Winning was all that counted in the ancient Olympics

It is agreed that the National Lottery revolutionised British athletics, pouring money into the training of athletes with potential, especially in expensive sports like rowing. In the ancient Olympics, only the equine events demanded serious financial outlay – in theory any male could run, jump, throw or fight – but though we hear of goatherds and ploughboys winning events, the games were still the playgrounds of the rich.

The point is that reaching the highest level of any sport requires time, training and doctors, i.e. money. Further, sport, like education, requires leisure, and only the rich could afford that. But the rewards in terms of public fame and acclaim were very high. When Alcibiades addressed the Athenian assembly to make the case for attacking Sicily, he reminded them of what a winner he was with reference to his teams coming an unheard-of first, second and fourth in the chariot races at the Olympics.