Out of the depths of myth and prehistory rise the first groves and temples of Olympia. Here it is where Cronus ruled as the first king in heaven, and Heracles with his four brothers raced for the honor of newborn Zeus. Five they were in total and so Heracles established the custom of holding the Olympic games every fifth year. In a later age the gods would compete for Zeus as well, to celebrate his victory over Cronus. And after the deluge, men would come here too.
Pausanias tells us of Clymenus of Crete, of king Pelops and his sons, of Augeas and Menelaus, the king of Homers' tales, who triumphed in the chariot races. At the twilight of recorded history it is said that Iphitus revived the festival, as the ancient traditions had long been forgotten by his time.
It is with little doubt we can set the recorded beginning of the Olympic rites and games at 776 BC. Here the Greek - and later the Roman - world of antiquity would meet for over a millennia, to compete in peace and friendship. Later peoples would forget again and the old temples fell into decay, but like Iphitus, we revived them in 1896 and have carried the light of Olympia on since then.
While the sport of the IPO is one of the mind, not of matter, we are nonetheless united by the same spirit which gathers us in Olympia this year.
Site of Ancient Olympia
- Plan of the sanctuary of Olympia -