plutarch, as an example worthy of emulation, cites the following episode: “They say that one Spartan was offered a large sum at the Olympic Games on the condition that he would concede the honor of victory. He did not accept it and, after a difficult struggle, knocked down his rival. "What good is it to you, Spartan, in your victory?" they asked him. "In battle, I will go with the king in front of the army" - he answered, smiling.

The Olympic holidays did not stop even when the power of Hellas began to decline. In 338 BC, Greece, weakened by civil strife, was captured by the Macedonian king Philip... But he did not prohibit the Olympics and other games. And his son Alexander the Great, who was brought up by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, organized similar competitions in the conquered countries of the East.

In the middle of the 2nd century BC, the Romans conquered Greece. The Roman rulers treated the great sporting holiday differently. And although the Olympic Games continued to be held, their rules were increasingly violated. There were even attempts to transfer the games to Rome. Dictator Sulla, better known for the fact that during his reign the slave uprising led by the legendary Spartacus was defeated, ordered the holding of the Games of the 175th Olympiad in Rome. But the Romans, already accustomed to bloody spectacles - gladiatorial fights and chariot races, showed no interest in Olympic competitions.

The emperor Caligula ordered to transport the sculpture of Zeus to Rome. But the ship, sent to Greece for this, was struck by lightning. This was perceived as a divine sign, and the sculpture was left in Olympia.

And the Roman emperor Nero he himself decided to participate in the 211st Olympiad. He was declared the unreachable winner in all tournaments - from chariot racing to reading tragedies. Roman historian Guy Suetonius Tranquill describes this fact as follows: “Nero's passion for horse racing was immeasurable from an early age. In Olympia, he drove a team of 10 horses, was thrown out of the chariot, miraculously survived and could not continue the race. However, he received the winner's wreath. For this he gave freedom to the whole province, and Roman citizenship to the judges. " This testifies to the penetration of politics into sports even in those distant times. True, after the death of the emperor, justice was done. His name was struck off the lists of the Olympians.

From 776 BC over 1170 years, 293 Olympiads were held in Ancient Greece! Despite wars, epidemics and other social upheavals, athletes met at the main competitions exactly once every four years, and not a single Olympics was postponed.

The last time Hellas hosted an Olympic holiday on their lands was in AD 393. A year later, in 394, the Roman emperor Theodosius I, who forcibly implanted Christianity and adopted a code of laws to combat paganism ("Theodosius Code"), banned the Olympic Games. And 32 years later, when the new religion was gaining strength, his heir Theodosius II issued a decree on the destruction of pagan temples.

So the Olympic sanctuary ceased to exist. The structures and temples of Olympia were destroyed by the legionnaires, and earthquakes, floods and unforgiving time completed this process. Olympia and the great festival held here were forgotten for more than 12 centuries.

However, the glory of those Olympic Games has survived through many generations!

In ancient Greece, and throughout the ancient world, the Olympic Games were one of the most revered holidays. The founder of the Games, according to myths, was the demigod-half-man Hercules. But this is just a beautiful invention, but oh real person, who first invented and organized the Games, there is no reliable information, there are only different versions about who it could be. But it is quite clear that the Games got their name due to the fact that they were held in the Olympia region on the Peloponnese peninsula, in one of the largest sanctuaries of the ancient Greeks.

Olympic Games in Ancient Greece

The first Games, according to historical sources that have come down to us, took place in 776 BC. It is also known that a chef named Koroibos became the winner in the 192-meter race.

The ancient Greeks held their Games every four years and they lasted for five days. According to tradition, before the start of the Games, a solemn procession was held, as well as honors for the god Zeus and the god Apollo. In addition, the participants had to take an oath that they would compete fairly, and the judges had to take an oath that they would be judged fairly. Then a special person blew a silver trumpet several times, which was a kind of invitation to the stadium for the start of the competition. By the way, the ancient stadium could accommodate quite a lot of spectators - about 40,000!

The standard program of the ancient Olympic Games included such disciplines as fistfights, wrestling, running, running with weapons, javelin and discus throwing. There was another extremely entertaining discipline - chariot races, harnessed by four horses. Ancient Greek athletes prepared very seriously for the Games - ten months a year they did it at home, and another month in Olympia, under the guidance of their coaches.

From the 4th century BC, not only athletes began to participate in the games, but also orators, playwrights, poets, historians, musicians and actors, they also competed among themselves for the amusement of the public - it was a grandiose performance for its time.

Not everyone could attend the Games as spectators. This right was denied to women, slaves, as well as citizens convicted of certain crimes. The ancient chroniclers described such a case: a popular fist fighter in Olympia, as it turned out, was trained by his mother, wearing men's clothing. Since then, athletes and coaches were required to appear at the competition completely naked - this excluded the possibility of deception.

Those who won the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece received universal honor - sculptors made their monuments, poets composed laudatory odes in their honor. The winners were solemnly greeted in their small homeland and awarded with wreaths made from the branches of a wild olive.

In addition to this, athletes who were able to become the best in the ancient Olympic Games were provided with food at the state expense for life, sponsored with large sums of money and were exempted from taxes.

During the Games, any hostilities between the belligerent Greek territories had to end. The ancient Greeks considered their Games to be a celebration of peace. And the presence of this holiday, of course, contributed to the strengthening of cultural ties between the Greek states.

The last time the ancient Olympiad (293 in a row!) Was held in 394 AD, that is, already at a time when Greece was part of the Roman Empire. After that, they were banned as a pagan event by the Roman emperor Theodosius I (he was strongly influenced by the Christian clergy in this matter).

Rebirth 1500 years later!

In 1894, the Summer Olympic Games were reborn (and Winter Olympics, which is obvious, the ancient Greeks simply did not have it - the climate in the Peloponnese is too warm and mild). This year, the first International Sports Congress took place in Paris, in which delegations from 34 states (in particular, from Russia) took part. At the congress, it was decided to hold the Summer Olympic Games.

But only two years later it became a reality - the opening ceremony of the first resumed Games took place on April 5, 1896 in Athens. Representatives of 13 countries took part in them. Russian empire Unfortunately, she did not send her athletes.

Competitions in 1896 were held only among men and in only nine disciplines: gymnastics, athletics and weightlifting, bullet shooting, fencing, wrestling, bicycle racing, tennis and swimming.

The public interest in the Games was colossal, a vivid confirmation of which is the presence of more than 90,000 spectators.

From then until today Summer Games are held every four years in different cities of the world. However, three times in the turbulent XX century, the Summer Olympic Games were nevertheless canceled due to world wars (they were not held in 1916, 1940 and 1944).

Pierre de Coubertin - First Chairman of the IOC

The key role in the revival of the Olympic Games was played by the French baron, a representative of the old aristocratic family Pierre de Coubertin. (born in 1863). He really wanted to revive the Olympic mindset and the Olympic culture, and quite quickly found like-minded people on this issue throughout Europe. One of these like-minded people was the archaeologist Ernst Curtius - it was he who, after conducting his research, in fact, wrote the new rules for holding such competitions.

