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Top 5 Strangest Olympic Facts

While everyone has gone Olympic here are a few random strange facts about the international games...
Newstalk
Newstalk

15.33 1 Aug 2012


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Top 5 Strangest Olympic Facts

Top 5 Strangest Olympic Facts

Newstalk
Newstalk

15.33 1 Aug 2012


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While everyone has gone Olympic here are a few random strange facts about the international games:

5. The Olympic Rings Cover Every Flag in the World

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style="text-align: left;"> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-215492" title="olympic flag" src="http://admin.newstalk.ie/wp-content/files/2012/08/olympic-flag.jpg" alt="" width="275" height="183" />The International Olympic Committee picked the colours blue, yellow, black, green and red because at least one of those colours appear on every flag across the world. The rings are also supposed to mention the five participating continents in the Olympics excluding the Arctic and the Antarctica.

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style="text-align: left;">4. Top prize at the first modern Olympics was a sliver medal

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-215500" title="olympic medals" src="http://admin.newstalk.ie/wp-content/files/2012/08/olympic-medals.jpg" alt="" width="265" height="190" />
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style="text-align: left;">In the first modern Olympics held in 1896 at Athens, first prize winners received a sliver medal and a olive branch, second prize received a bronze medal while third place didn’t get any prizes. Gold, silver and bronze medals weren’t given out until the third modern Olympics, in 1904.

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style="text-align: left;">3. The first Olympic drug suspension wasn’t until 1968.

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style="text-align: left;">At the 1968 Mexico City games, Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall, a Swedish pentathlete, was suspended because he tested positive for a banned substance. That substance: Alcohol. He drank several beers before the pentathlon  which was of course against the rules and was suspended as a result.

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style="text-align: left;">2. The longest Olympics lasted 187 days

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-213657" title="London 2012 open" src="http://admin.newstalk.ie/wp-content/files/2012/07/London-2012-open-460x258.jpg" alt="" width="368" height="206" />
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style="text-align: left;">The first time the Olympic games were held in London in 1908 it went on for 187 days. Starting from April and finishing in October. The first London games was full of controversy mostly surrounding various political struggles as many nations wished to compete independently (including Ireland) instead of under the past ruling Empires back then.

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style="text-align: left;">1. London 2012 is the first games where all competing nations include women

style="text-align: left;">Despite it being 116 since years since the first modern Olympic games have been held. Its not until the London 2012 games that every nation competing within the games has team players that are women. Women have been able to participate in the Olympics since 1900, but it is only now that women from Brunei, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been given this opportunity. However controversy has entirely left surrounding the new female national participants with only today the International Olympic Committee and the Saudi Arabia representatives reaching a comprise when it comes to wearing headscarfs when playing within the games.

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