Olympic Games The first recorded Olympic competition was in 776 b.c.e.; the footrace of approximately 200 meters (656 feet) long, the stade, was the only competition held at that time In 724 b.c.e the games expanded to include a double race of approximately 400 meters (1,312 feet) A long-distance race of 4,800 meters (15,748 feet) was added in 720 b.c.e., wrestling and the pentathlon in 708 b.c.e., boxing in 688 b.c.e., and a chariot race in 680 b.c.e From 632 to 616 b.c.e footraces, wrestling, and boxing were added for adolescent athletes Finally a 200-meter race in armor was added in 520 b.c.e Until 550 b.c.e these events were held in open spaces at the foot of the hills surrounding Olympia In that year construction began of a hippodrome, a stadium with the capacity to seat 40,000 spectators, a gymnasium, and a palaestra Footraces were held in the stadium, the inside length of which equaled the distance of the stade In 472 b.c.e the format and order of the Olympic Games were standardized over five days, of which only two and a half were devoted to sport Religious ceremonies, pledges, sacrifices, and singing took place on the first day Athletic competition started on the second day with the chariot race and the pentathlon, an event consisting of the discus and javelin throws, standing broad jump, a 200-meter race, and wrestling The longer footraces were held on the third day Heavy events took place on the fourth day, which included wrestling, boxing, pancratium, and the 200-meter race in armor Prizes—wreathes of olive branches to the winners— were distributed on the fifth day, in addition to religious celebrations, praises to Zeus, and a banquet of meat from sacrificed animals Every four years before the Olympic Games started, three heralds left Olympia, traveled throughout the Greek world, and declared a sacred truce in honor of Zeus Athletes, coaches, trainers, and spectators embarked to Olympia, allowed free and unrestrained travel through regions ravaged by war, and arrived about a month before the start of the games Athletes had to verify that they were Greek citizens and that they were not slaves or criminals They then swore to Zeus that they had trained for at least 10 months before reaching Olympia The final month of training, the most rigorous of the athlete’s preparation, was conducted under strict supervision of judges During this period elimination rounds were held in most events For the most part the ancient Olympians were wealthy aristocrats, who could afford to spend their time training for sport, could hire coaches and trainers, and owned horses and chariots In 450 b.c.e athletes from the lower classes began to compete in the Olympic 319 The ancient Olympic Games were held in honor of Zeus and included religious celebrations, banquets, and praises to Zeus Games and the other periodic contests Wealthy patrons from the Greek city-states financed the training and travel of these athletes, who represented the Greek citystates While Olympians may have been amateurs in the sense that they did not receive material reward for their athletic achievement, the Olympic movement was a great commercial enterprise Moreover, the Olympic Games were not open to women athletes or spectators, but women had their own athletic competition at Olympia—the Heraean Games—in honor of Hera, the sister-wife of Zeus Held in celebration of fertility, the Heraean Games predate the Olympics, reflecting the matriarchal character of early Greek society The Olympic Games began to decline in the third century c.e., as the Greeks lost faith in their classical deities, in whose honor the games had originated and flourished Names of Olympic champions were no longer officially recorded after 285 c.e By the end of the fourth century Christian reformers demanded that all pagan temples be closed, and the religious rites associated with them ceased Although the religious rituals associated with the Olympic Games came to an end in 393–394 c.e., the athletic competition persisted into the fifth century In the late fifth and early sixth centuries northern invaders ravaged Olympia, destroying the temples, athletic facilities, and statues to Zeus and other heroes; the final blow to Olympia