INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY 7th JOINT - IOA

of paideia, which, according to Plato, is “the practice of virtue” 6 . In
other words, education, an important part of which was athletics,
aimed at training - a word of sport again! - in Virtue, in order to form
the perfect citizen 7 .
In our short time-tour we should pay particular attention to the
epics of Homer, the “poet par excellence” in ancient Greece. The
Homeric world, a world of gods and heroes, was an inexhaustible
source of ideals and the epics were the basic textbooks that charmed
even Alexander the Great 8 .
Heroes in Troy, Achaeans and Trojans indiscriminately, are
eminent for their virtue, which is in particular the bravery in
battlefield. Besides, the Iliad is a war epic, where “the deeds of people
and gods” are estimated according to their excellence either in the
battleground or in speech 9 at the critical moment of decision. Men are
considered to be competent, only if they fulfil the basic demand: “to
train in all excellence of speech and action” 10 . Thus, a heroic code of
values is being shaped, to which obey both the “fast-running” 11
Achilles and the invincible Ajax, son of Telamon.
Yet, the competition is not only between the opponents but also
among Achaeans, who cultivate a spirit of emulation. In the 23 rd Book
of the Iliad (257-897) the “The Funeral Games for Patroclus ” are
being described. Generally, the arms of the dead warrior are
considered as an award, a prize of contest. This is why in Ajax’ s case,
who - despite his recognised bravery - was not granted the arms of
dead Achilles, the choice of suicide was a symbolic act of honour and
prowess 12 , in the same path of virtue. So, aretê is not only the reward
for excellent deeds - athloi - but also a commitment of life, a
consistent choice until the end of life.
In historical times, the connection of virtue with war distinction
and lifelong practice is accomplished - maybe more than any other
state - in ancient Sparta. It is there that kalokagathia - bravery - is
mentioned combined with virtue 13 , which is succeeded with lifelong
exercise and consolidates the ancestors’ education. It is interesting that
in Sparta virtue is the “apple of discord” and an object of emulation.
In Xenophon’s Constitution of the Lacedaimonians we hear of “a
strife about virtue”, which is, nevertheless, “dearest to the gods” and
“in the highest sense political”. Thus, citizens emulate each other in a
constant procedure of self-improvement trying to gain distinction as
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