August 19, 2004

Olympic Games, old and new

The 2004 Olympics are indeed interesting in a special way because of the direct linkages between our modern world and the original, ancient Games.

Tony Perrottet, author of The Naked Olympics, pondered the appearance of female Olympic athletes in Playboy in a commentary on National Public Radio.

The semi-clothed portrayals of female Olympic athletes in Playboy leads Perrottet to note the original importance of the games as a "celebration of the human form." Perrottet says ancient Greek athletes, who trained and competed naked, would have approved of the 12-page photo essay.

Archaelogists have been working the ruins at Nemea and making great discoveries, including ancient athletic graffiti.

The Greeks held their first games in 776 B.C. in Olympia. Eventually, they used four sites, the last one being Nemea, a wide spot in a valley of vineyards and olive groves about 100 miles west of Athens. After decades of work, Nemea's original stadium and running track at Nemea have been painstakingly restored.

In a National Geographic Radio Expedition, NPR's Christopher Joyce reports on what archaeologists are discovering amid the rubble. It's becoming more clear that the ancient games were very different from the modern ones -- but some things remain remarkably the same.



George Vecsey enjoyed the shot put competition held in ancient Olympia itself.

It takes a few hours in a simple place to realize how far we have been manipulated down the road away from simplicity, how distracted we are from appreciating the basic athletic act.

We didn't get a replay of Andy Nelson's five consecutive fouls today. From a distance we could barely see him jumping up and down and waving his arms at the last foul call. Only a handful of people could see the joy on the face of Cleopatra Borel and her fiancé, even though she had finished far from a medal.

However, we could all see the intensity and the technique of these massive athletes, just as we were in touch with the simplicity of a stadium sunk in a mountaintop dell.

Now it's back to color and noise and artificial lighting. These Summer Games have had their Olympian moment.

Posted by Alan at August 19, 2004 05:26 AM