2 The first Games

Chapter 2 The first Games No one is sure how the Olympic Games really began, but the first recorded sports event at Olympia took place in 776BC*, about 3,000 years ago.

没有人确切地知道奥运会是如何开始的，但是有记载的第一个在奥林匹亚举行的体育赛事发生在公元前776年，大约3000年前。

Olympia was in a beautiful river valley, surrounded by olive groves and low hills in southwest Greece. People came to Olympia to worship Zeus, king of the Greek gods, and Hera, his queen.

奥林匹亚位于希腊西南部一个美丽的河谷中，四周环绕着橄榄林和低矮的山丘。 人们来到奥林匹亚崇拜希腊众神之王宙斯和他的王后赫拉。

One story says that it was Zeus's son, the Greek hero Herakles*, who started the Olympic Games. Make sure you win, son.

有一个故事说，是宙斯的儿子，希腊英雄赫拉克勒斯*开创了奥运会。 一定要赢，孩子。

Another story claims they started as funeral games in memory of Prince Pelops of Lydia. Years before, Pelops had won a chariot race. He was racing to win a beautiful princess as his bride.

另一种说法是，它们最初是为了纪念吕底亚的珀洛普斯王子而进行的葬礼游戏。 几年前，珀洛普斯赢得了一场战车比赛。 他在赛跑赢得一位美丽的公主做他的新娘。

But the Games probably began as part of a big religious festival at Olympia, in praise of Zeus. At first, there was just one event -a running race of 190m (623ft), the length of a stadium.

但是，奥运会最初可能是奥林匹亚一个大型宗教节日的一部分，目的是赞美宙斯。 起初，只有一个项目——190米（623英尺）的赛跑，相当于一个体育场的长度。

All the runners were Greek men. Women who wanted to race had a separate festival called the Heraia. From 776BC, the Games were held at Olympia every four years, usually in August. The four-year time span between games was called an Olympiad.

所有的赛跑选手都是希腊人。 想要参加比赛的女性有一个单独的节日，叫做赫拉亚。 从公元前776年起，奥运会每四年在奥林匹亚举行一次，通常在八月举行。 每届比赛之间的四年时间间隔被称为奥林匹克。