5 Olympic Games Stories You Need to Know
1. The First Olympic Games
The Olympic Games originated in Olympia, Greece, in 776 BC. At that time, the competitions only included track and field events. The original Olympic Games only allowed men to participate, and all participants had to be naked. This was a tribute to the beauty of the human body in ancient Greek culture.
2. The Five Rings Symbolize the Unity of the Five Continents
The five-ring Olympic logo was first unveiled at the Paris Olympics in 1914 symbolizing the continents; Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. The five colors–blue, black, red, yellow, and green – were chosen because these colors appear at least once in the national flags of all countries. The same-size rings are interconnected to represent the spirit of unity among the five continents.
3. Olympic Flag Stolen
The five-ring flag was designed in 1914. Due to World War I, the 1916 Berlin Olympics was suspended. The Olympic flag was raised in front of the world for the first time at the seventh Olympic Games in 1920. However, after the closing of the Olympic Games, this five-ring flag, which symbolizes international peace and friendship, disappeared. In 1997, Hal Prieste, the 100-year-old American Olympic diving bronze medalist, confessed to reporters the secret of the disappearance of the five-ring flag. It turned out that he and his friends had made a bet on whether they could climb the flagpole and steal the flag. He succeeded and took the flag back to the United States. Prieste returned the flag after the interview. The Olympic Flag is now on display at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.
4. Slowest Olympic 100m Swimming Record in History
The slowest Olympic 100-meter swimming record is 1 minute 52. 72 seconds. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Eric Moussambani, a swimmer from Guinea set this record. He was the only swimmer from his country at that time and had only learned to swim nine months before the competition. The swimming pool he practiced in was only 25 meters in length and he could only swim up to 50 meters at a time. But when he arrived at the competition venue, he discovered that it was a 100-meter swimming competition. Despite his lack of experience, he still completed the race. His indomitable spirit was highly appreciated.
5. Olympic flag hanging upside down
Recently, a chaotic scene occurred at the end of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. During the flag-raising ceremony at the Palais de Chaillot, the staff mistakenly raised the flag upside down. No one noticed this serious mistake until the end of the ceremony.