Olympic Facts– Part 2

The Olympic HymnThe Olympic Hymn, played when the Olympic Flag is raised, was composed by Spyros Samaras and the words added by Kostis Palamas. The Olympic Hymn was first played at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens but wasn’t declared the official hymn by the IOC until 1957. Real Gold MedalsThe last Olympic gold medals that were made entirely out of gold were awarded in 1912. The MedalsThe Olympic medals are designed especially for each individual Olympic Games by the host city’s organizing committee. Each medal must be at least three millimeters thick and 60 millimeters in diameter. Also, the gold and silver Olympic medals must be made out of 92.5 percent silver, with the gold medal covered in six grams of gold. The First Opening CeremoniesThe first opening ceremonies were held during the 1908 Olympic Games in London. Opening Ceremony Procession OrderDuring the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the procession of athletes is always led by the Greek team, followed by all the other teams in alphabetical order (in the language of the hosting country), except for the last team which is always the team of the hosting country. A City, Not a CountryWhen choosing locations for the Olympic Games, the IOC specifically gives the honor of holding the Games to a city rather than a country. IOC DiplomatsIn order to make the IOC an independent organization, the members of the IOC are not considered diplomats from their countries to the IOC, but rather are diplomats from the IOC to their respective countries. First Modern ChampionJames B. Connolly (United States), winner of the hop, step, and jump (the first final event in the 1896 Olympics), was the first Olympic champion of the modern Olympic Games. The First MarathonIn 490 BCE, Pheidippides, a Greek soldier, ran from Marathon to Athens (about 25 miles) to inform the Athenians the outcome of the battle with invading Persians. The distance was filled with hills and other obstacles; thus Pheidippides arrived in Athens exhausted and with bleeding feet. After telling the townspeople of the Greeks’ success in the battle, Pheidippides fell to the ground dead. In 1896, at the first modern Olympic Games, held a race of approximately the same length in commemoration of Pheidippides.The Exact Length of a MarathonDuring the first several modern Olympics, the marathon was always an approximate distance. In 1908, the British royal family requested that the marathon start at the Windsor Castle so that the royal children could witness its start. The distance from the Windsor Castle to the Olympic Stadium was 42,195 meters (or 26 miles and 385 yards). In 1924, this distance became the standardized length of a marathon.WomenWomen were first allowed to participate in 1900 at the second modern Olympic Games. Winter Games BegunThe winter Olympic Games were first held in 1924, beginning a tradition of holding them a few months earlier and in a different city than the summer Olympic Games. Beginning in 1994, the winter Olympic Games were held in completely different years (two years apart) than the summer Games.Cancelled GamesBecause of World War I and World War II, there were no Olympic Games in 1916, 1940, or 1944.Tennis BannedTennis was played at the Olympics until 1924, then reinstituted in 1988. Walt DisneyIn 1960, the Winter Olympic Games were held in Squaw Valley, California (United States). In order to bedazzle and impress the spectators, Walt Disney was head of the committee that organized the opening day ceremonies. The 1960 Winter Games Opening Ceremony was filled with high school choirs and bands, releasing of thousands of balloons, fireworks, ice statues, releasing of 2,000 white doves, and national flags dropped by parachute. Russia Not PresentThough Russia had sent a few athletes to compete in the 1908 and 1912 Olympic Games, they did not compete again until the 1952 Games.Motor BoatingMotor boating was an official sport at the 1908 Olympics. Polo, an Olympic SportPolo was played at the Olympics in 1900, 1908, 1920, 1924, and 1936. GymnasiumThe word ”gymnasium” comes from the Greek root ”gymnos” meaning nude; the literal meaning of ”gymnasium” is ”school for naked exercise.” Athletes in the ancient Olympic Games would participate in the nude. StadiumThe first recorded ancient Olympic Games were held in 776 BCE with only one event - the stade. The stade was a unit of measurement (about 600 feet) that also became the name of the footrace because it was the distance run. Since the track for the stade (race) was a stade (length), the location of the race became the stadium. Counting OlympiadsAn Olympiad is a period of four successive years. The Olympic Games celebrate each Olympiad. For the modern Olympic Games, the first Olympiad celebration was in 1896. Every four years celebrates another Olympiad; thus, even the Games that were cancelled (1916, 1940, and 1944) count as Olympiads. The 2004 Olympic Games in Athens was called the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad.