| Sport is full of wonderful moments, but
perhaps nothing is as exciting as the finish of the marathon. It is the longest
and hardest race of all. The name "marathon" comes from a village in Greece.
When the Greeks had beaten the Persians, a soldier ran all the way from Marathon
to Athens-more than 40 kilometers-to tell people the good news. When the modern
Olympic Games began in 1896, the organizers knew this history. The marathon has
been a race since then. In the ancient world, the Olympics were held every four years for 1,000 years. They were an important part of life. In the modern Games, we try to copy their ideas. The finest sportsmen are collected in one place—or at least, the finest "amateurs" are. Olympic athletes are often students or teachers of a sport. They have to spend a lot of time training. Their governments pay for their training, travel and "pocket money", because they want them to win. Some people think that this changes the Olympics. They feel that the Games are now a political marathon. |