Coubertin believed that the French lost in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) due to the fact that the soldiers' physical fitness was lame. And he believed that by reviving the Olympic Games, he could change this situation. In addition, the Baron, of course, wanted to overcome the selfishness of national states with the help of the Games and contribute to the struggle for peace. The youth of the planet should not fight in real wars, but in sports - this was also one of the ideas of the revived Olympics.

It was Coubertin who became the first president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and held this post for a long time - from 1896 to 1916 and from 1919 to 1925. The three-year break is associated, as many might guess, with the First World War. During these years, de Coubertin served in the French troops. The symbol of the Olympic Games is five intersecting rings, which represent the unification of the five inhabited parts of the world. The color of the upper rings is black, blue and red, the color of the lower ones is yellow and green. This symbol, as well as the flag (the same rings on a white background), was approved by the IOC at the suggestion of Coubertin himself in 1914.

The legacy of de Coubertin can hardly be overestimated, and, for example, today there is a special IOC award - the Pierre de Coubertin Medal. It is awarded for the nobility shown during the Olympics and adherence to the spirit of Fair Play ("fair play"). Some fans and athletes recognize this award as even more important than the gold medal.

The de Coubertin medal and one of its holders is the Brazilian marathon runner Wanderlei de Lima

Interesting champions and participants in the Olympics of the past

Women began performing at the games only in 1900. And the first champion was Countess Helene de Pourtale - in sailing. Her yacht "Lerina" came to the finish line first. And then many more women surprised the world with their sporting successes and not only. For example, in the eighties, the runner Florence Griffith-Joyner caused a big stir. She managed to break three records and win three gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. But she was remembered primarily by the fact that she went on the track at those Games in makeup, with false nails, in very bold and unusual outfits.

And the most oldest medalist and oldest champion of the Olympics throughout history is the Swede Oscar Swann. In 1912 at the age of 64, he showed the best result in shooting at the conditional "running deer"(there was such a discipline then). And in 1920, at the age of 72, he again took part in the Olympics and took silver as part of the Swedish national shooting team - this age record has not yet been broken.

A the youngest medalist of the Olympic Games- a ten-year-old boy Dimitros Lundras, who represented Greece at the first revived Olympics in 1896. He only participated in the team competition on the uneven bars, and ultimately his team finished third.

The 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, USA were also quite interesting. In particular, the Cuban poor man Felix Carvajal took part in it. For him, even getting to the Olympics was not an easy matter - he collected money for a ticket, begging for alms. Once in St. Louis, he became one of the participants in the marathon. And he ran almost the entire distance first, but shortly before the finish he stopped to pick and eat an apple - the fact is that Felix had not eaten for about 40 hours. As a result, Carvajal was overtaken, he came running fourth, but he became a real celebrity.

And at one of the Olympics at the beginning of the 20th century, there was a marathon runner who tried to deceive everyone. He, a few kilometers after the start, got into the car, and got out of it only shortly before the finish line. Of course, this deception was revealed and the fraudster did not receive any medals.

By the way, there was no marathon distance in the ancient Greek Olympics. It was introduced by Pierre de Coubertin, based on a beautiful ancient Greek legend. In 490 BC. NS. the battle of the city of Marathon took place. The Persians were defeated by the troops of Athens, and a messenger named Phidippides was sent there to notify the citizens of the city. He allegedly ran all the way (about 42 kilometers long) without stopping. Once within the borders of Athens, he shouted: "Rejoice, we won!" Immediately after that, Fidippides fell dead - he could not stand the loads. This legend is not confirmed by historical sources, but this did not prevent the marathon from being made a mandatory discipline of the modern Summer Olympic Games.

A few more interesting facts about the Olympics

Baron de Coubertin himself believed that the Olympic Games should be strictly an amateur competition, in which there is no place for professionals who received money for playing sports. He believed that professionals have an unfair advantage over those for whom sport is only a hobby. And, for example, in 1913, the medals were taken away from Gene Thorpe - after newspapermen found out that Gene played semi-professional American baseball. After World War II, many countries (for example, the USSR) sent athletes to the Olympics, who were only formally amateurs. And this problem was especially acute in hockey. Canada even boycotted the 1972 and 1976 Olympic tournaments due to the fact that the USSR national team was actually recruited from professionals, while the Canadians, for example, could not send NHL players.

Over time, due to the objective professionalization of sports, the requirement of amateurism in most disciplines has become irrelevant. But, for example, the Olympic boxing tournament still has an amateur status and is held according to the relevant rules.

To this day, Olympic boxing tournaments are held according to amateur rules (therefore, for example, boxers in helmets)

If we talk about the Winter Olympics, then it was first organized only in 1924 in the French city of Chamonix. The Winter Games are also held every four years today. However, their timing does not coincide with the summer (for example, the last Summer Olympic Games were held in 2016, and the last winter ones were held in 2018). Over time, the number of participants and the number of disciplines in both summer and Winter Games only grows. And, for example, in Sochi in 2014, the number of medal sets played was 98, and in Pyeongchang. Although, for example, at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, there were only 86 kits played. And at the recently concluded Winter Games in Pyeongchang, a new record was set - 102 sets of medals in 15 disciplines.

Lighting and relay of the Olympic flame

Separately, it is worth talking about the procedure for lighting the Olympic flame. This fire, a few months before the opening of the Games, is lit on the site of that very ancient Olympia, on the territory of Greece. 11 girls (actresses playing priestesses) conduct a ceremony, during which one of them, having said a special prayer, lights a fire through a convex mirror that receives and focuses the sun's rays. Approximately the same was done before the opening of the Games in antiquity, even before our era - this is truly amazing.

After lighting, the Olympic torch relay begins - it is delivered from torch to torch to the country and to the city that was honored to host the Olympic Games. Until 2007, the Olympic torch relay affected all five inhabited continents of the planet. Now (for security purposes) the torch passes its ground path only through the territory of the country where the Games are directly held. A famous athlete or other significant figure of this country runs his part of the relay and passes the fire on. It is considered a great honor to carry at least 100 meters of a torch with fire. All this action, of course, arouses great interest from ordinary spectators.

The Olympic flame is delivered to the host city, to the main stadium, by the end of the opening ceremony. Here he rushes a number of times on a running loop and finally is given to the athlete who was entrusted with lighting the Olympic flame - this is a very honorable right. And after lighting the fire in a large beautiful bowl (all the organizers are trying to make its design unusual and unique) will burn all the time while the Olympics are going on.

Origins of the Olympic Games Documentary

It is traditionally believed that the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece took place from 776 BC. NS. to 394 AD NS. every 4 years. They represented a series of sports competitions between city-states and were one of the Panhellenic Games. The inhabitants of Hellas gave them a mythological origin. They believed that Zeus was the patron saint of games. On the eve of the Olympics, a sacred truce was announced so that athletes and spectators could freely get from their cities to the place of the games.

