When London hosts the Olympic Games in 2012, they will become the
first country to host the Games three times: 1908, 1948 and 2012.
There are four special Olympic flags that differ
from all others in that they have a 6-coloured fringe. Such a
flags will be displayed in the City of London. The flag was
presented to Boris Johnson the mayor during the Beijing closing
ceremony.
Olympic cities (not countries) are chosen by secret
ballot, so we're not sure how London beat Paris for the 2012 Summer
Olympics. Some blame French President Jacques Chirac, who insulted
Britain before the vote by saying, "After Finland, it's the country with
the worst food." France's bid wasn't getting British support anyway, but
Finland had two IOC members, and some speculate that they were swing
votes in the 54-50 outcome. Who really knows comment Will and Guy?
At the 1948 games in London, the English national anthem was
played only three times: at the opening and closing ceremonies and when
Princess Elizabeth arrived at the stadium for the first time. This was
477 times fewer than the German anthem had been played in the 1936 games
held in Berlin.
The first Paralympic Games was held at London in 1948. The name
"Paralympics" comes from the words "Parallel" and "Olympics".
The reason the extra yards
were added to the running distance of the marathon to make the total
length a rather strange figure of 26 miles and 385 yards was because
of the rather whimsical demand of Queen Alexandra of Great Britain,
who demanded, in 1908, that the marathon should end below the royal
box at London's White City Stadium, which added the extra 385 yards.
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 metres in
1920.
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 inappropriate.
The gold medals won by British runners Harold Abrahams in the
100 meters and Eric Liddell in the 400 in the
Paris 1924 Olympics were
chronicled in the 1981 Academy Award-winning film 'Chariots of
Fire.'
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Olympic Games Myths
Pelops, a prince from Lydia sought the hand of the daughter of King
Oinomaos of Pisa, namely Hippodamia. Oinomaos had declared that his
daughter's suitors should compete with him in a chariot race; winning it
he gets Hippodamia as his wife; but on losing it, he would be beheaded.
Pelops with his charioteer Myrtilos secretly replaced the bronze
linchpins of the King's chariot with wax linchpins. During the race, the
wax melted and Oinomaos was thrown from his chariot and died. Pelops and
Hippodamia got married and Pelops celebrated his victory with the
Olympic Games.
According to another myth, poet Pindar, in his Olympian Ode, tells
the tale of how King Augeas of Elis reneged on his promise to reward
Herakles for cleaning his stables. Herakles attacked and sacked Elis and
started the Olympic Games in honour of his father Zeus.
Trivia Question: What
do Olympiads VI, XII and XIII have in common?
Answer: They were each cancelled due to War.
Note their numbers were not rescheduled, and this is why there will have
been only 27 celebrations by Olympiad XXX.
I was not talented enough to run and
smile at the same time - Emil Zatopek, champion Czechoslovakian distance
runner, when asked about unusual facial expression when running.
The
swimming and diving were held in part of the old moat ... it was the
clammiest, darkest place and the water was frigid. It looked bottomless
and black - Alice Landon, American Diver, on facilities at the
Antwerp Games of 1920.
One shouldn't be afraid to lose; this is
sport. One day you win; another day you lose. Of course, everyone wants
to be the best. This is normal. This is what sport is about. This is why
I love it. - Oksana Baiul, Olympic Gold Medalist
All I've done is
run fast. I don't see why people should make much fuss about that -
Dutch sprinter Fanny Blankers-Koen, who won four gold medals at the 1948
Games
To anyone who has started out on a long campaign believing
that the gold medal was destined for him, the feeling when, all of a
sudden, the medal has gone somewhere else is quite indescribable. -
Sebastian Coe, after losing the 800m final in 1980.
Trivia from Other Olympiads
In 1928
Australian rower, Henry Pearce, stopped halfway through his
quarter-final race to let a family of ducks pass in front of his boat. The French competition overtook him, but Pearce managed to get back in
front and win the gold.
Poland's
Stella Walsh, [Stanislawa Walasiewicz] won the women's 100m race at the
1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, becoming the first woman to break the
12 second barrier. When she was killed in 1980, as an innocent victim in
a robbery attempt, an autopsy declared her to be a male.
Rope Climbing took place in the following years: 1896, 1904,
1906, 1924, 1932. Rudimentary gym skills were all it took to win
Olympic gold in the early 20th century it appears, as this event
basically consisted of shimmying up a rope.
Milo of Kroton, one of the greatest Ancient Olympic champions.
He won the wrestling event 6 times, over a span of 34 years. [The
famous wrestler Milo was said to train by carrying a calf every day.
As the calf grew heavier, his muscles got stronger.]
New 50 pence coins commemorating the London 2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games have been launched. The coins each feature one of 29
sports on the reverse and have been designed by people from England and
Wales.
The designers range from a Manchester policeman and a delivery driver
from Reading to a bank clerk from Preston and a Bristol schoolgirl.
They share the honour of seeing their designs come into circulation and
also knowing that, like every UK coin in general use, it has been
approved by the Queen and the Treasury.
The 50 pence pieces feature well-known sports such as sailing,
swimming and basketball, but also lesser-known disciplines including
handball and the Paralympic sport boccia.
Footnote Please send us your funny London
Olympics trivia.
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