The Nemean Games, like the Olympic Games, take place every four years but, unlike the Olympics, anyone can apply to take part and run in the original stadium.
Everyone knows the Olympic Games, but there were several other regular sporting events held by the ancient Greeks, including the Nemean Games. Like the Olympics, these too live on, although without the worldwide fame of the Olympics. However, unlike the Olympics, anyone can apply to join in the Nemean Games.
Nemea is in the northeast Peloponnese, between Corinth and Nafplion. Here the original Nemean Games took place, and here they are re-created every four years. Sadly due to COVID-19 the 2020 games were postponed until 2021.
The Nemean Games usually take place in June and, like the Olympics, were held in honour of Zeus, and have been dated back to the 6th century BC. They have not, though, adopted the ancient Olympic practice of requiring contestants to run naked. If you get to participate you'll do so wearing a conventional ancient Greek outfit of chiton, or tunic, and zoni, or belt, as will the judges and other officials.
The games were revived in 1994 by archaeologists and volunteers from the University of Berkeley, California, who were working on the Temple of Zeus at the site of ancient Nemea. They became interested in the games that were held there, and inevitably someone wondered if they might be revived, like the Olympics but on a much smaller and more local scale.
About 10,000 people turn up for the two-day event, and hundreds participate in the races, which are divided according to sex and age, with 12 runners in each race. The races are all over a standard length of 100 metres (109.361 yards). The original Olympic Games only had one running event, which was to run the length of the stadium, but gradually other events were introduced. The Nemean Games stick to the original notion of just one standard-length race for all.
Athletes assemble in the locker room, or apodyterion, which has only partly survived, so a tent of the same size is erected over the top to complete the building. A judge, dressed in black, enters to collect each group of runners and, as in the old days, he will be carrying an olive branch. This is not a symbol of peace but will be used to beat anyone who breaks the rules or disobeys his orders.
Contestants then run in the same stadium and on the same track that was used more than 2,500 years ago. At the original games the winners were awarded a wreath made from wild celery leaves from Argos, but today's winners receive a palm branch, a ribbon, a pin, a T-shirt, and a place at the victors' dinner.
To join in the games you must register your interest two months before the event on the official website: https://nemeangames.org/
An ancient gold ring dating back to Mycenaean times was recently returned to Greece by Sweden’s Nobel Foundation, according to an announcement of the Greek Culture Ministry. The Mycenaean signet ring…
Kastellorizo, one of Greece’s smallest islands located in the Dodecanese, is getting ready to host the 1st Rock Solid island trail race, scheduled to take place during June 11-12.
Greece is among the six winners of the 2022 edition of the Natura 2000 Awards, an event that recognises conservation success stories across the EU and raises awareness on the Natura 2000 protected are…
The Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) has handed over under a concession deal a 1934 silo on the port of Piraeus and the surrounding space to the Greek Culture Ministry so that it may be converted into a M…
Peel Me a Lotus by Charmian Clift is a Hydra travel writing classic, describing her family’s life on this tiny Greek island near Athens in the 1950s.
The churches of Thessaloniki are remarkable and include UNESCO World Heritage Monuments, Byzantine masterpieces, and a church dating from the 5th century.
Greece’s beaches are among the world’s cleanest with the region of Halkidiki and the island of Rhodes in the lead this year, according to the 2022 Blue Flag quality award list for beaches, marinas and…
The Municipality of Lipsi is saying “no” to sunbeds on the island’s beaches and is encouraging travelers to enjoy eco-conscious summer holidays this year in order to live authentic experiences. “We ar…
The Municipality of Ioannina, the capital of the Region of Epirus, northwestern Greece, has launched action to associate the city’s gastronomy with the destination’s brand-name and identity. “Adding t…
The Athens Municipality recently completed the first phase of a 4.2-million-euro refurbishment project aiming to upgrade the National Garden, one of the Greek capital’s landmark sites. The refurbished…