Competitions were held in Olympia, in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese. There was the sanctuary of Zeus with his statue, which was considered one of the seven wonders of the world. The sanctuary was a huge temple, reaching a height of 18 meters and a length of 66 meters. It was in it that the statue, made of ivory, was located. Its height was 12 meters.

The competitions themselves took place at the Olympic stadium. In the 5th century BC. NS. it was expanded, modernized, and it began to accommodate 40 thousand spectators. Its sports field was 212 meters long and 32 meters wide. There was also a racetrack with a length of 700 meters and a width of 300 meters. Wreaths made of olive leaves were placed on the heads of the winners, and the games themselves were extremely important politically. Thanks to their spectacularity and popularity, Hellenistic culture spread throughout the Mediterranean.

Only residents of Ancient Greece could take part in the Olympic Games. At the same time, many athletes from remote cities had to prove their Greek origin. Nationals of other states were not allowed to play. Neither money nor noble birth could help here. All these issues were decided by the Hellenodics - the judges of the Olympic Games. They were chosen from among the most worthy people, and they strictly followed all the rules. But when the Romans conquered Greece, they also began to take part in sports.

The mythological origin of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece

There are several myths that explain the rise of popular sporting events. The most famous of these is given by the Greek historian Pausanias. According to him, the dactyl Hercules (not to be confused with the son of Zeus) with his 4 brothers came to Olympia to participate in sports competitions in honor of the newborn Zeus. Hercules defeated everyone, and they placed an olive wreath on his head. After that, the winner organized sports competitions with a sequence of 5 years according to the number of brothers.

Another myth concerns Pelops, the king of Pisa in the Peloponnese. Before him, King Oenomaus ruled in Pisa. He had a beautiful daughter, Hippodamia. The oracle predicted to the king that he would be killed by her daughter's husband. Therefore, Oenomaus set a condition for all suitors: the applicant for the daughter's hand would ride with her in one chariot, and the king must catch up with them in another chariot. If he catches up, he will kill the groom with a spear. But the young people did not know that the horses harnessed to the king's chariot were presented to him by Poseidon himself, and therefore they rushed faster than the wind.

The grooms died one after the other, and Hippodamia went about in brides. But one day a young and beautiful Pelops came to the royal palace to woo, and the royal daughter fell in love with him. The king's charioteer was Myrtil (the son of Hermes), and Hippodamia persuaded him to replace the bronze axles of the wheels of the royal chariot with wax ones. For this, she promised Myrtila the privilege of the first night. The driver could not resist the beauty of the young girl and agreed.

During the race, the wax got hot and melted. As a result, the chariot overturned, and the king fell to the ground and crashed to death. At the same instant, lightning struck the royal palace and turned it to ash. There is only one wooden pillar that has stood for many centuries next to the temple of Zeus. And Pelops married Hippodamia and became king of Pisa.

In memory of the untimely death of Oenomaus, Pelops organized chariot races as funeral games. It was these funeral races that later transformed into the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece.

There is another myth that is attributed to Pindar. Allegedly, this ancient Greek lyricist claimed that the son of Zeus, Hercules, having completed his 12 labors, established in Olympia sports festival in honor of his father. Since then, it has become customary to consider Hercules as the organizer of the Olympics.

The official version of the origin of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece

As for the official version, it is believed that the Olympic Games began in ancient times, then for some reason they stopped. They were revived again by the Spartan legislator Lycurgus, who lived in the 9th century BC. NS. The king of Elis Iphit and Cleisthenes of Pisa also took part in their renewal. These two people were contemporaries of Lycurgus, and they showed activity at the behest of the Delphic oracle. He said that the people deviated from the gods, and this became the cause of wars and plague. With the restoration of games, all this will stop.

This version is set forth by Pausanias, who lived in the 2nd century AD. NS. And therefore, you cannot trust her unconditionally. Most likely, the origins of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece date back to the Mycenaean period. At first, these were funeral games associated with magical rituals. Over the centuries, they were transformed into sports, and in this form they existed for 1000 years.

Competition of wrestlers at the Olympic Games

Throughout this huge period of time, the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece were of extremely important political and economic importance. Therefore, several powerful groups of the Greek aristocracy constantly fought for control of the sanctuary at Olympia. Sometimes it was captured by force, then others took it away, and this went on for centuries. These games were the most prestigious of all the 4 Panhellenic Games, but by 385 AD. NS. fell into decay. The reason was floods, earthquakes, invasions of barbarians. In 394, the games stopped at the behest of the Roman emperor Theodosius I, who began the struggle against pagan holidays.

Sports

The total duration of each Olympic Games in Ancient Greece took no more than a week. Initially, sacrifices were made in honor of Zeus, while several dozen bulls were slaughtered. Then they arranged festivities and feasts. Only after that did the turn of the sporting events themselves come. The first such competitions ended during the day, since only one runner showed strength and endurance. But with the advent of pentathlon and other types of sports competitions, one day was no longer enough, and the audience began to enjoy the performance of athletes for 3-4 days.

Running with shields and helmets

The main competition was considered pentathlon - running, long jump, javelin throwing, discus throwing, Greek wrestling. Chariot races, which attracted a huge number of spectators, were no less popular. Running has been practiced since 776 BC. NS. This was the only type of competition until 724 BC. NS. Therefore, the names of some of the winners are known even today. The runners ran 178 meters. Running began from a standing position. They ran naked on the compacted ground, and the sound of a trumpet served as the signal for the start of the competition.

Pentathlon began to be practiced in 708 BC. NS. At the same time, running, jumping and throwing took place at the stadium, but the struggle was staged outside the temple of Zeus on a special platform, the soil of which was sand. It is difficult to say now how the victory was awarded in the pentathlon. Perhaps, the athlete who won in 3 events was declared the winner, since it was simply impossible to win in all 5 events. It is also assumed that only a small number of competitors reached the fight, and it was the winner in it that was considered the champion.

Chariot racing, drawn by 4 horses, has been practiced since 680 BC. NS. And in 500 BC. NS. began to compete on carts drawn by mules. Races with 2 horses in a chariot got their start in 408 BC. NS. Here you can remember the Roman emperor Nero. In 67, he took part in the chariot race at Olympia. To everyone's embarrassment, the emperor was thrown out of the chariot and unable to complete the race. But the victory was awarded to Nero, believing that he would definitely have won if he had finished the race.

It's no wonder to fly out of the chariot at such speeds and turns, here you involuntarily sympathize with Nero

In 648 BC. NS. began to practice pankration (fighting with a minimum of rules). And in 520 BC. NS. a type of sports competition called hoplitodromos appeared. Its participants ran a distance of 400 meters in helmets, knee pads and wooden shields.

In general, it should be noted that the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece were extremely popular, and the winners were honored as national heroes. Some of the names of such people have come down to us from time immemorial. This testifies to the great respect and veneration of the athletes, because they glorified not only their names, but also the cities in which they lived. The popularity of the Olympic Games was so high that they were revived in 1896 and are still taking place in different cities of the world. This is how they differ from the ancient games, which were held only in Olympia..

