Olympic Help from the QI Minions!

BadgerNa · 900478. Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:07 am

Hello All.

I am a teacher and our school is about to start a whole-school topic on the Olymipcs, for obvious reasons! I wanted to add a bit of excitement as well as teaching all the basics of the Olympics, I want to add in some random QI Olympic Knowledge!

I am aware that there has been some Olympic chat on here and have got some QI bits from this forum and from the episode on last night! However, Do you have and amazing "Did you know....?" facts I can drop on the children?

All help gratefully and graciously received. The stranger the better!!
Thank you in advance

Sadurian Mike · 900496. Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:50 am

There was an episode where Olympics interestingness featured heavily. I'm tempted to say G-Greek, but I'm not sure.

Just remember that poodle-grooming was definitely not an Olympic event.

BadgerNa · 900500. Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:03 am

Aaaaw, was it REALLY not an event? Hmmmm, was relying on that one!! Maybe if just say it to the children with confidence....?!! That works with lots of things!! I once convinced a class of 11 year olds (that had never played Pooh Sticks) that it was called Pooh sticks because people didn't have sticks in the olden days!! I added that they weren't invented until 1947. I was saddened at how many believed me!!! (I did inform them of the truth after a bit!!)
Thanks Sadurian Mike, it was the episode you said, the Greek episode was on last night and I got some QI bits from it. Gutted about the poodles!!

djgordy · 900506. Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:12 am

There is a list of some of the unusual discontinued Olympic events here.

www.topendsports.com/events/discontinued/unusual.htm

In ancient Greece the Olympic games were only one of four events that were held on a four yearly cycle.

Olympic Games dedicated to Zeue and held very 4 years.

Pythian Games dedicated to Apollo and held every 4 years (3 years after the Olympic Games).

Nemean Games dedicated to Zeus and held every 2 years (2nd and 4th Olympiads).

Isthmian Games dedicated to Poseidon and held every 2 years.

Strawberry · 900507. Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:16 am

Link here. Also, there are some posts about George Robertson in this thread.

djgordy · 900520. Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:00 am

All Qiers know these but:

the original OLympic games held only one event. a foot race which was the distance of one stadion. According to Herodotus, a stadion was the equivalent of 176m although this distance varied.

The distance for the Marathon was set in 1908 at the London Olympics as 26 miles 385 yards as that was the distance from the start point at Windsor Castle to the toyal box at the Olympic stadium. However, this distnace was only finally decided upon as the definitive marathon distance by the IAAF in 1921. The Stockholm and Antwerp games in 1912 and 1920 had slightly different distances, as did the ones before 1908.

The distance by road from Marathon to Athens is about 40.8km (25.4m) although there is a shorter mountainous road which cuts the distance to about 34.6k (21.4m). Nobody knows which route was taken by Phiddipides although some people argue that it was probably the shorter distance as it avoided the roads on whcih Persian soldiers might still be found.

BadgerNa · 900521. Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:02 am

Thanks, All. Lots to look at here, thank you for your help. I am more of a QI boffin than wanting to teach the normal facts and figures!! Hoping to add some extra fun! Thanks again.

krollo · 900547. Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:16 am

Here's some links:

Youngest olympic gold medallist: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowing_at_the_1900_Summer_Olympics#section_4

Fake Olympic torch runner: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Larkin

The 1904 olympics were rather odd in many ways.
One of the most remarkable athletes was the American gymnast George Eyser, who won six medals even though his left leg was made of wood.
Marathon link: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2010/08/sports-legend-revealed-a-marathon-runner-nearly-died-because-of-drugs-he-took-to-help-him-win.html

This might be worth a look: http://legendsrevealed.com/sports/category/olympic-legends/

Hope this helps.

Ian Dunn · 900574. Tue Apr 10, 2012 10:21 am

Several early Olympic events were completely dominated by just one country.

In 1900 France won every medal in the croquet. Mind you, this isn't surprising given the fact that all the competitors were French, except for one Belgian. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croquet_at_the_1900_Summer_Olympics

In the same year there was also cricket in the Olympics. Britain won the only gold medal on offer. The country they defeated was France, but their team was made almost entirely out of British ex-patraiates. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket_at_the_1900_Summer_Olympics

Also, the post above links to the wrong Barry Larkin, this is the correct one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Larkin_%28Olympics%29

Spud McLaren · 900631. Tue Apr 10, 2012 1:14 pm

There's also this QI thread, for those (like me) who get tired just watching someone else exert themselves.

djgordy · 900751. Wed Apr 11, 2012 3:53 am

May I just say, apropos the thread heading, that I am not, never have been or ever will be a minion? Thank you.

britishsm · 912972. Thu May 31, 2012 8:26 am

oh and dont forget that the Olympic Gold Medals ... aren't ... by order of the IOC they are Silver Gilt.

B.

'yorz · 912982. Thu May 31, 2012 8:48 am