Facts About Olympics

Are you curious to learn some weird and wonderful facts about Olympics?

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It’s time to chat about Olympics facts.

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1 – The first Olympics were held in Ancient Greece.

2 – The Olympic Games are series of international sporting events that take place every four years between athletes from different nations, who represent their country by carrying its flag into the stadium.

3 – There are three levels of medals – gold, silver, bronze – which correspond to first-, second-, third-place finishers respectively.

4 – The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece in 1896.

5 – The games feature both summer and winter sports competitions.

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6 – The word “Olympics” comes from the Greek words Olympia and Elis.

7 – In ancient times, athletes competed naked as it was believed to make them more agile.

8 – In order to qualify as an Olympic athlete you must be 18 or older (or younger with parental consent) and have citizenship of your country.

9 – The United States has won more medals than any other country.

10 – It’s estimated that there have been at least 213 Olympic Games since 776 BC when the first one was held in Olympia.

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11 – There has only ever been one year where the Olympics were cancelled because of war – 1940.

12 – They originally served as a festival to honor Zeus.

13 – The most medals ever won by one person was by USA Swimmer Michael Phelps who had 23 golds three silvers and two bronze.

14 – In order to qualify for the Olympics you have to be an elite athlete with a score of 75% or higher on their event’s world ranking list.

15 – Countries that participate in the games are called National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and they can be recognized by their country’s flag or emblem. There are currently 205 NOCs with one being provisional.

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16 – There is a torch relay that starts in Greece and ends in the host country of the Olympic Games.

17 – In ancient times before the Olympics, there was an athletic festival called Panhellenic Games which were held at Olympia every four years.

18 – The Olympic flag contains five rings – blue for Europe, yellow for Asia, black for Africa, green for America (North and South), and red for Oceania.

19 – The first modern Olympics was held at Athens in 1896 with 241 participants from 13 countries competing across 14 different sports including track & field athletics, cycling, swimming and fencing among others – some events would be unrecognizable today!

20 – There is no age limit on who can participate but only three competitors over 40 have ever won medals – Sweden’s Sten Oeppen (bronze medalist), Portugal’s Fernando Vieira de Matos (gold medalist), and Great Britain’s Daley Thompson (gold medalist).

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21 – In 2012, there were 27 events contested over 17 days during the London Summer Games.

22 – Ancient Greeks believed that the gods would be angry if they didn’t honor them, so they created a festival to do just that.

23 – The modern Olympics have their origins in Baron Pierre de Coubertin’s vision of international peace through sports competition.

24 – In Ancient Greece, Olympians competed as amateurs for glory and honor rather than money or prizes.

25 – The first Winter Games were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France.

The opening ceremony is usually held on July 27th every year to commemorate Greece’s Independence Day from Ottoman rule.

Facts About Olympics – 25 Fun Olympics Facts WOW!