Olympic Fast Facts

Before the Olympics begin on July 27, here’s a few interesting facts about the Olympic Games.

History of the Olympics

The Modern-Day Olympics are inspired by the Ancient Olympic Games, a sporting event that was held in southern part of Greece at the sanctuary of Olympia. According to the IOC website, the Ancient Olympics can be traced as far back as 776 B.C.

The Ancient Games, which were held for almost 1200 years, included chariot racing, wrestling, boxing, running, discus, shot put, and javelin. The Games were only for men–no women were allowed to compete.

Immediately after a competition, the winner would receive a palm branch (placed in his hands by a judge). Spectators would throw flowers into the arena, and red ribbons were tied around his head and his hands.

During the “closing ceremony,” or event that marked the conclusion of the Games, all winners were recognized at the Temple of Zeus. Each winner was announced, followed by his father’s name and their homeland, after which an olive tree wreath was placed on his head.

Modern-Day Olympics

The Modern-Day Olympics were created by Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin. De Coubertin hoped that the revival of the Olympic Games would encourage the understanding of cultures and help ensure peace. He helped establish the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and with his vision, the first Modern-Day Olympics were held in 1896.

Because it was the birthplace of the original Olympic Games, Greece was selected as the host city for the first Modern-Day Olympics. The Games were held in a stadium called Panathinaiko, which was reconstructed from ancient marble ruins. It still exists and was a venue for archery when Athens hosted the Summer Games in 2000.

Olympic flag flies for first time at the 1920 Games in Antwerp, Belgium.

Olympic Rings

The Olympic Rings are the official symbol of the Olympic Games. The rings, designed by Coubertin, were adopted in 1914 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Modern-Day Olympic Movement. Although adopted in 1914, the Olympic flag and its rings weren’t actually displayed until the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium.

The five rings represent the five inhabited continents of America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe.

The colors in the rings (blue, yellow, black, green, red) were chosen because at least one of these colors is present in every country’s national flag.

Olympic Medals

The Olympic gold medal hasn’t been made of solid gold since the 1912 Games. Winners like Michael Phelps, Nadia Comaneci, and Sebastian Coe have silver medals plated with gold!

Silver medals–not gold–were awarded to winners at the 1896 Games. Second place received bronze, and third place finishers received nothing. The traditional gold, silver, and bronze medals began being awarded with the 1912 Olympics.

Olympic Motto

There was no motto during the Ancient Olympics. The Olympic motto was suggested by Coubertin prior to the first Modern-Day Olympics in 1896. He adopted the Latin phrase from a friend of his, Henri Didon, who taught sports near Paris.

The motto, Citius, Altius, Fortius, translated into English is “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” As the IOC website states, the motto is to encourage Olympic athletes to always give his or her best when competing.

Olympic Flame & Olympic Torch

The history of the Olympic Flame does indeed date back to Ancient Greece. The Greeks maintained a burning flame in front of the temples of several deities, including Olympia where the Ancient Olympics occurred. The Olympic Flame wasn’t a part of the Modern-Day Olympics until 1928.

The torch relay was not a part of the Ancient Olympics and did not begin until 1936. Several months before the beginning of an Olympic Games, a flame is kindled at Olympia using the rays of the sun, just as it was done in Ancient Greek times. The flame is then transferred to the Olympic torch for a relay, which is its transportation from Olympia to the host city.

Olympic Mascots

Olympic mascots were introduced to the Modern-Day Olympics in 1968.

Although ultra modern, the two mascots for the 2012 Games have a connection to Olympic history. Wenlock is named after the town Much Wenlock, which hosted a pre-cursor to the Olympic Games in 1894. Mandeville is named after Stoke Mandeville, an English village which created the Stoke Mandeville Games, an international sporting event for the disabled which eventually became the Paralympic Games.