As we celebrate the return of the Olympics this year, we’ve curated 50 trivia questions covering the rich history, notable moments, and legendary athletes who have made their mark in Olympic history.
From ancient origins to modern triumphs, test your knowledge on everything from gold medalists to unforgettable Olympic moments.
History and Origins Of The Olympics
The first ancient Olympic Games can be traced back to Olympia, Greece in what year?
Answer: 776 BC (8th century B.C.)
True or false: The Winter and the Summer Olympics take place in the same year.
Answer: False. From 1924-1992, the Winter and the Summer Olympics took place in the same year. Now, they’re on separate cycles and alternate every two years.
When were the first modern Olympic Games held?
Answer: 1896.
Where were the first modern Olympic Games held?
Answer: Athens, Greece.
Who is known as the father of the modern Olympic Games?
Answer: Pierre de Coubertin. He was particularly active in promoting the introduction of sport in French schools.
What symbol represents the Olympic Games?
Answer: The Olympic rings.
What do the five rings on the Olympic flag represent?
Answer: The five inhabited continents of the world: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.
What are the colors of the 5 interlocking rings of the Olympics logo?
Answer: Blue, yellow, black, green, and red.
Which of these activities is no longer part of the Olympics? There can be more than one answer!
- a) tandem bicycle
- b) solo synchronized swimming
- c) tug of war
- d) skeleton
Answer: Tandem bicycle, solo synchronized swimming, tug of war.
Which of these activities is no longer part of the Olympics? There is only one answer here.
- a) sailing
- b) swimming obstacle race
- c) breakdancing
- d) surfing
Answer: Swimming obstacle race.
Where were the first Winter Olympics held?
Answer: Chamonix, France.
What year did the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 take place?
Answer: 2021.
What Olympic sport involves a combination of swimming, cycling, and running?
Answer: Triathlon.
While this is a staple in many people’s lives, between 1984-2004, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned high concentrations of what from all Olympic events?
Answer: Coffee (caffeine). Today, Olympic athletes are permitted to enjoy a cup of coffee before competing.
Can you name at least one sport that was introduced to the Summer Olympics in 1900?
Answer: Soccer (football), archery, rowing, and equestrian events were among those introduced at the 1900 Games.
In which year did women first compete in the Olympic Games?
Answer: 1900. Women competed in sports like sailing, lawn tennis, and golf, even though women’s events were not officially approved by the IOC at that time.
Which sport was reintroduced to the Olympics in 2016 after being absent since 1904?
Answer: Golf.
In what year did breaking (breakdancing) make its debut in the Olympic games?
Answer: 2024.
What is the name of the sport that combines fencing, swimming, equestrian, shooting, and running?
Answer: Modern pentathlon.
What are the two (or perhaps three) official languages of the games?
Answer: The official languages of the games are English and French, complemented by the official language of the host country.
What was especially unique about the Olympics from the years of 1912-1948?
Answer: Artists participated in the Olympics. Painters, sculptors, architects, writers, and musicians competed for medals in their respective fields.
Which games made history when it became the first Olympics in which all participating countries sent female athletes?
Answer: The 2012 London Games.
Who founded the International Wheelchair Games, which eventually became the modern Paralympic Games?
Answer: Dr. Ludwig Guttmann.
Which Olympics were the first to be televised?
Answer: The 1960 Rome Games.
What tragic event occurred at the 1972 Munich Olympics?
Answer: Eleven Israeli athletes were taken hostage and killed by Palestinian terrorists.
What was the reason for the United States’ boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics?
Answer: To protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
What significant milestone did the 1996 Atlanta Games mark?
Answer: The centennial (100th anniversary) of the modern Olympic Games.
At which Olympics did North and South Korea march together for the first time in the opening ceremony?
Answer: The 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Which Games introduced a new medal design that correctly featured the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens?
Answer: The 2004 Athens Olympics. A new medal was distributed to winners at the Athens Games, replacing the long-standing design by Italian sculptor Giuseppe Cassioli that incorrectly depicted the Roman Colosseum rather than a Greek venue.
Where was the 2024 Summer Olympics held?
Answer: Paris, France.
What 4 additional sports did Paris submit to the IOC to attempt to integrate into the Olympics?
Answer: The four additional sports (closely associated with young people) were breaking, sport climbing, skateboarding, and surfing.
You may also like: France Trivia Questions: How Well Do You Really Know The Country?
Gold Medalists and Important Olympic Figures
In which year did Jesse Owens break records and win several gold medals, defying Nazi ideology at that time?
Answer: 1936.
In which sport did Jesse Owens win four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics?
Answer: Track and field.
Who won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, setting a new record for the most golds in a single Olympic Games?
Answer: Michael Phelps.
Who lit the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony of the 1996 Atlanta Games, despite suffering from Parkinson’s disease?
Answer: Muhammad Ali.
Which US snowboarder was known as “Il Pomodoro Volante” at the 2006 Olympic games in Torino, Italy?
Answer: Shaun White (“Il Pomodoro Volante” means “The Flying Tomato” in reference to his red hair!)
Which tennis star became the first-ever female flag-bearer for the Russian team during the opening ceremonies of the London Olympics in 2012?
Answer: Maria Sharapova.
Which gymnast won a record-breaking seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics?
Answer: Mark Spitz.
Who was the first female athlete to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games?
Answer: Wilma Rudolph.
Which country has won the most gold medals in Olympic history?
Answer: United States.
In the 2010 Winter Olympics, Sidney Crosby scored the game-winning goal in overtime, securing the gold medal for Canada. Which country did Canada face in the gold medal game?
Answer: United States.
Who was the first African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal? What sport was it in?
Answer: Alice Coachman, in the high jump.
Who was the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 on the balance beam at the Olympics?
Answer: Nadia Comaneci.
Who is the youngest individual gold medalist in Olympic history?
Answer: Kim Yun-Mi was 13 years old (and 85 days old) when she won gold in the short track speed skating 3000-meter relay for South Korea in the 1994 Winter Olympics.
In which year did the original Dream Team compete in the Olympics?
Answer: 1992.
Can you name at least four members of the 1992 Dream Team?
Answer: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, John Stockton, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Clyde Drexler, Chris Mullin, and Christian Laettner.
Can you name at least four members of the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s Olympic Team?
Answer: Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Jayson Tatum.
Which sprinter from Jamaica set a new Olympic record in the women’s 100 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?
Answer: Elaine Thompson-Herah. She won the event in 10.61 secs, to break Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 33-year-old Olympic record.
Who won the men’s marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, defending his title from the 2016 Rio Olympics?
Answer: Eliud Kipchoge.
Which Brazilian soccer player scored the winning goal in the penalty shootout against Spain to secure the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?
Answer: Malcom. Brazil defeated Spain 2-1 in the men’s Olympic final after substitute Malcom scored the winner in extra time.
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