The Ancient Olympic Games were a revered sporting event in ancient Greece, held in Olympia every four years from 776 BC to 393 AD. This sacred festival was dedicated to Zeus, attracting athletes from various city-states who competed in sports like running, wrestling, boxing, chariot racing, and pentathlon. It was more than just a sporting event; it had religious, cultural, and political significance. The games fostered camaraderie and peace among the Greek city-states during the truce called "Ekecheiria." Athletes, all men and Greek citizens, trained rigorously for years, striving for glory and honor. Victors were celebrated as heroes, receiving olive wreaths and eternal fame. The Olympics also saw a cessation of conflicts, allowing safe travel for participants and spectators. The site featured impressive structures like the Temple of Zeus and the Statue of Zeus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Women were not allowed to compete and were barred from watching the games, with severe penalties for violators. The Ancient Olympics symbolized Greek unity and athletic excellence, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to inspire modern Olympic ideals of fair competition, sportsmanship, and global unity.

1. ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES
1. Historical Background:
❖
The Sports is a Greek Invention. In Greek the citizens were used to find out time for sports.
This value means of developing hunting skills, preparing of war, which they thought as a
practice of pleasing the angry gods.
❖
The evidence of sports in Greek date back to Bronze Age which represents the “Ancient
Minoan Civilization of Crete (3000 B.C-1200 B.C)”. In this age public display or
entertainment were given main importance and the events were Tumbling, Bull Vaulting,
Boxing, Wrestling, Archery and Distance Running.
❖
At that time many cities of Greek started organizing major athletic festivals at Olympia, in the
honour of God Zeus. The First Olympic Games was held in 776 B.C.
❖
Some historians trace the games back much further on the names of the legends by linking
the festivals to Phaeacian Games organized by Odysseus and an elaborate funeral
celebration used to organized for the mythical hero Pelops.
❖
In ancient Olympic game Athletes used to participate and performed naked. This nudity was
a reorganization of their heart and humidity of the Greek mountain valleys.
❖
The Olympic Games was a male dominated game but, the festival name “BERA” provide a
separate chance to Greek women for participation.
❖
The winner of first Olympic s in 776 B.C was Coroebus. Milo the army commander in chief
has won at least 6 Olympiads and 26 other lesser crowns.
❖
The Ancient Olympic Games used to be organized once in four years. The 293 Olympiads
Games were terminated by Theodosius the great in 394 A.D. The Roman Emperors strong
banned the Greek festivals and the Olympiads Games.

2. Pictorial Illustration of Ancient Olympic Games
THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT
❖
The Olympic Games, which originated in ancient Greece as many as 3,000 years ago, were
revived in the late 19th century and have become the world’s preeminent sporting
competition.
❖
From the 8th century B.C. to the 4th century A.D., the Games were held every four years in
Olympia, located in the western Peloponnese peninsula, in honor of the god Zeus.
❖ The Olympic Games were held to be one of the two central rituals in ancient Greece, the
other being the much older religious festival, the Eleusinian mysteries.
❖ To the Greeks, it was important to root the Olympic Games in mythology. During the time
of the ancient games their origins were attributed to the gods, and competing legends
persisted as to who actually was responsible for the genesis of the games.
❖ The ancient Olympic Games were originally a festival or celebration of and for Zeus; later,
events such as a footrace, a javelin contest, and wrestling matches were added. The
Olympic Games were a series of athletic competitions among representatives of city-states
and one of the Panhellenic Games of ancient Greece. They were held in honor of Zeus, and
the Greeks gave them a mythological origin. The first Olympics is traditionally dated to 776
BC.
❖ They continued to be celebrated when Greece came under Roman rule, until the emperor
Theodosius I suppressed them in AD 393 as part of the campaign to impose Christianity as
the State religion of Rome. The games were held every four years.
❖ During the celebration of the games, an Olympic Truce was enacted so that athletes
could travel from their cities to the games in safety. The prizes for the victors were olive leaf
wreaths or crowns. The games became a political tool used by city-states to assert
dominance over their rivals. Politicians would announce political alliances at the games, and
in times of war, priests would offer sacrifices to the gods for victory.
❖ The games were also used to help spread Hellenistic culture throughout the
Mediterranean. The Olympics also featured religious celebrations. The statue of Zeus at
Olympia was counted as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Sculptors and poets
would congregate each Olympiad to display their works of art to would-be patrons.
❖ The ancient Olympics had fewer events than the modern games, and only freeborn Greek
men were allowed to participate, although there were victorious women chariot owners.
❖

