fact, in order to compete, there was a strict guide line thatwas agreed and followed upon."-www.olympic.org"Back in the early days of Athens the Olympics had these rules incorporated... The judges had the authority to fine whole cities and ban their athletes from competition forbreaking the truce. The Spartans once invaded Elis (the territory which included Olympia)after the Olympic truce had been declared. The Eleans demanded a large fine based on thenumber of soldiers in the advancing army and refused to allow any Spartan competitors duringthat Olympiad."."...it is the custom for athletes, their fathers and their brothers, as well as their trainers, to swear an oath upon slices of boar's flesh that in nothing will they sin against the Olympic games. The athletes take this further oath also, that for ten successive months they have strictly followed the regulations for training. An oath is also taken by those who examine the boys, or the foals entering for races, that they will decide fairly and without taking bribes, and that they will keep secret what they learn about a candidate, whether accepted or not." (Pausanias 5.24.9ff) - this exerpt came from the official Olympic souvenir program of the 1984 games in Los Angles"Anyone who violated the rules was fined by the judges. The money was used to set upstatues of Zeus, the patron god of the Games at Olympia. In addition to using bribes, otheroffenses included deliberately avoiding the training period at Olympia. One athlete claimedthat bad winds kept his ship from arriving in time, but was later proved to have spent the training period traveling around Greece winning prize money in other competitions.Another athlete was so intimidated by his opponents that he left the Games the day before hewas to compete, and was fined for cowardice." -The Twentieth Century International Encyclopedia sec.Olympics, Ancient p.1821Unlike the modern Olympics, judges did not come from all over the Greek...
