Pericles' Statement: "A woman's reputation is highest when men say little about her, whether good or bad ", reflects a common attitude towards women's activities in ancient Greek society. . Ancient Greece promoted a degrading role for women, limiting their education level, their choice of marriage, and enforcing strict social norms. However, compelling evidence suggests that some Greek women did indeed participate in athletic competitions alongside men, primarily in religious ceremonies as they advanced toward maturity. Women's participation in sport is a fairly recent social phenomenon, and the acceptance of this participation by cultures around the world is an even more recent phenomenon. The ancient Olympic Games were created with the main aim of developing the physical strength and skills of men, while women were forced to follow the path of inequality and predestination. The fact that modern women participate in sporting events such as the Olympics is, in many situations, the motivation for thousands of women to pursue a new sport or activity. The inclusion of women in the ancient Olympics as athletes can be seen as a stepping stone towards equal opportunities in today's sport. The actions of our ancestral female athletes have further liberated women around the world; providing female role models, health benefits from increased physical activity and challenging age-old stereotypes. four years between celebrations became an Olympiad (Zimmerman 1984). » Yet the precise circumstances surrounding the creation of the ancient Olympic Games still remain shrouded in mystery. Several myths encompass...... middle of paper ...... c competition. Men maintained their power over women through wealth, because without them, women would not have the opportunity to access education or employment outside the home. As new Roman laws loosened restrictions on upper-class women, heroines like Kyniska of Sparta, and competitors in the Heraia games who could afford it, paved the way for female identity in sport. Without the actions of courageous ancient women willing to risk life or death in the name of tolerance, the comparable participation of women and men in sports that we see today would not exist. The inclusion of women in sport is certainly a crucial development in the progression of women out of a position of inferiority in terms of physical ability, social status and biological destiny to become more confident and share the same positions of influence than men..