Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Olympics
By Space Coast Daily // August 23, 2019
The Olympic Games is among the most prestigious and celebrated sports that exist on the globe. The event is known for featuring several competitions in the summer and winter season where thousands of competitors from different parts of the world participate in a variety of games.
It is estimated that more than 200 countries come together to take part in this global event.
The IOC or International Olympic Committee is accountable for both the Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games, which is held in every four years, but they are two years apart.
The Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing, China in the year 2022, while the next Summer Olympics would be held in Tokyo, Japan, in the year 2020.
Many people also like to bet on the games. If you are interested in finding the betting odds, Bookmakeradvisor is just the right place for you on the internet.
Though it is a prestigious event, many of you might not be aware of some of the facts related to this massive sporting event. If you are interested in knowing some of them, keep reading.
Todays’ article is going to focus on some of the exciting things that you weren’t aware of regarding the Olympics Games.
1. It started as a religious ceremony
In ancient Greece, this event was actually a religious celebration that was primarily performed for honoring Zeus, the supreme god. The ceremony was held somewhere between the 776BC and 393AD.
When the practice stopped, Christianity had already taken its root, and they claimed that the pagan celebration. The games were shut down soon after.
For several centuries, the world hadn’t seen the Olympic Games until Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a French scholar, brought it back to life. His motion to revive it across Europe became successful in the year 1896 when the event was held in Athens, Greece.
2. The real meaning of the Olympic rings
The symbol of the Olympic games, the one with five interconnected rings, is known to represent five important regions in the world. They include Asia, Africa, Europe, America, and Oceana.
Each ring has a different color – green, blue, black, red, and yellow. In 1912, Baron Pierre de Coubertin designed the rings while keeping the colors of the national flag in mind. Precisely, the symbol signified global unity.
3. The youngest athlete to participate in the Olympics
Today, you will at least have to be 16 years old to participate in this global event, and this rule came into being in the year 1997. Before that, even younger players could take part in the Olympics.
The youngest member to ever participate in the Olympics was in the year 1896. Young Dimitrios Loundras was only ten years old. Being a gymnast, he managed to win a bronze medal in the event.
4. The oldest athlete in the Olympics
Oscar Swahn won a gold medal in the games when he was 60 years old. He also participated later in the Antwerp Olympics at the age of 72 years where he managed to win a silver medal.
5. Running a marathon without shoes
Running a marathon is not a cakewalk. Having the right kind of footwear is extremely important, especially when you are running for 26 miles. In the year 1960, Abebe Bikila won a gold medal at the marathon he ran in the Rome Olympics without any footwear.
6. The first Olympic event to be televised
Today, we get to watch the event on television. But it wasn’t the same before. Most people relied on radio to get updates on the games. Germany was the first country to televise the Olympic Games in the year 1936.
Often called the Nazi Olympics, the event was broadcasted entirely in black and white. The feed was, however, only available in Germany because there wasn’t a concept of global television back then.
7. The truth about the gold medals
Every athlete participating in the Olympics dreams of winning a gold medal. Those who get the first position receive this medal. However, the medal isn’t made of pure gold.
Since the last 100 years, the gold medals have actually been made of silver with a gold plating. In spite of that, it still holds a massive amount of significance.
8. Cancellation of the Olympics
Yes, the Olympics have been canceled four times in the past. Every time, the reason was war. The Berlin Olympics in the year 1916 got canceled because of World War I, while the Helsinki Olympics and London Olympics in the years 1940 and 1944 respectively got canceled because of World War II.
9. There was nudity involved
In ancient Greece, the athletes would compete with each other being naked. Back then, only men could participate in the Olympics, and they had to do so without wearing any clothing item. They also applied oil to look masculine and honor the gods.
10. The 2016 Rio Olympics was special
It was special because for the first time a country in South America would be hosting the event.
The Olympics have always been the center of attention, admiration, and fanfare all over the globe. Yet many of us weren’t aware of many of these cool facts. However, with every event, the history of the Olympics keeps on getting bigger.
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