Welcome to Just Commodores, a site specifically designed for all people who share the same passion as yourself.

New Posts Contact us

Just Commodores Forum Community

It takes just a moment to join our fantastic community

Register

Glasgow 2014 commonwealth games

PIR4TE

Banned
Joined
Mar 15, 2011
Messages
2,747
Reaction score
74
Points
0
Location
AWOL with Ari
Members Ride
Black Pearl
Mate I could not believe it, I see the Men have see through on too.

And what about the bike riders in the velodrome , why do the girls have the different colour around the private spot. My eyes go straight too it.

Glad it's not just me being a dirty old pervert... eyes go straight for the wet spot!!
 

hotrod

Banned
Joined
Jul 21, 2013
Messages
1,152
Reaction score
7
Points
0
Location
victoria
Members Ride
commodore s2
10 Fascinating Facts About the Ancient Olympic Games


Most people know that the Olympics started out in Ancient Greece, but did you know that back then the athletes competed in the nude? (Though technically, they could wear penis restraints - yes, you read that right). Or that one of the games was an ancient form of mixed martial arts? Or that a chef won the very first Olympic games?

To help celebrate the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, we'll posts some neat facts about the Olympics, starting with this one: 10 Fascinating Facts About the Ancient Olympic Games:

1. Ancient Olympic Athletes Competed in the Nude

milo-of-kroton.jpg











Milo of Kroton, one of the greatest Ancient Olympic champion. He won
the wrestling event 6 times, over the span of 34 years! (Source)

Yes, that's right - ancient Olympic sportsmen (all men, by the way) ran, wrestled, and fought buck naked. The ancient Greeks had a tradition of doing things nude (they walked around in the buff in the bedroom and at parties called sympsia*, and they exercised without any clothes on) - indeed, the word gymnasium came from the Greek word gymos, which means "naked."

Why naked? Well, to appreciate and celebrate the male physique, of course, and as a tribute to the gods. Participants regularly anointed themselves with olive oil to enhance their looks ... and to keep the skin smooth!

In the sixth century, there was an actually attempt to make athletes wear loincloths, but this proved to be unpopular and soon afterwards nudity regained its status as fashion in athletics.

*Great trivia for the next time you're in a boring symposium: the original symposium is a nude drinking party (sympotein is Greek for "to drink together"), complete with courtesans (basically sophisticated prostitutes).

2. The Prudes Wore Penis Restraints
kynodesme.jpg

Did I say all athletes competed naked in the Ancient Olympics? Silly me - actually, not all of them were naked.

Some wore a kynodesme (literally a "dog leash"), a thin leather thong used as a penis restraint:


[The kynodesme] was tied tightly around the part of the foreskin that extended beyond the glans. The kynodesme could then either be attached to a waist band to expose the scrotum, or tied to the base of the penis so that the penis appeared to curl upwards.

3. A Chef Won the Very First Olympic Games

The very first recorded Ancient Olympic Games took place in 776 BC. The event was a stadion race (a foot race equivalent to a 190-m or 208-yard dash). The winner was a humble baker from the Greek city state of Elis named Coroebus (also spelled Koroibos).

For the first 13 games, the stadion race was the only competition. At the 14th Ancient Olympic Games, a double race was added.

4. ... and He Won ... An Olive Branch!


olive-wreath-ancient-olympics.jpg










An Olympionike or a winner of an event receiving an olive wreath and red ribbons
(Epiktetos Painter, 520 - 510 BC - from mlahanas.de)

Yup - that's because the Ancient Olympic Games didn't have any medals or prizes. Winners of the competitions won olive wreaths, branches, as well as woolen ribbons. Oh, that and the all important honor.

They did, however, come home as heroes - and got showered with gifts there. Many victors subsequently used their fame to endorse products and to get paid posing for sculptures and drawings (just like today, huh?)

5. More than Just Running: Wrestling and Boxing Added to the Ancient Olympics
ancient-greek-boxing.jpg

Tired of all the running, a new game of wrestling (called pale) was added to the 18th Olympics in 708 B.C.

Greek wrestling was a bit more fun than your regular high school wrestling. For one, submission holds were allowed (actually, they were encouraged) and that a referee could punish an infraction by whipping the contestant with a stick until the undesirable behavior stopped!

Later, pygme/pygmachia or Ancient Greek boxing was added. Now, some historian believed that boxing was originally developed in Sparta. Being the original tough guys, Spartans believed that helmets were unnecessary in battle. Instead, they boxed themselves in the face to prepare for battles!

In the Ancient Olympics, there were no rounds - boxing was done when a fighter was knocked out cold (if the fight lasted too long, then they each took turn punching each other in the head until one collapsed).

6. Pankration: Ancient Greek Mixed Martial Arts

pankration-vase.jpg











In this Pankration scene, the pankriatiast on the right is trying to gouge his opponent's eye and the ref is about to beat the living tar out of him with a stick
(Photo: Jastrow [Wikimedia])

If you think that Ancient Greek boxing was violent, it's more like knitting when compared to pankration, the ancient form of mixed martial arts.

