[For General Audience] Trivia & Fun Facts Quiz on the Olympics and Paralympics
How much do you know about the Olympics and Paralympics? Hidden behind this once-every-four-years festival are countless surprising stories you won’t find in textbooks.
We’ve gathered general-interest trivia and fun facts you’ll want to share—about the materials used for medals, the meaning of the Olympic rings, and unexpected events that were once official sports.
From tidbits that make watching more enjoyable to behind-the-scenes stories that will make you say “Wow!”, we cover a wide range.
Be sure to check it out before you watch the next Games!
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[For General Audience] Olympic and Paralympic Trivia & Fun Facts Quiz (21–30)
In Japan’s first appearance at the Winter Olympics, only skiers competed.
Japan first participated in the Winter Olympics at the second Games, held in St.
Moritz, Switzerland, in 1928.
The events were Nordic skiing, and a small team of six athletes and one manager was sent.
At the time, Japanese skiers were largely self-taught and imitated the techniques of international athletes by observation, so they were unable to achieve the desired results at the second Games.
However, after the event, they acquired knowledge in the advanced skiing nation of Norway, and showed significant progress in the postwar Games.
At the 1900 Paris Games rowing event, a nearby child once competed as a substitute.
Truth is stranger than fiction…
It sounds like an unbelievable story that brings that phrase to mind, doesn’t it? But it’s said to have actually happened.
One of the Dutch athletes who was scheduled to compete at the 1900 Paris Games couldn’t participate because he was over the weight limit.
Rowing was a three-person team event, and since competitors’ names weren’t registered at the time, the remaining teammates supposedly asked a 10-year-old boy who happened to be passing by to take his place.
As a result, the team went on to win the championship.
There was an event at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo where one country swept the gold, silver, and bronze medals.
The event that many remember as a glorious moment—where Japan swept the medals at the Winter Olympics—was the 70-meter ski jump.
Yukio Kasaya took first place, Akitsugu Konno came in second, and Seiji Aochi finished third, giving Japan a clean sweep of the gold, silver, and bronze medals.
At the time, Japanese athletes had won very few medals at the Winter Olympics, so this was truly a remarkable achievement.
It is said that this was when Japanese ski jumpers began to be called the “Hinomaru Flying Squad.”
In the swimming events at the 2000 Sydney Games, there was an athlete who recorded the slowest time in history.
The slowest record in history was set by Eric Moussambani of Equatorial Guinea, with a time of 1:52.72.
Why such a time, despite being an Olympic athlete? In fact, he competed via a wildcard, which allows participation even without meeting the qualifying standard.
His training venues were the sea and rivers, plus a few hours in a pool when available.
He learned how to dive and turn only after arriving on site, during the U.S.
team’s practice sessions.
No wonder the time was slow.
Even so, he proudly swam to the finish as his country’s representative and received thunderous cheers from the crowd.
The first Winter Olympics were held in France.
The first Winter Olympic Games were held in 1924 in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France.
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is known as a resort town at the foot of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe.
Did you know that this first event was originally called the “International Winter Sports Week”? This was because Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, was initially opposed to including winter sports in the Olympic Games.
However, in 1925, the following year, the International Olympic Committee retroactively recognized it as the “First Winter Olympics.”
Winners of the ancient Olympic Games were awarded olive wreaths.
Also known as the Olympic Festival at Olympia, the ancient Olympic Games were held once every four years in the region of Elis in ancient Greece.
The deity honored was Zeus.
The Olympic Festival was one of the four major Panhellenic games and, being classified as a sacred contest, awarded its victors wreaths of olive leaves.
By contrast, at festivals classified as prize contests, winners received money or valuable goods.
At the Pythian Games, one of the four major festivals, it seems that laurel wreaths were awarded.
There is a Japanese competitive swimmer who swallowed a good-luck charm before a final.
Hideko Maehata, who won a gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, swallowed a good-luck charm before the final race.
In fact, she had won a silver medal at the Los Angeles Olympics four years earlier, but because she lost by a narrow margin to the top competitor, she was criticized by the public with comments like, “If only you had pushed a little harder.” Because of that, it’s said that she approached the Berlin Olympics with the resolve that if she lost, she couldn’t return to Japan—she would have to throw herself into the sea.
That strong determination may have led her to swallow the charm.
Judo was included as an Olympic event starting with the 1964 Tokyo Games.
Judo, known for having Jigoro Kano as its founder, was adopted as an Olympic sport at the Tokyo Games in 1964.
Although judo is often called a traditional Japanese specialty, it has now spread worldwide, and many international tournaments are held beyond the Olympics.
When first introduced, it was contested in only four weight classes, but starting in 1988 it has been held in seven classes, and at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, a mixed-gender team event was also introduced!
The Olympic flame is lit in Olympia, Greece.
The Olympic flame, a symbol of the Games, remains lit in the main stadium throughout the event.
Do you know where the flame is kindled? In fact, it is lit at the archaeological site of Olympia in Greece and carried to the host city by the torch relay.
This tradition originates from ceremonies of the ancient Olympic Games and has been maintained since 1936.
By the way, it is customary for the first torchbearer to be from Greece and the second to be from the host country.
The first athletes’ oath at an opening ceremony was made at the 1920 Antwerp Games.
The Olympic Oath is a pledge taken by everyone involved in the Olympics, including athletes, referees, and coaches.
The athletes’ oath began at the 1920 Antwerp Games.
Later, the referees’ oath was added at the 1972 Sapporo Games, and the coaches’ oath at the 2012 London Games, forming the current format.
Also, starting with the Tokyo Games held in 2021, gender equality has been emphasized, and oath-takers are selected as a man and a woman—did you know that? The Olympic Oath truly has a rich history.
In conclusion
There were all kinds of intriguing trivia and fun facts hidden in the Olympics and Paralympics, weren’t there? The more you learned, the more it probably changed the way you watched the Games. When you watch the next edition, be sure to recall these bits of knowledge and enjoy it even more!