Ancient games re-enacted in Greece

Close to one thousand people from 20 countries came to the town of Nemea, 108 km southwest of Athens on the Peloponnese peninsula, to take part in the revival of the Nemean Games.

The modern games were born from the ancient games in the Greek town of Olympia in 776 BC, but although the most popular, they were not the only games in antiquity, three other major athletic festivals were also held in ancient Greece – the Pythian Games in Delphi, the Isthmian Games in Corinth, and the Nemean Games in Nemea. The Nemean games began in 573 B.C.

According to legend they originated from honorary funeral games that were held earlier after the death of the Nemean King’s son.

The re-enactment of the ancient sports festival has taken place every four years since 1996.

The event has become so popular people come from the five continents to participate, from countries including Japan, Germany, France, the United States, Cameroon and Ireland, to name a few.

Deborah Kyvrikosaios reports.