Olympics Back in Paris: 1924 Quiz | Olympic Summer Games

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1. In 1924, Paris had the honour of being the first city to hold the Summer Olympics on two separate occasions. In which of the following years was Paris the location for an earlier Summer Olympiad?

Answer: 1900

Paris became the second world city to hold the Summer Olympics, this was after the First Olympiad (1896) in Athens, Greece. The Second Olympiad (1900) in Paris was, to put it mildly, a shambles. Due to the event coinciding with the World's Fair there were many competitive activities, such as ballooning and pigeon racing, that were witnessed by audiences.

But on many occasions it was unclear whether they were considered official or not. This led to the mammoth task of having to decide what was an official Olympic event and what was not. Needless to say that ballooning and pigeon racing didn't make the cut.

2. "Out with the old and in with the new" was a sentiment that could be applied to the 1924 Paris Summer Olympics due to the introduction of an Olympic motto. By the time of the 2012 London Olympics the motto 'Citius, Altius, Fortius' introduced in 1924, was still very much in use. What is its better known English translation?

Answer: 'Faster, Higher, Stronger'

Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was the man who really did emphasize the ideas of 'Faster, Higher, Stronger' and taking part and excelling yourself. One of the quotes attributed to de Coubertin was "L'important dans la vie ce n'est point le triomphe, mais le combat, l'essentiel ce n'est pas d'avoir vaincu mais de s'�tre bien battu." In English, the quotation is just as inspiring, "The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle, the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

These ideas have been accepted by society for many decades and their inspirational nature has resulted in them being associated with the Olympic movement to this day. The Latin motto is sometimes translated as 'Swifter, Higher, Stronger'.

3. In 1924, the Summer Olympic Games were located in Paris, France and this was designated the VIII Olympiad. However, did France also hold the Winter Olympic Games in 1924?

Answer: Yes

The year 1924 would turn out to be a great one for French sport as they would hold both the Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games. The latter was to be held in Chamonix, a wonderful settlement on the northwest frontier of the Alps, and this would be considered the inaugural Winter Olympic Games.

The Winter Olympic Games were only considered as such later on and was retrospectively given that title. At the time the event was known as 'Semaine Internationale des Sports d'Hiver' or 'International Winter Sports Week'.

4. The Paris Summer Olympic Games of 1924 was the first to see a concerted effort to provide accommodation and facilities to all the athletes, officials, trainers, and coaches involved in the Olympiad. What is the name given to this temporary athletic community?

Answer: Olympic Village

With each successive Olympiad the Olympic Villages seem to get better and better and this is brilliantly illustrated by the wonderful community established in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. This concept is due in part to the founder of the International Olympic Community (IOC), Baron Pierre de Coubertin.

In the 1924 Paris Olympic Games the Olympic Village was a series of cabins situated nearby to the main stadium, the Stade Olympique de Colombes.

5. In the more modern era, there is a huge pressure on the host nation to perform well at "their" Olympiad. This pressure has become more and more intense with the increase in media attention. France gained the most Gold Medals in the 1924 Paris Summer Olympic Games.

Answer: False

Unfortunately for France, they couldn't take maximum capital from the fact that they were the host nation and knew the facilities better than other nations. Nevertheless they performed very well at the VIII Olympiad in Paris coming in third place in both the overall medals count and the gold medal count. France managed to pick up 38 medals in total, 13 of which were gold, 15 silver, and 10 bronze.

The only teams more successful than France at the 1924 Summer Olympic Games were Finland with fourteen gold medals and the USA with a massive 45 golds and 99 total medals.

6. The balance of power tends to shift over the decades in Olympic sports and this is the case with the long distance running events. Which country, surprisingly, scooped the most Gold Medals in the middle and long distance running events in the 1924 Paris Summer Olympic Games?

Answer: Finland

So good were the Finnish long distance runners, that they came to be known as the alliterative 'Flying Finns'. Their dominance at the 1924 Paris Summer Olympics is absolute with even the men's marathon gold medal going back to eastern Scandinavia. It must be noted that in 1924, Kenya and Ethiopia hadn't entered an Olympic competition.

The only representation for Africa was Egypt and South Africa.

7. Some events fall in and out of fashion at the Olympics, and it is never certain whether some fringe events will be seen at the next Olympiad. With no 'horsing around', which of the following events made an appearance at the 1924 Paris Summer Olympic Games?

Answer: Polo

The horseback game of polo was included in the Summer Olympic Games on only five occasions; Paris 1900, London 1908, Antwerp 1920, Paris 1924, and Berlin 1936. By the time of the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, the regal event of polo had not made a reappearance on the list of official Olympic events.

The last winners of the gold medal in polo (Berlin 1936) were Argentina with Great Britain and Mexico taking silver and bronze respectively.

8. As well as the official Olympic sports, there are very often demonstration sports played in an attempt to wet the appetites of the people in charge, such that the event gains official status. One such example is Basque Pelota that was demonstrated at the 1924 Paris Summer Olympic Games. Which of the following is a variation of Basque Pelota?

Answer: Jai alai

Basque Pelota, and variations such as Jai alai, are rather similar to the better known sport of squash. All of these sports, which require the player to hit the ball against a wall with a racket in some manner, seem to be rather unsuccessful as far as official Olympic status goes. Basque Pelota has been a demonstration sport on three separate occasions (Paris 1924, Mexico City 1968 and Barcelona 1992) but it did feature as an official event in the 1900 Paris Summer Olympic Games.

Squash has had an even tougher time trying to get acceptance into the Olympics and despite great efforts trying to get official Olympic status it continually misses out. When the events list was drawn up for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, squash missed out on inclusion being pipped to the post by rugby sevens and golf. Yes, golf!

9. The swimming events had already established themselves by the time of the 1924 Paris Summer Olympic Games and one man, Johnny Weissmuller, came out of the pools at Paris with three Gold Medals. What country did Johnny Weissmuller represent at the Olympics?

Answer: USA

Johnny Weissmuller represented the USA at the 1924 Summer Olympics and would win three Gold Medals in the swimming pool. The events in which he triumphed were the 100m freestyle, 400m freestyle, and the 4x200m freestyle. Weissmuller would go on to successfully defend his Gold Medals in the 100m freestyle, and as part of winning 4x200m freestyle team at the Amsterdam Olympics of 1928.

10. The 1924 Paris Summer Olympic Games was featured in the film "Chariots of Fire" (1981). The film followed the lives of two athletes at the games, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, and the latter would win the 100m sprint at the 1924 Summer Olympics. What nationality were both of the Gold Medal winners?

Answer: British

At the start of the 2000s it can be said with great confidence that Jamaica is where it all happens with regards short distance athletics. Athletes such as Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Asafa Powell dominated the 100m sprint and other short distance events for the opening decades of the 2000s.

However, in 1924 it was Great Britain's time to shine with Eric Liddell winning gold in the 400m and Harold Abrahams taking the gold medal in the 100m sprint.

Source: Author jonnowales

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
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Olympics Back in Paris: 1924 Trivia Quiz

In 1924, Paris became the first city in the world to hold the Summer Olympic Games twice. What do you know about the VIII Olympiad? Enjoy!

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