25 Olympic facts every kid should know
The Olympic Games are less than 100 days away and kids may be curious to know more about Paris 2024. The Summer Games are an exciting time for kids to learn more about the Olympics. Here are 25 fast facts to share with kids about the Olympic Games.
The first Olympic Games took place in 776BC
The very first Olympics were part of an ancient Greek festival, according to the Penn Museum. Some of the events at the ancient Olympic Games — like the discus throw — are events that still take place in 2024, according to Olympics.com.
The Olympic Games were originally held to honor the god Zeus, according to the Penn Museum.
The games got their name from Mount Olympus, according to Olympics.com.
This year, the Olympic Games will be held in Paris
It was announced in 2017 that the City of Lights won the bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, giving the city ample time to prepare to host this major event.
An extra three million people are expected in Paris during the Summer Olympics, according to Euromonitor.com
The Paris Games are expected to attract 15 million spectators in total, Euromonitor said. The airports and tourist sites will be very busy!
At the end of the games, Paris will have hosted the Summer Olympics three times
The only other city to have hosted the Summer Olympics three times is London, according to Olympics.com. Paris last hosted in 1900 and 1924.
The official name of the 2024 Summer Olympics is Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, according to the International Handball Federation
That’s a mouthful! You will also hear the Olympics called the Summer Olympics, the Summer Games, the Paris Games and Paris 2024.
The Olympic Games are comprised of 32 sports in 2024
In total, there will be 329 medal events in 32 sports over the 16-day 2024 Summer Olympics, according to Olympics.com.
The Olympic Games will be held from Friday, July 26, through Sunday, Aug. 11
The Summer Olympics take place every four years and normally coincide with a leap year.
The Olympic Games have taken place in the United States eight times
The U.S. has hosted four Summer Olympics and four Winter Olympics for a total of eight.
The last time the U.S. hosted the Olympics was in 2002.
Salt Lake City, Utah, was the host of the 2002 Winter Games. The last Summer Olympics hosted by the U.S. was in 1996 in Atlanta.
The Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games
It is lit in the site of ancient Olympia, the location of the very first Olympics. It will be carried by more than 1,000 torchbearers, according to Olympics.com.
The torch is a symbol of unity
“The Olympic flame has been a symbol of peace and friendship among nations since antiquity,” the International Olympic Committee said.
There will be 206 countries participating in this summer’s Olympic Games
More than 10,000 athletes from 206 countries are expected to participate in the Summer Games, according to Olympics.com.
The last Olympic Games were held in Beijing
Beijing hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics. The last Summer Olympics were held in Tokyo.
There will be no baseball or softball played at the 2024 Olympic Games, according to NBC
Though the two sports seem synonymous with summer — and were included in the 2020 Tokyo Games — they will not be included in Paris 2024.
The next Summer Olympics will be held in 2028 in Los Angeles
It is scheduled for July 14 — July 30, 2028. It will be the third time the City of Angels will host the Summer Games, according to La28.com.
The Olympic logo is made up of five rings
It was designed by a Frenchman named Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin. He is known as the founding father of the modern Olympic Games and co-founder of the International Olympic Committee, created in 1894.
The Olympic ring colors represent every national flag
At least one of the colors can be found on every national flag in existence at the time, according to Britannica.com.
Gold, silver and bronze medals were introduced in 1904
The tradition started at the St. Louis 1904 Games, according to Olympics.com.
The host city designs the medals
The organizing committee of the host city is responsible for the medal design, and this year, the medals will include pieces of the Eiffel Tour.
The United States has won more medals than any other country, according to Olymedia.com
The U.S. has won a total of 3,105 medals: 1,229 gold, 1,000 silver, and 876 bronze.
The Olympic opening ceremony is always led by Greece
It ends with the host country and the countries in between enter in alphabetical order, according to NPR.
There’s a reason why Olympians bite their medals
Because photographers ask them to! One medalist — German luger David Moeller, who won silver at the 2010 Winter Olympics — broke his tooth while doing the famous pose, according to Olympics.com.
There will be one sport making its debut in Paris 2024
Breaking — more commonly known as breakdancing — will be included in the Olympics for the first time this summer.
Surfing will return to the Olympics this summer, but nowhere near Paris
The surf competition will be held 9,000 miles away in Teahupo’o, located on the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia, according to NBC Olympics. The island is “known for its beautiful but heavy and challenging waves.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
