LONDON OLYMPIC GAMES VIA LOS ANGELES TIMES

LONDON OLYMPIC GAMES VIA LOS ANGELES TIMES


LOS ANGELES, California -- On a daily basis, I monitor the 2012 London Olympic Games via on-line (http://www.bbc.co.uk and http://www.nbcolympics.com) and via Los Angeles Times. These three media outlets have the rich sources of up-to-date news about the Games, results, medal standing, comprehensive features event by event.

Monitoring the Games, which started as Ancient Olympic Games or a series of competitions held between representatives of several city-states and kingdoms in Ancient Greece, via internet and newspaper is like covering the events “live” where they unravel.  The power of media techonology.  Ancient games featured mainly athletic but also combat and chariot racing events.

CONFLICTS

During the games, all conflicts among the participating city-states were postponed until the games were finished. The origin of these Olympics is shrouded in mystery and legend, and one of the most popular myths identifies Heracles and his father Zeus as the progenitors of the Games.

According to legend, it was Heracles who first called the Games "Olympic" and established the custom of holding them every four years. A legend persists that after Heracles completed his twelve labors, he built the Olympic Stadium as an honor to Zeus. Following its completion, he walked in a straight line for 200 steps and called this distance a "stadion," which later became a unit of distance. Another myth associates the first Games with the ancient Greek concept of Olympic truce.

INCEPTION

The most widely accepted date for the inception of the Ancient Olympics is 776 BC; this is based on inscriptions, found at Olympia, listing the winners of a footrace held every four years starting in 776 BC. It has been suggested that their inception was preceded by the ancient Tailteann Games, founded in Ireland over a millennium beforehand. The Ancient Games featured running events, a pentathlon (consisting of a jumping event, discus and javelin throws, a foot race, and wrestling), boxing, wrestling, pankration, and equestrian events. Tradition has it that Coroebus, a cook from the city of Elis, was the first Olympic champion.

The Olympic Games (French: les Jeux olympiques, JO is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered to be the world's foremost sports competition and more than 200 nations participate.

BIENNIAL

The Games are currently held biennially, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating, meaning they each occur every four years. The ancient Olympic Games were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894. The IOC has since become the governing body of the Olympic Movement, whose structure and actions are defined by the Olympic Charter.