After four years of enthusiastic anticipation (and thousands of air tickets to London sold), the 2012 London Olympics has finally set to light the torch at the Olympic Stadium.
Although some events had already started prior to the opening ceremony, the excitement didn’t die down a bit. So to heighten it up, why not learn some quick facts about the 2012 London Olympics, and the whole sports competition, itself?
- The Olympics is believed to originate from Ancient Greece but the truth is no one knows where it had started. The most popularly accepted legend though was that it was started by Heracles, a Roman and Greek mythology character
- During ancient times, the Olympics served as the symbol of peace as joining cities would set aside their feuds and wars just so they could compete properly
- The term ‘gymnasium’ was derived from the Greek word ‘gymnos’ which means nude. This was used because the participants in ancient Olympics were required to complete their events with their clothes off
- During the Olympics in 1900, there were only a few spectators who attended the event. (Perhaps, the airfares were too high?)
- At least one of the colors of the Olympic rings is used in every national flag in the world
- During the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, the gold medals were really made out of pure gold
- The tradition of holding opening ceremonies for the Olympics started with the London Olympics in 1908
- London has been host to the Olympics three times already: 1908, 1948, and the present, 2012
- The 2012 London Olympics is also referred to as the Games of XXX Olympiad, and London 2012
- So far, London is the only city in the United Kingdom to have hosted the Olympics
- The oldest torchbearer ran a 12,000-km distance without her cane for the 2012 London Olympics. She is Diana Gould, 100 years old
- Olympic mascots were first used in the summer of 1972 after it was approved by the International Olympic Committee in Munich, Germany
- Almost four billion people were expected to grab air tickets to London to watch the events
- For the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics, the stadium will be transformed into a British countryside – complete with meadows, fields, rivers, and even herds of sheep. The production is entitled The ‘Isles of Wonder’ and is directed by award-winning directors Danny Boyle and Stephen Daldry
- There will be a total of 205 nations participating in the 2012 London Olympics
The 2012 London Olympics is a remarkable event for everybody as it is another manifestation of the unity which binds the different nations in the world.
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