Initially, only and exclusively local residents of Olympia could be athletes. However, for the thirteenth games in a row, they are joined by the inhabitants of all of ancient Greece. Subsequently, residents from the ancient Greek colonial cities, who arrived from everywhere - from the Black to the Mediterranean seas, join the participants in the Olympic competitions.

Only free Greeks became participants in the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, who did not ever commit one or another crime, did not break their oaths and did not stain themselves with dishonorable acts. Accordingly, it was impossible for slaves and foreigners to represent any Greek city.
With regard to age restrictions, both adult men and young men under the age of 20 could become participants in the competition.

They were called "ephebes", which translates as "mature".
Women were forbidden to participate. Moreover, the restriction concerned not only participation in competitions, but also the very presence in the territory where the festival was held. An exception to the rule was the presence of a priestess, a representative of the goddess Demeter, and a woman could also be the driver of the quadriga, and, accordingly, received the right to speak at the hippodrome.

The participants of the Olympic Games lived on the outskirts of Altis, where a month before the opening of the competition, they trained in palestra and gymnastics. This tradition has become the inspiration for the Olympic village that takes place in modern games. The expenses for the accommodation of athletes in Olympia, the preparation of competitions and various religious ceremonies, were borne either by the athletes themselves - the participants in the games, or by the city from which they competed.

How were the Olympic Games in ancient Greece

The start date of the event was set by a commission specially created for this, about which then special people, called spondophores, notified the residents of other Greek states. Athletes came to Olympia a month before the start of the games, during which time they had to train under the guidance of experienced coaches.
The course of the competition was observed by the judges - elladonics. In addition to the judicial function, the duties of the Elladonics included the organization of the entire Olympic holiday.

Each athlete, before speaking to the people, had to prove to the judges that during ten months before the start of the games, he was intensively preparing for the competition. The oath was taken near the statue of Zeus.
Initially, the duration of the Olympic Games was 5 days, but later it reached even a month. The first and last day of the games was devoted to religious rituals and ceremonies.
The public learned about the sequence of holding a certain type of competition with the help of a special sign. Those wishing to take part in it had to determine their order by drawing lots.

Ancient Greece Olympic winners

The winners of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece were called Olympians. They became famous throughout Greece, they were greeted with honor at home, as athletes represented not only themselves at the games, but also the city-state from where he came. In the event of a three-time victory at the games, a bust was installed in Olympia in honor of such an athlete. The winner's award was an olive wreath, and he also stood on a pedestal, the function of which was performed by a bronze tripod and took palm branches in his hands. Also, as a reward, they gave out a small cash bonus, but he received the real benefits already upon returning home. At home, he received many different privileges.
Milon of Croton is considered one of the most famous Olympians. He won his very first victory in wrestling in 540 BC, during the 60th Olympiad. Later, between 532 and 516, he won five times, and it was only at the age of 40 that he lost to a younger athlete, without achieving Olympic status for the seventh time.

Sunset Olympic Games

In the second century BC. The Olympic Games began to lose their great importance, becoming a local competition. This is due to the conquest of ancient Greece by the Romans. Several factors are believed to be responsible for the loss of its former popularity. One of them is called the professionalism of athletes, when the games became, in fact, collecting victories from the Olympics. The Romans, under whose rule Greece was, perceived sports exclusively as a spectacle, they were not interested in the competitive spirit of the Olympics.

Who Banned the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece

The end of the thousand-year history of the Olympic Games was the result of a change in religion. They were closely intertwined with the Greek pagan gods, so their implementation became impossible after the adoption of the Christian faith.

Researchers associate the ban on the Olympic Games with a certain Roman emperor, Theodosius. It is he who publishes in 393 A.D. the body of laws prohibiting paganism, and the Olympic Games, in accordance with these new legislative acts, become completely banned.

The healing forces of nature

The healing forces of nature include sun, air and water.

These natural factors play an extremely huge role in human life. First of all, they are living conditions in general, and human health itself depends on how he uses them.

The use of health-improving forces of preroda for physical. education is carried out in two directions:

As prerequisites physical education(outdoor activities promote the activation of biological processes caused by physical. Exercise, increase the body's resistance to temperature fluctuations, solar radiation, increase the overall performance of the body, slow down the processes of fatigue)

As a relatively independent means of hardening and healing the body of those who occupy (systematic hardening procedures - dosed sunbathing, water procedures, dousing, rubbing, bathing in rivers and reservoirs, staying in mid-mountain conditions, while the measure of the adaptive capabilities of the body is not violated, health is strengthened, working capacity increases ).

THE REVIVAL OF OLYMPIC GAMES is associated with the name of Pierre de Coubertin, (1863-1937) a French aristocrat, educator, keen on the idea of ​​reforming education in France, introducing elements of the ancient education of youth. Disappointed with politics and the prospect of a military career, the young Baron Pierre de Coubertin decided to devote himself to educational reform in France. He also wrote in 1886-1887. published a number of articles on the problems of physical education.

In the second half of the 19th century, thanks to the creation of the first international federations (gymnasts, 1881, rowers, 1892, skaters, 1892) and the holding of world championships and international meetings, sport became one of the essential elements interstate communication, contributing to the rapprochement of peoples.

Coubertin's initiative at the constituent congress in Paris (1894) was supported by representatives of 12 countries. The governing body of the Olympic Movement, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was created and the Olympic Charter developed by the Baron was approved by the set of rules and regulations of the IOC.

Subsequently, the Olympic Charter became the basis for the statutory documents of the International Olympic Committee. Its first section contains a description and statute of the Olympic flag (approved by the IOC in 1913 at the suggestion of P. de Coubertin) a white cloth with an Olympic symbol representing five colored intertwined rings (according to the number of continents). The Olympic symbol was also proposed by Coubertin and approved by the IOC in 1913. Since 1920, along with the symbol, the Olympic motto Citius, altius, fortius ("Faster, higher, stronger") has been an integral part of the Olympic emblem. In 1928, Coubertin's idea, expressed by him back in 1912, was embodied, the lighting of the Olympic flame from the sun's rays (with the help of a lens) at the Temple of Zeus in Olympia and its delivery by a torch relay to the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony of the Games along a special route developed by the organizing committee of the next Games jointly with the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of the countries through which it passes.

According to the Olympic Charter, the honor of hosting the Olympic Games is given to a city, not a country. The decision to elect the capital of the Olympic Games is taken by the IOC no later than 6 years before the start of the Games.

The 1896 Summer Olympics - the first modern Summer Olympics - were held from April 6 to 15 in Athens, Greece.

The first modern Olympic Games were originally planned to be held at the same stadium in Olympia, where the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece were held. However, this required too much restoration work, and the first revived Olympic competitions took place in the Greek capital Athens.

On April 6, 1896, at the restored antique stadium in Athens, the Greek king George declared the first Olympic Games of our time open. The opening ceremony was attended by 60 thousand spectators.

