The Olympic Games: Interesting Facts- provided by Dominique

Hi Year 7M,

Dominque has put together some fun facts about the Olympic Games. Thank you Dominque for serving our class this way.

Miss McLaughlin

Welcome ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, babies and space cadets. Please fasten your seatbelts for the ride of your life!

It began in Athens and in less than a week ‘the games’ will begin. London better watch out for the warriors… I mean athletes in green and gold!

To get in the spirit of THE OLYMPIC GAMES, I have found some interesting facts and photos about the Olympics. Enjoy:

      As of the 2008 Games in Beijing, Australia has won 117 gold medals in the Summer Olympics

      Swimming is expected to feature 34 different events (17 male, 17 female). Two of these will be open-water swims of 10-kilometres in distance (10 km); while the remaining 32 events will be contested in a 50 m, long course pool

      We expect 205 nations to take part in 300 events at the Olympic Games in 2012. 147 nations will take part in the Paralympic Games.

      The Olympic Rings are five interlocking rings that stand for the five original continents, (Africa, America, Asia, Australia, and Europe) and the athletes from around the world.

      The colours of the rings are blue, yellow, black, green, and red respectively. They were chosen because at least one of these colours is found on the flag of every nation.

      The Flag: On the Olympic flag, the rings appear on a white background.

      At the Olympic Games, the flag is brought into the stadium during the opening ceremony. After its arrival, the flag is hoisted up the flagpole. It must fly in the stadium during the whole of the Games. When the flag is lowered at the closing ceremony, it signals the end of the Games.

      Motto: The motto of the Olympic Games is "Swifter, Higher, Stronger". These three words encourage the athlete to give his or her best during competition, and to view this effort as a victory in itself. To better understand the motto, we can compare it with the following well-known phrase: The most important thing is not to win but to take part!

      The Flame: The Olympic flame is one of the best-known features of the Games. From the moment the flame is lit to the moment it goes out, a very precise ritual is laid down :

       The lighting:  In memory of the Olympic Games’ origins, the flame is lit in Olympia, Greece, some months before the opening of the Games. The Olympic flame can only be lit by the sun’s rays.

      Three continents – Africa, South America, and Antarctica – have never hosted an Olympics.

      Larrisa Latynina, a gymnast from the former Soviet Union, finished her Summer Olympic Games career with 18 total medals—the most in history.

      Roughly 3,600g of gold worth more than $193,250 will be used to plate the medals that will be awarded at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

      The last time that solid gold medals were awarded to Olympic champions was at the 1912 Stockholm Games. Designed by Sir Edgar Bertram Mackennal and Erik Lindberg, only 90 were issued.

       Based purely on gold content each is worth approximately $1,250. However, as a collectable each one is worth at least $5,500.