The official website of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games - Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Daily Summaries:
Home Sports Boxing History Javascript must be enabled to view this page, although the important information on the page is also available to browsers that do not support scripts. History The deep roots of boxing in Greek history are demonstrated by the famous fresco of the two young boxers found in Santorini Island, dating from 1,600 B.C. In the ancient Olympic Games boxing was established as an Olympic sport at the 23rd Olympiad in 688 B.C., with the first Olympic winner being Onomastos Smyrnaios.àThe 'aethloforos' (achiever of great feats) Polidefkis was also considered to be a technically skilled and multi-talented athlete. According to the legend, god Apollo was the guardian of the sport, as was indeed mentioned in a Homeric hymn: â¦"wherever (in Delos) the Ionians gather with their long tunics to honor you, along with their children and modest wives, with every event they organize they please you (Apollo) with boxing, joy and songs". During that same period Boxing developed considerably in ancient Greece, from Crete and Santorini down to Cyprus and throughout the Aegean region, to Athens and Sparta. Later Confucius promoted the art of Boxing in China, where schools practiced the sport in order to achieve âÂÂinner perfectionâÂÂ. Professional boxers first appeared in ancient Rome, where they would train in organised facilities. | |
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