Did you know?
The ancient Olympic Games are said to have begun in 776 BCE at Olympia in Greece. Winners did not get medals. They got a crown made of olive leaves!
Olympic gold medals are mostly silver! Today they only need to be covered with about 6 grams of gold. The last medals made of solid gold were given out in 1912.
The Olympic flame is lit at Olympia using only sunlight. A curved mirror (called a parabolic mirror) focuses the Sun's rays until they are hot enough to start a fire.
Try this: Design a Mascot
Every Olympics has a mascot. The first official one was Waldi, a rainbow-coloured dachshund dog, at the 1972 Munich Games! Now invent a mascot for a pretend Olympics in your own city. Choose an animal or object from your region, give it a name and its own colours, and draw it waving at the crowd.
Go further: India's Golden Throw
At the Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021, Neeraj Chopra threw his javelin (a light spear) 87.58 metres and won gold. He became the first Indian to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics (running, jumping and throwing events). At Paris 2024, he won silver with an even longer throw of 89.45 metres! Ask your sports teacher to help you measure 87.58 metres on your school ground. How far is that?