3. The first modern Olympics took place in 1896 in Athens, and featured 280 participants from
13 nations, competing in 43 events.
❖
Since 1994, the summer and Winter Olympic Games have been held separately and have
alternated every two years.
❖
The first recorded evidence of the ancient Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 B.C.
The ancient games were dedicated to the Olympian gods and were held on the plains of
Olympia in the western part of the Peloponnese.
❖
Initially, the games had only one event: the “stadion” foot-race. Coroebus of Elis, a Greek
cook, was the first recorded winner of the contest in 776 B.C., according to historical
records.
❖
The ancient games were closely linked to the religious festivals of the cult (devotion directed
towards a particular figure or object) of Zeus, and Olympia became a central site for the
worship of the king of the Olympian gods. The games continued for nearly 12 centuries until
Roman emperor Theodosius banned them in 393 A.D.
2. Significance of Ancient Olympic Games:
❖
The games were held on the honour of God Zeus, the games were the greatest religious
festival in the life of the Greeks.
❖
Messengers were sent sufficiently in advance to every part of the world to announce the
forth coming Olympic Festival. The festival was organized in the month of Olympic Games
and this month was considered as a sacred month.
❖
In festival month any war or dispute taking place among the Greek city states should be
stopped at once and a truce was declared.
❖
All competitors or visitors travelling to and from Olympic, they are allowed to move freely
without fear. If someone harmed then it was considered to be the act of sacrilege to religious
festival.

4. ❖
The Ancient Greek Olympic Festival held on the principle of peace and good will among the
ancient Greeks.
3. Rules of Eligibility for Competition:
❖
The participants should be free born Greeks.
❖
The amateurs were allowed to participate.
❖
The competition must have at least 10 month of training prior to their participation in the
Olympics, the last and final month being spent at Olympic under the control of the official
judges of the games (The Hellanodikai).
4. Conduct of the games:
❖
Assembly: Before commencement of the games the competitors, their trainees, coaches,
their fathers, their brothers and the judges assembled in the council house in front of the
statue of Zeus Horkios (God of Oaths).
❖
Sacrifice: A pig was sacrificed to god.
❖
Oath: The competitors took an oath that they would not resort to any unfair means to secure
victory. Also they took oath they had 10 months of prior training as per Olympic rules and
regulations. It was followed by the Olympic judges who swore that they would be honest and
fair in their decisions.
❖
March Past: The march past took place in which the trumpeter, officials and competitors
participated. At the time of March past, as the competitors passed by the herald announced
to the spectators the name of each competitor, his father’s name and his city and asked
whether anyone had any charge to make against him. The silence on the part of the
spectators was considered as “No Objection” for the concerned competitors.
❖

5. Opening Ceremony: The herald announced the opening of the games. The chief judge or
some distinguished person addressed the participants. Afterwards the events were
conducted. The sacred fire was kept burning without stopping in front of the Alter of Zeus.
❖
Events: Originally foot race was the only items in Ancient Olympics and it was conducted in
a single day. Later on other events such as foot races, chariot race, horse race, pentathlon
(Running, Long Jump, Discuss Throw, Javelin Throw and Wrestling), boxing, Wrestling, etc
were added later.
✓
First day was devoted to religious scarifies and oath taking ceremonies. No event of the
competition was held.
✓
On the second day there was March past, introduction of competitors to spectators and the
opening of the games. This was followed by some events such as chariot race, horse race
and pentathlon.
✓
Third day morning time was devoted to official scarifies of 100 oxen at the altar of Zeus. In
the after moon foot race, wrestling and boxing were conducted.
✓
On the fourth day was reserved mainly for the competition for main athletic events for men,
such as three foot race and dual combats (wrestling and boxing). The race in armour was
conducted at the end of the day’s programme.
✓
The fifth and last day was devoted for celebration through feasting and enjoyment.
5. Awards:
❖
The winner of the Olympic was highly honoured. It is believed that till the 7th Olympiad, the
Olympic winner was given tripods and other valuable objects as prizes.
❖
Later on wreath made out of leaves plucked by scared olive tree in the temple Zeus was the
only rewards given to him by the judge at the Olympic Stadium. The poets immortalized his
name in the poems and sculptors craved figures in stones.
❖

6. The concern name of the Olympiads was name after the name of the winner of the 200
yards race which was known as stade race.
❖
Then the winner were escorted home by their fellow mates with triumph and loaded with
honour, with varieties of gifts and with special rights.
❖
They were even considered demi gods. To be crowned a victory in the Olympics was the
highest honour according to every Greek citizen.
6. Decline and Termination of Olympic Games:
❖
The Olympic Games continued for seven centuries. When Greek came under Romans
dominance it was found that the game lost their original sacrifice, professionalism, corruption
and foul play sets.
❖
The Roman Emperor Theodosius- I passed a rule and terminated the games in the year 394
A.D. In the past history of Ancient Olympic which lasted for 12 centuries, in which 293
Olympic Games were conducted
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DECLINE AND REVIVAL OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES:
❖
After the Roman Empire conquered Greece in the mid-2nd century B.C., the Games
continued, but their standards and quality declined. In one notorious example from A.D. 67,
the decadent Emperor Nero entered an Olympic chariot race, only to disgrace himself by
declaring himself the winner even after he fell off his chariot during the event. In A.D. 393,
Emperor Theodosius I, a Christian, called for a ban on all “pagan” festivals, ending the
ancient Olympic tradition after nearly 12 centuries.
❖
It would be another 1,500 years before the Games would rise again, largely thanks to the
efforts of Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937) of France. Dedicated to the promotion of
physical education, the young baron became inspired by the idea of creating a modern
Olympic Games after visiting the ancient Olympic site. In November 1892, at a meeting of
the Union of Athletics Sports of Paris, Coubertin proposed the idea of reviving the Olympics
as an international athletic competition held every four years. Two years later, he got the

