... Zeus. The athletes competed for pride patriotism and religious honour. However, some popular athletes were sometimes paid large sums of money, up to ten times the annual salary of a soldier, to participate in smaller athletic contests near their hometowns. Olympic winners received a wreath made of sacred olive tree branch. 2-The site of Olympia Olympia was about 15 km from the Ionian Sea. Olympia was built on grassy plain, north of the Alpheios River and south of forested hills of kronos. The most prominent structures of Olympia were the gymnasium, the stadium and the hippodrome. The temple of Zeus was another great site at Olympia. It took 10 years to be built. II - Ancient Olympic Sports in Athens: 1 - Sports Games in the Competition: A nude foot race was the only athletic event until the fifteenth Olympiad. The race was the length of the stadium, approximately 200 yards. ...

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