News from France (38) Jeux Olympiques : JO (Olympics Games)

Tri Indri Hardini (Lecturer, Indonesian University of Education)

The Olympics will be held in France, in the city of Paris from July 26, 2024 to August 11, 2024. On this occasion, we will discuss the role of the Olympics from its origins to the details of its preparation in our lives.

In the previous article, we have shown the official poster of the Olympics in France (fr : Jeux Olympiques (JO) 2024).

History of the Origins of the Olympics

Olympics (The Olympic Games) The modern Olympic Games were first held in Athens, Greece from April 6 to 15, 1896, and were attended by 14 National Olympic Committees (en : Comités National Olympiads, fr :Comités Nationaux Olympiques – CNO) which held 43 games with 241 athletes and was intended for men only.

The first Olympics were opened by King George I, the King of Greece who played a major role in the success of the first Olympics. Initially, Greek politicians opposed the Olympics because of the economic crisis that Greece was experiencing at that time. The success of the Athens Olympics prompted King George I to request that Athens be the permanent venue for the next Olympics. However, the King's wishes were bitterly opposed by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics.

The First Modern Olympic Games in Athens were financed by a donation of about one million Drachmas from a Greek businessman named Georges Averof, and by the sale of souvenir stamps and medals.

Since 1924 there have been two Olympic Games: the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics held in the same year, but since 1986 the gap between the two Olympics is two years. The two Olympics are held every four years. In 2024 the Summer Olympics will be held in Paris and the Winter Olympics will be held in Milan and in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy from February 6, 2026 to February 22, 2026.

Ancient Olympics

The history of the ancient Olympics began in Greece on the Peloponnese islands (3000 years ago). The first Olympics were held in 776 BC in Olympia, and it was from this place that the name of this sporting event was given. Olympics (Olympics). These games were dedicated to honor the god Zeus.

The mythology associated with the Olympic Games is associated with several myths that are similar to each other but with the same actors, namely Zeus Hercules/Herakles, Heracles of Ida, King of Elis (Iphos).

Hercules (Heracle of Ida) was the son of Zeus, who was considered a demigod. Literally this name means "the fingers of the Idaeans, namely the minor gods who were entrenched around Mount Ida in Troas, on the island of Crete, and at Olympia, according to the story of the 12 labors/challenges of Hercules.

Hercules was ordered by the King of Ellis to clean the palace of his king named Augeas. To do this, the flow of the Chaldeos and Alpheos, rivers that flow near the location of Olympia, had to be diverted. However, Augeas did not keep his promise to give Hercules a gift. The god Zeus, who was considered the leader of the gods and was also the father of Hercules, drove Augeas out of Ellis and then Zeus took control of the city of Ellis. Zeus then decided to create the Olympic Games. Thus the organization of the Olympics was associated with the success of Hercules against Augeas, the king of Elis. Therefore, according to this oldest myth, the Olympics were the creation of Heracles from Ida. According to another myth, the Olympics were created by Zeus himself, to commemorate his struggle against Kronos in fighting for the throne of Olympus

Another myth states that the origin of the Olympic Games was to stop the plague and war that hit his kingdom in 884 BC, thus people believed that the anger of the gods could be appeased by these sporting events.

Next, following this Olympic movement, there is the Holy Truce which is also called EKECHEIRIA. Since the 9th century BC, a sacred truce (the signing of the treaty of 3 kings: Iphthos of Elis, Cleosthenes of Pisa, and Lycurgus of Sparta) established the possibility of athletes and pilgrims (caravans) traveling without danger to the holy place of Olympia to watch the games (for can travel safely and then return safely).

EKECHEIRIA, was an act calling for an end to fighting during the Olympic Games of Ancient Times. Any Greek who was free from conditions, not guilty of a crime and free from curses could participate in the games. Those who were forbidden to participate but did so had to pay a large fine which served to beautify the temple of Zeus.

The Olympics, formerly called Panhellenic, had the peculiarity of bringing together the Greek world (pan = all, hellene = Greece) at a time when Greece was not yet a country but consisted of city-states (politically and economically independent communities). From Greece and its colonies (Italy, North Africa, and Asia Minor - the names of the regions in ancient history given to the western tip of Asia between the eastern Mediterranean, the Aegean Sea, and the Black Sea), people traveled to participate or attend the Games, driven by a common feeling: they had the same culture and religion.

The criteria for athletes to participate were that they had to be male, Greek, free (not slaves). Thus women (except horse owners), slaves and foreigners were not allowed to participate.

After Greece was conquered by Rome in 146 BC, the Romans were allowed to join the Greek athletes.

