Region
Judges did not come from all over the Greek world, but
were drawn from Elis, the local region which included Olympia. Even
though the judges were all Eleans, local Elean Greeks were still allowed
to compete in the Olympics. The Elean people had such a reputation for
fairness that an Elean cheating at the games was a shock to other Greeks.
Number
Like the athletes, the hellanodikes also underwent a
long period of preparation for the ancient games. The judges were instructed
for a period of ten months by Elean magistrates. Historians disagree
about the number of the judges, but apparently not more than one or two
judges officiated at the early Olympic games, where but one event was contested.
When the athletic program was expanded to take in many events and last
for five or more days, the number was increased, although there seems to
be no record of more than ten judges at a single celebration.
One source states "At the ninety-fifth festival nine umpires
were appointed. To three of them were entrusted the chariot-races, another
three were to supervise the pentathlum, the rest superintended the remaining
contests. At the second festival after this the tenth umpire was added.
At the hundred and third festival, the Eleans having twelve tribes, one
umpire was chosen from each...Thereupon were chosen umpires equal in number
to the tribes. At the hundred and eighth festival they returned again to
the number of ten umpires, which has continued unchanged down to the present
day.7