Map of downtown Rome during the Roman Empire showing the Stadion at the right

The stadion (or stade) was an ancient foot race, part of the Olympic Games and the other Panhellenic Games. Download high resolution version (1099x777, 204 KB) From Nordisk familjebok This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (1099x777, 204 KB) From Nordisk familjebok This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... // The Olympic Games, or Olympics, is an international multi-sport event taking place every two years and alternating between Summer and Winter Games. ... Panhellenic Games is the collective term for four separate sports festivals held in ancient Greece. ...

The stadion was named after the building in which it took place, also called the stadion. This word became stadium in Latin, which became the English word stadium. There were other types of foot races, but the stadion was the most prestigious; the winner was often considered to be the winner of an entire Games. Though a separate event, the stadion was also part of the ancient pentathlon. Latin is the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The Olympia Stadium: start and finish lines visible, defining the length of one stadium (in this case 192. ... The pentathlon (as opposed to the modern pentathlon) was an athletics event in the Olympic Games and other Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece. ...

At the Olympic Games, the stadion (the actual building) was big enough for twenty competitors, and the race was a 200-yard (about 180-meter) sprint. The race began with a trumpet blow, but there were officials (agonothetes) at the starting blocks to make sure there were no false starts. There were also officials at the end to decide on a winner and to make sure no one had cheated (if the officials decided there was a tie, the race would be re-run). Runners started the race from a standing position, probably with their arms stretched out in front of them, instead of starting in a crouch like modern runners.

The stadion (pl. stadia) was also a widely used unit of length in the ancient world, see ancient Greek weights and measures. Ancient Greek weights and measures - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

In German, "stadion" is still the word for stadium.