The Pentathlon - The Ancient Events Versus The Present Essay

The History of the pentathlon The history of the pentathlon stems from the complete physical training of the Greeks. The pentathlete was the product of training in five events, unlike those athletes who were trained in specialized areas. It began as an athletic competition to determine the best all-around athlete. The pentathlon was introduced into the Olympic Games around 708 B.C. Each pentathlete was superior in strength and activity, which was the ideal physical beauty. The ideal pentathlete should be tall, well built, long legs, flexible hips, and preferably with long hands and fingers. In the ancient pentathlon, not only were women excluded from participating in the events, but they were also not allowed to†¦show more content†¦The military adopted this sport as a part of final examinations at a number military academies. The afternoon of the second day was devoted to the pentathlon. All events were held in the Stadium, with the probable exception of wrestling. From late in the 6th century B.C., all contestants were naked and barefoot as they competed. The number of entrants was small and it was not uncommon for some to drop out while others were eliminated in contest. Victory was not calculated by points. If anyone was first in three events, he was proclaimed the winner. If this did not occur, the field was slowly reduced until the wrestling event, where the only competitors were those who had placed where in the earlier events and therefore had a chance to win. In the modern day Olympics, this pentathlon is open only to men. There are pentathlons open for women at the world level, but not in the Olympics. There are many other pentathlons besides this one, such as the track and field pentathlon. Ancient Events The Jumping Event The jump, or halma, was an event in the ancient pentathlon, that could be called a long jump. It was regarded as a very strenuous exercise and as the most typical event of the pentathlon. This event was derived from warfare practices, because the terrain in Greece was made of streams and ditches. The athletes used halteres, or jumping weights. The