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Olympic Games, the world’s most prestigious athletic event held once every 4 years. Here are 5+1 of the most amazing facts to help you appreciate the deep history of the games.

The Origin of the Games

According to the myth, the Ancient Olympic Games were first held by the ancient Greek hero Hercules, who wanted to honour his father Zeus. The original Olympic sports included running races, jumping contests, wrestling, and boxing.

Why do athletes bite their medals?

Have you ever seen athletes biting their medals during the award ceremony? The tradition dates back to ancient merchants, who used to check the authenticity of the coins by biting them.

‘Honey Tokens’

The ancient Greek poet Callimachus tells us, that a ‘honey token’, essentially Greek Loukoumades. It was a kind of deep-fried dough, was awarded as a gift to the winners of the Games. These ‘honey tokens’ is the earliest mention of any kind of pastry in European literature. You can try Loukoumades at various local pastry shops.

Michael Phelps vs Leonidas of Rhodes

The legendary swimmer was the first man to break the ancient 2.168-year record held by the runner Leonidas of Rhodes, who hold the record for most individual Olympic titles, 12 in total, only for his record to be broken in the 2016 Olympics by Phelps.

The ban and revival of the Games

The Olympic Games were held from 776 B.C to 392 A.D, when the Roman Emperor Theodosius banned the games to rid the empire of paganism and aid the spread of Christianity in Greece. In 1896 baron Pierre de Coubertin formed the International Olympic Committee and revived the Games, which took place in Athens in 1896.

The Olympic Truce

During the Olympic Games, the ancient Greek City States held a truce, in which they agreed that the host city of Elis, would not be attacked and the athletes and spectators could travel safely to the Games and peacefully return to their respective countries.

How many of these fun facts did you know?

Want to learn more about of Ancient Greece and the city of Rhodes? Visit Throne of Helios in the City of Rhodes and learn more about its rich and fascinating history!