Regarding leisure and sport during the Classical Period, it is important to comment on the Olympic Games. Although this event has transformed since its inception in 776 BC, it is still known throughout the world today. The first Olympic Games were held in the Greek city of Olympia, ninety miles west of Athens. The games were originally a religious ceremony to honor the Greek god Zeus. Boxing, wrestling and sprinting were just some of the events included in the early years of the Olympics. The games continued for more than a thousand years before an empire turned to Christianity abolished them. This new government rejected the "pagan origins" of the games. It was only at the end of the 19th century that Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympics and returned them to Greece. He is quoted as saying: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to participate, just as the most important thing in life is not triumph but struggle." The essential thing is not to have won but to have fought well' ('Long history of the Olympic Games'). The between...