-

Sports

Discus-thrower (Discobolos)
Discus-thrower (Discobolos)
www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/compass

The Greeks have always been interested in sports from Homer’s time to modern times

The Olympic Games originated in Greece. The first, held in 776 BC, included running, long jump, shot put, javelin, boxing, wresting and equestrian events. Since the revival of the Games in 1896 many more sports have been added and, of course, London will host the 2012 Olympic Games.

Anyone could watch the ancient Games, except for married women! Now why was that? To find out more about the Games, ancient and modern, use these links:

and for the recent Games in Athens:

The Greeks love football

The main football teams are the Panathinaikos and the Olympiakos. The first is the team of the city of Athens and the latter the team of the Piraeus, the harbor of the city. Can you imagine the rivalry between the two football teams? I guess, you can. The ‘Greens’, Panathinaikos’ fans, have only one enemy, that is, the ‘Reds’, Olympiakos’ fans. The PAOK, the football team of Thessaloniki, stands against the two football teams of the capital. Greeks from Northern Greece support the PAOK because of a sort of traditional competition between the North and the South.

But once and for all the Greeks were united to celebrate the victory of the national football team which won the European Football Cup in Portugal in 2004.

Further links