The Olympic spirit, then and now
“We will declare to the generation to come the glorious deeds of the Lord and his strength,” the psalmist promises this Sunday. With strength and speed on display at the Olympic Games, athletics take center stage, but religion also has a role . . .
“We will declare to the generation to come the glorious deeds of the Lord and his strength,” the psalmist promises this Sunday. With deeds of strength, speed, and agility on display at the Olympic Games, athletics rightly takes center stage, but religion also has a role to play; in fact, the quadrennial festivities are steeped in religious traditions.
A 200-yard footrace was the only athletic event at the first Olympics, a festival held in 776 B.C. and dedicated to Zeus, the chief Greek god. For the next millennium, warring Greek city-states laid down their arms every four years in Olympia to honor Zeus through sports, sacrifices, and hymns.
It was the emphasis on worship of Zeus that led Roman Emperor Theodosius I, a Christian, to ban the Olympics in 393 A.D. It wasn’t until 1896 that Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympic Games in Athens after excavations at Olympia renewed public interest in the athletics and pageantry of the Olympics.
While the festival began in honor a single deity, organizers of the modern Olympics must navigate dozens of sacred fasts, religious rituals, and holy days. The London Olympics is accommodating religious athletes with 193 chaplains, a prayer room in every venue, and a multifaith center in the Olympic Village.
"I was very moved last week when the Christian chaplains on the team helped their Muslim colleagues prepare a large hall for the Friday prayers of Ramadan,” said Anglican canon Duncan Green, who in a radio address at the outset of the games called on people everywhere to live together in peace and harmony in the spirit of the Olympic Games.
“A young Muslim man hugged me for providing such a facility. This week, I've witnessed young men and women from all over the world living side by side, greeting one another, making new friends, laughing, and sharing their love of sport. I pray that the world will watch and learn to live in harmony," Green said.
A 200-yard footrace was the only athletic event at the first Olympics, a festival held in 776 B.C. and dedicated to Zeus, the chief Greek god. For the next millennium, warring Greek city-states laid down their arms every four years in Olympia to honor Zeus through sports, sacrifices, and hymns.
It was the emphasis on worship of Zeus that led Roman Emperor Theodosius I, a Christian, to ban the Olympics in 393 A.D. It wasn’t until 1896 that Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympic Games in Athens after excavations at Olympia renewed public interest in the athletics and pageantry of the Olympics.
While the festival began in honor a single deity, organizers of the modern Olympics must navigate dozens of sacred fasts, religious rituals, and holy days. The London Olympics is accommodating religious athletes with 193 chaplains, a prayer room in every venue, and a multifaith center in the Olympic Village.
"I was very moved last week when the Christian chaplains on the team helped their Muslim colleagues prepare a large hall for the Friday prayers of Ramadan,” said Anglican canon Duncan Green, who in a radio address at the outset of the games called on people everywhere to live together in peace and harmony in the spirit of the Olympic Games.
“A young Muslim man hugged me for providing such a facility. This week, I've witnessed young men and women from all over the world living side by side, greeting one another, making new friends, laughing, and sharing their love of sport. I pray that the world will watch and learn to live in harmony," Green said.
Sources: Articles by Chris Lisee for Religion News Service and Ecumenical News International