7. approval he needed to found the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which would
become the governing body of the modern Olympic Games.
MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES
1. The Revival and Revived Modern Olympic Games:
❖
After the decline of Olympic Games in ancient period, some of the Greek villages had
continued to hold the essence of Olympic Game. In historical records it is evidenced that two
Olympic Games were organized by Greeks and Evangelos Zappas (a Greek living in
Romania) in 1859 and 1870, but they were unsuccessful in their mission.
❖
Before the death of Zappas, Zappas donated lot of money to re-establish the Olympic
Games in Greece. Equally Parisian Directoire also attempted to establish an Olympic
celebration at the end of 18th century.
❖
In between 1863-1937 Baron Piere de Coubertin plans to excavating the Olympic site for
reviving the game.
❖
The ancient site at Olympic was not suitable to conduct the games therefore, the first of the
revived games was held, naturally enough, in Athens in 1986. The sponsors of the modern
Olympics were hard pressed for money.
❖
The Greek government gave about 21/2 lacs drachmae in addition to the money donated by
Zappas. Even this money was not enough. In 1986 a merchant name George Averoff gave a
princely gift of a million drachmae for renovating the Pan Athletic Stadium and conducting
the games.
❖
In the first Modern Olympic Games only few countries participate, after few years several
countries began to participate in the games. At present almost all the nations of the world
compete in these games.
❖
Modern Olympic is also held in once in four year. But during the two world wars games were
not held (VI th, XII th and XIII th Olympiads respectively in the year 1916, 1940. and 1944).
❖

8. In Ancient period during Olympic Games the wars were stopped for the conduct of the
games, but in the modern period, Modern Olympic Games had to be stopped for the conduct
of two world wars.
Picture of Olympic Game of 1895
2. Governing body:
❖
International Olympic Committee (I.O.C) is the supreme controlling body for the Modern
Olympic Games which was formed during the International Athletic Congress held in Paris
on 25th June, 1894.
❖
The first committee was nominated by Baron de Coubertin on his personal selection of 15
members. The head quarter of I.O.C is located at Campagne Mon Repos, Lausanne
(Switzerland).
❖
From India Sir, Darabji Jamshediji Tata in 1920, Mr. G. D. Sondhi in 1932, Raja Bhalindera
Singh in 1947 had the honor of being members of I.O.C.
3. Organizations and Conduct of the Modern Olympic Games:
❖
The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. In the opening ceremony,
King Georgios I and a crowd of 60,000 spectators welcomed 280 participants from 13
nations (all male), who would compete in 43 events, including track and field, gymnastics,
swimming, wrestling, cycling, tennis, weightlifting, shooting and fencing. All subsequent
Olympiads have been numbered even when no Games take place (as in 1916, during World
War I, and in 1940 and 1944, during World War II). The official symbol of the modern Games
is five interlocking colored rings, representing the continents of North and South America,
Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia. The Olympic flag, featuring this symbol on a white
background, flew for the first time at the Antwerp Games in 1920.
4. Rules of Eligibility for Competition:
The first Olympic Games at Athens in 1896 were merely experimental. The main objective
was to give the movement a start. There was no hard and fast rule. Games at Paris in 1900
and those at St. Louis 1904 were no different. In 1908 in London Olympic the rules were
given a definite direction.
❖
One who is by birth belonging to a participating country.

9. ❖
One who has competed already in the Olympic Games for a nation cannot compete in future
Olympic Games for another except in the case of captured country or the creation of the new
state confirmed by the treaty.
❖
Every competitor must be an Amateur (A player who plays a game for the love of it not for
money).
❖
There is no age limit for competitor.
❖
There was no bar on either sex to compare in the Olympics. However, in some of the sports
events women are not allowed, due to some other technical reasons.
5. Venue for the Olympic Games:
❖
The venue of Olympic Games always fixed by majority of votes among the members of
International Olympic Committee. The decision of the IOC about the venue conveyed to the
concerned NOC (National Olympic Committee) through the mayor of the city to which games
are allotted.
❖
Then the NOC (National Olympic Committee) of the concern country will take the
responsibility for organizing and conducting the games. A high power organization
committee is constituted which will look after all kinds of activities related to Olympic Games.
6. Events:
❖
The events are fixed by the Organizing Committee in consultation with International Olympic
Committee. The approval of the events must be obtained at least 2 years prior to the
commencement of the games. Once approved the programme can’t be changed.
❖
The events are- Athletics, Gymnastics, Boxing, Fencing Shooting Wrestling, Canoeing,
Cycling, Rowing, Swimming, Diving, Horse riding events, Weight lifting, Yachting. Due to
wide popularity of games Football, Hockey, Basketball, Handball, Volleyball, Water polo have
the permanent place in the Olympic Games Programme.
❖

