Name: _____________________________________________________ Date: ___________________________ P. _______
“The Real Olympics” – Video Notes
1. Describe the ancient Olympic village atmosphere.
2. What God was revered at the site of the Olympic Games? What ancient ritual marked the start of the
Olympic Games?
3. Which athletes were the superstars of the Olympic Games? Who were each Olympic Games names
after?
4. How were the field events of the ancient Olympics different from the modern Olympics?
5. What types of events were added after the track and field events? What modern sport is Pankration
similar to?
6. What event robbed the sprint from the opening event of the games? Who were the charioteers?
7. What different factors eventually brought an end to the ancient Olympic Games?
8. How did the archaeological discoveries of Olympia influence the ideologies and prejudices of the
time in European Society?
9. Who founded the modern Olympics? What idea of the ancient games was he obsessed with? What
social classes were allowed to compete in and attend the new modern Olympic Games?
10. How many nations competed in the 1896 Olympics at Athens? What nation took home the most
medals?
11. How were the 1896 Olympic Games exclusive? When was full equality achieved for women on the
Olympic stage?
Name: _____________________________________________________ Date: ___________________________ P. _______
12. How did the Nazis use the Berlin Games in 1936? How was the running of the Olympic Torch added
to the modern Olympics? What was the irony in the route the Olympic torch took coming to Berlin?
What was the permanent mark that the Nazis left behind on the modern Olympics?
13. Describe the Olympic Spirit seen at the modern Olympic Games.
14. What nation always leads the procession of nations during the opening ceremony of the Olympics?
What is this meant to symbolize?
15. What was the connection in ancient Greece between athletics and religion?
16. What were some of the rituals athletes went through before competing in Ancient Greece?
17. How did the Ancient Athletes train? How did their daily life impact their training as well?
18. How did the “honor and shame society” impact the ancient Olympic games?
19. What was the most lethal of the ancient Olympic events? ________________________________________
20. In what three ways did combat events end?
21. What tactics did the ancient wrestling and pankration events allow that we would consider dirty
tactics? What were the only things athletes were not allowed to do?
22. What paradox between the violence of the ancient games and how violence was tolerated in ancient
Greek societies exists?
23. How did the Greeks feel about submission in Olympic battles?
Name: _____________________________________________________ Date: ___________________________ P. _______
24. Baron de Coubertin believed the ancient Olympic athletes were an elite social class. What was the
reality of the athletes who competed in the ancient Greek Olympics?
25. Who were the spectators? What were the conditions for spectators at Olympia? How did the
spectators feel for the athletes?
26. What was the relationship between women and the ancient Olympic Games, both as athletes and
spectators?
27. What were the Greeks looking to achieve by competing in the Olympic Games?
28. List the main differences between the ancient and modern Olympics as the video summarizes them.
29. What connection do the athletes of the modern Olympics have with the training of the athletes of
the ancient Olympics?
30. Baron de Coubertin believed that the ancient Olympics were exclusively open to elite amateurs and
not professionals. What was the reality?
31. Who invented the idea of “amateurism”? What was the purpose? What impact did this have on who
had the ability to compete in the modern Olympics?
32. When were rules preventing Olympic athletes from receiving funding lifted? What did prolonging
the idea of amateurism limit?
33. What would winners of athletic competitions in ancient Greece receive?
34. How did the Soviets come to dominate at the Olympics? What were they seeking to prove with this
dominance?
Name: _____________________________________________________ Date: ___________________________ P. _______
35. How did politics impact the Olympics throughout the second half of the 20th century? (list two
examples)
36. Historians and creators of the modern Olympics stated that the ancient Olympics had been a
universal truce and everyone embraced the spirit of sport. What was the reality? How did ancient
Greek city-states use the games to boast and gain political superiority?
37. What did the Olympic oath represent for ancient Greeks and modern day competitors?
38. Describe several types of cheating in modern Olympics.
39. What did the ancient Greek athletes think of cheating? What happened to ancient Greek athletes
who were caught cheating?
40. What happened to athletes and spectators who bribed opponents during the ancient Olympic
Games? Where did the money go?
41. What happened between members of the Salt Lake City Organizing Committee and some members
of the IOC in 1998? How did the corruption spread to the games in Salt Lake themselves?
42. Describe the outrageous example of corruption at the ancient Olympic Games.
43. Once amateurism was relaxed from the modern Olympics, what soon followed?
44. How did Ancient Greece treat sports heroes? What did the Greek hero exemplify?
45. How have the modern Olympics come full circle to be more similar to the ancient games?