How violent was pankration? Let's just say that there were only two rules: no eye gouging and no biting (the referees carried sticks to beat those who violated the rules). Everything else - including choke holds, breaking fingers and neck - was legit. There was no weight division or time limits: the fight continued until a combatant surrendered, lost consciousness, or died.

In 564 BC, Arrhachion of Philgaleia was crowned the pankration victor ... even after he had died:


Arrhachion's opponent, having already a grip around his waist, thought to kill him and put an arm around his neck to choke off his breath. At the same time he slipped his legs through Arrhachion's groin and wound his feet inside Arrhachion's knees, pulling back until the sleep of death began to creep over Arrhachion's senses. But Arrhachion was not done yet, for as his opponent began to relax the pressure of his legs, Arrhachion kicked away his own right foot and fell heavily to the left, holding his opponent at the groin with his left knee still holding his opponent's foot firmly. So violent was the fall that the opponent's left ankle was wrenched from his socket. The man strangling Arrhachion ... signaled with his hand that he gave up. Thus Arrhachion became a three-time Olympic victor at the moment of his death. His corpse ... received the victory crown. (Source)

Lastly, just to prove that they're bad asses, the ancient Greeks then decided to start a pankration event for the paides or youth (boys aged 12 to 17) Olympic games!

7. The Olympic Games Weren't the Only One

Those Greeks sure did love their sports! The Ancient Olympic games were actually just a part of four sports festival called the Panhellenic Games:


- The Olympic Games, the most important and prestigious game of them all, was held in honor of Zeus every four years near Elis.
- Pythian Games was held every four years near Delphi in honor of Apollo
- Nemean Games was held every two years near Nemea, in honor of Zeus
- Isthmian Games was held every two years near Corinth, in honor of Poseidon

The games were arranged in such a way that there was one going on (almost) every year.

8. Heraea: Ancient Olympics for Women
heraea-spartan-girl.jpg

Married women were banned at the Ancient Olympics on the penalty of death. The laws dictated that any adult married woman caught entering the Olympic grounds would be hurled to her death from a cliff! Maidens, however, could watch (probably to encourage gettin' it on later).

But this didn't mean that the women were left out: they had their own games, which took place during Heraea, a festival worshipping the goddess Hera. The sport? Running - on a track that is 1/6th shorter than the length of a man's track on the account that a woman's stride is 1/6th shorter than that of a man's!

The female victors at the Heraea Games actually got better prizes: in addition to olive wreaths, they also got meat from an ox slaughtered for the patron deity on behalf of all participants!

Overall, young girls in Ancient Greece weren't encouraged to be athletes - with a notable exception of Spartan girls. The Spartans believed that athletic women would breed strong warriors, so they trained girls alongside boys in sports. In Sparta, girls also competed in the nude or wearing skimpy outfits, and boys were allowed to watch (to encourage gettin' it on later marriage and procreation). (Photo: Sikyon.com)

9. Ancient "Computer" Used to Set Olympics Date
antikythera-mechanism.jpg

In 1901, a Greek sponge diver discovered the wreck of an ancient cargo ship off the coast of the Antikythera island. One of the item recovered was an ancient mechanical computer that became known as the Antikythera mechanism. Scientists estimated that it was created in 150 to 100 BC

For over a hundred years, scientists debated the true purpose of the Antikythera mechanism and marveled at the intricacies of the device (mind you, the mechanical clock didn't appear in the West until about a thousand years later).

Recently, scientists believed that they've finally cracked the mystery:


Tony Freeth, a member of the Antikythera Mechanism Research Project, said he was "astonished" at the discovery.

"The Olympiad cycle was a very simple, four-year cycle and you don't need a sophisticated instrument like this to calculate it. It took us by huge surprise when we saw this.

"But the Games were of such cultural and social importance that it's not unnatural to have it in the Mechanism." (Source)

10. Christianity Killed the Ancient Olympics
theodosius.jpg

The Romans, who conquered Greece, viewed the Olympics as a pagan festival.

So, in AD 393, Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned the Ancient Olympics in part to institute Christianity as a state religion. The Olympics was no more ... until it was revived 1,500 years later in 1896.
 

Sandman

Challenge Accepted
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
1,668
Reaction score
1,327
Points
113
Age
28
Location
Melbourne
Members Ride
Too many
Its the commonwealth games not the Olympic games.

Its nice seeing so many aussies wining, especially with our efforts against the Kenyans, but it lack the higher level of competition without the US, Russia, China etc, especially in the swimming.
 

hotrod

Banned
Joined
Jul 21, 2013
Messages
1,152
Reaction score
7
Points
0
Location
victoria
Members Ride
commodore s2
Its the commonwealth games not the Olympic games.

Its nice seeing so many aussies wining, especially with our efforts against the Kenyans, but it lack the higher level of competition without the US, Russia, China etc, especially in the swimming.

yes I know , its all connected .

