Ancient Olympic Games

The Panathenaic Stadium, commonly known as the “Kallimarmaro,” stands proudly in the heart of Athens, near the Zappeion, at the base of Ardittos Hill. It is a unique monument and a living symbol of ancient Greek athletic and cultural heritage. The Kallimarmaro is a true gem of sports and Olympic history, renowned globally for its significance.

Officials in Ancient Olympia are protesting the decision to hold the next International Olympic Committee session in a neighboring region of the Peloponnese, rather than at the birthplace of the Olympic Games.

The Goddess Nike at the Panathenaic Stadium with the Parthenon in the Background: The Design of the Olympic Medal Born from the Imagination of Creator Elena Votsi

The Olympic medal, designed by Elena Votsi for the 2004 Olympic Games, was decided by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to consistently feature one of its sides for many years to come.

ANCIENT OLYMPIA - A priestess prays to a dead sun god in front of a fallen Greek temple. If the sky is clear, a flame spurts that will burn in Paris throughout the world's top sporting event. Speeches ensue.

On Tuesday, the flame for this summer's Paris Olympics was lit at the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games in southern Greece in a meticulously choreographed ceremony.

ANCIENT OLYMPIA - No one knows what music in ancient Greece sounded like or how dancers once moved.

Every two years, a new interpretation of the ancient performance gets a global audience. It takes place in southern Greece at a site many still consider sacred: the birthplace of the Olympic Games.

Apart from the usual foot races, javelin throwing and so on, the games included female chariot races

It is a collaboration between the Ministry of Culture and Sports and Microsoft called “Ancient Olympia: Common Place”

In the western Peloponnese, in the beautiful valley of the Alpheios river, lies the most celebrated sanctuary of ancient Greece. Dedicated to Zeus, the father of the gods, it lies at the southwest foot of Mount Kronios, at the confluence of the Alpheios and the Kladeos rivers, in a lush green landscape.

The Foundation of the Hellenic World presented an impressive virtual reality tour of Ancient Olympia, as part of the ceremony for the lighting of the Olympic torch, Friday, April 20.

It is known in the modern world that the olive branch symbolizes peace. In many places where a peace agreement was signed between countries, there is a dove holding an olive branch in its beak. An example used to stand in Mudanya where a peace agreement ending World War I was signed.