241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the Games of the I Olympiad: Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary (at the time of the Games, Hungary was part of Austria-Hungary, but Hungarian athletes performed separately at the competitions), Germany, Greece, Denmark, Italy , USA, France, Chile, Switzerland, Sweden.

Russian athletes were actively preparing for the Olympics, however, due to lack of funds, the Russian team was not sent to the Games.

As in ancient times, only men took part in the competitions of the first modern Olympics.

Track and field competitions have become the most massive - 63 athletes from 9 countries took part in 12 events. The largest number of species - 9 - was won by the representatives of the United States.

The first Olympic champion was the American track and field athlete James Connolly, who won the triple jump with a score of 13 meters 71 centimeters.

Since there were no artificial pools in Athens, swimming competitions were held in an open bay near the city of Piraeus; the start and finish were marked with ropes attached to the floats. The competition aroused great interest - about 40 thousand spectators had gathered on the shore by the beginning of the first swim. About 25 swimmers from six countries took part, most of them naval officers and sailors of the Greek merchant fleet.

The culmination of the Olympic Games was the marathon run. Unlike all subsequent Olympic marathon competitions, the marathon distance at the Games of the I Olympiad was 40 kilometers. The classic marathon distance is 42 kilometers 195 meters. Greek postman Spiridon Luis, who became a national hero after this success, finished first with a score of 2 hours 58 minutes 50 seconds. In addition to the Olympic awards, he received a gold cup established by the French academician Michel Breal, who insisted on including a marathon run in the Games program, a barrel of wine, a ticket for free food throughout the year, free tailoring of a dress and use of the services of a hairdresser throughout his life, 10 centners of chocolate, 10 cows and 30 rams.

The winners were awarded on the closing day of the Games - April 15, 1896. Since the Games of the 1st Olympiad, a tradition has been established to perform in honor of the winner of the national anthem and to raise the national flag. The winner was crowned with a laurel wreath, a silver medal, an olive branch cut from the Sacred Grove of Olympia, and a diploma by a Greek artist. The runners-up won bronze medals.

Hygiene factors.

Hygienic factors include: personal and public hygiene (cleanliness of the body, cleanliness of places of employment, air, sports suit), adherence to sleep patterns (violation can completely remove positive effect classes nat. ex. and even harm health), adherence to the diet (violation reduces the result of physical education), compliance with the regime of work and rest. Excessive work worsens health, as does constant rest.

The morphofunctional ability of the locomotor apparatus is called flexibility, which allows performing movements with a certain amplitude.

Flexibility affects the level of development of coordination abilities, endurance, speed and speed-strength abilities.

In a person with poor flexibility, movement is slower, all other things being equal, because low mobility in the joints reduces the speed of movement. Such a person gets tired faster, since movements with the same amplitude, a non-flexible person spends more energy than a flexible person.

Flexibility depends on the following factors:

1. Anatomical structure and shape of joints and articulating surfaces. The deeper glenoid cavity limits the range of motion in this joint. In this regard, flexibility is largely determined by innate, hereditary characteristics that have large individual differences.

2. Elasticity of the musculo-ligamentous apparatus surrounding the joints.

3. The strength ability of the muscular system, in particular, the strength of the muscles that produce movement (synergists), and the degree of relaxation of the antagonists.

4. The age and sex of a person (in a natural way, flexibility increases on average up to 10-12 years old, then it stabilizes, and from 25-30 years old it starts to decrease). The optimal age for improving flexibility is from 8 to 14 years.

5. External conditions: air temperature (at 20 ... 30 ° С flexibility is higher than at 5 ... 10 ° С); whether a warm-up was carried out (after a 20-minute warm-up, the flexibility is higher than before the warm-up), the time of day (in the morning, flexibility is minimal, in the afternoon it increases, in the evenings due to fatigue it decreases).

By the form of manifestation distinguish between active and passive flexibility.

Active flexibility- movement with a large amplitude is performed due to the own activity of the corresponding muscles. Passive flexibility- the ability to perform movements under the influence of external tensile forces: partner efforts, external weights, special devices, etc.

By the way of manifestation flexibility is divided into dynamic (manifested in movements) and static (manifested in postures).
There is also general (high mobility in all joints) and special flexibility (range of motion corresponding to the technique of a specific motor action).

The main means of developing flexibility is:

Dynamic control without burden,

Dynamic exercises with weights,

Static controls

Ticket 28

1. Modern Olympic Games, their symbols and rituals. The Olympic Charter is the basic law of the sports movement of our time.

Modern Olympic Games- the largest international complex sports competitions, which are held every four years under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee.

The modern Olympic Games were revived at the end of the 19th century by the French public figure Pierre de Coubertin. The Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics, have been held every four years since 1896, with the exception of the years during the World Wars. In 1924, the Winter Olympics were established and were originally held in the same year as the Summer ones. However, since 1994, the timing of the Winter Olympic Games has been shifted by two years from the timing of the Summer Games.

In the same places where the Olympic Games are held, the Paralympic Games for people with disabilities are held a few days later.

The principles, rules and regulations of the Olympic Games are determined by the Olympic Charter, the foundations of which were approved by the International Sports Congress in Paris in 1894, which, at the suggestion of the French educator and public figure Pierre de Coubertin, decided to organize the Games on the model of the ancient ones and to create the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The symbol of the Olympic Games is the Olympic rings, five fastened rings, symbolizing the unification of the five inhabited parts of the world in the Olympic movement. The color of the rings in the top row is blue, black and red. In the bottom row - yellow and green.

Among the traditional rituals of the Games (in the order in which they are held):

• grandiose and colorful ceremonies of the opening and closing of the Games.
• opening and closing begins with a theatrical performance, which should present the viewers with the appearance of the country and the city, acquaint them with their history and culture.
• solemn passage of athletes and members of delegations to the central stadium. making welcoming speeches by the President of the IOC (required), as well as by the Chairman of the Organizing Committee or other official representative of the host state. The official opening of the games (usually by the head of state) with the phrase: "(serial number of the games) I declare the Summer (Winter) Olympic Games open." After that, as a rule, a volley of guns and many salutes of salute and fireworks are fired.
• raising the flag of Greece as the ancestor country of the Games with the performance of its national anthem (at the close).
• raising the flag of the host country of the Games with the performance of its national anthem.
• pronounced by one of the outstanding athletes of the country in which the Olympics are taking place, Olympic oath on behalf of all participants in the games about fair fighting in accordance with the rules and principles of sport and the Olympic spirit;
• the swearing of an oath of impartial judging by several judges on behalf of all judges;
• raising the Olympic flag with the performance of the official Olympic anthem.
• sometimes - raising the flag of Peace (a blue cloth, which depicts a white dove holding an olive branch in its beak - two traditional symbols of Peace), symbolizing the tradition of ending all armed conflicts during the Games.
• The opening ceremony is crowned with the lighting of the Olympic flame. The bowl is located high above the stadium. The fire must be lit throughout the Olympics and extinguished at the end of the closing ceremony.
• presentation of medals to the winners and prize-winners of the competition on a special podium with the raising of state flags and the performance of the national anthem in honor of the winners.
• During the closing ceremony, a theatrical performance is also held - farewell to the Olympics, the passage of the participants, the speech of the IOC President and the representative of the host country. Olympic Charter- a document that sets out the fundamental principles of Olympism, the rules adopted by the IOC.

