The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-01-27
THE BIG OLYMPIC GAMES.
VIII Be Held at Athens for Ten Days,
Beginning April 70.
FIELD CONTESTS WILL INCLUDE
Foot Races, jumping, Throwing
Weights and QuOIt Jumping.

FOOL Races, jun ping, Throwing
Weights and QuOIt Jumping.
Barring the outbreak of a general war
In Europe, which would doubtless put an
end to the whole project. there will be a
high athletic time at Athens next April,
when the long talked of Olympian games
revival is to take place.
The games arc expected to begin on
April 90 and to be continued for ten days,
closing May g. dates corresponding to
April to Is in the old style, the former
date being the anniversary of Greek indie
pendence.
The field sport contests will include foot
races, jumping, throwing OF weights and
pitching of quoits. One of the long dis
tance foot races will be from Marathon to
Athens. In gymnastics there are to DO
both individual and collective fencing and
wrestling contests and assaults with the
saber and broadsword after the modern
fashion. There are to be yachting and
rowing contests in the Piraeus, swimming
and water polo contests in the same his
toric waters, and the modern sports of
which the ancient Greeks knew nothing
bicycling, lawn tennis, cricket and golf
are all to be included somewhere in the
ten days programme.
Football and pony polo are excluded and
as yet there has been no place reserved for
the great American game of baseball,
which seems to me a decided mistake If
the interest and support of Americans are
to be won for the new Olympics. The
United States promises to furnish large
contingent of athletes, and it is probable
that a fair share of tho honors and trophies
of victory will be brought back from Ath-
ems to this country. An honorary COM
1nittee, of which President Cleveland is
chairman, is promoting American interest
and arranging for American participation
in the affair." and among its members are
Of rG VaIa and
lunlbia colleges, Mr.. Joseph H.. Choate,
Mr.. William L. Sloane and many other
eminent citizens identified with college
and athletic interests. Tt is expected that
this committee will at early date issue
q more detailed announcement of the April
events at Athens, giving full information
of the prizes to be commended for and the
conditions upon which our am bilious ath-
letes may enter the lists.
The original Olympian games occupied
Ave days only, and the order of them was
leaping, running, throwing of weights,
boxing and wrestling. It is of course out
of the question to revive them in any real
sense, because they had a religious signih-
canoe which cannot be even mimicked.
Masons and carpenters are now busi1y
at work rebuilding the famous Stadium,
in Athens, and restoring at great cost the
main scenic surroundings of the ancient
festival, but Jupiter no longer has any
WOrSnlDSfS, anu Iu0 I1ySl1C i4tSS W HIS
great temple in the Altis, with its hugo
statue of Zeus, csnnot be recalled at next
Ap-il's fete. Yet those solemn ceremonies
were the heart and soul of the original
Olympic games.
The rebuilding of the Stadium, how
ever, will give the world a stately souvenir
of the world that was before the Christian
era began. Excavations made by the
present king of Greece in 1878 laid bare
the old amphitheater and arena. They
also disclosed the ruin of two high sup
porting walls at the entrance near the
ulissus river, and q vaulted subterranean
passageway leading from the closed end Of
the arena out beneath the hill. This tun-
mel is presumed to have served as an en-
trance and exit for the athletes and judges
of Pindars day. 1t is intended to use it
for the same purpose in the reconstructed
Stadium.
The immense open air amphitheater &C.
cupies the site of natural rGvine and is
artificially closed at one end. It's shape IS
that of an elongated horseshoe. Spectators
to the number of 20, 600 can be seated on
the sloping sides OF the ravine, looking
down into the arena below, which is lit
tie over 8, GOO feet long and at the widest
part 100 feet wide. The foundations of
this ancient structure were laid by Lycur-
gus, 800 B. G. The seats of the ancient
amphitheater were made of Pantellic mar
BILE, but those used next April will be of
wood. About 500, 600 is being spent on its
temporary restoration, and ultimately 1t
is intended to restore it permanently in all
its ancient marble glory.
The fact that prize fighting has been
eliminated from the modern revival is an
other evidence of the impossibiiity of
bringing back tho ancient contests with
anything approaching fidelity. The ancient
Greeks were the great original pugilists,
and their boxing contests were of very
deadly order.
The Greek cestus was the most terrible
boxing glove that ever was worn. 1t was
composed of rawhide thongs padded with
metal Practically it was boxing glove
with brass knuckles in it. Holes were cut
through for the fingers, and the thumb
overlapped the side When Pollux obtain
ed the boxing victory at the Pythian
games, he wore such gloves as these, filed
with lead and iron.
The highest achievement of an athlete
of old Olympia was to win the victory in
the final pancratium, which was combi-
nation of boxing and wrestling. The COM
petitors strove together in perfectly nude
state, having had their bodies previously
well salved with oil-and it was great
strife.
Probably the leading difficulty in the
: modern revival about to be attempted will
i be in preserving the purely honorary re-
wards of the ancient days. The Olympian
victors expected and received nothing
more for their feats of proves than crowns
of olive leaves placed their heads and
branches of palms ia their hands. 1 should
not wonder if a few hundred drachmae Cor
dollars) should be found necessary to lu-
bricate the coming revival.
The college athletes of the world are ex-
pected to furnish the most of the contest
\ ants, and they are not, of course, on the
game mercenary plane as the professional
men of muscle. Yet the training and trav-
I cling expenses necessary to make cred
liable showing at Athens next April will
4 be a considerable item to Meigh AGAINST