The first ever sports commentator was Homer. In Book XXIII of the Iliad, the ancient Greek poet gave a detailed description of the funerary games that Achilles organizes, finances and referees, in honor of his late companion Patroclus. As an interlude in the Trojan War, these competitions pitted the Achaean warrior elite against each other, in events such as chariot racing, boxing, wrestling and running.

It's hardly surprising to find such an account in an epic composed in the 8th century BC, for around this time the Greeks formalized what we now call a "sporting competition," with the birth of the oldest games, those of Olympia. "The canonical date of these first Olympic Games is 776 BC, but this is probably incorrect," noted Jean-Manuel Roubineau, an ancient history lecturer at Rennes-II University. "Archaeologically speaking, there was nothing at Olympia at the beginning of the 8th century BC."

After the Olympian competitions came the Pythian (Delphi), Isthmian (Corinthian isthmus) and Nemean (Argos and Nemea) Games. This quartet, organized since the first quarter of the 6th century BC, formed the Panhellenic Games. Why this proliferation? Roubineau had a theory: "Sport arose in a context where democratic political regimes were emerging, and we can see it as a transposition of this phenomenon to the domain of the body." Sports were a field in which any citizen could peacefully compete with others.

It was also a continuation of the confrontations between cities by other means. "The culture of contests in the Greek world goes back a long way," added the historian. "The idea of competition infused the whole of Greek culture, even in unexpected fields: There were competitions in medicine, sculpture, theater and even wool carding!"

'You only win with the gods' blessing'

Alexandre Farnoux, a professor of Greek archaeology and art history at the Sorbonne University, explained that competition as the Greeks conceived it "has nothing to do with what we commonly imagine." "They've been so trapped in stereotypes that a real rehabilitation effort is needed, using texts, images and archaeological remains, to understand the difference between their practices and ours," he explained, adding: "For the Greeks, competition didn't take place outside a religious framework."

Therefore, Zeus was celebrated at Olympia, as was Apollo at Delphi, and Poseidon at Corinth. "They paid homage to the god by competing, just as they paid homage to him through sacrifices," continued Farnoux. "This religious framework conditioned everything: You only win with the gods' blessing, and to cheat was to go against their will." When Ulysses wins the race in the Iliad, it's thanks to Athena, who made Ajax the Lesser stumble. In this context, only the gods' chosen winner was honored.

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