Sports On The Blog

The aura that surrounds the single greatest physical competition the world knows is one that has it’s origins springing from Greek mythology. There are numerous legends that attribute the original games to different larger than life characters but the most popular one has Heracles (or Hercules) as the son of Zeus creating the Olympics as a tribute to his father. There is some dispute as to the date of the very first games but the most commonly accepted date is 776 BCE when the games were held in Olympia.

In line with the idea that they were a tribute to the god Zeus the games originally were more religious in nature and included sacrifices made to Zeus. A colossal statue of Zeus that constituted one of the wonders of the ancient world was erected at his temple site in Olympia, Greece. Other gods in general were also honored and the participants aimed not only for personal glory but to impress and hopefully please their gods through their strength and agility.

The year 776 BCE thus marked the start of the first ‘Olympiad’ that is a reference to the period of four years that runs between the Olympic games or events and was calculated from the very start of the year that the Olympics were held in. Thus the Olympic Games of 2008 will be the start of the 29th Olympiad. The original games were open to any free male that had the ability to compete. Women, slaves and foreigners were not allowed to take part. It is even said that married women were originally restricted to only watching chariot races. Athletes competed in the nude and the original competitions centered on running. It is also attributed to Heracles that the basis for the 400 meter length as a ‘lap’ exists. This distance was referred to as a ’stadion’ and is used in modern times as the basis for a track’s circumference. With time the events expanded with the pentathlon �” a combination of five events that included a ’stadion’ or short foot race, wrestling, long jump, discus throw and javelin throw. Boxing and chariot racing were also introduced to the games. By the sixth or fifth century these games reached their peak of popularity.

Those that took part and won were highly regarded in ancient Greece. The immediate honor was to have a crown or wreath of olive leaves to be placed on their heads. Later, statues were made of them, they were immortalized in poems, and generally looked upon as national heroes.

As Greece declined in power and Rome grew to prominence the games eventually lost some of their luster. In the latter part of the fourth century when Christianity was proclaimed as the religion of the Empire the Games were banned as being a pagan festival. The modern day incarnation of this intense sporting event would begin to reappear in the middle of the 19th century with smaller attempts at reestablishing it up until the officially recognized internationally held games in 1896 in Athens.

About the Author

Do you want to catch up on the very latest news and results then head on over to http://www.olympicresultz.com. There you will also find links to Olympicz.com and Olympicvidz.com

The Men’s Football tournament of Beijing 2008 will kick off on August 7.

In the curtain-raising match, Group A team Australia will take on Serbia. The match is also Serbia’s first Olympic appearance as an independent nation since the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia’s best Olympic result was at Los Angeles 1984 when it claimed a bronze medal.

The other Group A match will be between Argentina and Côte d’Ivoire. Argentina has won six consecutive FIFA World Youth Championship titles, including the most recent one in Canada in 2007. The defending gold medalist is poised to add another medal to its collection. With Sergio Aguero, Lionel Messi and its midfield powerhouse Juan Roman Riquelme in the squad, there’s no doubt that Argentina is the tournament favorite.

Côte d’Ivoire, which is making its Olympic debut, will definitely cause some trouble for Argentina. In its recent warm-up match against the Netherlands, the in-form Côte d’Ivoire held its highly-rated rival to a draw. Côte d’Ivoire’s potential cannot be underestimated.

In Group B, Japan will take on the United States. Japan won a bronze medal in 1964 by beating the host Mexico, the only time that an Asian country has won an Olympic medal in Men’s Football. However, Japan has been unimpressive at the last three Olympic Games.

The United States has qualified for the Olympics on 13 occasions, including five in a row from 1984 to 2000. Its best achievement is fourth at Sydney 2000. This United States squad, which features good footballers such as Jozy Altidore, Freddy Adu and Jonathan Spector, is regarded as well-organized and is expected to perform well at Beijing 2008.

The other Group B match is between two heavyweights: the Netherlands and Nigeria. The Netherlands won three Olympic bronze medals in 1908, 1912 and 1920. However, it hasn’t appeared at the Olympics for 56 years. Following on from its win at the 2007 European U-21 Championships, the Netherlands is expected to make a successful Olympic comeback.

Nigeria has quite a few talented players such as Obina Nsofor and Promise Isaac. This squad is similar to the team that took the silver medal at the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands.

Brazil will take on Belgium in a Group C match. Five-time World Cup champion Brazil has yet to win an Olympic gold medal. With Ronaldinho and Robinho in the squad, Brazil will fight hard to break its Olympic drought. Belgium’s last appearance at the Olympics was in 1920, four years after they won an Olympic gold medal in 1916.

Also in Group C, host China will play New Zealand. China had a disappointing Olympic debut at Seoul 1988. As host, China directly qualified for its second Olympic appearance. New Zealand is making its Olympic debut and it boasts a couple of footballers who play in the A-League in Australia that may improve the chances of the Kiwis.

In Group D, Italy will face Honduras. The winner of five European U-21 championships, Italy is undoubtably one of the gold medal favorites. Honduras, however, is a dangerous opponent. Led by Inter Milan star David Suazo, the team’s all-out attack style of football may produce an upset and give its fans a pleasant surprise.

Cameroon, the gold medalist at Sydney 2000, will encounter the Republic of Korea in the other Group D match. Following its impressive performance in the qualifiers, the in-form Indomitable Lions (Cameroon’s nickname) are poised to maul their opponents. By comparison, the Republic of Korea’s track record is less brilliant. It scraped past the group stage at Athens 2004. But with its never-say-die attitude, it will strive to be Asia’s best performed team.

Source: http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/football/n214509344.shtml