Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1908-07-09
OLYMPIC GAMES
open MONDAY
AMERICANS WILL BE PR0MI-
NENT IN ALL FIELD EVENTS
KING EDWARD WILL BE
PRESENT.

LONDON, July 9.-Announce-
ment that King Edward will be
present in person at the Inaugural
ton of the Olympic games next
Monday has served to increase pub
lie interest in the athletic contests
Of worldwide scope that VIII take
place during the next few weeks In
the great stadium erected for the
purpose at Shepherds Bush.
For more than year England
has been preparing for these COM
petitions AS result Of the excel
lent work done by the committees
there are now gathering in London
many OF the foremost athletes Of
Europe. together with representa-
tive delegations from Canada. the
United States, Australia and other
parts Of the world. Trained to the
hour. these many marvels of speed.
skill and endurance will during the
next few weeks engage in contests
for supremacy in the same manner
as did the Greeks many years ago.
The Olympic games take their
name from Olympia. which in an
cient geography was a valley in
Ellis. Peloponnesus, Greece. cele-
brated as the sanctuary OF Zeus
CJupiter). The Olympic games, the
most important of the great public
games Of classical antiquity and
the greatest Of the four Panhellen-
ic festivities Of the ancient Greeks,
were celebrated at intervals OF four
years. in honor Of Zeus. in sacred
Enclosure called the Altis, in the
plain Of Olympia. containing many
temples and other religious, civic
and gymnastic structures. besides
very many votive works of art. The
festival began with sacrifices, fol-
lowed by contests and racing, wrest-
ling, ETC., and closed the fifth day
with professions sacrifices and ban
quets to the victors, who ware
crowned with garlands of wild
olive and on their return home we're
received with extraordinary demons
STATIONS and were accorded. numer-
Gus honors and distinctions. II. 49,
The actual founding OF the games
is anterior to history, but Iphitua
king Of Els. with Lycurgus, the
great legislator Of Sparta, reorgan-
lied the games at the bidding OF the
oracle of Delphie In the ninth CEN
fury. B. G. Tho regular chronicle
of Olympian victors begins IT'S B.
lC. :.
The original and most important
event In the games was the foot
race In the stadium. At first the
runners went only once around the
course. but later they made two and
! even three circuits. In the period
after the Persian wars the Olympic
games attained their; zenith. In the
Roman period champions from all
parts Of the world came to Olympia
to take part in the games, and the
I professional element made its ap.
pearance. The Greeks themselves
took less interest in It. and the
games slowly deteriorated.
| The Olympic games were abol-
ished by the Roman emperor. The
odoius the Great, in 1914 A. D., and
were renewed in Athens in 1895,
after an interval of more than l.
| 500 years. They were held in the
Panathenian stadium, the old sta
| dunn OF Herodus Atticus. The
| games Of 1896 were not as largely
attended as were expected. many OF
the best athletes not being attract
ed on the first occasion. They were
held on April 6. the Greek nation
a, fete day, and on the five conse-
cutive days. The jumping and
running races were for the most
1 part won by American competitors
The Germans won the gymnastics
the Greeks the shooting, the swim
ming by Hungary. Great interest
was taken in the Marathon race
from Marathon to Athens. dis.
lance OF about "a miles. A Greel
peasant by the name of Loues wor
the race IN 2 hours. So minutes ani
| so seconds. After the games King
George crowned the victors will
olive branches. The success of tn.
games in 1896 assured their contin
uance, and at Paris in 1900 ant
again at Athens in 1904 the partici
patton nv different countries wa!
extremely large.
The games to begin here neg
week. however. will break all rec
ords in the number and representa-
tive character Of the entries. TIL
United Kingdom. naturally. leads II
the number of prospective contest
ants France, Germany. Belgium
4 Greece and other continental coun
tries have sent some Of their hes
athletes. and both the United State
and Canada will be we'll represent
J ed IN all the PRINCIPAL events. Tn
main attraction for Americans will
he the track and field sports, 70
!, here the Yankees will .hav. tn
81 xok /.