They ran naked in the original Olympics
• Heterogeneous
Stephen Instone, a classical studies scholar reminds us that millennia ago, shame in nudity was unknown. At least in the saner parts of ancient Europe. As the silly Bible myth of Adam and Eve, the apple and their expulsion of paradise in the Ancient Near East the beginning of the sexual inhibitions that haunt us to this day were born.
"I just tried it to show you can run perfectly well naked. People these days say it's difficult from a practical point of view. ...
He added: "Some academics think the Greeks did it to avoid getting too hot and, as they were notoriously unashamed of nudity, they felt they had nothing to hide.
"On the other hand, the Olympics were a religious occasion, dedicated to Zeus, king of the gods. Perhaps it was seen as purer to run naked."