For the velodrome girls,
Is it because of sweet , I was thinking a thick pad for protection in a different colour.
 
Last edited:

hotrod

Banned
Joined
Jul 21, 2013
Messages
1,152
Reaction score
7
Points
0
Location
victoria
Members Ride
commodore s2
THE HISTORY OF COMMONWEALTH GAMES

The event was first held in 1930 under the title of the British Empire Games in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Between 1930 and 1950, they continued to be known as the British Empire Games. They were named the British Empire and Commonwealth Games between 1954 and 1966. In 1970 and 1974, they were the British Commonwealth Games, finally becoming the Commonwealth Games in 1978.

The Commonwealth Games were not held in 1942 and 1946 because of World War II.
 
Joined
Oct 15, 2013
Messages
411
Reaction score
14
Points
0
Age
42
Location
Melbourne
Members Ride
ya mum!
its all connected

Please enlighten us as to how the Commonwealth Games are even remotely related to the Olympic Games other than same or similar competitors competing in same of similar events. How are the two games connected?
 

PIR4TE

Banned
Joined
Mar 15, 2011
Messages
2,747
Reaction score
74
Points
0
Location
AWOL with Ari
Members Ride
Black Pearl
Please enlighten us as to how the Commonwealth Games are even remotely related to the Olympic Games other than same or similar competitors competing in same of similar events. How are the two games connected?

In summary the history of the British games predates the Olympics, got bastardised by the English, turned into a tourist attraction for the world expo, and the modern sports spectacle concept adopted by a French Baron to become a farcical homage to early Greeks:

(From Wikipedia):

The origin of human games and sports predates recorded history. An example of a bronze-age (1500 years before the Greek war in Marathon) British tribal / clan games that were held regularly in Scotland, a few miles south of the Scottish Highlands. From cropmarks in the policies of Fetteresso Castle, there is evidence of a ring-ditch sited at the north end of a cursus. A cursus is a prehistoric set of parallel linear structures of unknown purpose that were, somewhat fancifully, considered by antiquarians as used for some type of athletic competition, possibly related to hunting or archery.

In 1822 a cairn was discovered near Fetteresso Castle with some human remains inside. The burial site was clearly a Bronze Age construct by the size and shape of the chamber made of unhewn whinstone. Some legends tell that this is the grave of Malcolm I, who is recorded to have been slain at Fetteresso in 954 AD. It is reported in numerous Highland games programs, that King Malcolm III of Scotland, in the 11th century, summoned contestants to a foot race to the summit of Craig Choinnich (overlooking Braemar). King Malcolm created this foot race in order to find the fastest runner in the land to be his royal messenger. Some have seen this apocryphal event to be the origin of today's modern Highland games.

There is a document from 1703 summoning the clan of the Laird of Grant, Clan Grant. They were to arrive wearing Highland coats and "also with gun, sword, pistol and dirk". From this letter, it is believed that the competitions would have included feats of arms.

However, the modern Highland games are largely a Victorian invention, developed after the Highland Clearances:

1850 Dr William Penny Brookes initiated a local athletic competition that he referred to as "Meetings of the Olympian Class" at Much Wenlock, Shropshire, England.

1860s Liverpool Athletic Club, began holding their own Olympic Festival in the 1860s under the direction of Dr Brookes.

1866 Dr. Brookes did organize a national Olympic Games in London, at Crystal Palace, which was the first Olympics to resemble an Olympic Games to be held outside of Greece.

The Highland Games are claimed to have influenced Baron Pierre de Coubertin when he was planning the revival of the Olympic Games. De Coubertin saw a display of Highland games at the Paris Exhibition of 1889.

So in essence the first Olympic games of the modern era was founded in Britain, and Commonwealth Games was first proposed by John Astley Cooper in 1891, when he wrote an article in The Times suggesting a "Pan-Britannic-Pan-Anglican Contest and Festival every four years as a means of increasing goodwill and good understanding of the British Empire".

The John Astley Cooper Committees worldwide (e.g. Australia) helped Pierre de Coubertin to get his international Olympic Games off the ground fast. In 1911, the Festival of the Empire was held at The Crystal Palace in London to celebrate the coronation of King George V. As part of the festival, an Inter-Empire Championships was held in which teams from Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom competed in events such as boxing, wrestling, swimming, and athletics.

In 1928, Melville Marks Robinson of Canada was asked to organise the first British Empire Games; these were held in 1930, in Hamilton, Ontario,[1] and women competed in the swimming events only. From 1934, women also competed in some athletics events.
 
Joined
Oct 15, 2013
Messages
411
Reaction score
14
Points
0
Age
42
Location
Melbourne
Members Ride
ya mum!
So since Commonwealth Games started in 1930 (called the British Empire Games) tell me more about how they're connected to the Olympic Games.
 
Joined
Oct 15, 2013
Messages
411
Reaction score
14
Points
0
Age
42
Location
Melbourne
Members Ride
ya mum!
Let's just say it's steeped in history you will never understand mate!

Oh I understand perfectly. It's others that don't seem to.
 
Top