Ancient Olympic Games Facts & Worksheets

Ancient Olympic Games facts and information plus worksheet packs and fact file. Includes 5 activities aimed at students 11-14 years old (KS3) & 5 activities aimed at students 14-16 years old (GCSE). Great for home study or to use within the classroom environment.

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Ancient Olympic Games Worksheets

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Fact File

Ancient Olympic Games Resource 1
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Student Activities

Ancient Olympic Games Activity & Answer Guide 1
Ancient Olympic Games Activity & Answer Guide 2
Ancient Olympic Games Activity & Answer Guide 3
Ancient Olympic Games Activity & Answer Guide 4
Table of Contents
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    Summary

    • Origins and Early History
    • Events and Sports
    • Participants and Rules
    • Significance of the Games
    • Decline and End of the Games

    Key Facts And Information

    Let’s know more about the Ancient Olympic Games!

    The Ancient Olympic Games were a big sports and religious festival held every four years in Olympia, Greece. They started in 776 BCE to honour Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. The Games included events like running, wrestling, chariot racing and the pentathlon. 

    Only Greek men could compete, and athletes trained for years to get ready. The festival also had religious ceremonies, sacrifices and cultural activities like speeches and art. The Olympics remained important for many years until they were stopped in 393 CE by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I.

    An artist's impression of ancient Olympia
    An artist's impression of ancient Olympia

    Origins and Early History of the Ancient Olympic Games

    • The Ancient Olympic Games were one of the most important sports competitions in ancient Greece. They were held in Olympia to honour Zeus, the king of the gods. Over time, the Games grew from a simple foot race to a large festival with many events, bringing athletes from different Greek cities. 
    • The ancient Greeks believed the Olympics had divine origins and were connected to their gods and heroes. Different legends explain how the Games started:
      • Zeus and the First Olympic Games: One story says that Zeus created the Games after he defeated his father, Cronus, in battle. To celebrate his victory, he set up the Olympic Games in Olympia, where people would compete in sports to honour him.  
      • Heracles and the Dactyls: Another story tells of Heracles (not the famous son of Zeus) and his four brothers – Paeonaeus, Epimedes, Iasius and Idas – who had a running race in Olympia to entertain the newborn Zeus. The winner was given an olive wreath, a tradition that later became an important Olympic symbol. This legend also explains why the Games were held every four years.  
      • Pelops and the Chariot Race: A different myth credits Pelops, a prince of Olympia, with starting the Games. According to the story, Pelops wanted to marry Hippodamia, but her father, King Oenomaus, challenged all suitors to a chariot race. If they lost, they were killed. Pelops tricked the king’s charioteer into damaging the chariot, causing Oenomaus to crash and die. Pelops won the race and married Hippodamia. To remember this event, he started the Olympic Games.  
      • Heracles, Son of Zeus: Some believed that Heracles (Hercules), the son of Zeus, founded the Olympics after finishing his Twelve Labors. He supposedly built the Olympic Stadium and established sports competitions to honour his father.  
    • Even before the Olympics, people in ancient Greece enjoyed sports. The Minoans (from Crete) had activities like bull leaping, wrestling and boxing, while the Mycenaeans introduced chariot racing. Some of the earliest mentions of sports come from Homer’s epics. In the Iliad, funeral games were held for the hero Patroclus, featuring chariot races, boxing, wrestling and javelin throwing. The Odyssey also describes sports like the long jump and discus throw.  
    • The first officially recorded Olympic Games took place in 776 BCE. The earliest known champion was Coroebus of Elis, a cook who won the stadion race, a sprint of about 192 metres. In the beginning, the Olympics had only one race, but they quickly became more popular. Olympia became a major sports centre, and the Games were held every four years. 
    • Olympia was in a valley near the Alfeiós River in western Peloponnese. Today, it is about 18 km (11 mi) from the Ionian Sea, but in ancient times, it may have been closer. The main sacred area, called the Altis, was a walled space over 180 metres (590 feet) wide. On the north side, it was next to Mount Kronos.  
    • Unlike other Greek cities, Olympia was not a place where people lived all year. It was only used for the Games, so visitors stayed in tents. The summer heat and flies were a big problem, so people prayed to Zeus Averter of Flies for relief. It took almost 1,000 years before the site finally got better water and sanitation systems in the 2nd century CE.

