Indian Hockey at the Olympics

1. The first Olympic Games took place in 776BC

The original Olympics began as part of an Ancient Greek festival, which celebrated Zeus, the Greek God of sky and weather. The whole competition lasted for up to six months, and included games like wrestling, boxing, long jump, javelin, discus and chariot racing.

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2. In 393 AD, the Olympic Games were cancelled and didn’t start up again for over 1,500 years!

Emperor Theodosius I, a Roman ruler, banned the Greek Olympics due to the religious element of the celebration. He considered the Olympics to be a pagan festival, which had no place in his Christian country.

So, that was the end of the Olympics until 1896, when a man named Baron Pierre de Coubertin started a revival of the Games. He called this new event the ‘modern Olympics’ – and it’s still going today!

3. The Olympic torch is a reminder of the Games’ Greek origins

In ancient times, a flame burned throughout the Games as a tribute to the goddess, Hestia. Since 1928, this tradition has continued in the modern Games, but instead of an altar, the flame burns in a special torch.

The torch flame is always lit by the sun in Olympia, Greece, as this is where the first Greek Games was held. Then, it’s passed from torch to torch in a massive international relay that ends in the host city – wow! New torches are designed for each Olympics, and several thousand copies are made. It’s a great honour to become a torchbearer, and lots of inspiring people get a turn each time.

 

4. The first Summer Olympic Games had just 14 participating countries

Teams from 11 European countries originally joined those of Australia, Chile, and the USA at the first host city, Athens. Now, more than 200 countries compete in the Olympics each year!

5. The Olympic symbol was designed to include everyone

The Olympic rings were first produced in 1913, from a design created by the Games’ modern founder – Baron Pierre de Coubertin! Their five colours (along with the white backdrop) reflect colours found on the flags of all participating nations, so everyone is represented. The overlaps also represent international cooperation, and the coming together of athletes from all over the world.

6. From 1924-1992, the Winter and the Summer Olympics took place in the same year. Now, they’re on separate cycles and alternate every two years.

7. Only four athletes have won medals in both the Winter and the Summer Olympics. Only one of them, Christa Ludinger-Rothenburger, won medals in the same year.

8. During the 2012 London Games, the Olympic Village required 165,000 towels for a bit more than two weeks of activity.

9. The official languages of the games are English and French, complemented by the official language of the host country.

10.Women have been allowed to compete in the Olympics since 1900.

11. From 1912-1948, artists participated in the Olympics: Painters, sculptors, architects, writers, and musicians competed for medals in their respective fields.

12. During the 1936 Berlin Games, two Japanese pole-vaulters tied for second place. Instead of competing again, they cut the silver and bronze medals in half and fused the two different halves together so that each of them had a half-silver and half-bronze medal.

13. The Olympic torch is lit the old-fashioned way in an ancient ceremony at the temple of Hera, in Greece: Actresses, wearing costumes of Greek priestesses, use a parabolic mirror and sun rays to kindle the torch.

14. From there, the torch starts its relay to the host city: It is usually carried by runners, but it has traveled on a boat, on an airplane (and the Concorde), on horseback, on the back of a camel, via radio signal, underwater, and in a canoe.

15. The unlit Olympic torch has also been taken to space several times.

16. The relay torch and the Olympic flame are supposed to burn during the whole event. In case the flame goes out, it can only be reignited with a backup flame, which has been lit in Greece as well, and with never a regular lighter!