The ancient Greeks were highly competitive and believed strongly in the concept of competition. The final Greek goal was to be the best. All aspects of life, especially athletics, were centered around , this a concept. It was therefore considered one of the greatest honours to win a victory at Olympia. The fact that the only prize given at Olympia was an olive wreath illustrates this point. The athletes competed for honour, not for material goods.In ancient Greece, games were closely connected to the worship of the gods and heroes. Games were held as part of religious ceremonies in honour of dead heroes. Games were also held in the circumstances of many harvest festivals. Later, the Olympic Games began to be taken over by the prominent worship of Zeus (宙斯), and eventually lost much of their religious character.
古希腊人热衷于竞争，并坚信竞争的理念。希腊人崇尚的最高目标就是尽善尽美。生活中的每个方面，特别是竞技，都围绕着这一理念展开。因此，能够在奥林匹亚赛事中获胜被看作是一种至高无上的荣耀。奥林匹亚赛事的唯一奖品仅是一个橄榄枝花环，这说明运动员竞技的目的是为了荣誉，而非物质奖品。古希腊的奥运会与对诸神和英雄的崇拜密不可分。奥运会往往是为了纪念已故英雄而举行的宗教仪式的一部分，或是在庆贺丰收时举行的活动。后来，奥运会逐渐以崇拜宙斯为主，而宗教色彩最终淡化了。