    Events and Sports

    • The Ancient Olympic Games started with just one event – a short foot race called the stadion. Over time, more competitions were added, and the number of events grew to 23, though no more than 20 were held at one time. Most events were only for men, but women could take part by entering horses in equestrian races. Youth competitions began in 632 BCE. Much of what we know about these events comes from paintings on vases from ancient times.
      • Running Events- The Olympic Games started with one running event but later added more races:  
        • Stadion (Stade Race): The first event, a sprint of about 192 metres (630 feet).  
        • Diaulos: Introduced in 724 BCE, this was a double-length race of about 400 metres. Runners turned around posts called kampteres at the halfway point. 
        • Dolichos: A long-distance race added in 720 BCE. It was between 7.5 km and 9 km (4.6 to 5.6 miles), though some believe it was half that length.  
    Running event in the Games
    Running event in the Games
        • Hoplite Race (Hoplítodromos): Introduced in 520 BCE, this race was either 400 or 800 metres long. Runners wore full military armour, including a helmet and shield, to train for battle. 
      • Combat Sports  
        • Wrestling (Pale): Wrestling was introduced in 708 BCE. To win, a wrestler had to throw his opponent three times. Certain holds and moves were allowed, and tripping was probably part of the competition. 
        • Boxing (Pygmachia): Boxing became part of the Olympics in 688 BCE. Fighters wrapped their hands in leather strips called himantes for protection. They mostly aimed for the head, and body punches were either not allowed or rarely used. The Spartans, though known for their fighting skills, did not compete in boxing.
        • Pankration: This was one of the most popular and dangerous sports, introduced in 648 BCE. It combined wrestling and boxing, allowing kicks, holds and chokes. The only rules were no biting and no eye-gouging. One famous champion, Arrhichion of Phigalia, won a match even after he died – he had choked his opponent, who surrendered, not realising Arrhichion had already passed away. 
      • Field Events
          • Discus Throw: The discus was made of bronze, stone or iron, with the most common weight being around 2 kg (4.4 lbs) and about 21 cm (8 inches) wide. The event was similar to modern discus throwing.  
          • Long Jump: Athletes used hand-held weights called halteres to help them jump further. They swung the weights forwards at take-off and backwards before landing. It is unclear if they jumped from a standing position or had a short run-up. 
          • Pentathlon: This event, added in 708 BCE, included five competitions: running, long jump, discus throw, javelin throw and wrestling. The exact order of events is unknown, but wrestling was the last event. The winner may have been the athlete who won at least three of the five events.
      • Equestrian Events - Horse and chariot races were among the most important and expensive competitions. Only wealthy people could afford to train and transport horses. Since owners, not riders, were considered the winners, women could technically win Olympic titles.
        • Four-Horse Chariot Race (Tethrippon): Introduced in 680 BCE, this was a dangerous event with frequent crashes
        • Two-Horse Chariot Race (Synoris): Added in 408 BCE, it required more skill since there were fewer horses.
        • Horseback Race: Began in 648 BCE. Riders had no saddles or stirrups, so they needed good balance and grip.  
        • Other events included a mule-cart race and a trotting race for mares, where riders had to jump off and run beside their horses at the end. 

    Participants and Rules of the Ancient Olympic Games

    Who could compete?

    • Only free Greek men were allowed to take part in the Olympic Games. Enslaved people and foreigners could not join. Athletes had to be in great physical shape and train for at least ten months before the competition. Most of them came from rich families because training required a lot of time, food and money. 
    • Women were not allowed to compete in most events, but they could own horses that raced in the chariot events. A Spartan princess named Cynisca became the first woman to win an Olympic title by owning a winning chariot team.
    • Some athletes, like the Athenian leader Alcibiades, entered many teams in the same race to improve their chances of winning. He once entered seven chariots and took first, second, and either third or fourth place in the same event. There were also separate games for women, such as the Heraean Games, which featured running races.

    How did athletes train?

    • Athletes trained in special areas to prepare for the Games:  
      • Xystos – An open track where sprinters and pentathletes practised
      • Tetragono – A space for wrestlers and boxers to train  
    • Training was very strict and supervised by coaches. Athletes trained every day, practising running, wrestling, boxing and strength exercises. The Greeks believed a strong body and a strong mind were equally important, so training was a big part of life for competitors.
    • Before the competition, athletes swore an oath at the Temple of Zeus, promising to follow the rules and compete honestly. They also made sacrifices to Zeus, asking for his blessing.

    What did they wear?

    • At first, athletes wore a simple cloth around their waist called a perizoma. But by 720 BCE, they began competing completely naked. The Greeks believed this showed strength and made them different from non-Greeks. 
    • One story says an athlete named Orsippus of Megara lost his loincloth during a race but kept running and won. Because he was faster without clothing, nudity became the standard in competitions. The Spartans also encouraged this in training and sports.

    What were the rules?

