The Ultimate Olympic Quiz Book

INTRODUCTION

The 1988 Seoul Olympics baptized and introduced me to the world’s biggest sporting event. And what an introduction it was! For Seoul portrayed the myriad hues of the Greatest Show on Earth most brilliantly. It was the final hurrah of two dominant powerhouses - the Soviet Union and East Germany - before their national character changed to create new entities and the first boycott-free Games as these Games saw the entry of both the People’s Republic of China and Chinese Taipei after a series of boycotts in previous games over the use of the word ‘China’ in their names. It turned out to be the biggest fall from grace in the history of the Games as well, with one of the most prolific Olympic champions, Ben Johnson, falling prey to the nemesis of sporting spirit: doping. In those Ramayana days of Doordarshan, I found my heroes and superheroes in Carl Lewis, Sergey Bubka, Matt Biondi, Kristin Otto, Florence Griffith-Joyner and Naim Suleymanoglu, apart from having a crush, probably my first, on a certain Svetlana Boginskaya - the svelte Soviet gymnast and winner of four medals in the capital of South Korea.

In the process I became a sports maniac despite being a citizen of a uni-sport country which eats, sleeps, breathes and swears by the game of cricket. My enthusiasm eventually compelled me to pursue a career in sports journalism, and when everybody from my fraternity was gunning for that exalted position of a cricket correspondent, I was happy being part of the coverage of the lesser mortals of sport. This not only enriched my knowledge and understanding of the sports and the Olympics but also made me a far more intense and passionate sport lover.

The same fervour took me to Goa last year after I got the information that the fallen hero of Seoul, Ben Johnson, had been spotted in the idyllic, picturesque beaches of a western Indian state. Despite having no clue about Ben’s whereabouts, I went on a wild-goose chase to track down the man who was once the fastest sprinter on earth, promising an exclusive interview with him to my office. A number of overenthusiastic phone calls to hotels and random people eventually gave my paparazzi self some invaluable leads. When I finally got to meet Ben, I identified him instantly thanks to the sparkling jaguar eyes that had entranced a billion television viewers in 1988. How that 9.79-second race incredibly changed his life, what was the real reason behind his unimaginable pace in that race (which even today stands as one of the fastest races in history, although not legally), how he was caught in the crossfire between shoe sponsors, what it takes to be on top and what fall from grace really entails, a candid Ben told me all during our two-hour long interaction.

Immensely touched by Ben’s story, I decided to write this book in an attempt to put together the numerous little-known and unknown stories of the Olympic Games. Being an avid quizzer, it just made sense for me to write this in a quiz format, a format that would also enable sport fanatics to test their knowledge about the Olympics. Moreover with the London 2012 Olympics round the corner, I believe this book will, with its Olympic trivia and factoids, give every sports fan the opportunity to feel closer to the greatest sports extravaganza in the world as he or she gears up for the upcoming Games. Apart from trying my best to be as factually correct as possible by gathering information from the best available reference material internationally (in case of a disputed or debated fact, I chose to stick to the data approved by the International Olympic Committee), I have attempted to create a book in which the questions go beyond mere results, numbers and other statistics and data.

Although there are not too many Indians in the league of extraordinary Olympians, being an Indian I have also dedicated two chapters to our countrymen’s fascinating feats at the Games. I must admit that the recent emergence of Indian athletes in the international level, especially their success at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Commonwealth Games, has made me optimistic about India’s prospects in London. I sincerely hope that all of us get to see more Indian names being added to the glorious list of Olympic icons in the years to come.

SUVAM PAL

Mumbai

THE ANCIENT OLYMPICS

Born as a series of inter-state competitions among warring Greek federal city-states, the ancient Olympic Games embodied Creek masculinity and the culture’s passion for sports, penchant for power and hunger for success. The legends of the ancient Games are sprinkled with fascinating tales of guts, grit, glory and chivalry, involving the high and mighty gods, and the debonair demi-gods. An unchronicled beginning, a celebration of Greek culture and heritage for over a thousand years brought to an abrupt end, courtesy a ruthless Roman emperor – the ancient Olympics saw it all.

1.   The Olympic Games started as a series of athletic competitions held for the representatives of various city-states of ancient Greece in honour of a Greek god. Name him/her.

2.   There is no record of the official date when the Games might have begun, but historians have agreed on a particular year of inception for the ancient Olympics. Which year was it?

3.   With six titles under his belt, he was arguably the most prolific champion of the ancient Games. This legendary wrestler from Croton won his first title in boys’ wrestling in 540 BC and later won five more, from 532 BC to 516 BC. What was his name?

4.   In which Shakespearean play did the ancient Olympic legend Milo find a reference?

5.   The Greek legend Milo was the pupil of a renowned philosopher and mathematician, whose daughter Myia he married. Name the philosopher.

6.   Name the only event that took place at the first Olympics in 776 BC and was the only Olympic sport till 724 BC.

7.   Who was the first ever Olympic champion in the recorded history of the Games?

Glorious Olympian, inglorious death

His invincibility in the Olympic arena was legendary and, for the ancient Greeks, he personified strength and power being immortalized in numerous fantastic fables and tales. But Milo of Croton had a less-than-glorious death. Once, he was wandering through the forest and found an old tree trunk with wedges inserted in it to split the wood. In an attempt to test his strength, an over-confident Milo tried to split apart the wood. He succeeded in loosening the wedges, but the trunk closed on his hands, trapping him and eventually, as the legend goes, the Olympic great fell prey to wild beasts. The tragedy was depicted in, among many other portrayals, an eighteenth-century oil painting by Joseph-Benoît Suvée and a work by the eighteenth-century Irish painter James Barry.

