Historical Foundation of Physical Education and Sports

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THE OLYMPIC GAMES

776 B.C.
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What do the Olympic rings signify?

According to most accounts, the rings were adopted by Baron Pierre de Coubertin
(Founder of the modern Olympic Movement) in 1913 after he saw a similar design on
an artifact from ancient Greece. The five rings represent the five major regions of the
world: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Every national flag in the world
includes at least one of the five colors, which are (from left to right) blue, yellow, black,
green, and red. It is important to emphasize that Pierre de Coubertin never said nor wrote
that the colors of the rings were linked with the different continents

The Olympic Flag made its debut at 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium. At
the end of each Olympic Games, the mayor of that host -city presents the flag to the
mayor of next host-city for four years until the opening Ceremony of their Olympic Games.

(The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and

debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920.)

The original Olympic Games (Greek: Oλυμπιακοι Aγωνες; Olympiakos Agones)

began in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece, and were celebrated until 393 AD. In 1896, the
ancient Olympic Games were revived at the initiative of a French nobleman, Pierre
Fredy, Baron de Coubertin, thus beginning the era of Modern Olympic Games.

The official Olympic Motto is “Citus, Altius, Fotius”, a Latin phrase meaning
“Switfter, Higer, Stronger”. Coubertin’s ideals are probably best illustrated by the
Olympic Creed:

“The most important thing in the Olympic Games

is not to win but to take part, just as the most

important thing in life is not the triumph

but the struggle. The essential thing

is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”

The Olympic Flame is lit in Olympia and brought to the host city by runners

carrying the torch in relay. There it palys an important role in the opening ceremonies

Though the torch fire has been around since 1928, the relay was introduced in 1936

The Olympic Mascot, an animal or human figure representing the cultural heritage
of the host country, was introduced in 1968. It has played an important part of the games
since 1980 with the debut of misha, a Russian bear.

French and English are the two official languages of the Olympic movement.

Since the first modern games, in Athens, Greece, participation in the Olympic
Games has increased to include athletes from nearly all nations worldwide. With the
improvement of satellite communications and global telecasts of the events, the Olympics
are consistently gaining supporters. The most recent Summer Olympics were the 2004
Games in Athens and the most recent Winter Olympics were the 2006 games in Turin.
The upcoming games in Beijing were planned to comprise 302 events in 28 sports. As of
2006, the Winter Olympics were competed in 84 events in 7 sports.

There are many myths and legends surrounding the origin of the ancient Olympic
Games. The most popular legend describes the Heracles was the creator of the Olympic
Games. He built the Olympic stadium and surrounding buildings as an honor to his father
Zeus, after completing his 12 labors. According to the legend he walked in straight line

for 400 strides and called this distance a “stadion” (Greek:” ₤ƒ﹁′πøΩ”)- (Roman:

“stadium”) (Modern English: “Stage”) that later also became a distance calculation unit.
This is also why a modern stadium is 400 meters in circumference length (1 stadium =
400 m). Another myth associates the first games with the ancient Greek concept of
°μ«πμ¡ø± (ekecheria) or Olympic Truce.

The date of the Games’ inception based on the count of years in Olympiads is
reconstructed as 776 BC, although scholars’ opinions diverge between dates as 884 BC
and as late as 704 BC.

From then on, the Games quickly became much more important throughout
ancient Greece, reaching the zenith in the sixth and fifth centuries BC. The Olympics
were of fundamental religious importance, contests alternating with sacrifices and
ceremonies honoring both Zeus (whose colossal statue stood at Olympia), and Pelops,
divine hero and mythical king of Olympia famous for his legendary chariot race, in
whose honor the games were held. The number of events increased to twenty, and the
celebration was spread over several days. Winners of the events were greatly admired
and were immortalized in poems and statues.

