Ancient Olympics spirit worked on 'winning is everything' philosophy

Washington, June 29 (ANI): Ancient Olympics ideals differ dramatically from the way the games are played today, says a University of Maryland classicist who has researched the Olympic past heavily.

The ancient games featured professionals with a "winning is everything" philosophy, said Professor Hugh Ming Lee.

•   E-mail Article
•   Printer Friendly
•   Text-Size    

"Ancient Olympiads were more like the modern PGA golf circuit than the amateur ideal advanced for most of the 20th century," says Hugh Ming Lee, a professor of classics at the University of Maryland. "The Greeks and Romans awarded honors to the most accomplished athletes and paid them for their efforts. These professionals traveled a competitive circuit. The Vince Lombardi notion of winning is much closer to the original Olympic spirit," adds Lee.

Ancient athletes resorted to various "potions" to gain a competitive edge.

Modern-day 'Ultimate Fighting' resembles the Greek's pankration, where almost everything short of eye-gouging and biting was permitted.

"If it weren't for the nudity, the ancient games would have played well on modern TV," Lee says.

The ancient Greeks played the games under a flag of truce to give athletes safe passage. The games offered a respite from war, according to Lee.

The athletes ran the final race of the Olympiad in armor, perhaps to acknowledge the coming end of the truce. (ANI)