Crazy Facts About The Olympics
Less than a few days in the 2012 Olympics and we have already seen some crazy things – from the parachuting Queen in the opening ceremony through to the ridiculous imagery of four Olympians trying the best to lose and a 16 year old girl comfortably out-swimming her male rivals, London has been host to some bizarre spectacles. Yet, for long time followers of the Olympics, the event has always boasted a history full of peculiarities and odd occurrences,. Here are some of the craziest facts about the Olympics.
Abebe Bikila Didn’t Have Time To Find Trainers
In the Olympic games of Rome in 1960, Abebe Bikila became the first African to win a marathon. That, in and of itself, is not overly peculiar but the preparation he made in advance of the games certainly was. The Ethiopian runner’s admission to the team was so last minute he only joined the team as their plane to Italy was about to leave.
Needless to say, this left him with very little preparation time and, upon arriving in Rome, was unable to find a decent pair of trainers. As such, Bikila decided to perform the race barefoot and won. Four years later he returned and, despite having his appendix removed just a matter of weeks before the games, repeated the same feat. He was given a reward for his stunning task – a Volkswagen Beetle which, ultimately, he drove into a ditch and became paraplegic. Despite his pledges to win the next marathon whilst in a wheelchair, he died of a cerebral haemorrhage before he had the chance to attempt this Herculean feat..
The Olympics Used To Be Very Boring
The original Olympics back in ancient Greece were not the spectacle they are today. The audience and participants were all men and instead of the wide array of sports we are used to today, there was only one sporting event. Named “The Stadion Race”, the participants had to race across one length of the stadium. This was the sole even for the first fourteen years until the “Two-stade Race” was added – this race was simply running from one side of the stadium to the other and back again. As the events grew older more races were added, varying in length and then including gimmicks such as racing in full armour before, finally, a wider array of activities were added included martial arts, boxing and wrestling.
Disqualified for Drinking Beer
As drug testing has got more advanced, many athletes have been caught out trying to cheat their way to medals and glory with the use of performance enhancing drugs. Yet, the very first athlete to be disqualified at the games was Hans-Gunnar Lijenwall, the Swedish pentathlete who drank two beers to calm his nerves before taking part in shooting. The result of his actions, which it would be hard pressed to be considered as performance enhacing, was that the entire Swedish team were forced to return their medals.
The Opening Torch Relay Was Invented by Nazi Germany
Many individuals believe that the Olympic Torch Relay is a tradition which stems from the original games in Ancient Greece. This, however, is not the case – the ceremony was conceived by Nazi party member Carl Diem in 1934 and put to practise when Germany hosted the Olympics in 1936. Found of aesthetic propaganda and poetry of imagery, Hitler commissioned film-director Leni Reifenstahl to shoot a re-enactment of the relay for her movie Olympia. Whilst many look at the torch relay as a tradition based in a universal connection, it was actually conceived as propaganda for one of the most brutal dictatorships of recent history..
Kieron Casey is a fashion writer and a big Olympics fan who regularly blogs for Barratts; he recommends checking out their womens trainers for any budding Olympian of the future.
Less than a few days in the 2012 Olympics and we have already seen some crazy things – from the parachuting Queen in the opening ceremony through to the ridiculous imagery of four Olympians trying the best to lose and a 16 year old girl comfortably out-swimming her male rivals, London has been host to some bizarre spectacles. Yet, for long time followers of the Olympics, the event has always boasted a history full of peculiarities and odd occurrences,. Here are some of the craziest facts about the Olympics.
Abebe Bikila Didn’t Have Time To Find Trainers
In the Olympic games of Rome in 1960, Abebe Bikila became the first African to win a marathon. That, in and of itself, is not overly peculiar but the preparation he made in advance of the games certainly was. The Ethiopian runner’s admission to the team was so last minute he only joined the team as their plane to Italy was about to leave.
Needless to say, this left him with very little preparation time and, upon arriving in Rome, was unable to find a decent pair of trainers. As such, Bikila decided to perform the race barefoot and won. Four years later he returned and, despite having his appendix removed just a matter of weeks before the games, repeated the same feat. He was given a reward for his stunning task – a Volkswagen Beetle which, ultimately, he drove into a ditch and became paraplegic. Despite his pledges to win the next marathon whilst in a wheelchair, he died of a cerebral haemorrhage before he had the chance to attempt this Herculean feat..
The Olympics Used To Be Very Boring
The original Olympics back in ancient Greece were not the spectacle they are today. The audience and participants were all men and instead of the wide array of sports we are used to today, there was only one sporting event. Named “The Stadion Race”, the participants had to race across one length of the stadium. This was the sole even for the first fourteen years until the “Two-stade Race” was added – this race was simply running from one side of the stadium to the other and back again. As the events grew older more races were added, varying in length and then including gimmicks such as racing in full armour before, finally, a wider array of activities were added included martial arts, boxing and wrestling.
Disqualified for Drinking Beer
As drug testing has got more advanced, many athletes have been caught out trying to cheat their way to medals and glory with the use of performance enhancing drugs. Yet, the very first athlete to be disqualified at the games was Hans-Gunnar Lijenwall, the Swedish pentathlete who drank two beers to calm his nerves before taking part in shooting. The result of his actions, which it would be hard pressed to be considered as performance enhacing, was that the entire Swedish team were forced to return their medals.
The Opening Torch Relay Was Invented by Nazi Germany
Many individuals believe that the Olympic Torch Relay is a tradition which stems from the original games in Ancient Greece. This, however, is not the case – the ceremony was conceived by Nazi party member Carl Diem in 1934 and put to practise when Germany hosted the Olympics in 1936. Found of aesthetic propaganda and poetry of imagery, Hitler commissioned film-director Leni Reifenstahl to shoot a re-enactment of the relay for her movie Olympia. Whilst many look at the torch relay as a tradition based in a universal connection, it was actually conceived as propaganda for one of the most brutal dictatorships of recent history..
Kieron Casey is a fashion writer and a big Olympics fan who regularly blogs for Barratts; he recommends checking out their womens trainers for any budding Olympian of the future.
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