Olympic Gold Medal - Olympia Games

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Medals

Here's some nice trivia, most might not probably know about.

Olympic Medals Fast Facts:

1. Since 1928, The same design has always been seen in the Olympic medals. It featured a Greek goddess, the Olympic Rings, the coliseum of ancient Athens, a Greek vase known as an amphora, a horse-drawn chariot, and the year, number of the Olympiad, and host city. For the 2008 Beijing Olympics medals, it will be the first time that jade will be incorporated in the medal itself.

2. In the first ever modern Olympics in the 1800's, the sport champions got silver medals instead of Gold. Gold metal was considered inferior to silver. It was only during the 1904 Olympics in St.Louis that Gold was handed out to the champions. Back in the ancient Olympics, champions were given olive wreaths.

3. Present times gold medals are actually silver in the inside. Gold plating covers the whole silver composite comprising of a very small percentage of the championship symbol.

4. From the first modern Olympics in Athens back in 1896 up to the 2004 Athens Olympics, The United States gathered the most number of Golds with a total of 892. followed by Russia with 395 & the U.K. with 185. The 2008 host country China is a far 12th place with 112.

5. U.s Swimmers Michael Phelps & Natalie Coughlin won the most number of medals in a single Olympic year. Michael won 5 gold & 2 bronzes. Natalie won 2 gold, 2 silvers & a bronze medal.

6. The oldest Olympic medalist was Oscar Swahn of Sweden who at the age of 72 won this last medal, a silver in a shooting sport with a team mate.

7. The youngest Olympic medal winner is still disputed as there is an argument that a 7 year old boy replaced a man deemed too heavy to compete in the sport of rowing in the year 1900. Nobody ever found out about this unidentified boy whose evidence of existence is based on a photo taken after they won the gold medal for that event. The boy was the coxswain for the Dutch pair oars boat event.

8. China despite winning to host the Olympic games next year, surprisingly only entered to participate in 1984.

9. The first games to be televised were the 1936 Berlin Games.

10. Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci scored perfect 10's seven times at the 1976-Montreal games.