8.   Women were not allowed to compete in or even watch the Olympic Games, but they had their own Games which were held in honour of Goddess Hera in the stadium at Olympia. What was it called?

9.   Which ancient Olympics legend from southern Italy won a total of six olive wreaths in three Olympiads (488-480 BC) in the stade and the diaulos (twice the stade) events?

10.  According to various historians, this classical Greek philosopher, mathematician and a prolific student of Socrates was also an Olympic champion who won the pankration competition twice. Who is he?

11.  He was a legendary boxer who was a member of the most successful family in the history of the Games and was immortalized in one of the most famous odes of the poet Pindar. Not only did he triumph at the Games in 464 BC, three of his sons – Damagetos, Akousilaos and Dorieus – were Olympic champions too, while two of his grandsons repeated the feat. Name this Olympic boxing legend.

12.  This legendary pankration athlete was a winner in the ninety-third Olympiad in 408 BC and legend goes that he killed a lion with his bare hands on Mount Olympus in an attempt to imitate the labours of Heracles who slew the Nemean Lion. Name him.

13.  In AD 393, which Roman emeperor officially abolished the Games since he wanted to put an end to pagan festivals?

14.  Which ancient Greek philosopher – considered the ‘Father of Modern Science’ – took part in the Olympics?

The unfortunate free agent

Astylos of Croton was one of the most decorated Olympic champions, but he had to pay the price of switching loyalty. In his first Olympics, he ran for Croton; his compatriots honoured and glorified him. But in the next two Olympiads, he took part as a citizen of Syracuse. According to folklore, Astylos was bribed by officials In Syracuse to compete as part of their team, thus making him the world’s first free agent. Miffed with his betrayal, the people of Croton punished him by demolishing his statue in their city and turning his house into a prison as a sign of disrespect. His family renounced him too.

15.  It was forbidden for women to be present in the ancient Olympic Games, but one woman broke with tradition as a chariot owned by her won in the four-horse chariot race in the ninety-sixth and ninety-seventh Olympiads (396 BC and 392 BC respectively). This daughter of the Eurypontid king of Sparta, Archidamus II, was the first woman to be listed as an Olympic victor in antiquity since, in the equestrian events, the victory wreath was won by the owner, not the rider, of the horse. Who is the lady?

16.  A primitive form of martial art combining wrestling and boxing, this popular sport of the ancient Olympics was considered to be one of the toughest. The Greeks believed that it was invented by Theseus when he defeated the fierce minotaur in the labyrinth. Name the sport.

17.  During the ancient Olympics, poets were commissioned to write odes in honour of the Olympic victors. These poems were passed on from generation to generation. What were they called?

18.  Name the double-stadion race introduced in the fourteenth Olympiad of the ancient Olympics (724 BC).

19.  The last running event added to the Olympics was introduced in 520 BC and became, traditionally, the last race of the Olympic Games. In that event, the runners had to run either a single or double diaulos (approximately 400 or 800 yards) in full or partial armour, carrying a shield and additionally equipped either with greaves or a helmet. Name the race.

20.  Which five events comprised the pentathlon in the ancient Olympics?

When the roof caved in on a champion

Ancient Olympic legend, Polydamas of Skotoussa, was as famous for his non-athletic exploits as he was for his prowess in the pankration event. However, his enormous strength could not prevent his death. One day, Polydamas and his friends were resting in a cave when the roof began to crumble upon them. Confident of his immense strength, he held his hands up to the roof, trying to support it as the rocks crashed down around him. His companions fled the spot and reached safety but the proud Olympian paid the price for his hubris.

Curse of the Olympic champion

Olympic great Theagenes was immortalized by the people of Thasos with a bronze statue. Legend goes that a man who never won a match against Theagenes would come every night to the statue and beat it. One night, the statue fell on the angry man and he died on the spot. His sons got the statue prosecuted for murder under the existing law of the land and the angry residents of Thasos threw the statue into the ocean. In later years, famine and plague struck the island. When the people sought the advice of the oracle, they were told to welcome back all exiles. The Thasians followed the command, but the crops still refused to grow. So the oracle priestess reminded them of the statue of the great Theagenes. Some fishermen retrieved the figure and the people of Thasos reinstated it. Later; they made sacrifices to the statue and credited it with having the power to heal.

21.  Name the last recorded athlete at the ancient Olympic Games before the Olympics was banned by Theodosius I in AD 393.

22.  According to Thucydides and a few other Greek historians, which victor of diaulos and dolichos, in the Olympic Games of 720 BC, was the first athlete to run naked in the ancient Olympics?

23.  Who is the only ancient Olympic champion after whom an international airport is named?

24.  Which of the Seven Sages of Greece, and a renowned statesman from Sparta, died of joy when his son won the prize for boxing at the fifty-sixth Olympic games in 556 BC?

25.  This ancient Olympics great competed in the