The games began because the people of Greece thought it would please the spirit of Ored Zeus, who they believed was the king of the Gods. The athletics played an important roll in the religious festivals of ancient Greece. For some time the competitors could only be male. One of the Greeks legends said that Hercules won a charoit race at Olympia, then he exclaimed that a re-enactment should be held every four years. Other legends say that Zeus originated this festival after he defeated Cronus For the Sovereignty of heaven. The Greek people based their chronology on four year periods. These periods were named Olympiads. The Olympic festival was a symbol for the beginning of the Olympiad. The festival was truly reconized in 776 B.C. This was the time of what was considered the first Olympiad.