10. In the Fifth Olympic Fine Arts was conducted but from 1949 Fine Arts was excluded.
7. Entries:
❖
All entries must be forwarded to the organizing Committee for the Olympic Games through
the National Olympic Committee.
8. Opening Ceremony:
❖
On the arrival of the president of the games the members of IOC and the members of NOC
will be introduced to him.
❖
The president will then mount up the tribune of honour.
❖
The National Anthem of the host country will be played.
❖
The march past of the Athletes in their national contingents, smartly uniformed will be
produced with their national flag and a banner bearing the country names.
❖
The contingents are placed in alphabetic order. Greek contingents always take the lead and
the hosting country contingents always come at last.
❖
The president takes the salute at the march past. When the contingents come across the
president then they dip its flag in token of respect and after passing the president the flag will
be lift up.
❖
The competitions then march round the stadium and line up in the centre of the field, behind
their flag and banners, facing the tribune of honour.
❖
The president of the organizing committee will request the president of the games to declare
it open. The president will declare the game open in the conventional words “I declare the
Olympic Games of (name of the hosting country) celebrating the ………… (number of
Olympic Games) Olympiad of the Modern Era”.

11. ❖
Immediately there will be a fanfare of trumpets and to the tune of the Olympic Hymm the
Olympic flag is hosted.
❖
Will be released as symbolic gesture of peace and followed by a salute of three gun fires.
❖
The runners with the Olympic flame will enter the stadium, run around the track once and
then the Olympic flame will be lit in the bowl constructed for this purpose. The flame will be
burning throughout the period of Olympic Games.
❖
As soon as the Olympic flag is lit, all the flag bearers will move forward and stand in
semi-circle around the rostrum facing the tribute of honour.
❖
Then the Olympic oath will be taken by the athlete of the host country team, usually the
captain. The captain of the host country will hold a corner of the flag and then on behalf of all
the competitors will take the following oath.
❖
The National Anthem of the host country will be played. Thereafter the athletes and the
officials march out of the stadium and properly games started.
9. Awards:
❖
First, Second and Third are awarded and the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth are awarded with
certificates.
10. Closing Ceremony:
❖
The closing ceremony of the games is simple but quite impressive, though it is on a smaller
scale than the opening ceremony.
❖
In closing ceremony, the flag and banner intermingle with each other, forgetting their colour,
caste, creed and nationality.
❖

12. They march into the stadium and gathered in the center of the field.
❖
Then three flags are then hoisted. First the Greek flag to the tune of the Greek National
Anthem, Second the host country’s flag with its National Anthem and Third the next country’s
flag with that country's National Anthem.
❖
Then the president of IOC will declare the games closed and call the youth of various
countries to assemble again after four years.
❖
After the declaration the ceremonial flag will be handed over to the mayor of the city to keep
it safe for the next Olympic Games. Then the trumpets will be sounded, the Olympic Flames
will be put off. The Olympic Flag will be lowered to the tune of Olympic Hymm.
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THE OLYMPIC HYMM
‘Now sing the virile games by which the body’s beauty
Is made to live once more;
Let every thoughtful mind fulfill the thinker’ duty
And strength of arm restore.
Come athletes. To our fields, like those of storied Hellas’
Where gods who looked that way
Saw graceful form at play, as songs and statues tell us
All agile, blithe and gay
That so within bared breasts your heart shall leap
In strength renewed to fear the tyrant’s head no longer
And freedom’s troth to keep,
And you ho are March beneath the palms victorious
As Conquerors we hail,
Whose eyes stay calm and true, below your brows glorious
Whose heart shall never fail.

13. The lowering of the flag is followed by a salute of five guns. The flag and shield bearer
March out of the Stadium while the band present there plays soft music.
THE SIGNIFICANT STAGES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MODERN OLYMPIC
MOVEMENT
❖ From the beginning, the modern Olympic Games have become a major international
event, and this attention has changed the games several times.
❖
The Modern Olympic Movement is governed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC),
based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Modern Olympic Movement includes the summer
“Games of the Olympiad” (an Olympiad designates a four year period between the Games)
and Winter Games. The word “movement” conveys the fundamental principles of the
International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Movement.
❖
At its core, the Olympic Movement is built on the philosophy of strong ethics, human rights,
and peace. These are among the principles of “Olympism.” These principles, along with
other rules and by-laws are officially codified by the Olympic Charter. This charter “governs
the organization, action, and operation of the Olympic Movement and sets forth the
conditions for the celebration of the Olympic Games.” The Olympic Charter functions as the
IOC’s constitution and statutory authority.
❖
The composition of the Olympic Movement, of which the Olympic Games are a part of,
consists of the following organizational elements:
•
International Olympic Committee
•
International Sports Federations
•
National Olympic Committees
•
Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games
•
National Associations and Clubs

