The Pankration is possibly the most ancient of all martial art sporting competitions. While an exact date of origin is difficult to settle upon, many think that it began as early as the 12 century B.C., as it gains mention in the ancient story of Jason and the Argonauts, which many date to this period. Certainly figures of Pankratists have been found on Cretan vases dating back to 1700 B.C.
Some say that the sport was founded by the great Hercules, or perhaps Theseus, or some other legendary hero. Plato held the sport in somewhat less high esteem, suggesting from his observations that it amounted to no more than "agon tis ex atelus pigmis ke atelus palis sygimenos" (a combination of imperfect boxing with imperfect wrestling).
The name Pankration comes from two Greek words; pan meaning everything, and kratos meaning power. The meaning then is that every bodily weapons is at the combatants disposal in a pankration fight. In other words anything goes!
The sport originally had two forms. Ano Pankration was fundamentally a stand-up fight, featuring kicks, punches, and throws, as well as other forms of attack, but when the combatants hit the ground, they would be stood up again to continue fighting on their feet. The kato Pankration was considered the more dangerous as well as the more complete of the Pankration forms. Here the combatants would continue to fight after hitting the ground, and would be forced to depend on their wrestling skills as well as their stand-up fighting skills in order to endure the fight.
It is thought that the early Spartan association of the Pankration with their military training is what kept the sport out of the first Olympics. However, once sporting rules and safety measures were introduced, the Pankration was admitted to the 33rd Olympics in 648 B.C.
It is the hope of the International Federation of Pankration Athlima (I.F.P.A.), and it's Australian counterpart (the A.F.P.A.) that the Pankration will one day be returned to its rightful place in the Olympics.
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