The Games were held every four years, and the period between two celebrations
became known as an “Olympiad”. The Greeks used Olympiads as one of their methods
to count years. The most famous Olympic athlete lived in these times: the sixth century
BC wrestler Milo of Croton is the only athlete in history to win a victory in six Olympics.

The Games gradually declined in importance as the Romans gained power in

Greece. When Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, the Olympic
Games were seen as a pagan festival and in discord with Christian ethics, and in 393 AD
the emperor Theodosius I outlawed the Olympics, ending a thousand-year tradition.

During the ancient times normally only young men could participate. Competitors
were usually naked, not only as the weather was appropriate but also as the festival was
meant to be, in part, a celebration of the achievements of the human body.
Upon winning the games, the victor would have not only the prestige of being in first place
but would also be presented with a crown of olive leaves. The olive branch is a sign of
hope and peace.

Even though the bearing of a torch formed an integral aspect of Greek ceremonies,
the ancient Olympics Games did not include it, nor was there a symbol formed by
interconnecting rings. These Olympic symbols were introduced as part of the modern
Olympic Games.

Revival

In the early seventeenth century, an “Olympic Games” sports festival was run for
several years at Chipping Campden in the English Cotswolds, and the present day local
Cotswold Games trace their origin to this festival. In 1850, an “Olympian” sports festival
was begun at Much Wenlock in Shropshire, England, which also continues to this day as
the Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games. Later, similar events were organized in
France and Greece, but these were all small-scale and certainly not international.

The interest in reviving the Olympics as an international event grew when the ruins
of ancient Olympia were uncovered by German archaeologists in the mid-nineteenth
century. At the same time, Pierre de Coubertin was searching for a reason for the French
defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). He thought the reason was that the
French had not received proper physical education, and sought to improve this. Coubertin
also sought a way to bring nations closer together, to have the youth of the world compete
in sports, rather than fight in war. In 1890 he attended a festival of the Wenlock Olympian
Society, and decided that the recovery of the Olympic Games would achieve both of his
goals.

In a congress at the Sorbonne University, in Paris, France, held from June 16 to

June 23, 1894, he presented his ideals to an international audience. On the last day of
the congress, it was decided that the first modern Olympic Games would take place in
1896 in Athens, in the country of their birth. To organize the Games, the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) was established, with the Greek Demetrius Vikelas as its
first president.
 The total number of athletes at the first modern Olympic Games, less than 250.
Seems small by modern standards, but the games were the largest international sports
event ever held until that time. The Greek officials and public were also very enthusiastic,
and they even proposed to have the monopoly of organizing the Olympics. The IOC
decided differently, however, and the second Olympic Games took place in Paris, France.
Paris was also the first Olympic Games where women were allowed to compete.

Modern Olympics

After the initial success, the Olympics struggled. The celebrations in Paris (1900)
and St. Louis (1904) were overshadowed by the world’s fair exhibitions in which they were
included. The so-called Intercalated Games (because of their off-year status, as 1906 is
not divisible by four) were held in 1906 in Athens, as the first of an alternation series of
Athens-held Olympics. Although originally the IOC recognized and supported these
games, they are currently not recognized by the IOC as Olympic Games, which has given
rise to the explanation that they were intended to mark the 10th anniversary of the modern
Olympics. The 1906 Games again attracted a broad international field of participant in
1904, 80% had been American and great public interest, thereby marking the beginning
of a rise in popularity and size of the Games.

From the 241 participants from 14 nations in 1986, the Games grew to nearly 11,
100 competitors from 202 countries at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. The number
of competitors at the Winter Olympics in Turin Italy, 2,633 athletes from 80 countries
competed in 84 events.

