2000 Summer Olympic Games – Sydney, Australia
1. Cathy Freeman lit the flame! What sport does she participate in and why was this honor so significant for Australians?Cathy Freeman participated in track & field, and won the 400m final days later. She is of Aboriginal descent and her lighting the torch was seen as a form of reconciliation by Australia for their mistreatment of Aborigines.
2. Which two countries walked together under the same flag?North and South Korea
3. Who is Ian Thorpe and what did he do? Ian Thorpe was 17 during the 2000 Summer Olympics and he swam for Australia. Hehad set world records the past year and won 5 medals in his sport, 3 of them gold.
4. Which two sports were introduced for the first time, and which country was finally able to win its first Olympic medal in which new event?Triathlon and taekwondo; Vietnam won silver in women's taekwondo.
5. Unfortunately, even extremely successful Olympics are affected by scandals. Drugs and doping were a recurring problem during these games. Talk about what happened and which athletes were affected before, during, or after the games.Before the games, 28 Chinese athletes were withdrawn from competition when their national Olympic committee reported that they tested positive for drugs. The World Anti-Doping Agency was present at the games, and many athletes were disqualified and lost medals. After the games, Marion Jones, Antonio Pettigrew, Alvin and Calvin Harrison, Jerome Young, and Lance Armstrong were all stripped of their medals after they admitted to using banned substances.
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2002 Winter Olympic Games – Salt Lake City, USA
1.Scandal hit these Olympic Games before they even started! What happened?In 1998, Salt Lake City TV station KTVX reported that the Salt Lake City Organizing Committee had been paying the tuition of Sonia Assomba, who was the daughter of an IOC member. The Salt Lake City Bid Committee was then accused of pampering IOC members. Committee heads Tom Welch and Dave Johnson were forced to withdraw, and later on, indictments were brought against them. Frank Joklik, Welch's replacement, was also shown to have close affiliations withthe committee and also resigned. Mitt Romney was called in as the new committee chief and quickly fixed the problem.
2. As said before, homage was paid to September 11 during the opening ceremony. Name one way this was done.The flag that was flown at Ground Zero was carried in, NYPD officer Daniel Rodriguez sang God Bless America, and honor guards of NYPD and FDNY members were present.
3. Who lit the flame and why are they a big deal in American Olympic history?The torch was lit by the 1980 Olympics’ men's hockey team. They are known for defeating the USSRnational team, known as the Miracle on Ice, and later went on to win gold against Finland.
4. What happened with pairs figure skating and what was the outcome?Whoever won free skate would win the gold medal. Russian pairYelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze wasleading, but Canadian pairJamie Salé and David Pelletier was very close behind. Many audience members and figure skating experts thought the Canadians would win since their skatingwas clean and the Russians made several errors. However, the judges voted 5-4 in favor of the Russians, and they won the gold medal. There was a lot of outcry and protest, and manythought votes were fixed. IOC president Jacques Rogge ordered the International Skating Union to hold emergency meetings to investigate. In 3 days, the IOC and the ISU announced bothpairs would be given gold medals.
5. What happened in the men's hockey final and which record was broken?Canada defeated the US 5-2 after 50 years with no hockey gold medal.
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2004 Summer Olympic Games – Athens, Greece
1.Greece is typically the first country to enter the stadium during the Parade of Nations, and the home country is typically last to enter. However, Greece was also the home country! Howdid Greece make sure they entered both first and last?Weightlifter Pyrros Dimas opened the parade and the rest of the Greek athletes entered at the end.
2. Who lit the flame and what sport do they compete in?Nikolaos Kaklamanakis is a Greek gold medal winner for sailing.
3. Some events were held in ancient Olympic or 1896 Olympic sites! Name one of these events and where it was held.Ancient Olympic Stadium/Stadium at Olympia: shotput, Panathinaiko Stadium: archery, marathon finish, Karaiskakis Stadium: soccer
4. Which countries and which sports were featured for the first time?Kiribati and Timor Leste made their first appearance, and women's wrestling and women's sabre were added.
