The Ancient
Olympics
by CTCWeb Editors
My country did not send me to
Mexico City to start the race. They sent me here to finish.
- John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania,
last pace finisher in the marathon at the 1968 Games in Mexico
City
The Winners
Demigod may be a good word to describe
an Olympic victor. Each city greeted its victor(s) with celebrations
that included assembled crowds and special gestures of honor.
An athlete’s victory in the games meant a god favored him
and, like the heroes and warriors who came before him, he was
immortalized for his accomplishments. Upon returning home, victors
could receive monetary rewards of varying sizes, among other
awards. These might include exemption from taxation, inscription
of their names in public places, the privilege to fight along
side the king, and free meals at the Prytaneion for the rest
of their lives. Different cities and time periods proffered different
rewards and forms of recognition.
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At the 1968 Mexico
City Olympics, John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania started the Olympic
marathon with all the other runners but finished it alone. With
only a few spectators remaining in the stands and the winner
of the marathon crossing the finish line over an hour earlier,
the lone runner entered the stadium. Bandaged and bloody, Akhwari
crossed the finish line. When asked by a reporter why he did
not just quit he answered, "My country did not send me to
Mexico City to start the race. They sent me here to finish." |
 The
families of victorious athletes had statues of the victor erected
at Olympia. They also commissioned a poet to write an epinician,
a victory ode, documenting the victory. One of the most famous
authors of victory odes was Pindar, who was often commissioned
to compose odes by the victor, the victor’s family, or the
victor’s hometown. Born in Thebes in 518 BCE, Pindar wrote
his first ode, Pythian 10, at age 20 and his last, Pythian
8, in 446 BCE at age 72. Pindar traveled the Greek world
composing odes for winners at the major athletic festivals at
Olympia, Delphi, Nemea, and Corinth. His odes were sung by a
dancing chorus. Surviving texts include musical notations and
choreographical directions. Each ode included a proclamation
of the victor and the victory being celebrated. The majority
included a myth usually associated with the victor, his home,
or the location of the games. (For a complete list of Pindar’s
extant odes, click here.)
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