The Olympics are one of the largest media events. In Sydney in 2000 there were
over 16,000 broadcasters and journalists, and an estimated 3.8 billion viewers watched
the games on television. The growth of the Olympics is one of the largest problems the
Olympics face today. Although allowing professional athletes and attracting sponsorship
from major international companies solved financial problems in 1980s, the large number
of athletes, media and spectators, makes it difficult and expensive for host cities to
organize the Olympics.
 203 countries currently participate in the Olympics. This is noticeably higher
number than the number of countries recognized by the United Nations, which is only
193. The International Olympic Committee allows nations to compete, which do not meet
the strict requirements for political sovereignty, that may other international; organizations
demand. As a result, many colonies and dependencies are permitted to host their own
Olympic teams and athletes even if such competitors hold the same citizenship as
another member nation. Examples of this include territories such as Puerto Rico,
Bermuda, and Hongkong, all of which compete as separate nations despite being legally
a part of another country. Also since 1980, Taiwan has competed under the name
“Chinese Taipei”, and under its flag specially prepares by the IOC. Prior to that year the
People’s Republic of China refused to participate in the Games because Taiwan had been
competing under the name of “Republic of China”. The Republic of the Marshall Islands
was recognized as a nation by the IOC on February 9, 2006, and should compete in the
2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Olympic Games Host Cities

By 2010, the Olympic Game will have been hosted by 41 cities in 22 countries. In
2012, London will become the first city to have hosted the Olympic Games these times.

Summer Olympic Games Winter Olympic Games

Host City Country Year Host City Country
Athens Greece 1896
Paris France 1900
St. Louis
Missouri United States 1904
Athens Greece 1906(intercalated)
London United Kingdom 1908
Stockholm Sweden 1012
Berlin Germany 1916
Antwerp Belgium 1920
Paris France 1924 Charmonix France
Amsterdam Netherlands 1928 St. Mortiz Switzerland
Los Angeles United states 1932 New York United States
Berlin Germany 1936 Garmisch- Germany
Partenkirchen
Tokyo Japan 1940 Sapporo Japan
Helsinki Finland St. Mortiz Switzerland
Garmisch- Germany
Partenkirchen
London United Kingdom 1944 Cortina d’ Italy
Ampezzo
London United Kingdom 1948 St. Mortiz Switzerland
Helsinki Finland 1952 Olso Norway
Melbourne Australia 1956 Cortina d’ Italy
Stockholm Sweden Ampezzo
Rome Italy 1960 Squaw Valley United States
California
Tokyo Japan 1964 Innsbruck Austria
Mexico City Mexico 1968 Grenoble France
Munich West Germany 1972 Sapporo Japan
Mortreal, Canada 1976 Innsbruck Austria
Quebec
Moscow Soviet Union 1980 New York United States
Los Angeles United States 1984 Sarajevo Yugoslavia
California
Seoul South Korea 1988 Calgary, Canada
Alberta
1994 Lillehammer Norway
Atlanta, United States 1996
Georgia
1998 Nagano Japan
Sydney Australia 2000
2002 Salt Lake, United States
Utah
Athens Greece 2004
2006 Turin Italy
Beijing China 2008
2010 Vancouver Canada
London United Kingdom 2012

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DARK AGES
476 A.D.
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 Fall of Roman Empire was referred to as the period of Dark Ages.
 Physical and moral decay was considered the cause of Roman Fall.
 Teutonic invasion supported physical activity with two movements "asceticism"
and "scholasticism." Asceticism believed that evil exists in the body and should
subordinate to the spirit which is pure. Scholasticism believed that facts are the
most essential items of education.