The Olympic Charter serves three purposes:

• a constitutional document establishing the principles and values ​​of Olympism;
• the IOC charter;
• regulations on the distribution of responsibilities between the International Olympic Committee, International Federations, National Olympic Committees and Organizing Committees for the Olympic Games.

2. Methods of physical education. Their general systematics and characteristics of the main groups of methods

Physical education methods are ways of using exercise. V physical education two groups of methods are used (Fig. 4): specific methods of physical education (characteristic only for the process of physical education) and general pedagogical methods of physical education (used in all cases of training and education).

Specific methods of physical education:

1) methods of strictly regulated exercise;

2) play method (use of exercises in a playful way);

3) competitive method (use of exercises in a competitive form).

With the help of these methods, specific tasks related to teaching the technique of performing physical exercises and training physical qualities are solved.

General pedagogical methods methods of physical education:

1) verbal methods;

2) methods of visual impact.

None of the methods can be limited in the methodology of physical education as the best. Only the optimal combination of these methods in accordance with the methodological principles can ensure the successful implementation of the complex of physical education tasks.

A highly regulated exercise method. The main methodological direction in the process of physical education is the strict regulation of exercises. The essence of strictly regulated exercise methods is that each exercise is performed in a strictly specified form and with a precisely determined load.

Game method. In the system of physical education, the game is used to solve educational, health-improving and educational tasks.

Competitive method - it is a way of doing exercises in the form of a competition. The essence of the method lies in the use of competitions as a means of increasing the level of preparedness of those involved. A prerequisite for the competitive method is the preparedness of the trainees to perform those exercises in which they must compete.

Verbal (verbal) and visualization methods (sensory methods.) Verbal and sensory methods involve extensive use of words and information.

3. Means and methods for stimulating muscle mass and harmonizing the muscle composition of the morphostructure of the body.

Optimization of muscle volumes is derived in a decisive measure from comprehensive development motor abilities. At the same time, it naturally depends on the individual characteristics of the physique and other factors, in particular, on the characteristics of sports specialization.

firstly, in connection with ensuring the harmonious formation of physique properties, especially if at the same time it is necessary to selectively influence certain links of the muscular system, which for various reasons lag behind in their development;

secondly, when the achieved level of development of self-strength abilities is increased and maintained, since it is largely due to the growth of muscle mass.

Although many physical exercises to one degree or another contribute to an increase in muscle mass, if it is necessary to activate hypertrophy of skeletal muscles, preference is given to strength exercises, which are part of strength (athletic) gymnastics and weightlifting.

It is known that the synthesis of muscle proteins is to a certain extent directly proportional to their expenditure (splitting, decay) during intense muscle work performed under anaerobic conditions. Therefore, an adequate means of stimulating muscle hypertrophy is strength exercises, characterized by significant weights, but not by the maximum intensity, which allows their effect to be prolonged by continuous serial repetitions.

The sets of exercises used to activate muscle hypertrophy are naturally different at different stages of physical education. They include, depending on the predominant direction of the impact, exercises with general (generalized), regional and local coverage of the links of the muscular system. The indicated approach to the normalization of loads remains valid when using mainly local exercises, but the specific values ​​of the loads must be varied, of course, in relation to the peculiarities of the functioning and structure of the muscles exposed to the effect. A number of methodological techniques, which increase the degree of summation of the effects in the process of serial reproduction of exercises as they adapt to the usual load rate.

One of the most essential conditions for the effectiveness of exercises used to activate muscle growth is a correspondingly balanced diet, including in an increased volume of proteins, mainly of animal origin, which are the building blocks of muscle biosynthesis.

The problem of eliminating excess fat, and sometimes total body weight, practically all the same has to be solved in physical education. The best way to act in such situations (apart from pathological cases requiring special medical intervention) is, first of all, to eliminate the attendant causes of unwanted deviations in body weight with the help of full physical education and, accordingly, adjusted nutrition. To combat excess body fat, predominantly long-term exercises of moderate intensity are recommended, such as walking, running, swimming, cycling, skiing, rowing, etc.

Ticket 29

1. National and universal values ​​in the Olympic movement. Olympism is unity sports, culture and education. The principles of Olympism.

The main values ​​of the modern Olympic movement, focusing on the ideas of humanism, were first formulated and substantiated by Pierre de Coubertin, who, as noted in the Olympic Charter, owns the concept of modern Olympism. They can be briefly characterized as follows:

1. The Olympian is a person who is characterized by:

• holistic, harmonious development of physical, mental and spiritual (moral, aesthetic) qualities;
• activity, dedication, focus on constant self-knowledge, self-improvement, achievements in their activities.

2. Behavior in sports, adequate to the Olympic principles and ideals:

• not just participation in sports competitions, but a constant desire to improve their results, courage, will, perseverance for the maximum possible (taking into account their own capabilities) sports achievements, to victory over an opponent, while strictly observing not only the rules, but also the moral principles underlying based on fair play;
• refusal of the desire to win at any cost (at the expense of one's own health or causing damage to the health of an opponent, through deception, violence, dishonest refereeing, and other inhuman actions).

3. Humanistic values ​​of peace, friendship and mutual understanding: democracy, internationalism, equality of all people and peoples, education in the spirit of true patriotism, combined with mutual respect of nations, despite racial, religious and political differences.

The unity of sport and culture is not limited to the Olympic Games, only to the elite of sports and art. Among other fundamental principles, the Olympic Charter names the connection of sport with education, which affects millions of sports enthusiasts, and above all the younger generation. Olympic education acts in organic unity with education. Pierre de Coubertin appreciated the potential of the Olympic movement in striving for humanism, noting at the dawn of the revival of the Olympic Games that in the modern world, full of powerful opportunities and at the same time danger, destructive destruction, the Olympic movement can become a school for the education of nobility and moral purity, and as well as physical stamina and strength.

The fundamental principles of Olympism:

1. Olympism is a philosophy of life that uplifts and unites in a balanced whole the dignity of body, will and mind. Olympism, combining sport with culture and education, seeks to create a lifestyle based on the joy of effort, on the educational value of good example, and on respect for universal basic ethical principles.

2. The goal of Olympism is to place sport everywhere at the service of harmonious human development in order to contribute to the creation of a peaceful society that cares about the preservation of human dignity.

3. The Olympic Movement is a concentrated, organized, universal and continuous activity of all individuals and organizations inspired by the values ​​of Olympism, carried out under the leadership of the IOC. This activity covers five continents. Its pinnacle is the unification of athletes from all over the world at the great sports festival - the Olympic Games. Its symbol is five intertwined rings.

