奥运会是如何开始的？

杨璐

The Greeks3 loved sports and the Olympic Games were the biggest sporting event4 in the ancient5 times.

希腊人热爱体育运动，奥林匹克运动会是古代最大的体育赛事。

The Olympic Games began over 2，700 years ago in Olympia， in south west Greece. Every four years， around 50，000 people came from all over the Greek world to watch and join in. The ancient games were also a festival， in honour6 of Zeus7， the king of the gods.

奥林匹克运动会始于2700多年前，在位于希腊西南部的奥林匹亚举行。每四年，来自希腊各地的约50000人到这里来观看和参与比赛。这项古代体育赛事也是一个节日，为了纪念众神之王宙斯。

People who won8 the games were given a wreath9 and a welcome back home. The award10 is different from now. People raced for their city and people who won were seen as being loved by the gods.

比赛优胜者将获得花环，并在回家时受到热烈欢迎，这个奖与现在不同。人们为自己的城市而赛，胜利者被视作为众神所偏爱。

★A Truce11 for the Sacred12 Games

☆为神圣的比赛休战

Before the games began， a “sacred truce” would be made. Any wars should be called off so that people could go to Olympia.

在奥运会开始之前，会宣布“休战”。任何战争都要取消，以便人们可以前往奥林匹亚。

The games were in honour of Zeus. People went to the games to see the Temple13 of Zeus. There was a big statue14 of the king of the gods himself at the center of the temple.

比赛为纪念宙斯而举办，人群蜂拥到宙斯神庙参观，庙宇中央放着一个巨大的众神之王雕像。

The biggest event at the Olympics was not a sporting event， but a sacrifice15. On the third day of the games， 100 horses were sacrificed to Zeus.

奥运会最盛大的不是体育赛事，而是献祭仪式。比赛的第三天， 100头牛将被当做祭品献给宙斯。

★Women at Olympia

☆奥林匹亚运动会上的女性

Only men， boys and unmarried16 girls could take part in the Olympic Games. Married women could not. If they were found going to the games， they could be thrown17 off a mountain！

只有男人、男孩和未婚女孩能夠参加奥运会，已婚妇女禁止参加。如果她们被发现偷偷溜进去，可能会被扔下山坡！

But one story tells of a mother didnt follow the no-women rule. Kallipateria， from a rich family， made herself looked as a man. She went to the games to watch her son race. Her son won. When her son was awarded the wreath， Kallipateria ran out to talk to her son. Because of her rich family， she wasnt thrown off the mountain. But at every Olympics after， people had to taking off their clothes before walking into the games.

然而，一个故事讲述了有位母亲打破了禁止女人参赛的规则。她叫卡拉特里亚，来自一个富裕家庭，将自己伪装成男人去看她儿子比赛。她儿子赢得了比赛，在给儿子颁奖的时候，卡拉特里亚冲出来跟儿子说话。因为她雄厚的家庭背景，她没有被扔下山坡。但此后每次奥运会，人们必须脱掉外衣走进赛场。

But women could still have horses in the races at the Olympics and unmarried women had their festival at Olympia every four years. This was called the Heraia and was held in honor of Hera， Zeuss woman. People who won were awarded sacred olives18， the same as men. But in ancient Greece， only Spartan19 women were really interested in sport.

但是，妇女仍然可以在奥运会的比赛中拥有马匹，未婚妇女每四年在奥林匹亚有自己的专属比赛，称为“赫利亚”，是为了纪念宙斯的妻子赫拉而举行的。优胜者被授予与男人一样的神圣橄榄枝。但是在古希腊，只有斯巴达妇女才真正对运动感兴趣。

（英语原文选自：bbc.co.uk）