Fun Olympics Facts
The Olympics are a celebration of competition between countries and athletes, and while the fierce battle of the games may seem intense, there is joy and fun to be had. To celebrate the beginning of the Olympics, here are some fun facts about the event.
The ancient Olympic Games were celebrated as a religious festival. They were ultimately banned for being a pagan festival in 393 A.D., due to the Greek devotion to Zeus. They were revived in 1894 when Pierre de Coubertin, a French baron, proposed bringing the games back. The first modern Olympics were held in 1896.
An oath written by Pierre de Coubertin is recited by athletes at the beginning of the games. One athlete recites it on behalf of all competing athletes. The oath states, “In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games respecting and abiding by the rules that govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams.” The first oath was taken by the Belgian fencer Victor Boin at the 1920 Olympics.
We all recognize the logo of the Olympics, the five intersecting rings. These rings are meant to represent the five regions of the world (Africa, Asia, the Americas, Oceania and Europe). The colors are meant to reflect the colors used in countries’ flags, as every single national flag contains at least one of the five colors.
The Olympic flame is another highly recognized aspect of the games. It originated in the ancient games. The tradition states that in Olympia a flame was ignited by the sun to continue burning until the closing of the games. It is meant to represent purity and the strive for perfection. It first appeared in the modern Olympics at the 1928 games.
The gold medals are not actually made of gold. They stopped being made out of gold in 1912.
A multi-sport athlete is not an uncommon occurrence, but a winter and summer competitor is. Only four athletes have ever won medals in both the winter and summer games. Eddie Eagan from the United States, Jacob Tullin Thams from Norway, Clara Hughes from Canada and Christa Luding-Rothenburger from East Germany have all won medals in both events.
