Listen "Olympics"
Episode Synopsis
The ancient Greeks ran naked. Modern athletes get Tinder Gold. Somewhere in between? A lot of weird stuff.This week on Messy Minded, we explore the strange evolution of the Olympics — from sacred rituals and priestesses to flaming pigeons and suspicious judging. You’ll hear about divine nudity, rigged events, Olympic ghosts, and a marathon so disastrous it involved poison and a guy in a car. Plus: honorable mentions like Abebe Bikila (barefoot legend), Eric "The Eel" Moussambani, and the one guy who literally disappeared mid-race.International Olympic Committee – https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/ancient-olympic-gamesKyle, Donald G. Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World, Wiley-Blackwell, 2014Golden, Mark. Sport in the Ancient World from A to Z, Routledge, 2004NPR – “That Time the Olympic Marathon Was a Total Disaster” – https://www.npr.org/2016/08/12/489810136/that-time-the-olympic-marathon-was-a-total-disasterGynn, Roger. The Olympic Marathon, Human Kinetics, 1996Smithsonian Magazine – “The Undefeated Life of Jim Thorpe” – https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-jim-thorpes-greatest-battle-was-not-on-the-field-180979000/National Museum of the American Indian – https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/jim-thorpeThe New York Times – “South Koreans Tell World, ‘We Have Arrived’” – https://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/18/sports/the-seoul-olympics-opening-ceremony-south-koreans-tell-world-we-have-arrived.htmlUSA Today – “The Olympic doves that died for our sins” – https://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/08/doves-olympic-ceremony-1988-seoul-fire-torchOlympic Channel – “When Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic cauldron” – https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/atlanta-1996/highlights/muhammad-aliBiography.com – Muhammad Ali profile – https://www.biography.com/athletes/muhammad-aliOlympics.com – “Abebe Bikila: Barefoot to victory” – https://olympics.com/en/athletes/abebe-bikilaTeam USA – “John Shuster Leads U.S. to Curling Gold” – https://www.teamusa.org/News/2018/February/24/John-Shuster-Leads-US-To-Historic-Olympic-Curling-Goldhttps://www.npr.org/sections/thetorch/2018/02/24/588637936/team-usa-wins-its-first-ever-olympic-gold-in-mens-curlingJapan Times – “The Japanese marathon runner who went missing — for 54 years” – https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2021/07/23/olympics/summer-olympics/olympic-history/shizo-kanakuri-olympics-marathon/BBC – “Shizo Kanakuri: The man who took 54 years to finish a marathon” – https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/57914191Also thank you to Dax Shepard and Monica Padman of Armchair Expert, not only for inspiring my new odd interest, but also for years of great podcasting!Music by AudioCoffee: https://www.audiocoffee.net/, The Battle Between Scorpio And Orion.wav by LilMati -- https://freesound.org/s/507307/ -- License: Attribution 4.0NikitaKondrashev, Open-Music-for-Videos for "Spark Groove", geoffharvey for "Busy Bees", "Endevour", and "Empire of War", Coma-Meda for "Catch It" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More episodes of the podcast Messy Minded Podcast
The Limbic System
06/11/2025
Curses: Part Two
23/10/2025
The Legend of Stingy Jack
19/10/2025
Curses: Part One
09/10/2025
Witness Protection
25/09/2025
Capras Delusion
18/09/2025
What If...? Caution, Meet Wind!
11/09/2025
The Plants Are Plotting
28/08/2025
Questionable Medicine
14/08/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.