Who won the very first Olympic Games?

Koroibos of Elis, a cook, won the stadion sprint in 776 BC. His is the earliest Olympic victory recorded by name, which is why 776 BC is treated as the start of the Games.

Why did ancient winners get olive leaves instead of medals?

The wreath was cut from a wild olive tree growing beside the temple of Zeus at Olympia, so the prize was sacred honour rather than treasure. Medals belong to the modern Games, which began in 1896.

Could girls and women compete in the ancient Olympics?

No — only free Greek men could enter, and married women were barred even from watching. Women had their own festival at Olympia, the Heraia, with foot races for unmarried girls in honour of the goddess Hera.

What were the five events of the pentathlon?

Running, long jump, discus, javelin and wrestling. The long jump was done while holding stone or lead weights called halteres, which the athlete swung to gain distance.

How often were the ancient Games held, and how long did they last?

Every four years — the Greeks called that four-year gap an Olympiad and used it to count dates. The Games ran from 776 BC until around AD 393, roughly 1,200 years, then stopped for about 1,500 years before the modern revival.

The First Olympic Athletes

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The first Olympic athletes were free Greek men who competed at Olympia, a sanctuary of Zeus in southern Greece, from 776 BC — the earliest Games for which a winner's name survives. That champion, Koroibos of Elis, was a cook. The rest were much the same: bakers, farmers, soldiers and shepherds who trained between Games and travelled in from cities across the Greek world, protected on the road by a sacred truce.

For roughly the first 50 years there was only one event, the stadion — a sprint of about 192 metres along the length of the track. Events were then added a few at a time: the two-length diaulos, the long-distance dolichos, wrestling, boxing, chariot racing, and the five-part pentathlon.

There were no gold, silver or bronze medals. The winner received a kotinos, a crown of wild olive leaves cut from a sacred tree beside the temple of Zeus, though his home city often rewarded him far more richly. The ancient Games ran for about 1,200 years before dying out, and were revived in Athens in 1896.

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Welcome to Olympia

🏛️ The Very First Olympic Athletes Long, long ago — about 2,800 years before today — people in ancient Greece held the first Olympic Games in a place called Olympia. In this lesson you will meet the first Olympic athletes — who they were, what they did, and what they won. There are games to play along the way. Ready? Let's go! 🏃 Tip: tap the pictures and buttons — most of them do something!
One race, one winner

🏁 The very first event was ONE short race At the first Games in 776 BC, there was only one event: a running race called the stadion. It was about 192 metres — roughly the length of two football fields end to end. 776 BCfirst Games we know of 192 mlength of the stadion race 1winner only — no 2nd or 3rd! Start the very first race 🏃‍♂️ Tap “Go!” to run the stadion. Then guess: who crossed the line first? FINISH A B C Go! 🏁 Who won the stadion? Runner A Runner B Runner C 📜 Did you know? The winner of that very first race was a cook named Coroebus of Elis. He is the first Olympic champion whose nam
Who could compete?

🧑‍🌾 Who were these first athletes? They were not famous sports stars. They were ordinary Greek people — bakers, soldiers, shepherds, farmers, cooks — who trained hard in their own home towns. Tap each person to find out if they could join In ancient Olympia the rules were strict. Tap a face to see the rule for that person. Greek cook Greek soldier Greek woman Non-Greek 👆 Tap a face above to reveal the ancient rule. Revealed: 0 of 4 📜 Athletes had to promise in front of a statue of Zeus that they had trained for ten months and would not cheat. Cheaters had to pay for a statue with their name on
Events grow

📈 More events, one by one For the first 50 years there was only the stadion race. Then, slowly, the Greeks added more events — about one new event every few Games. Tap the button to grow the Games Watch how the Olympics changed from one race into a whole festival. 🏃776 BC — the stadion: one short sprint, one winner. 🏃‍♀️724 BC — the diaulos: run to the end and back again (double distance). 🥇720 BC — the dolichos: a long-distance race, about 20 lengths of the track. 🤼708 BC — wrestling and the pentathlon: five events in one! 🐴680 BC — chariot racing: four horses pulling a small cart around the
Build the pentathlon

🖐️ Build a pentathlon champion The pentathlon athlete was seen as the all-round best. Can you pack the five real pentathlon events into the athlete's kit bag? Tap an event to pick it up, then tap the kit bag to drop it in. (You can also drag on a computer.) Careful — two of these were not in the ancient pentathlon! 🏃 Running 🏊 Swimming 🤸 Long jump 🥏 Discus 🚲 Cycling 🎯 Javelin 🤼 Wrestling 👜 Kit bag — drop the 5 pentathlon events here
The prize

🌿 The prize was… leaves! There were no gold, silver or bronze medals at the ancient Olympics. The winner received a crown of wild olive leaves, cut from a sacred tree at Olympia with a golden knife. the olive crown (kotinos) Leaves sound like a small prize — but the honour was huge. Back home, a champion might get: free meals for life 🍲 a statue of himself 🗿 a poem written about him 📜 a hole knocked in the city wall so he could ride in like a hero 🏘️ Ancient or modern? Sort the prizes Tap the prizes that an ancient Olympic champion would have received. 🌿 Olive leaf crown 🥇 Gold medal 🗿 A statu
Famous first athletes

⭐ Three athletes people still talk about Ancient Greek writers wrote down the names of champions. Here are three of the most famous — tap a card to hear their story. 🍳 Coroebus 💪 Milo of Croton 👩 Kyniska 👆 Tap a name to read the story. OLYMPIA 🎉 🎉
Then and now

🔄 Then and now — spot the difference The Olympics stopped for about 1,500 years, then began again in 1896 in Athens. Some things changed a lot; one big idea stayed the same. Read each statement and tap Ancient or Modern. You can try again if you like. Loading… 🏛️ Ancient 🏟️ Modern 📜 Stayed the same: athletes from many places meet in peace, do their very best, and the world watches. 🌏
You did it!

🏆 Well done, young historian! You now know the story of the first Olympic athletes. Here is everything you learned: 776 BC, Olympia — the first Games we have a record of. There was just one event: the stadion, a 192 m sprint. The first champion was Coroebus, a cook from Elis. Athletes were ordinary Greek men and boys — cooks, soldiers, farmers — who trained for ten months and promised not to cheat. More events were added over time: longer races, wrestling, the pentathlon (5 events), and chariot racing. The prize was an olive leaf crown — plus huge honour back home. Kyniska of Sparta was the fi

Frequently asked questions

Who won the very first Olympic Games?: Koroibos of Elis, a cook, won the stadion sprint in 776 BC. His is the earliest Olympic victory recorded by name, which is why 776 BC is treated as the start of the Games.
Why did ancient winners get olive leaves instead of medals?: The wreath was cut from a wild olive tree growing beside the temple of Zeus at Olympia, so the prize was sacred honour rather than treasure. Medals belong to the modern Games, which began in 1896.
Could girls and women compete in the ancient Olympics?: No — only free Greek men could enter, and married women were barred even from watching. Women had their own festival at Olympia, the Heraia, with foot races for unmarried girls in honour of the goddess Hera.
What were the five events of the pentathlon?: Running, long jump, discus, javelin and wrestling. The long jump was done while holding stone or lead weights called halteres, which the athlete swung to gain distance.
How often were the ancient Games held, and how long did they last?: Every four years — the Greeks called that four-year gap an Olympiad and used it to count dates. The Games ran from 776 BC until around AD 393, roughly 1,200 years, then stopped for about 1,500 years before the modern revival.

The First Olympic Athletes

What this Spark covers

Frequently asked questions

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