Amazing Facts About Olympic Games In English
about olympic games
The Olympic Games are divided into several categories: Summer Olympic, Winter Olympic, Youth Olympic and Paralympic for the disabled. Today we will talk only about Summer & Winter Olympic games…
Interesting Facts about Olympic Games 1 – 10
1. India has won a total of 28 medals in the Olympic Games. (9 gold, 12 bronze, 7 silver). It is also a fact that Olympic Games have neither been held in India till date nor will be held till 2050.
2. If we look at the history of the Olympic Games, they started 2794 years ago in 776 B.C. in Olympia, Greece. These games continued for about 12 centuries, after which Emperor Theodosius stopped them in 393 A.D. These games were dedicated to the Olympian gods.
3. Holding Olympic Games, adding or removing any sport from Olympics, selection of venue for the Games etc. The International Olympic Committee i.e. IOC was established in 1894. But the Olympic Games were started after 2 years.
4. The modern Summer Olympic Games were started on April 6, 1896 in Anthes city of Greece and the modern Winter Olympic Games were started on January 25, 1924 in Chamonix city of France. Initially the Olympic Games were held every four years, but after 1994 they started being held every two years.
5. In the Olympic Games, a torch is lit and flown, it has passed through Russia about 70 times.
6. William Shakespeare was the first to use the word “Olympian” in 1591. He used it in his book Henry VI: “Promise them such rewards / As victors wear at the Olympian games.”
7. Horses participating in the Olympics travel in business class. They have their own passports.
8. The name of the player who won the first medal in the modern Olympics is James B. Connolly (United states). He won this medal in three jumps. (The first final of the 1896 Olympics).
9. Earlier only men participated in the Olympic Games. Women were first included in the Olympics in 1900. There were a total of 22 women who competed in just 5 sports: tennis, sailing, croquet, horse riding and golf. But now about 44% women participate in the Olympics.
10. Cricket was last included in the Olympics in 1900. In which no other country except Britain and France took part. Britain took gold, France took silver.
Interesting Facts about Olympic Games 11 – 20
11. India first participated in the Olympic Games in 1900. In which India won 2 silver medals in athletics.
12. Tennis was removed from the Olympics in 1924. Reunited in 1988.
13. Olympic medals are prepared every time by the organizing committee of the host city. Each medal should be at least 3 mm thick and 60 mm wide.
14. In 1900, the people who stood first in the Paris Olympics were given a painting instead of a gold medal.
15. The Olympic Gold Medal, which was made entirely of gold, was last awarded in 1912. The weight of this medal was 24 grams and the price was $14.58. But today the Olympic gold medal contains 1.2% (6gm) gold of 99.9% purity and the remaining 98.8% (49 gm) silver of 92.5% purity.
16. The 5 rings printed on the Olympic flag represent the five important continents Africa, America, Asia, Europe, Oceana. The rings, from left to right, are blue, yellow, black, green and red. These five colors were chosen because at least one of these five colors is on the flag of every country. This flag was created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1914 but was hoisted for the first time in the Olympic Games only in 1920.
17. The Olympic MOTTO is: Citius, Altius, Fortius (“Swifter, Higher, Stronger”). It was declared in Paris in 1924.
18. The Ist opening ceremony was held during the 1908 Olympic Games. During this ceremony, the Greek team is always at the front in the procession of athletes, followed by the rest of the teams in alphabetical order according to the language of the hosting country, and last of all is the team of the hosting country.
19. Due to WW1 and WW2, the Olympic Games of 1916, 1940 and 1944 could not be organized.
20. It has also happened that due to some incident the venue of the Olympics has been changed. The 1908 Olympic Games were to be held in Rome but Mt. Vesuvius. Due to the volcanic eruption he was shifted to London.
Interesting facts about Olympic Games 21 – 30
21. Greece, Australia, France, Switzerland and Britain are the only countries that have participated in every Olympics. America could also have been included in this list but it did not send its athletes to the 1980 Olympics.
22. Norway, Austria and Lichtenstein are the only three countries that have won more medals in the winter Olympics than in the summer Olympics.
23. America has won the most medals in the Summer Olympic Games, 2522 medals, and Norway has won the most medals in the Winter Olympic Games, 329 medals.
24. Africa and Antarctica are the only two continents where the Olympic Games have not been held till date.
25. The highest number of 202 countries participated in the 2004 Athens Olympics in history.
26. There are only four players who have won medals in both (summer & winter) Olympic Games: Eddie Eagan (American), Jacob Tullin Thams (Norway), Christa Luding-Rothenberger (Germany), and Clara Hughes (Canada).
27. London is the only city that has hosted the Olympics three times.
28. The record for winning the most medals in the Olympics is in the name of America’s Michael Phillips. He has won a total of 28 medals so far (23 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze).
29. The record for winning an Olympic medal at the youngest age is in the name of Dimitrios Loundras of Greece. He won the bronze medal in the 1896 Olympics, at that time his age was only 10 years and 218 days.
30. The record for winning an Olympic medal at the oldest age is in the name of Sweden’s Oscar Swahn. He won the silver medal in shooting in the 1920 Olympics at the age of 72.
Interesting facts about Olympic Games 31 – 43
31. The first time an Olympian was banned was when a man in Mexico drank two beers to calm his nerves before pistol shooting in 1968.
32. The longest race in the history of the Olympics is the 199-mile long bicycle race, which was won by ‘Okey Lewis’ of South Africa in 1912 in Stockholm in 10 hours, 42 minutes, 39 seconds. This was 4000 times more than the time taken by Usain Bolt to win the gold medal in the 100 meter race in the 2012 Olympics.
33. The longest wrestling match in the history of sports was played between Martin of Russia and Alfred of Finland in the 1912 Olympics. Martin won this match which lasted about 11 hours but he was so tired that he could not play the final match.
34. Coca-Cola company is the oldest sponsor of the Olympic Games. It has been sponsoring continuously since 1928 till now.
35. Almost all the players who win medals in the Olympics bite the medal with their teeth while getting photographed.
36. 1936 Berlin, Olympics. It was the first Olympics to be broadcast on TV. Before this, people had to listen to commentary on radio and before that read in newspapers.
37. Olympic Anthem, composed by Spyridon Samar. And its lyrics are taken from the poetry of Greek poet Kostis Palamas.
38. Milkha Singh was the first Indian athlete to reach the final of Olympic athletics. (In 1960, Rome Olympics).
39. 5000 tonnes of sand was transported from Surrey to London to build the volleyball ground in the 2012 Olympics.
40. The amount spent on the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics was more than that of the 13 previous Olympics.
41. Rio Olympic 2016 was the first summer Olympic games to be held in the winter season.
42. So many condoms were used in the 2016 Rio Olympics that 42 condoms per player. Total 4 lakh 50 thousand.
List of Olympic sports that have been removed
- Cricket, Basque pelota, croquet, jeu de paume, lacrosse, polo, rackets, roque, rugby union, tug of war, water motorsports.
Winter Olympic Sports List In English
- Alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsled, cross country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, luge, Nordic combined, short track speed skating, skeleton, ski jumping, snowboarding, speed skating.
Summer Olympic Sports List / Summer Olympic Sports List In English
- Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Volleyball, Canoe/Kayak, Sport Climbing, Cycling, Diving, Equestrian, Fencing, Football, Golf, Athletics, Handball, Field Hockey, Judo, Karate, Modern Pentathlon, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Rowing, rugby sevens, sailing, shooting, skateboarding, softball, surfing, swimming, synchronized swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, trampoline, triathlon, waterpolo, weightlifting, wrestling, boxing.