Whatever the precise origin of the games, they became a central aspect of Greek culture very early on and in many ways were the most important factor uniting the Greeks, except for their language ...

This is the stadium at Olympia. It was built during the 4th century BC and it was the largest of its kind at the time. It could seat 50,000 spectators! Olympia was not only a centre of sport but ...

The races were, in a word, crazy back then, too. Contrary to the 50- and 20-kilometer events that were added to the 1932 and 1956 Olympic Games, respectively, 19th-century “pedestrianism” saw ...

Rowing made its Olympic debut at the 1900 Paris Games. The sport was actually on the program at the 1896 Olympics in Athens but was canceled due to bad weather. Until 1976, there was only a men's ...