This night (European time), the Rio Olympic Games will be officially inaugurated with the traditional parade of athletes, the protocol speeches, and the lighting of the flame, the bearer of which is still unknown.
Then the protagonists, the athletes, will strive over 21 days of competition (followed by the Paralympic Games) to bring the Olympic spirit to life, a legacy of the founders: faster (athletically), stronger (intellectually and mentally), higher (spiritually).
But how, on this day of celebration and joy, which brings together the world’s best youth, can we not have an emotional thought for Camille Muffat, an exceptional swimmer, honored by her Olympic title in 2012, and a generous woman, tragically taken at 25, a heart of gold snatched away from life.
But the modern games have many precedents that require a little historical reflection…
The first Olympic Games are believed to have taken place in 776 BC initiated by Iphitos, King of Elis. This year marks the start of the Olympic calendar, according to which years are grouped into Olympiads, and it’s the year 1 of the Greek calendar adopted in 260 BC.
However, it’s likely that the Games were even older, given the abundance of offerings from the geometric period found at Olympia. From then on, the Games gained importance throughout ancient Greece, but there are nearly 300 similar sporting meetings, the agônes.
This number increased to more than 500 under the Roman Empire. The Olympic Games, along with the Pythian Games, Nemean Games, and Isthmian Games, form a cycle of sacred games, with one returning each year.
An athlete who wins prizes in these four Panhellenic Games is awarded the title of “periodonikes,” the victor of the Greek sport’s “Grand Slam.”
As today, even back then, there were popular and celebrated champions.
Milon of Croton is one of the most famous athletes of Greece. He was a disciple of Pythagoras. He won his first Olympic wrestling title as a junior in 540 BC. From then on, he collected victories with 6 titles in the Olympic Games, 7 titles in the Pythian Games, 9 titles in the Nemean Games, and 10 titles in the Isthmian Games.
His life and death are the subject of many legends.
A statue of Milon of Croton, a sculpture by Pierre Puget, is displayed at the Louvre Museum.
A replica of this sculpture on Milon’s death is visible at the old port of Marseille, another was created in 2013 and was reinstalled at its original location in Versailles.
