The Olympics Originally Only Had One Athletic Event
The ancient Greek Olympics were a big deal, but they pale in scope to the modern Olympics. Today, the Olympic Games are a mega global event, rivaled perhaps only by soccer’s FIFA World Cup. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021) hosted 11,326 athletes from 205 nations, plus the International Olympic Committee’s Refugee Olympic Team. All eager to compete over a seventeen-day stretch for glory and medals in 339 events, divided between 33 sports and 50 disciplines. The difference between the scope of the current Olympics and the original event would probably astonish and amaze the ancient Greek.
In the first Olympic Games in 776 BC, and for over half a century through 724 BC, there was only one athletic event: the stadion. It was named after the building in which it was held, from which the English word stadium is derived. More events were eventually added, but the stadion remained the most prestigious. The building after which was named was big enough for 20 competitors, who ran about a 200 yard or 180 meter sprint. The first few races might have been slightly longer, however, as the original stadion in Olympia had a track that was 210 yards or 190 meters long. The athletes lined up, and games officials were positioned at the starting blocks to keep a sharp eye out against false starts.