14. •
Judges, Referees, Coaches, Sports Personnel
•
Other recognized Organizations
❖
The International Olympic Committee, founded by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1894, is the
non-governmental organization responsible for the Olympic Movement, of which the Games
are a part of. The IOC has the primary responsibility of supervising the Olympic Games. The
IOC is governed by a President, who serves an eight year term; an Executive Board
consisting of the President, four Vice-Presidents, and ten other members; and Members who
are representatives of the IOC in their respective countries.
❖ In 1900, the committee broke from Greek traditions and allowed women to compete. In
1912, they started hosting art, literature, and music competitions to mirror the Greek value of
art and athleticism as two parts of ideal human achievement. The cultural programs and
highly-advanced opening and closing ceremonies are tributes to this.
❖ In 1924, the Olympics were expanded to include winter sports, and 1928 saw the first
presentation of the Olympic flame, a tradition with no actual Greek precedent. Throughout
the 20th century, the games changed with the times, but they also grew in importance.
1. Ideals of Modern Olympic Games:
❖
Sport not just as a physical activity but also as a means of educating people.
❖
The good sportsmanship, sense of fair play, and respect for fellow athletes that is developed
through participation in sports teaches men and women of different races, religions, and
nationalities to work peacefully together in competition toward common goals. The Olympic
Movement works to expand such lessons beyond the sports arena in the hope of promoting
peace and a sense of brotherhood throughout the world.
2. Motto of Modern Olympic Games:
❖
The Olympic motto consists of the Latin words Citius, Altius, and Fortius, which means
“Faster, Higher, and Stronger”. The motto, introduced in 1924, is meant to spur the athletes
to embrace the Olympic spirit and perform to the best of their abilities.
3. Rings of Modern Olympic Games:
❖

15. The official symbol of the modern Olympic Games is five colored rings linked together.
These rings represent the continents of North and South America, Africa, Asia, Australia,
and Europe. They also symbolize the uniting of athletes from all over the world to compete at
the Olympic Games. The Olympic flag, first used at the Antwerp Games in 1920, has the
Olympic symbol in the center of a white field.
4. Flag of Modern Olympic Games:
Olympic Flag
❖
The Olympic flag was created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1925.
❖
The Olympic flag has a white background, with five interlaced rings in the centre: blue,
yellow, black, green and red. This design is symbolic; it represents the five continents of the
world, united by Olympics, while the six colours are those that appear on all the national
flags of the world at the present time.
Ceremonial Flag
❖
This flag is made of Silk.
❖
This is bordered with five colours of the rings representing five continents.
❖
The colours are blue, yellow, black green and red.
❖
The flag is not used for hoisting purposes.
❖
The flag is handed over to Mayor of the city by the president of the International Olympic
Committee at the time of closing ceremony. This flag shall be under the custody of the Mayor
of the city till the next Olympic.
5. Emblem of Modern Olympic Games:
❖
Each Olympic Games has its own Olympic emblem, which is a design integrating the
Olympic rings with one or more distinctive elements. They are created and proposed by the

16. Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (OCOG) or the National Olympic Committee
(NOC) of the host country. It is the responsibility of the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) to approve Olympic emblems for the Olympic Games.
6. Code of Ethics of IOC & Modern Olympic Games:
❖
The International Olympic Committee and each of its members and its administration, the
National Olympic Committees, the International Federations, the cities taking part in any type
of candidature procedures of the IOC, the Organizing Committees for the Olympic Games,
Olympic Games participants and the Recognized Organizations (hereinafter “the Olympic
parties”) restate their commitment to the Olympic Charter and in particular its Fundamental
Principles, and reaffirm their loyalty to the Olympic ideal inspired by Pierre de Coubertin. The
Olympic parties undertake to disseminate the culture of ethics and integrity with their
respective areas of competence and to serve as role models.
THE OLYMPIC CHARTER
•
The Olympic Charter is the codification of the fundamental principles of Olympism, and the
rules and bye-laws adopted by the International Olympic Committee. It governs the
organisation, actions and functioning of the Olympic Movement and establishes the
conditions for the celebration of the Olympic Games. Among other things, it establishes the
relations between the International Federations, National Olympic Committees and the
Olympic Movement.
•
The Charter was first published in 1908, under the title of Annuaire du Comité International
Olympique. Some of the rules contained in this first Charter had, however, been written by
Pierre de Coubertin around 1898.
•
Although the title Olympic Charter is generally used in reference to all the editions, it is only
since 1978 that it has actually appeared as the title on the publication. Certain editions of the
Charter have also been divided into several separate parts rather than a single publication.
Johann Basedow, 1723-1790

17. •
Basedow conducted the first gymnastics as part of the school work in Europe. He was the
first modern writer and teacher of organized gymnastics of whom there are records. He
regarded directed physical activities as a means to a complete education embracing both
body and mind.
•
Johann Bernhard Basedow (1723-1790) is widely recognized as the “Father of Physical
Education” in Germany. He was a major figure in the development of German educational
reform in the 18th century. Born in Hamburg, he was among the first to advocate for
physical education in schools, believing that physical activity was essential for the
development of a healthy mind and body. He emphasized the importance of exercise for
students and believed that physical education should be an integral part of the curriculum.
He was an influential proponent of the Pestalozzian educational system, which focused on
the development of the individual and advocated for a holistic approach to education. He
also believed in the importance of physical play for children and advocated for the use of
outdoor activities to stimulate learning. Through his writings and his advocacy for physical
education, he helped to shape the modern German educational system.
•
The “Recommendations on the Promotion of Physical Education in Schools” (Wolf, 1974, p.
46) were ratified in 1956, a significant milestone in the promotion of physical education in
schools. PE was required three times per week during the first two years of primary school
and every three weeks during the third year.
Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths