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EUROPE
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GERMANY
1774
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 Johann Bernhard Basedow established the Philanthropinum. It was the first
school in Europe to offer physical education as part of the curriculum.
 He was one of the first men to recognize the importance of exercise. He included
gymnastics as part of the daily curriculum devoting up to three hours per day to
educating the physical.
 He was one of the few at the time who recognized that children should be treated
as children and not small adults.
 Basedow required a specific uniform for his students so they could have
unrestricted movement.
 He offered a camp for two months during the summer for his students.
 Despite all of his ideas and innovations Basedow was a difficult man to work with.
He was described as an arrogant, argumentative man. His language was vulgar,
and he was prone to drunkenness.
 Johann Friedrich Guts Muths succeeded Christian Carl Andre as the instructor
of physical education at the Schnepfenthal Educational Institute.
 He was known as the Great Grandfather of Gymnastics.
 He had developed the famous playground and apparatuses like the see-saw,
horizontal ladder, climbing rope and rope ladder.
 He also developed the balance beam and the oblique wooden ladder.
 He authored a book in gymnastics entitled, “Gymnastics for Youth” in which he
regards his system of teaching as “natural gymnastics.”
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JOHANN HEINRICH PESTALOZZI
1746-1827
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 As with Rousseau and Basedow. Pestalozzi was a staunch believer in educating

through the "natural laws", so his programs included the natural activities of
running, climbing, jumping and self-discovery.
 He is considered the founder of free arm exercises or calisthenics.
 He conducted gymnastics exercises in outdoor gyms so children could sit and
concentrate on their studies for longer periods of time.
 At his school in Burgdorf he provided separate teachers for all subjects including
physical education. Considered as one of the founders of modern pedagogy, he
arranged his system of exercises according to their difficulty and effect on the
body.
 In 1807, he published an article “Concerning Physical Education”, based on his
specific views of physical education.

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CHARLES FOLLEN

1785-1840

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 Charles Follen, like Charles Beck was also a student, a friend and follower of Jahn,
who fled Germany after Jahn was arrested.
 In the fall 1826 Follen became the director of the first public gymnasium in America.
 He resigned his position of the Boston gymnasium in 1827 and in 1828 resigned
his position as the director of the Harvard Gymnasium.
 He remained at Harvard as an instructor of German and History until 1835.

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FRIEDRICH LUDWIG JAHN
1778-1852
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 Known as “Turnvater Jahn” the “Father of Gymnastics”.

 Jahn wad opposed to anything foreign and refused to use the word gymnastics.
He chose the word Turner from which he deprived many forms including Turners
(gymnasts), Turnplatz (gymnastics grounds), and Turnvereine (patriotic societies
which offered both a social and educational program in addition to gymnastics.)
  In 1810Jahn began working outdoors with his students using simple exercises and
games sometimes taking long hikes to an area known as Hasenheide.
 In 1811 he started transforming the Hasenheide into the first turnplatz. Apparatus
was invented as the need to arose. As his classes continued to grow in size and
popularity (at one time reaching over a thousand pupils) he relied heavily upon
assistants known “Vortuners” (squad leaders).
 The thing that motivated Jahn to develop a system of physical training was his
deep sense of patriotism. Germany had been soundly defeated in the Napoleonic
wars. So, he developed his system with the hopes of creating strong, sturdy and
fearless youth who would help secure Germany’s freedom and could defend the
Fatherland outside forces.

The physical was not the only thing stressed. The forming of the turnvereines also
advocated the ideas of a unified Germany with a free government run by the people. But,
all of this idealism was trending on dangerous ground. In1818 the minister of Austria
declared the turnen organizations were hotbeds of liberal revolution. In 1819, Jahn was
arrested on suspicion of conspiracy and remained in jail until 1825. Immediately upon his
arrest all turnerism in Germany was banned. This caused many of his followers, who also
feared arrest, to go into exile, including Beck, Follen and Lieber who subsequently ended
up in America. After Jahn’s release and acquittal he was forbidden to live near Berlin, or
near schools and universitites. The ban on turnen was removed in 1842, but Jahn would
have no part in its resurrection and remained inactive until his death in 1852.

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ADOLF SPIESS

1810-1858

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 Founded the school of gymnastics in Germany and helped to make physical

education part of school program
 He believed that the school should be interested in the total growth of the child
such as mentally, emotionally, physically, and socially.
 He believed that physical education should receive the same consideration as
other subjects.
 He devised a system of “free excersises” that required almost no apparatus.