Hippias of Elis, a sophist of the fifth century BC, was the first to compile the initial victor
list of the Olympic games. From him we learn that the first athletic contest, the foot race,
was held at the sacred place of Olympia, in western Peloponnese, for the first time in 776 BC,in honor of the Olympian Zeus. Later ancient sources inform us that the Olympic festival gainedconsiderable importance, ranked among the largest and most famous Panhellenic festivals by the time of early 5th century.