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Olympic History
Archaeologists believe the ancient Olympic Games began more than 4,000 years ago in Olympia, a valley in Greece. Recorded history of the Games dates back to 776 B.C., when the five days of sporting events were primarily religious ceremonies. For the first known 13 Games, the competition consisted of single foot race of 200 yards, which was the approximate length of the Olympic stadium. The Games expanded to include additional contests and reached their height by fifth century BC. Men competed, in the nude, in running, wrestling, pentathlon, horse riding and chariot races. Why in the nude … well, to keep the ladies out of the action. Women were barred from watching or competing, and were even put to death if they were caught at the early Games.
Today, not only are women allowed to watch and compete, they are encouraged to do so. Check out a few of our historical Olympic pages here at usolympicteam.com.
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