The following are the names of athletes with extraordinary skills:

• Astylos of Crotone
• Milo of Crotone
• Kyniska of Sparta (a woman)
• Melagomos of Caria
• Leonidas of Rhodes

The ancient Olympic Games were abolished by Emperor Theodosius I in 393 AD as part of his efforts to promote Christianity and eliminate pagan rituals and practices in the Roman Empire. After this ban, the Olympic Games ceased for over 1500 years.

Modern Olympics

The modern Olympic Games were revived in the late 19th century thanks to the efforts of Pierre de Coubertin. The first edition of the modern Olympic Games was held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. These Games marked the revival of ancient traditions, adapted to modern values and contexts.

Between the abolition of the ancient Olympic Games by Theodosius I and the revival of the Olympic Games by Pierre de Coubertin, although the event was not comparable to the ancient Olympics, local and regional sporting competitions continued to exist in different cultures and civilizations. The revival of the Olympic Games did not eliminate the holding of other games.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin was a French educator who is often credited with the revival of the modern Olympic Games. His interest in the rehabilitation of the Olympic Games was influenced by his own life experiences and journey:

1. Coubertin was very interested in education and intended to reform the education system in France. He believed that physical education was essential for the development of the younger generation. Coubertin was influenced by the British and American education systems that incorporated sports as a major element in student training.
2. Coubertin admired the Olympic ideals of ancient Greece, who believed that sport was an integral part of culture and education. He saw the ancient Olympics as a symbol of peace and brotherhood among nations.
3. His travels in England and the United States made him see the importance of sport in schools and universities. He also studied the ancient Olympic Games and was inspired by their values and organization.
4. In 1892, Coubertin first publicly expressed his idea of relaunching the Olympic Games in a speech before the Union of French Athletic Societies (USFSA: l'Union des sociétés françaises de sports athlétiques). In 1894, he organized an international congress at the Sorbonne in Paris, and he officially proposed the restoration of the Olympic Games.
5. The 1894 Congress resulted in the formation of the International Olympic Committee (Comité International Olympique (CIO), with Coubertin as Secretary General. The IOC decided that the first modern Olympic Games would be held in Athens, Greece, in 1896, as a tribute to the ancient origins of the Olympics.
6. Coubertin played a key role in promoting the Games, mobilizing international support and overcoming logistical and financial obstacles. He also helped establish the basic principles of the Games, such as amateurism and fraternity among nations.

Through his vision and perseverance, Pierre de Coubertin managed to restore the Olympic Games, and transform them into an international event that celebrates sporting excellence, friendship, and peace. Every time the Olympics are held, there are always changes, small or large, that show their uniqueness, for example:

• 1920: The Olympic Rings symbol depicts the five continents united by the spirit of sport. The colors of the rings were chosen in 1913 by Pierre de Coubertin and were first used at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.
• 1932 : Medals on the podium.
• 1936: The flame/torch which is the object of the relay race (Olympic host country). The flame of the torch also symbolizes the spirit of the game which embodies values such as: excellence, friendship and harmony between nations. The torch is lit using mirrors that reflect sunlight during a special ceremony in Olympia to illuminate the vast area of the Olympic Games during the ceremony.
• 1996 : 41 matches
• 2016: 306 games. In the history of the Olympics, there are also sports that were removed, such as polo, tug of war but new sports were introduced such as BMX, MTB, Taekwondo.
• In 1924, 100 years ago, two Olympic Games were held (Summer and Winter)

In the modern Olympics, women began to participate, such as in 1900 (in Paris) for tennis and golf. In 1928 for athletics, in 1984 for marathon, and in 2016 45% women participated in all events.

Sir Ludwig Guttmann, a neurologist, came up with the idea of an Olympic Games for the disabled in 1948, called the Paralympics. The Games were originally intended to rehabilitate, through sports training, World War II veterans and victims who had become paralyzed.

Today the Olympic Games have become an economic engine for the benefit of the international community. Juan Antonio Samaranch Torello, from 1980 to 2001 was President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Olympic Games have always been sponsored by large companies. The Games, which were originally a party show, have become a show hunting for records. Winning has become an obsession to the point of doping. Thus the spirit of the Olympics has changed.

The question is, does the Olympic spirit still uphold excellence, friendship and harmony between nations?

To follow further the development of this Olympic tradition which if calculated has been going on for more than 700 years, the next article will still discuss the Olympics which will take place in the city of Paris where the entire city is used as a venue for the competition for these international athletes.

SOURCE:

https://fr.wikipedia.org

https://www.pierrelagrue-jo.com/georges-ier-de-grece-1845-1913

https://olympics.com/cio

– https://www.lefigaro.fr/sports/jeux-olympiques