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The Summer Olympic Games
Published or Updated March 6, 2011
Location: United Kingdom
Sport: Summer Olympic Sport
Level: Professional
Sport: Summer Olympic Sport
Level: Professional
Event Type: Individual/Team Championship
First Held: 1896
Next Up: 7/27/2012-8/12/2012
First Held: 1896
Next Up: 7/27/2012-8/12/2012
When and Where: every four years at rotating sites throughout the world
Every four years, the world’s best athletes come together to compete for the honor of the Olympiad, vying for their chance to bring home the gold for their home countries in the world’s biggest sporting event.
Event Photos
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Articles
Facts and Links
Mark Spitz (Munich 1972) - Seven events, seven gold medals, seven world records.
Jesse Owens (Berlin 1936) - Four gold medals in the Olympics in Berlin at the height of Hitler's Aryan supremacy propaganda show.
Michael Johnson (Atlanta 1996) - Johnson put on an astounding burst of speed and won the 200 meters in a jaw-dropping, world-record time of 19.32 seconds. He became the first man to win the 200 and 400 meters in the same Olympics.
Jesse Owens (Berlin 1936) - Jesse Owens shocked Hitler and the world when he won his 4th gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Jesse Owens went on to win gold medals in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, the long jump, and in the 400-meter relay.
Olympic Rings - Each of the five Olympic rings is a different color. Together, they represent the five inhabited continents, although no particular ring is meant to represent any specific continent.
Olympic Tourch - The ancient Greeks believed that fire was given to mankind by Prometheus, and considered fire to have sacred qualities.
Release of Doves - After the cauldron is lit, doves are released, as a symbol of peace.
Olympic Flags - The Olympic flag places the Olympic rings on a white background. As every national flag in the world contains at least one of the flag's six colors (black, blue, green, red, yellow, white)
Links
Quotes
"A lifetime of training for just ten seconds."
Jesse Owens
"For athletes, the Olympics are the ultimate test of their worth. "
Mary Lou Retton
"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well."
Pierre de Coubertin
