Special Sub-Topic: Olympic Symbols Click Here To Play: Olympic Symbols

The Olympic motto - Citius, Altius, Fortius, was taken by Baron de Coubertin from a Latin phrase used by a priest named who?

Henry Didon. The Olympic motto was carved over the entrance of Father Didon's school. It was first used at the 1924 Paris Olympics.

The Olympic torch burns all throughout the duration of the Games. Where is the Olympic torch lit?

Temple of Hera. The Olympic torch was inspired by the myth of Prometheus stealing fire from the gods. The idea of a torch relay was broached by Carl Deim and first used in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

The Olympic flag consists of five interlocking rings symbolizing the friendship of mankind and the colors (including the white background), representing the colors found on every flag in the world. When was the flag first used?

1920 Antwerp. The flag was devised by Baron de Coubertin based on a design depicted in an ancient Greek banner in Delphi.

Mascots have become an accepted symbol for the Olympic Games, with each host country for both Summer and Winter Games coming up with their own. In what year and Games was the Olympic mascot officially recognized?

1968 Mexico City. The 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City was the first to have an Olympic Mascot. It was a Red Jaguar, an animal prominent in many Aztec legends. It didn't have a nickname, though. Although the Winter Olympics had a mascot named Schuss, he was not officially recognized.

The Olympic Creed - "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well." This was adopted by Baron de Coubertin after hearing it from a sermon by the Bishop of Philadelphia. In what year was the creed first used?

1912 Stockholm. The sermon by the Bishop of Philadelphia Ethelbert Talbot during a service for Olympic athletes at the 1908 London Games, only contained these words, "The important thing in these Olympics is not so much winning as taking part." Baron de Coubertin was inspired by the sermon that the creed in its present form has been displayed on the scoreboard starting the 1912 Stockholm Games.

In the 2000 Sydney Olympics, how many official mascots were there?

3. The 2000 Sydney Olympics had three official mascots: Syd the platypus (for Sydney), Olly the kookaburra (for Olympics), and Millie the echidna (for Millenium).

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been in charge of running the Olympic Games through its host member nations. All countries competing in the Games have to be a member of the IOC. Which country was the first to have two IOC presidents elected?

Belgium. Count Henri de Baillet-Latour (1925-1942) and the 2006 IOC president Jacques Rogge. Greece, France, the US, Sweden, Ireland, and Spain are the only other countries who've held the presidency during the 20th century.

The oath of sportsmanship is taken by the athletes only during the opening ceremonies of the Games.

F. Both athletes and officials (referees, judges, coaches, etc.) take separate oaths of sportsmanship, although it's not always held to heart by some.

At the 1908 London Olympics, much of the focus during the marathon event fell on Dorando Pietri, the Italian runner who entered the stadium first. However, he took a wrong turn, collapsed, was helped up by doctors, fell three more times, before being half-carried across the finish line by race officials. However, all this help got him disqualified. He did receive a special silver cup from Queen Alexandra of Denmark. Who was declared the winner after Pietri was disqualified?

Johnny Hayes (USA). Pietri got more attention lavished unto him than Hayes. He even had a song written by Irving Berlin entitled "Dorando".

Which of the following years were both the Summer and Winter Olympics were held in the same country?

1936. Both the Summer and Winter Olympics were held in the same country on three occasions in the 20th century. 1924 (Paris and Chamonix), 1932 (Los Angeles and Lake Placid), and 1936 (Berlin and Garmisch-Partenkirchen). Japan would've hosted both games in 1940 (Tokyo and Sapporo) had it not been for WWII.