4. Going in for sports is a human right. Everyone should be able to play sports without being discriminated against, in the spirit of Olympism, mutual understanding, friendship, solidarity and fair play. The organization, management and administration of sports should be overseen by independent sports organizations.

5. Any form of discrimination against a country or person of a racial, religious, political nature, or on the basis of gender is incompatible with membership of the Olympic Movement.

6. Belonging to the Olympic Movement requires mandatory compliance with the provisions of the Olympic Charter and recognition by the IOC.

2. Methods of strict regulation of physical exercises used in teaching motor actions

Methods of teaching motor actions. These include:

1) holistic method(method of holistic-constructive exercise);

2) dismembered-constructive;

3) associated impact.

The method of holistic constructive exercise. It is applied at any stage of training. Its essence lies in the fact that the technique of motional action is mastered from the very beginning in its integral structure without dividing it into separate parts. The holistic method allows you to learn structurally simple movements (for example, running, simple jumps, general development exercises, etc.).

With a holistic method, it is possible to master individual details, elements or phases not in isolation, but in the general structure of the movement, by focusing the students' attention on the necessary parts of the technique. The disadvantage of this method is that in uncontrolled phases or details of a motor action (movement), it is possible to fix errors in technique. Therefore, when mastering exercises with a complex structure, its use is undesirable. In this case, preference is given to the dismembered method.

Dismembered constructive method. It is used in the initial stages of training. Provides for the dismemberment of a holistic motor action (mainly with a complex structure) into separate phases or elements with their alternate learning and subsequent connection into a single whole.

The disadvantage of the dismembered method is that it is not always easy to combine the elements learned in isolation into a holistic motor action.

In the practice of physical education, holistic and dismembered-constructive methods are often combined. First, they begin to learn the exercise in a holistic manner. Then they master the most difficult highlighted elements and finally return to holistic execution.

The method of conjugate exposure. It is used mainly in the process of improving the learned motor actions to improve their qualitative basis, i.e. effectiveness. Its essence lies in the fact that the technique of motor action is improved in conditions that require an increase in physical efforts. For example, an athlete in training throws a weighted spear or disc, jumps in length with a weighted belt, etc. In this case, both the technique of movement and physical abilities are simultaneously improved.

When applying the conjugate method, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the technique of motor actions is not distorted and their integral structure is not disturbed.

3. Effective exercise regimens for reducing body fat

The problem of eliminating excess fat, and sometimes total body weight, practically all the same has to be solved in physical education. It occurs with a general deficit in motor activity, excessive reduction in loads or the termination of regular exercise (due to various attendant circumstances, in particular injuries and diseases), unbalanced nutrition, and in some other cases (when weight is cut to move to a lighter weight category , to increase the indicators of relative strength, etc.). It is clear that The best way actions in such situations (not counting pathological cases requiring special medical intervention) is primarily to eliminate the attendant causes of unwanted deviations in body weight with the help of full physical education and, accordingly, adjusted nutrition. At the same time, in physical education, the directed use of those factors that give an increased effect in this regard is of particular importance.

Evaluating the effectiveness of various kinds of physical exercises as factors in reducing body fat mass, they usually proceed primarily from their energy intensity, or calorimetric cost (the volume of energy expenditure during their implementation, expressed in calories). It is well known that the highest energy expenditures in the shortest time (per second) are characteristic of exercises of maximum intensity, however, the total energy expenditures during their implementation are relatively small (for example, directly during a sprint run of 100 m, they do not even reach 20 kcal), which limits them. impact on metabolic processes leading to a decrease in body fat mass. All other things being equal, the total amount of energy expenditure during the exercise, the longer its duration, the greater.

The use of body fats as the main sources of energy occurs as the carbohydrate reserves in the body are depleted, which is usually observed when continuous work, involving large muscle groups in the active functioning, lasts a long enough time - about at least 30 minutes. Even with a fairly significant one-time load, the expenditure of body fats is relatively small. For example, they are in adults who do not go in for sports, with accelerated walking at 3.6 and 8 km from 15-17 to 70, respectively, distances (according to N. Tsunz et al.).

Based on the foregoing, to combat excess body fat mass, it is recommended to predominantly long-term exercises of moderate intensity such as walking, running, swimming, cycling, skiing, rowing, etc.

At the same time, as general fitness develops, exercises of relatively high intensity, including exercises with weights, can serve as more and more effective means of eliminating excess body weight (and, what is especially important, with the simultaneous optimization of the ratio of its active and passive components). Of course, this is true provided that the total volume of energy expenditure is brought to sufficiently large values ​​(200-300 kcal / h and more) by means of multiple serial repetitions with strictly normalized rest intervals.

To get rid of significant fatty deposits, a long-term massive use of appropriately directed exercises with a gradual increase in the volume and intensity of the associated loads is necessary.

The basis of an effective regimen for using physical exercises to eliminate excess fat mass is a system of daily loads associated with such significant total energy expenditures that they exceed the intake of energy resources from food for a certain time.

Contents of the article about the ancient Olympic Games in Greece:

1. Start of the Olympic Games
2. Participants in the Olympic Games in ancient Greece
3. Dawn of the Olympic Games
4. Sunset Olympic Games

• The tradition of holding the Olympic Games has been revived today. The first Olympic Games of our time were held in the 19th century, and at the moment they are considered the most prestigious world sports competitions.

Start of the Olympic Games

The first Olympic Games in ancient Greece

The very first Olympic Games in ancient Greece were held in 776 BC. All subsequent games were held once every four years. From that moment on, the recording of the winners of the games began and the order of their holding was established. The Olympics began every leap year, in the month of the ceremony, corresponding to the modern time frame from late June to mid-July.

The history has preserved a large number of versions, which substantiate the origin of the tradition of holding these sports competitions. Most of these versions have the form of legends, one way or another associated with the gods and heroes of Ancient Greece. For example, the first place in the list is occupied by the legend according to which the king of Elis, named Iphit, went to Delphi, where he received a message from the priestess of Apollo. The people of Elis by this time were exhausted by the constant armed rivalry of the Greek policies, and therefore the gods ordered to arrange sports and athletic festivals.

The participants of the Olympic Games lived on the outskirts of Altis, where they trained in palestra and gymnastics a month before the opening of the competition. This tradition has become the inspiration for the Olympic village that takes place in modern games. The expenses for the accommodation of athletes in Olympia, the preparation of competitions and various religious ceremonies, were borne either by the athletes themselves - the participants in the games, or by the city from which they competed.

Dawn of the Olympic Games

There is a reliable historical fact that during the Olympic Games, any hostilities ceased. This tradition was called ekeheria, according to which the belligerents were required to lay down their arms. It was also forbidden to carry out court cases, the execution of executions was postponed until later. Violators of the ekeheria rules were punished with a fine.

