DCTKD • Martial Arts Links

Ancient Greece Olympics (BBC Schools)
The Flash-section of the site is a cute, short summary of the Ancient Olympic Games. Designed for children 4-11 years of age, this is still a fun way to learn key information. There is also non-Flash section providing an excellent summary of Olympia, the site of the Ancient Games for 1,000 years.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ancientgreece/olympia/index.shtml (Originally Published: 10/19/2006; Last DCTKD update: 10/19/2006)

Virtual Tour of Ancient Olympia (Perseus Project, Tufts University)
The shot put competition at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games was held at Ancient Olympia, the first athletic content held in at this location in over 1,500 years. This site provides an informative virtual tour of this unique location. (Originally Published: 9/2/2004; Last DCTKD update: 10/25/2004)

A Modern Perspective of the Ancient Olympic Events (The Sport Journal)
by Richard Bell
A brief summary of the events of the ancient Olympics: pentathlon (discus, javelin, jump, running, and wrestling), boxing, equestrian events (chariot and riding), and pankration. (Originally Published: 8/27/2004; Last DCTKD update: 10/7/2006)

Games of the Ancient Olympics (Hellenism.com)
Excellent descriptions of the various events including boxing, wrestling, pankration, and discus. (Originally Published: 8/27/2004; Last DCTKD update: 8/27/2004)

The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games (University of Pennsylvania)
This is an informative site that provides lots of details with a variety of pictures to supplement the text describing ancient Olympia, the athletes, and the politics. (Originally Published: 8/26/2004; Last DCTKD update: 9/19/2006)

Ancient Olympics Guide (Archaeology Magazine)
Provides articles on specific topics such as how the ancient Greeks started their races (remember, they didn’t have starter guns), how women competed in their own games (women were not allowed at Olympia), and myths including the interlocking rings and the torch relay. (Originally Published: 8/26/2004; Last DCTKD update: 8/27/2004)

Ancient Olympics Mixed Naked Sports, Pagan Partying (National Geographic News)
Q&A with Tony Perrottet, author of The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Ancient Games, who describes what the first Olympics were really like. (Originally Published: 8/13/2004; Last DCTKD update: 8/27/2004)

Ancient Olympics had its own scandals (MSNBC)
Cheating, gambling not new to modern games
by Joseph B. Verrengia
"It was like the Super Bowl, Woodstock, Mardi Gras, a holy pilgrimage and Chippendale dancers all rolled into one...Contrary to the modern stereotype, the games weren’t tightly scripted Homeric epics in which warriors dropped their weapons every four years to honor the twin virtues of amateur sport and brotherhood." (Originally Published: 7/28/2004; Last DCTKD update: 8/27/2004)

The Ancient Olympics (CNN.com)
by Paul Sussman
"Competition, controversy, rivalry, heroics: the ancient Olympics had them all, not to mention their fair share of political intrigue and the occasional flagrant act of cheating." (Originally Published: 7/12/2004; Last DCTKD update: 8/27/2004)

The Real Olympics—The Guessing Games (Channel 4 Television, UK)
by Dr. Martin Brookes
An excellent overview of Olympia, training regimes, and a summary of the five day program of events and activities. (Originally Published: 7/1/2004; Last DCTKD update: 10/19/2006)

Doping: An American tragedy (Fairfax Digital, Australia)
by John Huxley
An article summarizing the 1988 100-meter doping scandal and fallout that continued years later. (Originally Published: 4/25/2003; Last DCTKD update: 7/29/2008)

The Guy Who Ate a Cow and Other Olympic Stars (The New York Times)
by Tom Kuntz
“The games of antiquity were not the hallowed celebrations of amateur athletics which we are often led to believe...human foibles always accompany the quest for excellence.” (Originally Published: 7/14/1996; Last DCTKD update: 7/24/2008)

Olympic Moments (New York Times)
Brief summaries of 12 events and people in the modern Olympics from 1896 to 1988. (Last DCTKD update: 8/1/2008)