athlón

Athlón is a Greek term meaning contest or prize, often used to refer to an athletic competition or its reward. The noun ἆθλον (áthlon) denotes the prize offered for winning a public contest, while related words such as athlērēs (athlete) and athletikós (athletic) reflect the broader idea of striving in sport. In English and many other languages, athlón has entered as a productive element in the names of multi-event competitions.

In ancient Greece, athlons were central to major festivals and athletic programs, including the Olympics, Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmean games. Victors typically received a prize such as an olive wreath (kotinos) and temporary fame. Multi-event competitions, like the pentathlon, tested a range of skills—running, jumping, throwing, and grappling—and were valued for their demonstration of overall athletic prowess.

In modern sport, the suffix -athlon is used to name multi-discipline events or competitions composed of several distinct disciplines. Examples include triathlon (three disciplines), biathlon (two disciplines), pentathlon, decathlon (ten disciplines), and heptathlon (seven disciplines). These events typically combine results across different activities into a single overall score or time. The term thus retains its core sense of a contest with multiple components, bridging ancient traditions and contemporary sport.