From the beginning, the games at
Olympia served as a bond between Greeks and strengthened the Greek sense of
national unity. During the Hellenistic period, Greeks who came to live in
foreign surroundings such as Syria, Asia, and Egypt, strove to hold on to their
culture. One of the ways to achieve this was to build athletic facilities and
continue their athletic traditions. They organized competitions, and sent
competitors from their towns to compete in the PanHellenic games.
In the 2nd century A.D., Roman
citizenship was extended to everyone within the Roman Empire. From then on, the
participation of many competitors from outside of Greece in the Olympic Games,
gave them to a degree, international nature.
When the Greek government
reinstated the games in 1896, this international character of the competitions
was preserved by Baron de Coubertin. Now, 16 centuries later, the Olympic Games
attract competitors from countries all over the world.
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