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Summer Olympics Trivia

Selected Trivia

  • olympics flameWhen London host the Olympic Games in 2012, they will become the first country to host the Games three times: 1908, 1948 and 2012.

  • Did you know that all athletes competed in the nude at the ancient Olympics?

  • In the ancient Olympics, the philosopher Plato (427-347 BC) was a double winner of the Pankration. (see more about the Ancient Olympics)

  • The only Olympian ever to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize was Philip Noel-Baker of Great Britain, who won the silver in the 1500-meter dash in 1920.

  • The first black athlete to compete at the Olympics was Constantin Henriquez de Zubiera, competing for France in 1900. (more Olympic Firsts)

  • At the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, silver medals were awarded to the winners and bronze to the second place getters. (see more about Olympic Medals)

  • No women competed in 1896, as de Coubertin felt that their inclusion would be "impractical, uninteresting, unaesthetic, and incorrect." (see more about Women at the Olympics)

  • More athletes than spectators attended the 1900 Paris Olympic Games.

  • Pigeon shooting was one of the sports on the program in Paris in 1900. Fortunately this shooting event was short lived. It was the only time animals were killed on purpose during an Olympic event. (see more about Discontinued Olympic Events).

  • The only female competitor not to have to submit to a sex test at the 1976 Summer Olympics was Princess Anne of the UK, who was competing as a member of the UK equestrian team. As the daughter Queen Elizabeth II, such a test was seen as unappropriate.

  • In Beijing 2008, equestrian rider Hiroshi Hoketsu became the oldest Japanese Olympic representative at age 67. Hoketsu also took part in the 1964 Tokyo Games at the age of 23 where he finished 40th in the show jumping event.

Much Much More Trivia

The above selection of trivia is just a sample of what you can find on this site. All of the Olympic Trivia has been sorted into the categories below. Visit these links to discover all you need to know about the facts and figures of the Olympic Games.

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