The Olympic AthleteI have always respected Olympic athletes because they spend all their time training. The winning athletes were professionals in the sense that they always lived on the glory of their achievement. Their hometowns might reward them with: free meals for the rest of their lives, honorary appointments or leadership positions in the community. The victors were commemorated in statues and also in victory songs, and commissioned from famous poets. Today, the Olympic Games are the greatest contest of athletic skill and competitive spirit in the world. They are also manifestations of nationalism, commerce and politics. These two opposing elements of the Olympic Games are not a modern invention. The conflict between the high ideals of the Olympic movement and the commercialism or political acts that accompany the Games has been noted since ancient times. The ancient Olympic Games, part of a major religious festival honoring Zeus, the main Greek god, were the largest events in the world. They were the scene of political rivalries between people from different parts of the Greek world, and the place of controversies, boasts, public announcements and humiliations. Ancient athletes competed as individuals and not as part of national teams, as in the modern Games. The emphasis on individual sporting success through public competition was linked to the Greek ideal of excellence, called "arete". Aristocratic men who achieved this ideal, through their exceptional words or deeds, gained permanent glory and fame. Those who did not respect this code feared public shame and disgrace. Olympia was one of the oldest religious centers in the ancient Greek world. Since athletic competitions were one of the ways the ancient Greeks honored their gods, it made sense to hold a recurring athletic competition at the site of a major temple. Additionally, Olympia is geographically easily accessible by boat, which was a major concern for the Greeks. Athletes and spectators came from Greek colonies to present-day Spain, the Black Sea or Egypt. Athletics were a key part of education in ancient Greece. Many Greeks believed that developing the body was just as important as improving the mind for overall health. Additionally, regular exercise was important in a society where men were still needed for military service. Plato's Laws specifically mention how athletics greatly improved military skills. Greek youth therefore trained at the palestra (wrestling school) to find out whether or not they were serious contenders for the Olympic Games. Ancient competitors had to train in Olympia for a month before the official start of the Games, like modern competitors at the Olympics. The young men worked with sports trainers who used long sticks to signal an incorrect body.