The first person to review this book said that it included an erroneous fact that women were indeed allowed to participate in the ancient Olympics. Actually, at first women were not permitted to participate, nor were they allowed to be spectators until the 2nd century A.D. They did, however, have their own festival at Olympia called the Heraia with the only sporting event being a short race. In Sparta, a state in southern ancient Greece, girls were encouraged to take part in sports and games (Olympics, Oxlade and Ballheimer; Eyewitness Books, 1999). So, the information provided in this book is actually factual.