This essay deals with the meaning of the term ‘panhellenic’ in its use in a sporting context, considering why the term is reserved in modern scholarship to designate the four great sporting festivals of ancient Greece (Olympian, Pythian, Isthmian and Nemean Games). It is an inescapable conclusion that the basic characteristics of the Panhellenic athletic festivals (their inclusion as spectacles into religious festivals, their acceptance of all comers, the events program, the complex competitions announcement system) are not exclusive to these four festivals but shared with numerous other festivals. So, the Panhellenic festivals were simply the most conspicuous examples of a rather common Greek institution, the athletic festival. The crowds that attended the Games, and the ambitions and motivations of the athletes when participating are also considered.