18. •
Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths was born in 1759 in Quedlinburg, Germany, the son
of an ordinary lower-middle-class family. GutsMuths's father died when he was twelve years
old and in order to contribute financially to the family he worked as a private teacher for the
two sons of the Ritter family while he attended high school. He went to Halle in 1779 to study
at what was called the
first modern university in Germany.
•
Upon finishing his studies, GutsMuths returned to his occupation as a private teacher with
the Ritter family. When the elder Doctor Ritter died GutsMuths assumed the responsibility for
his children's upbringing and in that capacity followed the family to the new Philanthropic
School in Schnepfenthal, Germany. The principal quickly noticed the young tutor's
extraordinary pedagogical abilities and offered him a position at the school. GutsMuths
remained there, with his wife and family, for the rest of his life.
•
GutsMuths was engaged as a teacher in the ordinary school subjects, but he won his
international reputation as the founder of pedagogical gymnastics when he took
responsibility for gymnastics education at the school in 1786. His meticulously prepared
book Gymnastik für die Jugend (Gymnastics for youth) was published 1793 as the first
textbook in gymnastics (revised in 1804). The first five chapters of the book explain his
theories of child rearing and the use of gymnastics as an instrument for raising children. The
remaining chapters are concerned with the pedagogy of gymnastics.
•

19. He also published two books in which he combined gymnastics with the German Turnverein
(gymnastics club) movement, a movement that followed the ideals of German educator
Friedrich Ludwig Jahn.
•
Posterity has seen GutsMuths as a person who worked incessantly for pedagogical
gymnastics, but actually we see in his orientation towards the German Turnverein the same
nationalistic and patriotic thoughts as can be found in Jahn's work. The fact that he was
engaged as a teacher for more than fifty years at Schnepfenthal probably supported the
impression of continuity in his work. GutsMuths died in May 21, 1839.
PER HENRIK LING
•
Per Henrik Ling (1776–1839) was a Swedish medical gymnastic practitioner. He pioneered
the teaching of physical education in Sweden. Ling is often erroneously recognized as the
father of Swedish massage, though that title actually belongs to Johann Georg Mezger.
•
In the early 1800s, Peter Henry Ling (also Per Henrik Ling) was perhaps the first to discover
what countless others have since learned in the past
centuries: massage is critical for healing pain.
•
Though somewhat controversial, Ling is widely considered the "Father of Massage". Ling's
life work was developing a series of gymnastic movements to help relieve chronic pain. Like
many massage therapists and body workers today, he used his own experience with pain
and injury to create styles and techniques that formed the foundation of his practice and,
ultimately, of massage itself.

20. •
Ling was born on Nov. 15, 1776 in Smaland, Sweden. His father was a so-called curate, a
member of the clergy in charge of the town parish. Ling was a devoted student who spent
his days studying with a strict tutor before attending school in the town of Vaxjo.
•
After he left school, he continued to study while traveling the country. At times he was
reduced to poverty, and eventually returned to Smaland, where he passed his theological
examinations in 1797. For the next three years, he served as a tutor for several families.
•
In 1800, he left Sweden to travel internationally. It was a different kind of education for the
accomplished scholar, and he was exposed to experiences that helped shape his life. He
learned to speak several languages, and even took part in a naval battle as a volunteer on a
Danish ship. When chronic pain and financial troubles forced him to return to Sweden, he
continued his education by studying the art of fencing.
•
Ling had a passion for his newfound skill. Yet he realized that, though fencing was a valuable
fitness exercise, it alone couldn't heal his body. Despite his youth, he was afflicted by
physical problems such as rheumatism and lung disease, and had developed gout in his
arm. He began doing a series of passive movements that involved stroking, pressing and
kneading the body. Eventually, he noticed that they had a positive effect on his health.
•
Ling saw potential in these movements, which he called medical gymnastics, and wanted to
educate people on his "suitable systematized exercises." He felt that, by performing these
movements, the body and the mind would feel whole.
•
He not only believed that anatomy and physiology were the "necessary basis of gymnastics"
but also that the effects the movements produced upon the "body and psychological
condition of man" must be studied in great detail. He set out to do just that, and founded the
Royal Central Gymnastic Institute in 1813.
•
Ling truly cared about helping people, and devoted the rest of his life to building on the
system he had created. Like therapists, teachers and educators today who have spent many
years in the field, he undertook his work because he recognized the value of touch. He never
gave up on his values, and was dedicated to undertaking his study "by the most careful and
untiring analysis of details."

