The Olympics has a lot to offer bettors, and with careful moves, one can earn a lot during this 17-day event, scheduled to be held in Paris from July 26 to Aug 11, 2024. To get you in the games spirit, we’ve rounded up some of the most fascinating (and bizarre) facts about the Olympic Games history.
Ancient Olympic Games Trivia
The Greeks loved their games. So much so, that when Persia invaded in 480 BC, ancient Greece had a hard time putting together an army because people wanted to attend the Olympics! No surprise there, because it was a free-for-all men event. Any man – from farmhands to royal heirs – could try their luck at the event.
Here are a few more interesting things about the ancient Olympics:
The Games Started In Honor of Zeus
The Olympic Games were primarily a religious festival. They are believed to have started around the 8th century BCE to honor Zeus, the father of the Greek gods and goddesses. They were organized at the sacred site of Olympia, hence the name. The athletes would perform religious ceremonies before competing.
Women Were Not Allowed to Compete in Ancient Greece
Women were not allowed to step foot on the sacred grounds of Olympia. However, a clever princess, who lived in Sparta in the 4th century BCE, found a way to circumvent the rules. She entered her horses in the chariot race, where the medals were awarded to the owners instead of the chariot racers. She managed to win twice.
Ancient Olympic Games Were a One-Day Event
The ancient Olympic Games remained a one-day event until 684 BC. Slowly, they were extended to three days, and then five days in the 5th century B.C. According to the official Olympics website, the very first games to be played in the event were running, long jump, shot put, javelin, boxing, pankration, and equestrian events.
The Ancient Games Came to an End in 393 AD
Christian emperor, Theodosius I, forbade the celebration of pagan cults in 393 AD. This unfortunately included the Olympics. The ancient site of Olympia was abandoned. Earthquakes ravaged the beautiful edifices on the ground. The majestic grounds of Olympia gradually withered away.
Modern Olympic Games History
Thankfully, the Games were rediscovered in the 19th century. All thanks to Pierre de Coubertin of France. Coubertin advocated for sport in education, and in 1894, he proposed the revival of the Olympic Games. He even founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894. He also created the five Olympic Rings to symbolize the unity of the five continents. Under his leadership, the first modern Olympic Games were organized in 1896 in Athens, Greece.
Here are some interesting facts on how the Games have evolved over the years:
13 Nations Competed in 43 Events at the very First Games
In 1896, 280 participants from 13 countries gathered in Athens for the first-ever Modern Olympics. The 46 games- event covered wrestling, track-and-field, gymnastics, swimming, weightlifting, shooting, cycling, fencing, and tennis.
Women Finally Got a Chance to Compete in 1900
Women were finally allowed to participate in the 1900 Paris Games. However, only 22 women took part. They competed in five sports: golf, tennis, croquet, sailing, and equestrianism. Thankfully, the participation is much more equal now. In the 2020 Games, nearly 47.8% of participants were women.
Winter Olympics and Paralympics Came Much Later
Winter Olympics started in Chamonix, France, in 1924. Initially, they were called the “International Winter Sports Week”. Later, they were renamed as the Olympic Winter Games. The Paralympics came much later in 1960.
The Tradition of the Olympic Torch Started in Germany, Not Greece
The first torch was used at the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics. While ancient greeks had a ritual fire ceremony, they never staged a relay of torchbearers. The Olympic Flame traveled more than 2,000 miles through Greece, and neighbouring countries before making its way to Germany for the 1936 Olympics.
Fun fact: Cosmonauts on board the Soyuz spacecraft took the Olympic Torch all the way to the international space station. The unlit torch was taken for a spacewalk for the Sochi 2014 Olympic torch relay.
The Only Time When Michael Phelps Did Not Win A Medal Was At His Very First Olympics
Champion Swimmer, Michael Phelps, is the most decorated athlete in the Olympic Games history. He has won a whopping 23 golds, three silvers, and two bronzes! The only time he did not win a single medal was at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Phelps was a 15-year-old at that time and competing in his very first event. He finished fifth in the 200-meter butterfly finals.
Olympics Games History
Did you know boxing and wrestling are one of the oldest sports in the Olympics? They date back to ancient Greece. Running, long jump, and discus throw also trace their roots to the ancient games.
There were also some bizarre sports in the mix that have now been discontinued. For example, Basque Pelota was a confusing game. Players could hit a ball with a racket, bat, or even their hand to score points. It was played only once at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris. Then there were pigeon shooting and pistol dueling, which were thankfully discontinued. Another bizarre game on the list was poodle grooming. It was only seen at the Paris 1900 Games, with 128 competitors.
Some cherished games came much later. Table Tennis made its debut in 1988. In 1992, the IOC added baseball, badminton, roller speed skating, short-track speed skating, and women’s judo. The latest sports to be added were karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, BMX freestyle, and surfing in the 2020 Olympics.
Historic changes in the Paris 2024 Games
The Olympics has returned to the capital of France after a gap of 100 years. Paris hosted the Olympics for the first time in 1900 and in 1924 for the second time.
This time, Paris is making historic changes to the Games.
First, we will see surfing in the 32 sporting events. Surfing made its debut during the last Olympics in Tokyo. However, the sport will not actually take place in Paris, but 9,000 miles away in Teahupo’o, located on the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia.
This year, male athletes will be allowed to compete in Artistic Swimming for the very first time. The sport consists of two events: a duet and a team competition. Male athletes will only compete in the team event.
Another change: weight classes in weightlifting have been reduced from 14 to 10. In Boxing, a new women’s weight class has been added, while a men’s weight class has been removed. The total number of weight classes is seven and six for men and women, respectively.
Marathon enthusiasts might love one thing about the Paris Olympic Games: the marathon race walk mixed relay has also been included in this year’s Olympics. The sporting event has replaced the men’s 50km race walk.
A repechage round has been added for all races (between 200m and 1500m), including hurdles. The athletes who fail to qualify in the preliminary rounds will get a second chance to make it to the semifinals through the repechage round.
Lastly, few sports are out. Fans will not see karate, baseball, and softball this year. Fear not, because this time we will see a new sport: Breaking, better known as break dancing. The debut sport has 16 B-boys and 16 B-girls competing in solo battles.
The Paris Olympics will be historical in one more aspect. It will be the first Olympics with complete gender parity, featuring equal numbers of male and female athletes. The medals will be made from recycled materials, including donated electronic devices.
Olympic Games and Sports Betting
Betting in the Olympics can be easy only if you have a comprehensive guide. Let’s first understand which team is the favorite to win the most gold and overall medals in the Paris Olympics.
According to Bovada, the chances of the USA winning the most medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics are given as -2500, which translates to an implied probability of 96.2%. This means that the USA is considered an overwhelming favorite to win the most medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The chances of China winning the most medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics, as per Bovada, are +1100. This translates to an implied probability of 8.3%. China is considered the second favorite behind the USA to win the most medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The chances of the USA winning the most gold medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics, as per Bovada, are given as -850. This implies that the USA is a heavy favorite to win the most gold medals in Paris 2024, with a lofty probability of 89.5%.
According to Bovada, China’s chances of winning the most gold medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics are +400. This makes China the second-most favorite to win the most gold medals at the event.