The ancient Olympics were rather different from the modern Games. There were fewer events， and only free men who spoke Greek could compete①， instead of athletes from any country. Also， the games were always held at Olympia instead of moving around to different sites every time.
The following are some kinds of sports.
Boxing
Ancient boxing had fewer rules than the modern sport. Boxers fought without rounds② until one man was knocked out， or admitted he had been beaten. Unlike the modern sport， there was no rule against hitting an opponent when he was down.
There were no weight classes within the men’s and boys’ divisions； opponents for a match were chosen randomly.
Instead of gloves， ancient boxers wrapped leather thongs③ around their hands and wrists which left their fingers free.
Riding
The course was 6 laps around the track (4.5 miles)， and there were separate races for full-grown horses and foals. Jockeys rode without stirrups④.
Only wealthy people could afford to pay for the training， equipment， and feed of both the driver and the horses. As a result， the owner received the olive wreath of victory instead of the driver or jockey.
Pentathlon
This was a 5-event combination of discus， javelin， jumping， running and wrestling.
Aristotle describes a young man’s ultimate physical beauty： “a body capable of enduring all efforts， either of the racecourse or of bodily strength...”This is why the athletes in the pentathlon are most beautiful.
Discus
The ancient Greeks considered the rhythm and precision of an athlete throwing the discus as important as his strength.
The discus was made of stone， iron， bronze， or lead， and was shaped like a flying saucer⑤. Sizes varied， since the boys’ division was not expected to throw the same weight as the men’s.
① competev. 竞争，对抗，比赛
② roundn. 【体】比赛轮次
③ thongn. 皮带，皮条
④ stirrupn. 马镫
⑤ saucern. 浅碟形物
古代奥运会项目
古代奥运会与现代奥运大不相同。项目少，非希腊运动员不得参加，只有说希腊语的自由人方可参加。而且运动会总是在奥林匹亚市举行，而不是每次都换不同地方。
以下是部分体育项目介绍。
拳击
古代拳击赛的规则比现代要少。拳击运动员不分轮次地进行打斗，直到一方主动认输或被击倒为止。不像现代拳击运动一样，古代运动员可以在对手倒下后继续发起攻击。
在成年男子组和少年组当中不分什么重量级轻量级，比赛的参加人随便选出。
古代运动员不戴拳击套，而用软牛皮裹住手和手腕，露出手指。
骑马
这个项目的长度是绕跑道6圈（4.5英里），成年马与驹马参加不同的比赛。职业骑师不需要马镫。
只有富人才能供得起训练、设备和马与骑师的费用。因此，只是主人才获得获胜的橄榄花环，而骑师得不到。
五项竞技
这曾是一个集铁饼、标枪、跳、跑和摔跤五项运动为一体的项目。
亚里士多德把经过比赛后的男子体态的优美描写成：“一个能忍受各种考验的身躯，无论是比距离的比赛还是比体力的比赛……”这就是为什么参加五项竞技的运动员是最优秀的原因。
掷铁饼
古希腊人把运动员投掷铁饼的节奏和准确度和他的力量视为同等重要。
铁饼通常由石头、铁、青铜或铅制成，形状如同一个飞起来的碟子。大小不一样，因为少年组的运动员不可能投与成年男子组一样重的铁饼。