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Olympics Quiz—Go for the Gold!

Watching the Olympics is a great way for you and your family to spend time together this summer. Take our quiz to see how much you already know about the Olympic Games.

1. When were the first modern Olympic Games held?
   
   1812
   1896
   1932

2. What do the five circles on the Olympic flag represent?

3. How many times were the Olympic Games cancelled?
   
   once
   twice
   three times

4. Who has won the most gold medals in a single Olympics?

5. In which events have these American athletes competed?

   Andre Agassi	Basketball
   Sasha Cohen	Diving
   Tim Duncan	Gymnastics
   Greg Louganis	Ice Skating
   Jesse Owens	Snowboarding
   Michael Phelps	Track and Field
   Mary Lou Retton	Tennis
   Shaun White	Swimming

   
   

6. Where is each of these Olympic sites?

   Albertville	Canada
   Barcelona	France
   Calgary	Japan
   Lillehammer	South Korea
   Nagano	Norway
   Seoul	Spain

   
   

7. Which of these events is not new to the 2008 Olympics?
   
   BMX—dirt-bike racing
   marathon swimming
   beach volleyball

8. What determines the order in which teams march in the opening ceremony?
   
   Alphabetical order by their dominate spoken language
   Ordered by the number of medals won in the previous Games
   By seniority—how long the country has participated in the Olympics

9. How many total tickets can be sold for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing?
   
   3 million
   5 million
   7 million

10. How far does the Olympic torch travel?
    
    10,000 miles
    85,000 miles
    100,000 miles

Answers:

Answers:

1. The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896 in Athens. A Frenchman, Pierre de Coubertin initiated the revival of these ancient games. Only 14 countries participated and approximately 241 male athletes competed.

2. The five circles on the Olympic flag represent the five participating continents—Asia, Africa, the Americas (considered as one continent), Europe, and Australia.

3. The Olympics were cancelled three times: in 1916 during World War I and in 1940 and 1944 (both summer and winter Games) during World War II.

4. Mark Spitz won seven gold medals for swimming in 1972. So far his record is unbroken.

5. Andre Agassi—Tennis
   Sasha Cohen—Ice Skating
   Tim Duncan—Basketball
   Greg Louganis—Diving
   Jesse Owens—Track and Field
   Michael Phelps—Swimming
   Mary Lou Retton—Gymnastics
   Shaun White—Snowboarding

6. The 1992 winter Games were in Albertville, France.
   The 1992 summer Games were in Barcelona, Spain.
   The 1988 winter Games were in Calgary, Canada.
   The 1994 winter Games were in Lillehammer, Norway.
   The 1998 winter Games were in Nagano, Japan.
   The 1988 summer Games were in Seoul, South Korea.

7. Beach volleyball is not new. It first became an Olympic event in 1996. Marathon swimming (swimming 10 kilometers or 6.2 miles) and dirt-bike racing (BMX) will be introduced in the 2008 Beijing Games.

8. The Greek team always goes first in honor of the original Olympics, and the host country marches last. The other country teams follow in alphabetical order of their dominant spoken language.

9. Approximately 7 million tickets can be sold for the Beijing Olympic Games. Currently, about 1 million remain available.

10. The Olympic torch travels 85,000 miles—the equivalent of traveling three times around the world.

For more on the Olympics, go to en.beijing2008.cn/education.