    • Only free Greek men could compete.
    • Athletes had to train for ten months before the Games.
    • Competitors swore an oath to follow the rules.  
    • Cheating was punished with fines, whippings or bans.
    • Winners received an olive wreath but no money.  
    • The Hellanodikai (Olympic judges) made sure everyone followed the rules. If an athlete cheated, they had to pay a fine. The money was used to build bronze statues of Zeus, placed at Olympia as a warning to others. Some athletes tried to bribe their opponents to lose, but if caught, they faced serious punishment.
    • One of the strangest victories in Olympic history happened in 67 CE, when Roman Emperor Nero competed in a chariot race. He fell off his chariot and didn’t finish, but the judges still named him the winner, saying he ‘would have won’ if he had completed the race.

    What did they win?  

    • Unlike today’s Olympic medals, winners received a simple olive wreath (kotinos) made from a sacred tree of Zeus. Even though there was no prize money, champions became famous in their home cities. Some were given free food, money, or even statues in their honour.  
    Olympian Zeus statue
    Olympian Zeus statue

    Significance of the Games

    • The Olympic Games were not just about sports; they were also a religious festival held in honour of the king of the Greek gods, Zeus. The Games were held in Olympia, a special place with many temples and religious rituals. On the main day of the festival, people sacrificed 100 oxen to Zeus to honour him and ask for his favour. 
    • A huge statue of Zeus stood inside his temple in Olympia. It was made of gold and ivory and was 42 feet (13 metres) tall. The famous sculptor Pheidias created it, and it became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Many people travelled to Olympia, not just to watch the Games but also to visit this temple and honour Zeus.  
    • Olympia was full of religious buildings and monuments. There was a temple for Hera, Zeus’s wife, and a special shrine for Pelops, a hero linked to the start of the Games. Statues of past winners were placed around the area to honour them and to thank the gods for their victories.
    • Before competing, athletes had to swear an oath at the Temple of Zeus. They promised to follow the rules and compete fairly. This showed that the Games were not just about winning but also about respecting the gods and each other. 
    • The Olympic Games also played an important role in keeping peace. Greek city-states were often at war, but before the Games, special messengers called spondophoroi were sent out to announce a truce called the ekecheiria. This truce made sure that athletes and spectators could travel safely to Olympia without being attacked.  
    • Most of the time, the truce was respected. However, there were times when it was broken. During the Peloponnesian War, the Spartans attacked a city during the truce and were fined. They argued that the truce had not officially started yet, but they still had to pay. Even with such disputes, the Olympic truce was an important tradition that helped bring peace, at least for a short time.  
    • The Olympics were not just about sports—they were also a big cultural event. Artists, poets, and musicians came to Olympia to share their work. Sculptors made statues of athletes and gods, while poets wrote victory songs, called epinicians, to celebrate the winners. Historians and philosophers also joined the Games by giving speeches and sharing ideas.
    • The Olympic Games even helped spread Greek culture to other parts of the world. As Greek colonies were set up in different places, the Olympic spirit travelled with them. Some Olympic champions were even connected to the founding of new cities.

    Decline and End of the Games

    • The Olympic Games lasted for over a thousand years, but they eventually faded due to a number of reasons. As the Roman Empire took control of Greece in 146 BCE, the Olympics started to change. The Romans admired Greek culture and continued the Games, but they focused more on power and entertainment rather than religion.  
    • By the 3rd century CE, fewer people were interested in the Olympics. The last complete list of winners ended in 217 CE, but historians have found evidence that the Games continued past that date. A bronze plaque found in 1994 lists winners from combat sports, showing that the Games still took place at least until 385 CE. However, many problems weakened the Olympics. The Roman Empire was facing financial troubles and wars, so leaders stopped spending money on the Games. 
    • By 380 CE, Emperor Theodosius I made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. Since the Olympics were dedicated to Zeus and other Greek gods, Christian leaders saw them as part of an old pagan religion. In 393 CE, the emperor banned all pagan festivals, including the Olympics. This officially ended the ancient Games although some small competitions may have continued for a little while after. 
    • Even after the Games stopped, Olympia remained for some time but natural disasters and attacks later destroyed the site. By the 6th century CE, Olympia was abandoned and eventually buried under the earth. For more than a thousand years, the Olympics were forgotten. Then, in the 19th century, archaeologists rediscovered Olympia. This helped inspire the revival of the Olympic Games in 1896, leading to the modern Olympics we know today.

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    Frequently Asked Questions About The Ancient Olympic Games

    • What were the Ancient Olympic Games?

      The Ancient Olympic Games were a major sports and religious festival held every four years in Olympia, Greece. They honoured Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, and featured athletic competitions between city-states.

    • When did the Ancient Olympic Games begin?

      The first recorded Ancient Olympic Games occurred in 776 BCE, though they may have started earlier.

    • Who could compete in the Ancient Olympic Games?

      Only free Greek men could compete, and they had to train extensively. Women, enslaved people, and non-Greeks were not allowed to participate. However, some women-owned chariot teams competed in races.