Ancient holdovers

The Olympics have come a long way since ancient times. For one thing today's athletes wear clothes. But other aspects of the Games have remained more or less the same. Here are four enduring Olympic traditions.

Same old games

Discus, javelin, boxing, and wrestling all have their origins in the ancient Olympic games. The oldest surviving sport, however, is the 150-meter dash, which has its roots in the first-ever Olympics, which consisted of a single event: a dash of about 186 meters.

Carrying a flame

According to Greek legend, Prometheus stole fire from the gods and delivered it to man. Passing a torch played a part in religious rituals, if not athletics. The modern Olympics begin with an actress – who plays a high priestess – using a mirror to focus the rays of the sun, igniting a flame. A long relay of runners then carries the flame from Olympia to the site of the Games. There, the final torch is used to light a cauldron that remains lit until the closing ceremony.

You call that a Marathon?

In 490 B.C., the Persian army attacked the Athenians near the Greek village of Marathon. Despite far superior Persian numbers, the army of Athens won a stunning victory. Legend has it that an Athenian messenger, Pheidippides, ran from Marathon to Athens to proclaim the victory, after which he collapsed and died. The length of the modern marathon is roughly based on the distance he would have run from Marathon to Athens. Interestingly, another legend has Pheidippides running to Sparta to ask for help prior to the battle - a round-trip of around 280 miles in just two days. That superhuman feat might explain his deadly exhaustion.

What's in a name?

Winning athletes in the ancient Olympics became instant celebrities, with statues and poems created in their honor. Apparently, around A.D. 200, the city of Syracuse bribed an Olympian victor into saying that he was born in Syracuse, when in fact he came from Caulonia.

Sources: Infoplease; About.com; Wikipedia

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