Strange moments in Olympic history
Strange moments in Olympic history
Learn more about weird moments in Olympic history.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Transcript
WTFact: The Olympic Games
Don’t let the flame go out.
At least one athlete used drugs at the first American-hosted Olympics.
At the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri, marathoner Thomas Hicks was fed a combination of egg whites and strychnine by his crew twice during the race.
The small doses of strychnine acted as a stimulant, and, though Hicks suffered from hallucinations during his run, he still won the gold.
A police officer–fire warden was assigned to protect the Olympic flame on an airplane during the 2012 torch relay.
Like every year of an Olympics, the flame was lit in Greece and then carried in a relay to its ultimate destination: the site of the Olympic Games.
Thousands of people were torchbearers, and they traveled on foot, on horseback, by train, and in aircraft to get the flame to London.
The problem? The flame isn’t supposed to go out until it’s formally extinguished at the end of the Games.
The flame and its backup (in case the first one goes out) were placed in specially designed containers and assigned prime seats on a private plane flying from Greece to Britain.
It’s the safest possible way to transport fire overseas—but the flames were still accompanied by a police officer trained in fire safety, just in case.
The Olympics doesn’t set age limits for its athletes.
The youngest competitor so far is probably a French boy who was unexpectedly recruited by a pair of Dutch rowers in need of a coxswain in 1900.
Judging by a photograph, the boy was probably about 7 to 12 years old.
Today he would not have been able to compete, because he hadn’t qualified in the first place—but not necessarily because of his age. The Olympics respects age limits set by the governing bodies of individual sports.
Don’t let the flame go out.
At least one athlete used drugs at the first American-hosted Olympics.
At the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri, marathoner Thomas Hicks was fed a combination of egg whites and strychnine by his crew twice during the race.
The small doses of strychnine acted as a stimulant, and, though Hicks suffered from hallucinations during his run, he still won the gold.
A police officer–fire warden was assigned to protect the Olympic flame on an airplane during the 2012 torch relay.
Like every year of an Olympics, the flame was lit in Greece and then carried in a relay to its ultimate destination: the site of the Olympic Games.
Thousands of people were torchbearers, and they traveled on foot, on horseback, by train, and in aircraft to get the flame to London.
The problem? The flame isn’t supposed to go out until it’s formally extinguished at the end of the Games.
The flame and its backup (in case the first one goes out) were placed in specially designed containers and assigned prime seats on a private plane flying from Greece to Britain.
It’s the safest possible way to transport fire overseas—but the flames were still accompanied by a police officer trained in fire safety, just in case.
The Olympics doesn’t set age limits for its athletes.
The youngest competitor so far is probably a French boy who was unexpectedly recruited by a pair of Dutch rowers in need of a coxswain in 1900.
Judging by a photograph, the boy was probably about 7 to 12 years old.
Today he would not have been able to compete, because he hadn’t qualified in the first place—but not necessarily because of his age. The Olympics respects age limits set by the governing bodies of individual sports.