10 Facts About The Olympic Games You Probably Didn't Know Unless you have been living under a rock you might have noticed the world being caught in an Olympic frenzy. You can’t switch on the TV, read a paper, browse social networks without finding the latest updates on record breakers, losers and winners, as the 2012 Summer Olympics hosted in London is well underway.
To celebrate this is amazing tradition we have a look at 10 interesting facts you may or may not know about the Olympic Games.
1) The early Olympic Games were actually a religious festival until 393 AD when it was banned for being a pagan festival. (The games celebrated the Greek god Zeus.) In these early games women were not allowed to participate and only unmarried women were allowed to be spectators or face the penalty of death. This is mainly because the contestants were naked.
2) It wasn’t until 1894 that the French educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin, suggested a revival of the ancient games which took place in 1896 in Greece. The host nation won the games with 47 medals. The world’s youngest Olympic athlete to date took place in these games according to http://www.topendsports.com/sport/gymnastics/profiles/loundras-dimitrios.htm was Loundras Dimitrios was aged 10 years old and a received a bronze medal in a team event.
3) The Olympic Ring colours make up the five colours of the main continents of the world – Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceana.
4) More than 3,600g of Gold will used to plate the medals used in the 2012 Olympics. This has a rough estimated value of $193,250
5) The first Olympics to be televised were the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. This is the famous Olympics that were hosted in Germany with the Nazi’s in power. It was also known for the athlete Jesse Owens who achieved international accolade by winning four gold medals.
6) The country to win more medals in the summer games than any other country is the United States with 2,189 medals.
7) The first athlete to win a medal in the Olympic Games was the American James Connolly. However, James did not receive a gold medal he received a silver medal the highest accolade of medal at the time.
8) Speaking of gold medals the medals aren’t actually pure gold. They are actually silver with gold plating. They haven’t been made out of pure gold for over 100 years.
9) The Olympics have been cancelled three times always down to war. The 1916 Summer Olympics was cancelled due to World War I, whilst the Helsinki summer Olympics and the 1944 summer Olympics in London was cancelled due to World War II.
10) We usually associate doves as a sign of peace for the Olympics. However, in the ancient summer games these doves were shot down by archers in the archery section.
Neil Maycock writes articles for Sports Mats Direct providers of sports mats and exercise matting
1) The early Olympic Games were actually a religious festival until 393 AD when it was banned for being a pagan festival. (The games celebrated the Greek god Zeus.) In these early games women were not allowed to participate and only unmarried women were allowed to be spectators or face the penalty of death. This is mainly because the contestants were naked.
2) It wasn’t until 1894 that the French educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin, suggested a revival of the ancient games which took place in 1896 in Greece. The host nation won the games with 47 medals. The world’s youngest Olympic athlete to date took place in these games according to http://www.topendsports.com/sport/gymnastics/profiles/loundras-dimitrios.htm was Loundras Dimitrios was aged 10 years old and a received a bronze medal in a team event.
3) The Olympic Ring colours make up the five colours of the main continents of the world – Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceana.
4) More than 3,600g of Gold will used to plate the medals used in the 2012 Olympics. This has a rough estimated value of $193,250
5) The first Olympics to be televised were the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. This is the famous Olympics that were hosted in Germany with the Nazi’s in power. It was also known for the athlete Jesse Owens who achieved international accolade by winning four gold medals.
6) The country to win more medals in the summer games than any other country is the United States with 2,189 medals.
7) The first athlete to win a medal in the Olympic Games was the American James Connolly. However, James did not receive a gold medal he received a silver medal the highest accolade of medal at the time.
8) Speaking of gold medals the medals aren’t actually pure gold. They are actually silver with gold plating. They haven’t been made out of pure gold for over 100 years.
9) The Olympics have been cancelled three times always down to war. The 1916 Summer Olympics was cancelled due to World War I, whilst the Helsinki summer Olympics and the 1944 summer Olympics in London was cancelled due to World War II.
10) We usually associate doves as a sign of peace for the Olympics. However, in the ancient summer games these doves were shot down by archers in the archery section.
Neil Maycock writes articles for Sports Mats Direct providers of sports mats and exercise matting
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