Sports Olympic Games Facts
Olympic Games – Quick Revision (RRB Sports)
1. Bullet Points – Must Know
- Birth: 776 BC (Ancient) | 1896 AD (Modern)
- Father of Modern Olympics: Baron Pierre de Coubertin
- Olympic Motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius → Faster, Higher, Stronger
- Olympic Creed: “The important thing is not to win but to take part…”
- 5 Rings → 5 Continents (America taken as one); colours appear on every national flag
- 1st Modern Games: Athens, Greece 6 Apr 1896 – 14 nations, 43 events, 0 women
- 1st Winter Games: Chamonix, France 1924
- 1st Paralympics: Rome 1960
- 1st Youth Olympics: Singapore 2010
- Only nation present in every Summer Olympics: Australia & Greece (remember AAG)
- Host of 2028 Summer Games: Los Angeles (USA) | 2032: Brisbane (Australia)
2. Key Facts Table – Revise in 60 sec
| Edition | Year | Host City | Firsts/Records |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | 1896 | Athens | 1st modern; marathon 40 km (Spyidon Louis) |
| VI | 1916 | Berlin | CANCELLED (WW-I) |
| XII | 1940 | Tokyo → Helsinki → CANCELLED (WW-II) | |
| XIII | 1944 | London | CANCELLED (WW-II) |
| XV | 1956 | Melbourne | First equestrian events in Sweden (quarantine) |
| XVIII | 1964 | Tokyo | 1st live TV via satellite |
| XIX | 1968 | Mexico | 1st Games at >2,000 m altitude |
| XX | 1972 | Munich | 11 Israeli athletes killed (Black September) |
| XXII | 1980 | Moscow | USA + 65 nations boycotted |
| XXIII | 1984 | L.A. | Soviet bloc retaliatory boycott |
| XXV | 1992 | Barcelona | Post-Cold-War, no boycotts |
| XXVI | 1996 | Atlanta | Centenary Games |
| XXVII | 2000 | Sydney | Largest – 199 nations |
| XXVIII | 2004 | Athens | Returns to birthplace |
| XXIX | 2008 | Beijing | $40 bn cost; 8-8-08 start |
| XXX | 2012 | London | 1st city to host 3 times (1908, 1948, 2012) |
| XXXI | 2016 | Rio | 1st South-American host |
| XXXII | 2021* | Tokyo | Delayed 1 yr (COVID) |
| XXXIII | 2024 | Paris | 2nd city to host 3 times (1900, 1924, 2024) |
| XXXIV | 2028 | Los Angeles | 3rd time (1932, 1984, 2028) |
3. India @ Olympics – High-Yield Nuggets
- 1st Indian participant: Norman Pritchard (1900, 2 silver) – counted under India by IOC
- 1st Individual Gold: Abhinav Bindra – 10 m Air Rifle, Beijing 2008
- 1st Indian Woman medal: Karnam Malleswari – Bronze, Weightlifting, Sydney 2000
- Only Indian double-individual: Sushil Kumar – Bronze 2008, Silver 2012
- Best Games tally: Tokyo 2020 – 7 medals (1 G, 2 S, 4 B)
- Largest contingent: Tokyo 2020 – 127 athletes
4. Memory Tricks
| Mnemonic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| GAMES-123 | Greece-Athens (1st), Berlin (cancelled-2 wars), Sydney-2000 (3 zeros → largest) |
| C-A-F | Olympic Motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius (think Café for faster energy) |
| 5-Ring Colours – BROGB | Black, Red, Yellow (O), Green, Blue – say “Bring Regular Orderly Good Breakfast” |
5. Likely RRB MCQs – 10 Q
Click to expand Q&A
-
In which year were the first Modern Olympic Games held?
1896 -
Who is known as the father of the modern Olympic Games?
Baron Pierre de Coubertin -
What do the five Olympic rings represent?
Five inhabited continents united in sport -
Which city has hosted the Summer Olympics three times? (1908, 1948, 2012)
London -
Who won India’s first individual Olympic gold medal?
Abhinav Bindra -
Which Olympic Games were cancelled due to World War II?
1940 & 1944 -
The motto ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius’ means?
Faster, Higher, Stronger -
First Indian woman to win an Olympic medal?
Karnam Malleswari -
Which country will host the 2028 Summer Olympics?
USA (Los Angeles) -
When were the first Winter Olympics held?
1924 (Chamonix, France)
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