5. There was one breach in security during these Olympics. What happened and what was the outcome?During the men's marathon, Brazilian Vanderlei de Lima was assaulted by a man who knocked de Lima into the crowd. The man was an Irish priest who had previously disrupted athletic events. de Lima recovered and finished third.
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2006 Winter Olympic Games – Torino, Italy
1.How did the city itself break a Winter Olympics record?Torino became the largest city ever to hold the Winter Olympic Games.
2. What kind of coverage became available for the first time during these games, and what could people in Mongolia and Azerbaijan finally do?Live video coverage on mobile phones, and TV coverage was finally available in Mongolia and Azerbaijan.
3. Which countries competed in the Winter Olympics for the first time?Albania, Madagascar, and Ethiopia
4. Who lit the flame and which sport do they compete in?Stefania Belmondo is a 10 time medal winner in cross-country skiing.
5. Which Italian was considered to be the hometown hero in these games, and what did they do? Enrico Fabris won three medals in speed skating, two of them gold.
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2008 Summer Olympic Games – Beijing, China
1.Why was China criticized as a host before the Olympics even started?China does not have a good human rights record, and there were also concerns over media censorship in the nation.
2. Why did the opening ceremony start at 8:08:08 PM on August 8, 2008?The number 8 is associated with prosperity and confidence in Chinese culture.
3. Who lit the flame, which sport did they compete in, and what do they do now?Li Ning was a former Chinese gymnast and is now an entrepreneur.
4. The main stadium and the aquatics arena both have unofficial names based on their appearance. What are they?Bird's Nest and Water Cube
5. Which country completely dominated track & field events, specifically sprinting?Jamaica
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2010 Winter Olympic Games – Vancouver, Canada
1.Unfortunately, tragedy struck the day before the Olympics. What happened?Georgian luger Nodar Kumaratishvili went off track, his body crashed against a post, and he died shortly after.
2. Who lit the flame and which sport did they compete in?Hockey great Wayne Gretzky, Paralympic athlete Rick Hansen, Steve Nash competes in basketball, Catriona Le May Doan is a speed skater, and Nancy Greene is an alpine skier
3. Which resort held skiing, snowboarding, luge, and bobsled events?Whistler
4. Canadian athletes broke a record! What was it?They won 14 gold medals, which is the most ever in Olympic history for one nation at the Winter Olympics.
5. Which Vancouver Winter Olympics event became the most watched television event in Canadian history?The men's gold medal hockey game, Canada vs. United States
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2012 Summer Olympic Games – London, UK
1.London won the 2012 Summer Olympics bid on July 6, 2005. What happened less than 24 hours after, increasing security concerns for the city and the games? Suicide bombers attacked the London Underground, killing 52 passengers and the terrorists.
2. Callum Airlie, Jordan Duckitt, Desiree Henry, Cameron MacRitchie, Aidan Reynolds, Adelle Tracey, and Katie Kirklit the flame...but they aren't previous Olympic athletes! Who are they?They are young athletes who were nominated by retired Olympic athletes.
3. Some events, especially soccer matches, were held in cities outside of London. Name one of them.Glasgow, Cardiff, and Manchester
4. How did Michael Phelps make history at the games?He became the most decorated athlete in Olympic history.
5. Three British athletes won three gold medals in only one hour! Who were they and which athletes were they competing in?Jessica Ennis in women's heptathlon, Greg Rutherford in men's long jump, and Mo Farah in men's 10,000 meters.
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2014 Winter Olympic Games – Sochi, Russia
1.Why was Sochi considered an odd choice for a Winter Olympic host city?Sochi is a summer resort on the coast of the Black Sea, and had no winter sports facilities at the time of the bid.
2. Why were there calls for boycotts of this Olympics?Russian treatment of LGBT people, Sochi is possible site of a Circassian genocide, and insurgency in the Northern Caucasus.
3. Which two Russian athletes lit the flame and what did they compete in?Vladislav Tretyak competed in ice hockeyandIrina Rodninacompeted in figure skating.
4. Considering speed skating comes from this country, it is only fair that which nation dominated the event?The Netherlands
5. Which two Norwegian athletes broke or tied all-time medal records in their respective sports?Ole Einar BjørndalenandMarit Bjørgen.
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