For centuries in China, men and women gathered to play a game called Cuju. Considered an ancient form of soccer, a pastime, but also a political tool, it played a prominent role in forging cultural and social bonds in the Chinese Empire. A study recently presented by Enzo H. Smith at the annual Young Researchers […]
Sports
Posted inModern Era
How the Referee of the Battle of Santiago Invented Red and Yellow Cards in Soccer
That a soccer match is referred to as a battle is already an indication that unusual things happened during it. But beyond that, that encounter had a decisive influence on soccer as we know it today because it led to the invention of the yellow and red cards for warnings and expulsions. The main protagonist […]
Posted inAncient Greece
Orsippus of Megara, the First Athlete to Compete Naked in the Olympic Games
A quick glance at any artwork from Ancient Greece gives an idea of the almost religious importance of nudity, and if we interpret the images literally, how widespread its practice was in many aspects of daily life. One of these, surely the most well-known, is sports; athletes competed naked in the games from the 8th […]
Posted inAncient Greece
Kallipateira, the Woman Who Sneaked into the Olympic Games Disguised as a Man and Lived to Tell the Tale
“Rhodian princess, how did you enter? / It is an ancient custom here to expel women from here.” / “I have a nephew, Eucleos, / three brothers, son, father, Olympic athletes; / you must let me, Hellanodikai, / and to behold the beautiful / bodies, where is the field of Heracles? / They are fighting […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
Knattleikr, the Popular but Brutal Viking Ball Game
Historical reenactment is not limited solely to the military world, as it encompasses varied aspects such as culture, festivals, or diverse events. It also includes the recreation of traditional sports, with the most popular cases being in Italy: Florentine Calcio Storico, the Palio of Siena, or the Venetian Vogalonga. The transalpine country is not unique […]
Posted inAncient Greece
Theagenes of Thasos, the Athlete who Became a God
The Greek island of Thasos is located in the northern part of the Aegean Sea, near the Thracian coast, and its capital, also called Thasos, is located in the northern part of the island. It was founded around 680 B.C. by settlers from the island of Paros. One of the most famous athletes of antiquity […]
Posted inModern Era
When Olympic Glory met the Art of Pistol Dueling in the Games’ Historic Past
Since Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympic Games from ancient Greece in 1896, they have been held almost continuously every four years (with exceptions in 1916, 1940, and 1944 due to world wars). In each edition, changes and additions to the list of admitted sports, whether competitive or exhibition, are often considered. A glimpse into […]
Posted inAncient Rome
Gaius Appuleius Diocles, the invincible charioteer considered the highest-paid athlete in history
They probably don’t know it, but Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher and all the champions in motorsports, whether Formula 1 or other specialties, had a historical predecessor who surpassed them all in victories and fame, and by a wide margin. We’re talking about Gaius Appuleius Diocles, the most famous charioteer of Antiquity, a Spaniard who stirred […]
Posted inModern Era
The German female athlete at the 1936 Berlin Olympics who turned out to be a man
A recent case is that of Caster Semenya, South African athlete twice Olympic champion and three times world champion in the middle-distance (800 meters, to be exact), who in medical analysis was found to have a chromosomal abnormality that makes her produce three times more testosterone than normal and have internal male sex organs, which […]
Posted inModern Era
Luz Long, the German athlete who befriended Jesse Owens and helped him win at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
On 13 July 1943, a death occurred in the British field hospital in Acate, in the Sicilian province of Ragusa (Italy), which did not particularly attract the attention of the staff. After all, it was an enemy, a Luftwaffe obergefreiter (lance corporal) who was badly injured in defence of the island during the Allied invasion […]
