The Summer Olympic Games are the largest international sporting event, with dozens of countries and thousands of athletes competing in front of billions of viewers from all corners of the globe.
The Olympic gold medal is regarded as one of the most prestigious sports trophies. Today, let’s look at this grand celebration from a different angle and explore ten lesser-known facts, from ancient times to 2024.
The First Olympic Games
The earliest reliable records of the Olympic Games date back to 776 BCE. This is known thanks to a disc discovered in the Temple of Hera in Olympia. The stone lists the names of the King of Elis, Iphitos, and the Spartan politician Lycurgus, who revived the tradition. Historians believe the games have much older roots, stretching into prehistoric times, though these claims lack strong evidence.
The First Modern Olympic Games
The first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896 after more than a thousand-year break. Held in Athens to symbolize continuity, only a few original photos from the event remain. The organization level resembled that of an amateur gathering. The exact number of athletes is unknown, but they represented 14 countries. At that time, women were not allowed to participate. Greece dominated the overall medal tally, but the U.S. won the most gold medals.
The Dead Champion
Arrichion is the only Olympic champion to win a victory posthumously. The story has legendary traits but is recorded by several Roman writers. According to Pausanias, at the 54th Olympic Games in 564 BCE, the ancient Greek athlete was strangled by his opponent. However, Arrichion managed to twist his rival’s toe, forcing him to submit. Since Arrichion, already dead, did not surrender, he was declared the winner.
The Invalid Olympics
The 67th Olympic Games are infamous as they occurred during Nero’s reign. The emperor moved the games forward by two years. After being thrown from his chariot, Nero still won by the judges’ decision. Believing himself to be a great poet and singer, Nero introduced musical competitions to the games, where he naturally took first place. After his death, the judges admitted to being bribed and pressured, and this Olympic event was later declared invalid.
The Youngest Medalists
At 10 years and 218 days old, Greek gymnast Dimitrios Loundras became a bronze medalist at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. He only competed in the team events on parallel bars but remains the youngest Olympic medalist in history. Later, he became an admiral and served in both World Wars. Marjorie Gestring, at 13 years and 268 days, won gold in diving at the 1936 Olympics. She competed individually and remains the youngest female Olympic champion. She aimed to participate in the next Games, but they were canceled due to the war. Her later career was less notable, though in 1976, she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
The Oldest Champion
Swiss shooter Oscar Swahn competed in three Olympic Games. He won his first gold medal at 60, but surprisingly, Joshua Millner, competing in a different event at the same Games, was several days older and also won gold. Four years later, Swahn repeated his victory and became the oldest Olympic gold medalist. He also holds another record: at the 1920 Games, at the age of 72, Swahn won a silver medal, making him the oldest Olympic medalist ever.
The Olympics Without Champions
The 1976 Olympics were the most expensive at the time, costing Canada five billion dollars, an amount that would be quadrupled today. Almost all African countries boycotted the Games in protest of biased refereeing in rugby qualification matches. Canadian athletes did not win a single gold medal, marking the first and only time in history that the host country failed to secure a top prize.
Country with the Fewest Medals
Over 60 countries that have participated in the Olympic Games have never won a medal. These are usually small and poor nations, though there are exceptions, such as Bangladesh, with a population of nearly 170 million people. The dubious record belongs to Monaco, whose athletes have participated in 32 Summer and Winter Olympics but remain without a single medal to this day.
Consistent Participants
The history of the modern Olympic Games includes many boycotts and exclusions. In most cases, these were results of the Cold War, though precedents occurred both before and after that period. Nevertheless, only four countries have participated in every Olympic Games to date, regardless of the political climate: Greece, Switzerland, France, and the United Kingdom.
Olympic Record for 2024
The Summer Olympics of 2024 are being held in Paris, but surfing events are taking place in Tahiti, a French overseas territory located in Polynesia, 15,700 km from the capital. This makes the island the most distant location from the host city to ever hold Olympic competitions.
