History of sport

Nina: What are you looking at with so much concentration, Nana?

Nana: I am trying to catch up on the latest cricket news. Can you be quiet until I finish reading the newspaper?

Nina: Interesting that you are showing so much interest in a sport. Do you know the origin of sporting activity, Nana?

Nana: Actually I do. Ancient Greece and Greek kings held the first Olympic games in honour of Athena. Since I know this already, stop your gabbing and go bother someone else in the house.

Nina: I am not surprised you are as misinformed as anyone else, Nana.

Nana: What do you mean?

Nina: Cave paintings have been found in the Lascaux caves in France that have been suggested to depict sprinting and wrestling in the Upper Paleolithic around 15,300 years ago. Not only that, prehistoric cave paintings found in Japan depict a sport similar to sumo wrestling. So you see, the history of sport was not as recent as ancient greece as is commonly believed.

Nana: Ancient Greece is recent for you? Finish spouting whatever else you want to so that I can go back to my newspaper in peace.

Nina: Did you know that sporting activities served multiple purposes such as entertainment, promoting competitive spirit, proving the fitness to serve in ancient militaries? Egyptian Pharaohs showed keen interest in developing sporting events such as wrestling, weightlifting, long jump, swimming, rowing, archery, fishing and athletics, as well as various kinds of ball games.

Nana: Fine, can I go back to my newspaper now?

Nina: Think, Nana. In ancient days and in the middle ages, there were no newspapers or TV. These sporting events were all the entertainment that the general populace had.

Nana: If you had been present then, the only entertainment those people would have needed was to watch you spout arcane facts. Now, shooooooo!

This post is a part of the #NinaAndNana series I co-host with Kanika G. Her posts can be found here.