21. •
He was praised for his personal qualities as well. Mathias Roth, one of Ling's students,
wrote: "Ling was a man of high moral tone, pious, sincere, honest in all his dealings with his
fellow man. His intellectual powers were of a very high order; he loved with the same energy
with which he worked, the objects of his home-affections, his friends, the poor, his country,
and mankind."
Dr. PM Joseph
Puthenpurayil Mathew Joseph was an Indian educationist and the founder principal of the
Laxmibai National College of Physical Education which later grew to become the present
day, Lakshmibai National University of Physical Education (LNIPE), Gwalior. Born in
Changannur, in the south Indian state of Kerala, Joseph is also the founder of the Physical
Education Foundation of India, a non governmental organization, working towards effective
dissemination of scientific knowledge in sports and sports education. LNIPE have named
their central library after him. He was honoured by the Government of India in 1967, with the
award of Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award for his contributions to the
society.
Professor Karan Singh
•
Professor Karan Singh was an eminent physical educationist and sports promoter. Professor
Karan Singh was a brilliant scholar and star player. Professor Karan Singh had won a gold
medal in the 4x400m at the first Asian Games held in Delhi. He obtained his master's degree
from Patiala. As a coach, he earned a diploma in M.E.D (Physical Education) and Athletics.
Professor Karan Singh held a special place among the physical educators and coaches of
the country. Professor Karan Singh was the only Indian student to win a gold medal in the
Asian Games as a student.
•

22. Prof. Karan Singh received the Dronacharya award in the year 1995 for the event Athletics.
Prof. Karan Singh was the first Physical Educationist who got Dronacharya award.
H.C. BUCK
As the founder and principal of YMCA College of Physical Education, Madras, India, Mr.
Buck guided the college for 23 years. His work ended at his death on July 24, 1943, but he
left a rich legacy for others to follow. One Indian official summed it all up as follows: "The
early supporters of physical education gathered round the personality of a good man, who
filled with the love of God, stood for righteousness, justice and liberty. The person who so
effectively attracted others with magnetic power was H.C. Buck." Yes, under Buck's
leadership, physical education gained recognition as an educational activity in less than two
decades. This man from Perry County is rightly called the "Father of Physical Education in
India." The college which he started has grown in recent years under Indian leadership to be
the leading physical education college in India and the Orient – striving toward a better,
healthier people. Rudyard Kipling put it best: "Nations have passed away and left no traces;
and History gives the naked cause of it – one single, simple reason in all cases; they fell
because their peoples were not fit."
D.G.Wakharkar
D.G.Wakharkar was the First Directorate of Sports and Youth Services, Government of
Maharashtra. The First Principal of MSM College of Physical Education college was
Late.Shri.D. G.Wakharkar who not only designed the unique syllabus but also has devoted
his knowledge through books for the students for enriching and adding to their theoretical
and practical experience of learning and education. This college is the First College in India
which has a bifocal course i.e. Education and Physical Education.
TURNVEREIN MOVEMENT
•
A Turnverein is a German gymnastic society, whose members are Turners (gymnasts). The
Turnverein movement was brought to America and other countries by German immigrants in
the 19th century. Turner societies worked initially to promote physical fitness, free thought,
liberal politics, German language and culture, and social issues such as abolition and
workers’ rights mostly in the Midwest and Northeast. By 1900, more than 300 Turner
societies thrived in cities across America.
•
The Turnverein movement was born during the Napoleonic occupation of Prussia in the first
decade of the 19th century. The central figure was Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (1778-1852). This
teacher, the Father of Gymnastics ”Turnvater,” developed apparatus, exercises, and a
philosophy that also tied to national German identity and shaping the individual with the
classical idea of a “sound mind in a sound body.”
•

23. Founded by Prussian educator Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (1778-1852) in the early 1800’s,
German Turnen Gymnastics began as groups of boys from a Berlin grammar school
undertaking outdoor physical education under Jahn’s supervision. These classes consisted
of Gymnastics plus traditional games (running, swimming, wrestling, climbing, lifting,
jumping, fencing) combined with progressive German political philosophy via patriotic
speeches and traditional songs. As a response to Napoleons recent presence in
Prussia/Germany the name ‘Turnen’ was chosen to place the movement in a German
tradition and one of the main objectives was creating a fit military ready population.
•
In time Jahn began to create Gymnastics apparatus for his students, such as the ‘Turnplatz’,
which was a scaffolding-like structure that was affixed with ladders, poles and ropes (Pfister,
2003). Eventually ‘Turnverein’ clubs were established in the wider community; the
Turnverein taught a ‘stronger’ bodyweight style of Gymnastics utilising apparatus, wands
and Indian clubs. The Turnverein clubs served an important social/cultural/political purpose
in liberal ‘freethinking’ German society. Turnen are credited with inventing most modern
Gymnastics apparatus and Jahn is considered the ‘Father of modern Gymnastics’ (Pfister,
2009).
•
Turnen Gymnastics and its politics were inherently intertwined and in 1819 the reigning
monarchs at the time had them banned for revolutionary activities (Pfister, 2003). In 1842 the
ban was revoked, however in 1848 many Turnen members were forced to leave Germany
due to some political upheaval, many migrated to the United States where they set
up Turnverein clubs, thus beginning the global spread of Gymnastics (Cazers & Miller,
2000),
(Pfister, 2009).
•
Many other European nations borrowed the Turnen concept placing it in their own
national/cultural context, an example being the Czech Sokol movement (Podpečnik, 2014).
•
The Turnen Gymnastics System incorporated a ‘heavier’ style of Gymnastics utilising
apparatus. The goals of Turnen Gymnastics was to create able-bodied citizens for the
benefit of the wider community.
•
The first American Turner societies were established in Cincinnati and Louisville in 1848.
There, leaders sought to combine physical and intellectual training into a rational whole for
the Turner members and to campaign for universal physical education in their local
communities.

