In which ancient Greek city-state did the Olympic Games originate?
Athens
Sparta
Olympia
Delphi
The first Olympic Games were held in Olympia around 776 BCE, dedicated to Zeus. The ancient site still contains ruins of training areas and temples.
Which city has hosted the Summer Olympics three times?
Paris
London
Tokyo
Los Angeles
London hosted in 1908, 1948, and 2012, making it the only city to host the Summer Olympics three times.
What year did women first compete in the modern Olympic Games?
1880
1900
1920
1936
Women first competed in the 1900 Paris Games in lawn tennis and golf. Only 22 women out of 997 athletes participated.
Which Olympics featured the first live television broadcast?
1936 Berlin
1948 London
1952 Helsinki
1956 Melbourne
The 1936 Berlin Olympics were the first to be televised live, reaching 40 viewing stations around Berlin.
How many rings are in the Olympic symbol?
3
4
5
6
The five interlocking rings, designed in 1912, represent the union of five continents and the meeting of athletes worldwide.
Which country hosted the first Winter Olympics?
Switzerland
Norway
France
Austria
Chamonix, France hosted the first Winter Olympics in 1924, originally called ‘International Winter Sports Week’.
What year did the Paralympic Games begin?
1948
1952
1960
1976
The first Paralympic Games were held in Rome in 1960, featuring 400 athletes from 23 countries.
Which athlete has won the most Olympic medals in history?
Usain Bolt
Michael Phelps
Larisa Latynina
Paavo Nurmi
Michael Phelps won 28 medals (23 gold) across four Olympics, making him the most decorated Olympian of all time.
What was the first city in Asia to host the Olympics?
Seoul
Beijing
Tokyo
Bangkok
Tokyo hosted the first Asian Olympics in 1964, marking Japan’s post-war reconstruction and emergence as a global economic power.
In which year did the modern Olympic Games begin?
1886
1896
1900
1904
The first modern Olympics were held in Athens in 1896, organized by Pierre de Coubertin with 241 athletes from 14 nations.
Which Olympic sport was dropped after the 1920 Games and reinstated in 2000?
Rugby
Cricket
Tug of War
Golf
Golf was played in 1900 and 1904, then dropped until its return at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
What was the first Olympic mascot?
Waldi the Dachshund
Misha the Bear
Sam the Eagle
Cobi the Dog
Waldi, a colorful dachshund, became the first official Olympic mascot at the 1972 Munich Games.
Which Olympics introduced the torch relay tradition?
1928 Amsterdam
1932 Los Angeles
1936 Berlin
1948 London
The torch relay was introduced at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, inspired by ancient Greek traditions.
What year did professionals first compete in the Olympics?
1968
1976
1988
1992
The IOC began allowing professional athletes in 1988, though it wasn’t until 1992 that NBA players joined the ‘Dream Team’.
Which city hosted the first South American Olympics?
Buenos Aires
São Paulo
Rio de Janeiro
Lima
Rio 2016 marked the first Olympics held in South America, featuring 11,238 athletes from 207 nations.
How many times have the Olympics been cancelled?
2
3
4
5
The Olympics were cancelled in 1916, 1940, 1944 (due to World Wars), and 2020 was postponed to 2021 (due to COVID-19).
Which country won the most gold medals in a single Olympics?
Soviet Union
United States
China
East Germany
The US won 83 gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, though this was during the Soviet bloc boycott.
What was the first Olympic event to allow mixed gender competition?
Tennis
Sailing
Equestrian
Figure Skating
Mixed gender competition was first allowed in sailing at the 1900 Paris Olympics.
Which Olympics first featured the marathon at its current distance?
1896 Athens
1908 London
1912 Stockholm
1920 Antwerp
The marathon was standardized to 26.2 miles (42.195 km) at the 1908 London Olympics to accommodate the royal family’s viewing location.
What age was the youngest Olympic medalist?
10 years
12 years
14 years
16 years
Dimitrios Loundras won a bronze medal in team gymnastics at age 10 in the 1896 Athens Olympics.
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