The Olympic Games are indisputably a spectacle of sorts, with viewers both at the venue, and from their homes witnessing superhuman feats being accomplished, records being shattered and tears of joy, running down the athlete's cheeks. It transcends every boundary ever created to engage billions into witnessing the exhibition. Forget the Olympics as a whole; every sport competed at the Olympics has come into being, owing to some historical manifestation or a persistent legend. One such certain spectacle which has managed to capture the imagination of men, even 2500 years after its legendary birth is the Marathon.

Legend has it that the Ancient Greeks were no strangers to the phenomenon of running long distances. However, the purpose was not competition, but merely communication. One event, which according to historians changed the course of history, was the victory of the Greeks over the Persians in the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. According to the history books, a messenger named Pheidippides was sent back to Athens, 150 miles away to carry the news of the great victory, where he collapsed and died soon after making the announcement. It is said that he ran the complete distance without halting. The legend took hold and gave birth to an event which we now call the Marathon.

Scribes have featured man's fascination for physical prowess in the annals of recorded history of great civilizations. Paintings and sculptures found in ancient Egypt, Greece, Babylon and Rome attest to strong men achieving immeasurable feats by lifting objects more than 3 times the size of their body. However, many believe that it was in ancient China that the sport of weightlifting received its initial set of laws. Since the 10th century B.C. soldiers of the Chou Dynasty are said to have competed against each other by lifting weights to gain admission into the military. There are even older Chinese texts dating 5000 years, which have a similar resemblance to the practice of weightlifting.

The act of weightlifting, let alone the sport of it, immediately brings to our head an image of a dumbbell. The word ‘dumbbell' refers to the bell without the clappers, which rendered them mute and easier to lift during medieval times.

Talk about the bow and the arrow and the first thing that strikes you is Indian Mythology - Drona, Arjuna, Karan, Eklavya and many more figures who are said to be masters of the art of Archery. Pity that none could participate in the either the Olympics or the Commonwealth Games. Historically, as evidenced by researchers, arrows existed 64,000 years back in South Africa in the Sibudu Caves. The arrows were previously launched by something called the Atlatl, which was eventually replaced by the Bow. The bow is believed to be conceived in the late Paleolithic or early Mesolithic period. Before the advent of the Gunpowder, Archers were the chief architects of combat. History suggests that civilizations had large troops of archers in their armed forces, which often proved decisive in wars.

The skill of propelling pointed sticks called arrows was predominantly a hunting technique besides being used in wars. The years when archers were used in warfare might be long gone now, with the development of firearms; but the skill has survived and still used in hunting and as a sport in various regions of the world. The sport of archery involves shooting arrows at a target with the assistance of a powerful bow. The target is usually circular consisting of concentric circles. The archers achieve high scores by shooting as close to the centre of the target as possible. The archer with the highest total of individual scores wins. The Olympic Games consist only of ‘Target' Archery where competitors need to shoot at a specific target from various distances. The other type of Archery is Field Archery where competitors shoot at different targets spread across a field or a course, from unknown distances. Field Archers use bows that look like the traditional ones.

Swimming as an activity is ingrained in society. Most children are exposed to it at a very young age, and hence can relate to the sport with tremendous ease. It was no different in the times of the Ancient Olympics in Greece, but for some reason was never included as an Olympic sport. It was considered as a compulsory physical activity in Greek society, so much so that Plato stated, "One who is unable to swim lacks education."

Swimming is one of the 9 sports that has been consistently held at every Olympics since its revival in 1896. Few would believe that the swimming events in the 1st four modern Olympics were held in the Mediterranean Sea, the river Seine and an artificial lake and not, in a swimming pool.