Fun Facts – Olympic and Paralympic Games Copy

The Olympic flame is always lit by the rays of the sun at Olympia, Greece. This is done a few months before the opening ceremony of the Games and then the flame begins a journey from Greece to the host nation. The 1936 Olympic Games saw the introduction of the torch relay.

The five rings on the Olympic flag represent the regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas. At least one of the colors on the flag – blue, black, green, yellow, red, white – appears on every national flag of the world, and hence represents all nations.

The 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, France, were the first to have women participants. According to records, for the women’s croquet event, only one ticket was sold.

The 1936 Berlin Olympic Games were the first Olympic Games to be broadcast on television. Television viewing rooms were set up around Berlin where the locals could follow the Games free of charge. It was also the Olympic Games that saw the introduction of the torch relay.

The first Paralympic Games were held in Rome, Italy in 1960 and 400 athletes from 23 countries participated in these Games.

Drug tests were first introduced by the International Olympic Committee at the 1968 Olympic Winter Games in Grenoble, France. It was also the first Olympic Games to have a mascot – “Schuss”, a skier.