24. •
As the Turners were successful in introducing physical fitness and physical education in the
mainstream of American life, the Turnvereins lost their exclusivity and were victims of their
own success. Two wars against Germany, assimilation, and urban decline also contributed
to the decline of the Turnvereins. The YMCA/YWCA offered a non-ethnic version of the
Turnverein.
•
The NORMAL COLLEGE OF THE NORTH AMERICAN GYMNASTIC UNION, founded in
1866, merged with Indiana University in 1941 and eventually left the Das Deutsche
Haus-Athenaeum where it had been for 63 years. Since the early 1980s, the IU School of
Physical Education has been on the INDIANA UNIVERSITY PURDUE UNIVERSITY
INDIANAPOLIS (IUPUI) campus. The school noted its sesquicentenary in 2016. Thanks to
the Turnverein movement the IUPUI School is the nation’s oldest school of physical
education.
•
In the 21st century, most of the fewer than 50 remaining Turnvereins focus on the social and
historical aspects of their German heritage. Most turner societies nationwide are comprised
of enthusiastic but small numbers of individuals who tend to focus on the social and historic
aspects of turner life. Some Turnvereins, such as American Turners New York, are vibrant
focusing on Americans’ interest in sports and physical fitness. Often, as in Indianapolis, the
groups are actively involved in the restoration of German-American heritage buildings such
as Das Deutsche Haus (Athenaeum). They also encourage the German cultural programs
that highlight the contribution of this important ethnic group to the development of many
large American cities.
PHILANTHROPINUM
•
The Philanthropinum (from Greek: φίλος = friend, and άνθρωπος = human) was a reformist,
progressive school in Dessau, Germany from 1774 to 1793. It was based on the principles of
philanthropinism, an educational movement developed in the German-speaking area during
the Age of Enlightenment.
History
•
The Philanthropinum, or "School of Philanthropy," was founded on 27 December 1774 by the
German educational reformers Johann Bernhard Basedow (1724–1790) and Christian
Heinrich Wolke (1741–1825). Basedow was influenced by ideas on childhood and education
as proposed by John Locke (1632–1704) and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778). At the
beginning the Philanthropinum had only one teacher and three students, but numbers rapidly
grew as its reputation spread beyond Dessau. Prince Franz supported the school, both
financially and with his gift of the Palais Dietrich as a venue.

25. •
The Philanthropinum was, apart from Basedow and Wolke, also shaped by reformers such
as Ernst Christian Trapp (1745–1818), the first Professor of Education, and Christian Gotthilf
Salzmann (1744–1811). From 1779 to 1787, August Friedrich Wilhelm Crome (1753–1833)
worked at the school. Artist Carl Wilhelm Kolbe (1759–1835) taught art and French at the
school from 1780 to 1782 and 1782 to 1784. Basedow and Wolke tried to persuade
businessman and educational pioneer Johann Peter Hundeiker (1751–1836) to teach at the
school – he turned down their request, but went on to found his own school in Vechelde near
Braunschweig inspired by the Dessau model. Poet Friedrich von Matthisson and artist
Friedrich Rehberg also found employment here.
•
In 1776, Basedow stepped down as head of the institution. His successor was Joachim
Heinrich Campe (1746–1818), but he quit in 1777 due to conflict with the younger teachers,
and went on to found a similar school in Hamburg. Afterwards the school was run by a board
of directors. In 1777, Prince Franz made parts of the Palais Dietrich available for the use of
the school, and from 1780 to 1793 the school was allowed to occupy the entire palace.
•
The first three students included Prince Frederick of Anhalt-Dessau (1769–1814). At its peak
in 1782–83, the Philanthropinum had 53 pupils, usually from families with enlightened
parents, some of whom came from western, northern and eastern Europe. Immanuel Kant
was a great supporter of the school, calling for a "quick revolution" in education rather than
"slow reform".
•
In 1793, the Philanthropinum closed, quietly, after the number of students decreased greatly.
The concept behind the school, however, was the model for a large number of similar
establishments; in Germany alone, over 60 similar schools were founded: For example, Carl
Gottfried Neuendorf (1750–1798), who had taught for a while at the Philanthropinum, went
on to found the "Hauptschule" in Dessau in 1786; Christian Gotthilf Salzmann (1744–1811)
founded another school in Schnepfenthal. Other similar institutions were to be found in
France, Switzerland, Russia and North America.
Curriculum and philosophy
•
Admission of students to the school was regardless of sex, religion or state. Though
education for all was the ideal, notions of class still prevailed, and children from richer
families spent more time on academic subjects, while those from less-wealthy backgrounds
did more manual work. However, all learnt handicrafts and were expected to take part in
games and physical exercise. There was a practical approach to education, which was
conceived as serving useful and needful ends, and using practical examples where possible.

26. The natural instincts and interests of the children were directed rather than suppressed,
while school uniform was designed to be practical and not restrictive.