Politics And The Olympics Quiz

The five interlocking rings - blue, yellow, black, green and red on a white background -symbolize the five continents.

Alabama native Jesse Owens captured four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and the long jump and became the hero of the Olympics. In the long jump he leaped 26 feet 5-1/2 inches, an Olympic record. He also struck up a friendship with Luz Long, his German rival.

Smith and Carlos won the gold and bronze medals in the 200 meters at the Games. During the medal ceremony, both raised a black-gloved fist as the National Anthem played. They did not wear shoes, symbolizing the poverty of African-Americans. They were expelled from the Olympic Village, suspended from the national team and sent home to the United States. A statue of Smith and Carlos raising their fists was installed at San Jose State in 2005.

Paraskevi Papachristou was expelled from Greece's 2012 Olympic team for posting an offensive comment about African immigrants. This action was deemed inappropriate and against the principles of inclusivity and respect that the Olympic Games represent. Such behavior goes against the values of fair play, diversity, and unity that are celebrated in the international sporting event. Consequently, her offensive comment led to her removal from the team, highlighting the consequences of engaging in discriminatory behavior.

Women's boxing was introduced as an Olympic sport for the first time in London. This means that prior to the London Olympics, women's boxing was not included as an official event in the Olympic Games. The inclusion of women's boxing in the London Olympics marked a significant milestone for gender equality in sports, allowing female boxers to compete at the highest level on the Olympic stage.

The United States boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union's military intervention in Afghanistan was seen as a violation of international law and a threat to global peace and stability. The United States, along with several other countries, decided to boycott the Olympics as a way to express their disapproval of the Soviet Union's actions and to put pressure on them to withdraw from Afghanistan. This boycott was a political statement and a means of showing solidarity with Afghanistan and opposition to Soviet aggression.

Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson failed a drug test when traces of the banned steroid stanozolol were found in his urine, and he lost his medal.

At the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Hungary defeated the Soviet Union in a water polo match. Hungarian player Ervin Zador was punched by Soviet player Valentin Prokopov. A photo of Zador with blood streaming down his face was widely published.

For the first time, the United States Olympic team has more women than men. There are 269 women and 261 men on the team.

Thorpe was stripped of his gold medals in 1913 because it turned out that he had played minor league baseball. Thorpe died in 1953; in 1982, his family won a long fight to have the medals reinstated.