The bribery scandal now rocking the Olympic movement might have abhorred Baron de Coubertain (left), but it would scarcely have shocked its ancient Greek founders. They were no strangers to corruption and fraud, according to a recent book, The Olympics - Myth, Fraud and Barbarism. It claims Philip, Alexander the Great's father, paid the organisers in ancient Olympia to allow Macedonians, whom other Greeks considered barbarians, to take part.

The book, by scholar Kyriakos Simopoulos, shoots down the popular notion of naked young men contesting honourably for a wreath made of a wild olive branch. In 332 BC, Athens was heavily fined when it was discovered that its pentathlon champion, Kallippos, had bribed his opponents. In 338 BC, the boxer Evpolos from Thessaly and three fellow athletes were fined for fixing a fight.

"In Olympia, athletes aimed to gain money and position, often by bribing their opponents or the judges," the book says. Those responsible for organising the games, the ancient equivalent of the IOC, were not always eager to uphold the rules either, the author claims.

Judges were known to participate in events despite a rule banning them while people were crowned who did not even participate in the Games. "The so-called `Olympic spirit' and `Olympic ideal' are a myth," the author writes. "In Olympia, sports were violent, often leading to murder."