评论
打印
Thousands of years in the making,
经数千年的酝酿，
what began as part of a religious festival honoring the Greek god Zeus in the rural Greek town of Olympia
一个在希腊奥林匹亚乡村小镇为了纪念希腊主神宙斯的宗教节庆，
has today become the greatest show of sporting excellence on Earth.
如今已经演变成为世界上最为精彩的体育运动表演。
The inception date in 776 BC became the basis for the Greek's earliest calendar,
公元前776年第一次举办节日的那天奠定了希腊古典日历的基础，
where time was marked in four-year increments called olympiads.
标定了每四年为一周期的奥林匹克周期。
What could it be? Why, it's the Olympic games, of course.
这会是什么呢？当然就是奥林匹克运动会了。
Competition fosters excellence, or so thought the Ancient Greeks.
竞技孕育卓越，至少古希腊人就是这么认为的。
In addition to sporting events, contests were held for music, singing, and poetry.
除了运动赛事，比赛项目还包括音乐、声乐和诗歌。
You can read about them all yourself in classical literary works, like Homer's 'Iliad' and Virgil's 'Aeneid.'
你可以在古典文学作品中读到这些内容，比如荷马的《伊利亚特》，还有维吉尔的《埃涅阿斯纪》。
Even mythical heroes appreciate a good contest every now and then, wouldn't you say?
甚至连神话中的英雄们有时候也会喜欢这样精彩的比赛的，不是吗？
For the first thirteen games, the Ancient Greek Olympics featured just one event, the two hundred yard dash.
起初的十三场比赛中，古希腊的奥林匹克只有一项重要赛事，那就是200码短跑。
But over time, new exciting contests, like boxing, chariot and mule racing,
但是随着时间的推移，那些新鲜而刺激的比赛，比如拳击、马车、骡车竞赛，
and even a footrace where the competitors wore a full suit of armor
甚至还有让参赛者全副武装的竞走，
enticed many hopeful champions into the Olympic stadium.
都吸引了许多充满信心的战士们来到奥林匹克体育场。
The combined running, jumping, wrestling, javelin throwing, and hurling the discus events
结合了跑步、跳远、角力、掷标枪、掷铁饼这些项目，
known as the pentathlon inspired world-class competition,
也就是我们所知的五项全能，创造出了世界级的比赛，
and the pankration, a no holds barred fight where only biting and eye-gouging were prohibited,
而古希腊搏击，一种除了撕咬和挖眼睛外毫无禁忌的打斗，
ensured the toughest men were victorious. And victorious they were.
保证最强健的选手才能获胜。而这些强者也确实胜利了。
Nobody tops the local baker Coroebus, who 776 BC became the very first Olympic champion.
没有人能打败当地一位名叫克洛伊的面包师，他是公元前776年第一位奥林匹克运动会的冠军。
And we'll never forget Orsippus of Megara,
我们也永远不会忘记麦加拉人奥西普斯，
the 720 BC Olympic victor tore away his loincloth so he could race unimpeded,
公元前720年那位为跑的更畅快而解了自己腰带的冠军，
inaugurating the Ancient Greek tradition of competing in the nude.
开创了古希腊比赛中裸体参赛的先例。
Now there's a winning streak, if ever we've seen one. But all good things must end.
当时还有连胜纪录，虽然很少能够见到。然而从没有不败的胜者。
In 391 AD, the Christian Roman Emperor Theodosius banned pagan practices,
公元391年，基督教罗马皇帝狄奥多西一世严禁异教徒活动，
so the world soon bid a fond farewell to the Olympic games.
于是奥林匹克运动会很快与世界告别了。
But just like those early pankration athletes, you can't keep a good one down,
但就像那些古时的搏击运动员，强者是无法永远压制的，
and 1500 years later in 1896, the modern Olympic games kicked off in Athens, Greece.
于是在1500年后的1896年，现代奥运会在希腊雅典召开。
Today, the Summer and Winter Olympics bring international world-class athletes together by the thousands,
如今，夏季和冬季奥运会把数以千计的世界级运动员从世界各地聚集到一起，
uniting fans by the billions for the world's foremost sporting competition.
也把成千上万的运动迷集结到这最顶级的体育赛事中。
Citius, Altius, Fortius. Three cheers for the Olympics.
更快，更高，更强。这是奥林匹克的三大口号。