Types of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece

The paramount, and probably the most popular sport included in the program of the ancient Olympic Games, was running. There is even information that an ancient king named Endymion organized a running race among his sons, and as a reward the winner received the kingdom.
There were several types of running competitions. First of all, it was an analogue of a modern sprint, a short distance run - in fact, from one end of the stadium to the other. The distance was 192 meters and was called the "Olympic stage". Athletes performed in these competitions completely naked. Distance running was the very first and only competition in the history of the Olympic Games and remained so until the thirteenth Olympics. Starting from the fourteenth, the so-called "double run" was added to the competition. Athletes had to run from one end of the stadium to the other, then run around the pole and return to the starting point. In the program of the fifteenth Olympic Games, a long run was added to the aforementioned running competitions. Initially, it included seven stages, but in subsequent years the length of the distances changed. Runners ran a stage, ran around a pole, returned to the start, and turned back around another pole.

In 520 BC, during the 65th Olympiad, another type of running competition appeared - "hoplite running". Athletes ran two distances in full armor - they were wearing a helmet, greaves and a shield. In the later Olympics, only the shield was left among the weapons.
Also among the types of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece were martial arts. It should be noted that the death of an athlete during fights was not something special, and even a dead fighter could be named the winner.
Since the 18th Olympiad, wrestling has been included in the program of the games. It was forbidden to strike, it was only possible to fight with the help of shocks. There were two main positions - standing and on the ground. In the Greek language, there were many names for various techniques.

Five Olympics later, fist fights appeared among martial arts. It was impossible to kick the enemy, make grabs and trips. Hands were wrapped with special straps, making this type of competition one of the most dangerous. Sources that have survived to this day colorfully describe the damage caused by such blows. The fighter who won without receiving a single blow from the enemy deserved special respect. If the wrestlers got tired, they were given a break to rest. If the winner could not be identified in any way, then a definite number of blows was assigned, which the opponents inflicted on each other in turn, while it was impossible to defend. The loser was the one who voluntarily surrendered by raising his hand.
In 648 BC, during the 33rd Olympiad, the so-called "pankration" appeared. This type of martial arts included kicks and punches. Choking techniques were allowed, but eyes and biting were not allowed. At first it was a competition for adult men only, and then, starting from the 145th Olympiad, pankration was introduced for youths as well.

Later, the pentathlon was added to the games program. In ancient Greece, this sport was called "pentathlon". From the name, you can guess that this type of sports consisted of five different sports - they began with a long jump, then there was one-distance running, discus throwing, and javelin throwing. The fifth sport was wrestling. To date, no exact information has been preserved about how the winner was determined. It is believed that all participants were divided into pairs and competed among themselves. As a result, there was only one, the last pair. The long jump was distinguished by a special technique. Athletes jumped straight from the spot, without scattering, and dumbbells were used to increase the range of the jump.
Equestrian races also took place among the Olympic competitions. It is noteworthy that women participate in them, since not the riders, but the owners of animals and chariots were announced as the winner. Over the years of the existence of the Olympic Games, equestrian racing has evolved. At first it was quadriga racing, then, starting from the 33rd Olympiad, horse racing was added to them. On the 93rd, chariot races appeared, in which two horses were harnessed. Competitions were divided into two categories - one for young stallions and the other for adult horses.

How were the Olympic Games in ancient Greece

The start date of the event was set by a commission specially created for this, about which then special people, called spondophores, notified the residents of other Greek states. Athletes came to Olympia a month before the start of the games, during which time they had to train under the guidance of experienced coaches.
The course of the competition was observed by the judges - elladonics. In addition to the judicial function, the duties of the Elladonics included the organization of the entire Olympic holiday.

Each athlete, before speaking to the people, had to prove to the judges that during ten months before the start of the games, he was intensively preparing for the competition. The oath was taken near the statue of Zeus.
Initially, the duration of the Olympic Games was 5 days, but later it reached even a month. The first and last day of the games was devoted to religious rituals and ceremonies.
The public learned about the sequence of holding a certain type of competition with the help of a special sign. Those wishing to take part in it had to determine their order by drawing lots.

Ancient Greece Olympic winners

The winners of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece were called Olympians. They became famous throughout Greece, they were greeted with honor at home, as athletes represented not only themselves at the games, but also the city-state from where he came. In the event of a three-time victory at the games, a bust was installed in Olympia in honor of such an athlete. The winner's award was an olive wreath, and he also stood on a pedestal, the function of which was performed by a bronze tripod and took palm branches in his hands. Also, as a reward, they gave out a small cash bonus, but he received the real benefits already upon returning home. At home, he received many different privileges.
Milon of Croton is considered one of the most famous Olympians. He won his very first victory in wrestling in 540 BC, during the 60th Olympiad. Later, between 532 and 516, he won five times, and it was only at the age of 40 that he lost to a younger athlete, without achieving Olympic status for the seventh time.

A wrestler named Sostratus, a native of Sikyon, won the pankration three times. His secret was that he broke the fingers of opponents, for which he received the nickname Finger.
There are cases when the deceased participants became the winners. For example, Arichion of Filagea was strangled during the fight, but his opponent declared his defeat, as he could not endure the pain of a broken toe. To the applause of the audience, the corpse of Arikhion was awarded the winner's olive wreath.
Artemidorus, who arrived from Thrall, is famous for being supposed to compete in the youth group, but did not tolerate the insults of an adult pankration wrestler. After that, Artemidor moved to the adult group and became the champion.

Among the famous runners is the Rhodesian athlete Leonidas. Over the course of four Olympics, he became a leader in various running competitions.
Astil from Croton became the six-time Olympic champion. He is also famous for the fact that, at the first competitions, he represented Croton, and at the next two, another city - Syracuse. In revenge, the inhabitants of Croton made a prison building out of his dwelling and destroyed a memorial statue.
There have been entire dynasties of winners in the history of the Olympic Games. For example, Poseidor's grandfather by the name of Diagoras and his uncles also became champions - olympionics.

In addition, many of the ancient thinkers known in our time, their mental activity did not prevent them from participating in various sports competitions. For example, the famous Pythagoras was not only strong in mathematics, but at one time he was better known as a champion in boxing, that is, fist fighting, and the thinker Plato broke the foundations not only in philosophy, but also in the arena, becoming a champion in pankration.

Sunset Olympic Games

In the second century BC. The Olympic Games began to lose their great importance, becoming a local competition. This is due to the conquest of ancient Greece by the Romans. Several factors are believed to be responsible for the loss of its former popularity. One of them is called the professionalism of athletes, when the games became, in fact, collecting victories from the Olympics. The Romans, under whose rule Greece was, perceived sports exclusively as a spectacle, they were not interested in the competitive spirit of the Olympics.

Who Banned the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece

The end of the thousand-year history of the Olympic Games was the result of a change in religion. They were closely intertwined with the Greek pagan gods, so their implementation became impossible after the adoption of the Christian faith.
Researchers associate the ban on the Olympic Games with a certain Roman emperor, Theodosius. It is he who publishes in 393 A.D. the body of laws prohibiting paganism, and the Olympic Games, in accordance with these new legislative acts, become completely banned. Only centuries later, in 1896, the tradition of holding the Olympic sports games was revived.