Authentic Olympians do it...

[sbisson]

...naked for the BBC!

The BBC News article also provides a little insight into the shame-based culture of the Greeks...

"Dr Instone said: "It wasn't like being British now, where coming second is considered quite good. Back then, it was considered a total disgrace.

"Some writings describe the loser having to go home by back alley ways to avoid other people. It was part of the Greek shame of defeat.

"Winners would bring back a great deal of reflected glory."

Comments

[stillcarl.livejournal.com]

And rugby players, in Dunedin, in mid-winter, do it...

http://www.seenindunedin.co.nz/events/sporting/test_events.html

[pickledginger.livejournal.com]

Forward, into the breech(es)!

[tanais.livejournal.com]

Its rare for me to recommend a book you might not have read but I do think Tom Holt got into the mindset of the athlete in his third/fourth (? depends on how you view "The Walled Orchard" and "Goatsong") historical novel "Olympiad" (reviewed blogs passim) at the funeral games. The winning *and* the losing thing come up quite a lot... Winning and Losing are tied up in life's "game" of living and dying (and in wrestling matches and chariot driving it was not unheard of to kill an opponent -- just incredibly bad form).

As a total aside... on Radio 1 the other day (yeah yeah I listen to Radio 1 when building) I heard two DJs discussing frisbees as possibly becoming a recognised sport and one actually said "Wow, I wonder if it'll ever become an Olympic sport..."

Jesus fuck... kids these days... what the hell do they get taught in schools?

No... don't answer that....