Facts & Stats
Below are our 8 articles in the 'facts & stats' category:
Olympic champions had to undergo drug testing for the first time at the 1968 Games in Mexico City. There was something vaguely comical about the first drugs disqualification - Swedish modern ...
Controversy had surrounded South African-born Zola Budd long before the final of the women's 3,000 metres at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. South Africa was not allowed to compete at the Games ...
Champions of the ancient Games in Olympia were crowned with a wreath, cut from a sacred olive tree with a golden sickle, and statues were erected in their honour next to those of the Gods. The ...
Giant jellyfish, massed flamenco dancers, burnt doves and an army of lawnmowers have all featured in opening ceremonies at Olympic Games, as organisers try to creatively combine Olympic protocol ...
The Olympic flame is one of the most instantly recognisable symbols of the Games. Its origins date back to the ancient Games, from 776BC to 393AD, when a sacred flame burned at the altar of Zeus. It ...
Rule 51 of the Olympic charter states that "no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas", but it's a forlorn hope. ...
At 4.10am on the 5th September 1972, Palestinian terrorists entered the Olympic Village in Munich and raided the Israeli team headquarters at 31 Conollystrasse. The terrorists murdered wrestling ...
The high altitude of Mexico City, which is 2,240 metres above sea level, made the 1968 Olympics difficult for athletes in the endurance events. Yet the altitude, which meant the air contained 30 per ...
