[originaltext] Nowadays the Olympics are perhaps the best known games of anc

Nowadays the Olympics are perhaps the best known games of ancient Greece but at the time those staged at Delphi were just as important. The Pythian games—more a celebration of the arts than sport—began in the 6th century BC and included musical and literary contests. Recently an international group has been trying to revive the event. This year’s venue was the city of Kuching in Malaysian Borneo.
    I’d flown in from Kuala Lumpur to the promise of a thousand performers from forty different countries. They were to compete in disciplines like dance, song, music, weaving, film-making and storytelling in a revival of the ancient Greek games held at Delphi. And I was looking forward to spending some time in a city that many reckon to be the prettiest in Malaysia.
    No one in the International Delphic Committee’s small office was in joking mood. Heads were being held in hands. The games were collapsing around them. Apparently the Russians had split acrimoniously from the Delphic movement a year before and were now sending letters threatening to put a stop to the event. No one had taken the matter particularly seriously until, with just days to go, the hosts, Malaysia, announced they were pulling out. So the committee arrived to find no organisation, no funding, and no competitors from Malaysia taking part. Other countries, concerned at the tone of the Russians’ letters, had also quit. With less than a day before the opening ceremony there seemed to be precious little left to open.
    But if anyone had hoped to derail the Delphic Games, they’d counted without the South Africans who’d arrived in force two days earlier. And they’d pretty much taken over the running of the show, even working through the night to salvage the competition. What’s more, they’d persuaded some local performers to take part in the opening ceremony.
    With an hour to go I wandered into the dining hall to find Iban musicians from upriver in Borneo wearing loincloths, taking pictures of Zulu warriors who were in turn photographing Korean dancers in traditional costume. And it was clear from the laughter that no one much cared about the chaos. They were busy getting into the spirit of the games—and building friendships across cultures.
    But it wasn’t until the dancers stepped out on stage that evening that I really understood the Delphic dream.
    First came the South Africans with a thundering, primal and utterly compelling display by four lithe men and a voluptuous woman whose like must have inspired ancient carvings of fertility goddesses. They were followed by a trio from Germany, a stately frauline twirling around the stage with a glass of wine balanced on her head, courted by two gentlemen in a balletic ode to the grape. It was wonderfully German. And then an exquisite duo from Delhi with a selection from the Indian classical repertoire.
    All the performers spoke of the same thing—of chatting, sitting and eating the same food together but then going on stage to represent completely different worlds. They found taking part exhilarating they said, and I found it equally so to watch. I have no idea whether these games will grow—but I truly hope they do—for though the Olympics are a spectacular study in determination, the Delphics seem to offer more—a bridge of understanding.
Perhaps one the Russians in time will cross again.
16. Which of the following statements is NOT true about the Pythian Games?
17. How many disciplines are there in the games?
18. Which of the following statements is true about the situation before the opening ceremony?
19. What’s the spirit of the games according to the speaker?
20. How does the speaker feel about the games?