In his writing, Polybius, one of the most important ancient Greek writers, mentioned an event which can be seen as one of the fi rst reports of the impact of spectators on motor performance. His story is as follows (see e.g., Guttmann, 1986, p. 17f): On the occasion of the Panhellenic Games, 216 bc, the young and ambitious non-Greek boxer Aristonicus, from Alexandria, challenged the famous Greek boxer Clitomachus. During that time it was common for Greek audiences to support the underdog Aristonicus. At the beginning of the fi ght – against all expectations – Aristonicus was the superior fi ghter. He was dominating Clitomachus, who was considered invincible. During a break in the contest, Clitomachus turned to the audience and asked them to

show patriotism: As a Greek audience they should support the Greek boxer. From that point on, the audience cheered for Clitomachus who thereupon defeated Aristonicus.