The Stadium at Olympia (also called the Olympia Stadium or the Olympia Stadion) is an ancient stadium at the archaeological site of
Olympia, Greece
Olympia ( ; ), officially Archaia Olympia ( ), is a small town in Elis (regional unit), Elis on the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece, famous for the nearby archaeological site of the same name. The site was a major Panhellenic sanctuary, Panhell ...
, located to the east of the
sanctuary of Zeus. It was the location of many of the sporting events at the
Ancient Olympic Games
The ancient Olympic Games (, ''ta Olympia''.), or the ancient Olympics, were a series of Athletics (sport), athletic competitions among representatives of polis, city-states and one of the Panhellenic Games of ancient Greece. They were held at ...
.
History
During the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece.
The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...
, it hosted the
shot put events.
Features
The physical landmarks of the stadium are long and wide, and it served mainly for running races that determined the fastest person in the world. The track was made of hard-packed clay to serve as traction for the contestants in the running events.
As in current day athletics, a white block was placed on one end of the track where the athletes would line up to place their feet and got ready to start of the race.
The white block was used to align all the athletes so they would all run the same distance.
[
]
Gallery
File:Stadium at Olympia 2013.JPG, Stadium at Olympia
Image:Toegang stadion.JPG, The vaulted tunnel leading into the stadium
File:Start-finish line.jpg, Starting blocks inside the stadium
Image:Judges' stand in side the Olympic Stadium.jpg, The judges' stand located on the south bank of the stadium
See also
* Stadium of Delphi
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stadium at Olympia
Ancient Greek buildings and structures
Ancient Olympia
Olympic athletics venues
Sports venues in Greece
Stadiums
Venues of the 2004 Summer Olympics