Who’s ready for Expat Living’s Weekly Quiz? You can get together with a small group, have a glass of wine and try these out – or stick to Zoom, of course. This week, it’s one for sports fans: 20 trivia questions on the Olympic Games!
#1 If the Olympic Games in Tokyo weren’t postponed because of coronavirus, the final day of competition would have been on Sunday 9 August 2020. What running event is traditionally held on the final day of an Olympics?
#2 Athletes at the ancient Olympics in Greece competed nude, true or false?
#3 American sprinter and triple-gold-medallist Florence Griffith Joyner is still considered the fastest woman in history, 32 years after setting records in the 100m and 200m events. What was her two-syllable nickname?
#4 Name the 1981 British film about two male runners training for and competing in the 1924 Olympics. (Hint: Mr Bean performed the film’s theme song at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012.)
#5 Cassius Clay won a gold medal in which sport at the 1960 Olympics?
#6 Which city is not hosting one of the next two Summer Olympics, in 2024 and 2028: Paris, Dubai or Los Angeles?
#7 What is the Olympic motto, “Faster, Higher, Stronger”, “Victory and Valour” or “Racing the Globe”?
#8 Literature was an event at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, true or false?
#9 Who did host nation Brazil defeat in the men’s gold medal football match at the 2016 Games in Rio?
#10 The equestrian events at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics were held where: Melbourne, Tasmania or Sweden?
#11 Johnny Weissmuller won five gold medals in the Olympic pool before playing what famous film character in 12 movies in the 1930s and 1940s? (Hint: it starts with “T”.)
#12 Which event, held in the pool, is one of only two women-only Olympic events?
#13 Which record-breaking athlete was accidentally knocked to the ground by a cameraman on a Segway at the 2016 Olympics in Rio?
#14 What was notable about the Olympics of 1916, 1940 and 1944?
#15 American athlete Fred Lorz had his marathon gold medal revoked in 1904. Was it because: he was a woman; he got a lift in a car for almost half the race; or he used brandy to “enhance” his performance?
#16 Cool Runnings is a 1983 film based on the true story of the Winter Olympics bobsleigh team from which country?
#17 Do men and women compete against each other in any current Olympic sports?
#18 Which four-day sport was reintroduced at the 2016 Olympics after a 112-year hiatus?
#19 Which Canadian sprinter was famously stripped of his 100-metre gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul after testing positive for steroids? (Initials: BJ.)
#20 Hong Kong has competed in 16 Olympics and won how many medals in total: zero, 3 or 11?
BONUS
Who am I?
(If you can answer correctly on the first clue, you get 10 points, but you lose a point for each additional clue you require after that.)
I’m a female Olympian, born in 1961. (10)
I’m the only athlete in history to have twice received the Olympic Order, the highest award of the Olympic Movement. (9)
Today, I live in the American state of Oklahoma, but I was born in a different country. (8)
In 2008, I participated in Donald Trump’s television show Celebrity Apprentice to raise money for charity. (7)
At the age of 9, I became the youngest ever national champion in my sport. (6)
I went on to win five Olympic gold medals across the 1976 and 1980 Olympics. (5)
I defected to the US in 1989. (4)
I competed as a gymnast for Romania. (3)
I’m the first gymnast in history to score a perfect 10 at the Olympic Games. (2)
I am Nadia who, starting with C? (1)
All the answers (no cheating!)
#1 Men’s Marathon
#2 True; our word gymnasium comes from the Greek word for “naked” – for the record, women were forbidden from viewing or competing in the Games
#3 Flo-Jo
#4 Chariots of Fire
#5 Boxing (five years later, he would change his name to Muhammad Ali)
#6 Dubai
#7 “Faster, Higher, Stronger”
#8 True, along with painting, sculpting and other artistic pursuits
#9 Germany (Brazil won 5-4 on penalties after the match had ended 1-1 in regular time)
#10 Sweden (they weren’t able to be held in Australia because of strict quarantine regulations)
#11 Tarzan
#12 Synchronised swimming (the other event for women only is rhythmic gymnastics)
#13 Usain Bolt
#14 They were cancelled because of war
#15 He got a lift in a car for almost half the race
#16 Jamaica
#17 Yes, in quite a few, from equestrian and tennis at the Summer Olympics to curling and alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics
#18 Golf
#19 Ben Johnson
#20 Three (one gold, one silver, one bronze)
Bonus: Nadia Comăneci
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