In London are thirtieth summer Olympic games. It should be noted that since its appearance in history of the Olympic games has never been solely a contest is fond of sports people. Tragedy and mangled fate, unfair refereeing and the machinations of various dealers, alas, have always enjoyed this sport holiday.

Olympic games was officially opened on July 27, but the first competitions took place two days before the opening ceremony, because of the large number of participants. The day before the outbreak of the first Olympic scandal. When on the pitch female teams in football Korea and Colombia, instead of the state of North Korean flag - cloth with a red star and blue stripes - flag was raised their neighbor to the South of the Republic of Korea. Organizers apologized, explaining the incident is not a political provocation, and the unfortunate misunderstanding.

The first known scandals in the ancient Olympic games were linked to the murders. According to ancient Greek myths, fist fight invented the son of Zeus, Golden-haired God Apollo. The Greeks believed that this kind of competition ancient struggle and equestrian arenas. On the Olympic rules of Ancient Greece, to strike blows with fists were only on the head. For unintentional blow to the body of a soldier waited retribution from the audience: whistle, ridicule and abuse in the address of neumega.

Division into weight categories did not exist. The outcome of the fight was quite clear when one fist fighters fell in the floor, pulling up your hand that thumb, if, of course, was not in the knockout. If both fighters were so exhausted that could no longer continue the fight, in this case, the judge at the Olympic games (hellanodic) appointed by the blow that had received the one who fell happy lot.

The first understanding, according to historians, fought with bare hands. In the classical era - V and IV centuries BC - fist fighters around the fingers and the palm of soft belt of bull leather. Like the predecessor of the modern Boxing gloves was called cesta, or in Latin - cestus - from the verb caedere, "beat, pounding, to strike". The Greeks fight these gloves - Gigantes - fought for the possession of a Laurel wreath to the winner at the Olympic games with 648 BC Such weapons not only prevented the fingers, but it increased the force of impact. Sometimes fighters of pankration was reinforced belts, metal plate, and then it happened that the enemy from the received blows died.

The ancient writer Pausanias informs: on the 72 Olympics (492 year) Cleomedes of Astypalea island in the Aegean sea, killed Ikki of Epidaurus. Deprived of the right to be the winner, unlucky winner of the Olympic games was crazy. Back in his hometown, he knocked over the convoy, which held the roof of the house, where he was responsible for 60 boys. The name of this athlete still made in speakopinion.com 492 year.

People very quickly manages to turn any great idea first to own a caricature and then to pervert the noble idea. This refers not only to the modern Olympic movement, Coubertin revived and transformed into a triumph of the money bags and advertising, but also the pioneers of games.

By the fourth century, athletes from fans passed in the category of professionals. Some learned how to build up muscle strength. Other like sumo wrestlers, increased weight, turning into fat heavyweights. The poet Euripides testifies: "Athlete - slave of his mouth, and his stomach". His younger contemporary Democritus, philosopher from Abder, the degeneration of the art of Boxing said: "Bodily strength - the dignity of one pack animals, human dignity is the power of thoughts". The Greeks wanted spectacle, and they got it!

Horde professional fist fighters drove the big guys-villagers and warriors-craftsmen. "Legionnaires" brought into the arena blood, violence, and, of course, greed. Probably spectacular was the fight during which African got hit with such force that lost all of the front teeth. The soldier gulped them, and his bewildered opponent immediately missed a second blow, which fell to the ground.

Ancient athletes did not then caught in doping, but bribery existed in the early days of Gaming. Knuckle fighter from Thessaly named Aval first, was accused of bribing rivals at the Olympic games. After pessaries received the coveted olive wreath, it turned out that he gave money to three of his opponents.

Name Mpala came to us because it is not crossed out from the list olimpionikiv 98 th Olympic games (388 year). The truth of the home, it follows that this athlete has secured the victory for the bribe, and paid the penalty allowed to establish in the Altis six statues of the Olympian Zeus. On the pedestals of repentance statues knocked edifying message: "Victory brings the power and mind, and not bribery". Unfortunately, this is not the only case that is survived extant information. And how many cases has remained a mystery even for contemporaries?

And again, remember the day when millions of TV viewers clung to the screens to watch the opening ceremony of the Olympic games... I Saw a flock of girls in clothes pseudantechinus cut, which took part in the ignition of the fire in Olympia? Now, this is not an ancient mystical rituals, which have reached us from the depth of centuries. For the first time such a ritual with delivery of the torch from Olympia was carried out by the Nazis in 1936, during the famous Olympic games in Berlin, shot on film genius Leni Riefenstahl. Of course, farewell to departing in heaven Bear - also find Soviet Directors. What we are surprised at the closing of these games?