Tag: olympics

  • It’s Just Not Cricket — Answers

    Today’s Answers

    See question one. Although this is not the Olympics it is Victorian-era cricket.
    W.G. Grace (right), batting in an 1890s cricket match.
    Image Encyclopædia Britannica

    Today’s first question relates to 19 August. The subsequent questions are not date-related but follow on (continuing the cricketing sayings).

    One

    Cricket first appeared at the Olympic Games in 1900. How many national teams competed in that tournament, and in how many Olympic events has the sport featured?

    Answers: Two; One.

    Cricket at the 1900 Paris Olympics featured only Great Britain and France, with the latter being a mixed team of English expatriates. The match, played over two days with 12-a-side, was won by Great Britain by 158 runs. John Symes preserved the game’s details with a handwritten scorecard. A cricket tournament was planned for the 1904 Summer Olympics in St Louis but was cancelled because there were insufficient entries. Cricket will return to the Olympics in 2028 at Los Angeles.


    Two

    The modern Olympics are numbered in Roman Numerals, for example the second and fifth would be referred to as the II Olympiad and the V Olympiad. What officially were the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China known as?

    Answer: XXIX Olympiad.

    Held in Beijing, China, the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, were officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. Inspired by Ancient Greece and led by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the modern Olympic Games began with the Games of the I Olympiad being held in Athens in 1896. The IOC governs the Olympic Movement, adapting to changes like professional athletes, media influence, and global events. The Games include various competitions, rituals, and symbols, fostering international representation and showcasing host cities. The Olympic Games promote global cooperation and cultural exchange. Hosting them offers economic benefits but also presents challenges, impacting infrastructure, tourism, and local communities.


    Three

    What is the IATA code for Beijing Capital International Airport?

    Answer: PEK.

    Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) is the busier of Beijing’s two international airports, located 32 km northeast of the city centre. Owned by a state-controlled company, it covers 1,480 hectares and opened in 1958. The IATA code PEK derives from the city’s former romanised name, Peking.


    Four

    In 2025 Beijing Capital (question two above) was the 15th busiest airport in the world for passenger traffic. What city’s airport was the world’s busiest that year with 106,302,208 passengers?

    Answer: Atlanta, Georgia, United States.

    Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been the world’s busiest since 1998 except in 2020 (Covid), regaining the position in 2021; London has the busiest city airport system.


    Five

    This Province was established as a proprietary colony in 1732 and a royal colony from 1752. One of thirteen, it was named after a reigning British monarch: what monarch?

    Answer: George II.

    The corporate charter for the colony was issued to General James Oglethorpe on 21 April 1732 by George II, the monarch for whom the territory was named. The King’s privy council completed the document on 9 June 1732. George II ruled Great Britain and Ireland from 1727 to 1760, the last monarch born abroad.


    It’s Just Not Cricket

    The post title means that something is contrary to traditional standards of fairness or rectitude, but here it is actually used to mean there are other things as well as cricket in these questions. The questions also link to each other:

    1. Cricket and Olympics
    2. Olympics and Beijing
    3. Beijing and airport
    4. Airport and Georgia
    5. Georgia and George II

  • It’s Just Not Cricket

    See question one. Although this is not the Olympics it is still Victorian-era cricket.
    W.G. Grace (right), batting in an 1890s cricket match.
    Image Encyclopædia Britannica

    Today’s first question relates to 19 August. The subsequent questions are not date-related but follow on (continuing the cricketing sayings).

    One

    Cricket first appeared at the Olympic Games in 1900. How many national teams competed in that tournament, and in how many Olympic events has the sport featured?


    Two

    The modern Olympics are numbered in Roman Numerals, for example the second and fifth would be referred to as the II Olympiad and the V Olympiad. What officially were the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China known as?


    Three

    What is the IATA code for Beijing Capital International Airport?


    Four

    In 2025 Beijing Capital (question two above) was the 15th busiest airport in the world for passenger traffic. What city’s airport was the world’s busiest that year with 106,302,208 passengers?


    Five

    This Province was established as a proprietary colony in 1732 and a royal colony from 1752. One of thirteen, it was named after a reigning British monarch: what monarch?


    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.


  • Citius, Altius, Fortius

    Olympic Rings, 2023 Wikipedia

    Citius, Altius, Fortius

    It was not a question today but the original Olympic motto, “Citius, Altius, Fortius”, is Latin for “Faster, Higher, Stronger”. It was proposed by Pierre de Coubertin who borrowed from his friend Henri Didon, a Dominican priest and athletics aficionado.

    The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below.

    Three athletes in training for the marathon race of the 1896 Athens Olympic Games, on the road from Marathon, Greece. Wikipedia https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/1896_Olympic_marathon.jpg
    1. Marathon foot race—The marathon commemorates Pheidippides, a Greek soldier, who ran from Marathon to Athens to announce the Athenian victory over the Persians. The first modern marathon winner was a Greek, Spyridon Louis.
      Oddjob. Goldfinger, 1964. Wikipedia
    2. Oddjob—played by Harold Sakata in Goldfinger (1964). Sakata won a silver medal in weightlifting’s light-heavyweight division at the London Olympics in 1948?
    3. London—hosted in 1908, 1948 and 2012; Paris (1900, 1924 and 2024) and Athens (1896 and 2004).
      Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, 2011. Wikipedia
    4. Maurice Ravel—Performing Boléro at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won gold and became the highest-scoring figure skaters of all time for a single programme. Their performance was watched by over 24 million people in the UK.
    5. Egypt— According to the BBC, there are “Some facilities earmarked by Egypt for 2036, including a 90,000-seater stadium, are already in use at its yet-to-be-named New Administrative Capital, located some 40km east of Cairo.
    Stadium, New Administrative Capital, Egypt. Wikipedia
  • Citius, Altius, Fortius

    Olympics revived: the first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens on 6 April 1896. Today’s questions will be about the Olympics.

    Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin Wikipedia

      On 6 April 1896, Pierre, Baron de Coubertin, realised his goal of reviving the Olympics when the first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens.

      1. What event at the inaugural modern Olympic Games commemorates the legendary Greek soldier Pheidippides?
        • Discus throw
        • Long jump
        • Marathon foot race
      2. The actor who played which Bond villain won a silver medal at the Olympics in London?
        • Jaws
        • Oddjob
        • Whisper
      3. What city was the first to host the modern Olympic Summer Games three times?
        • Athens
        • London
        • Paris
      4. Olympic figure skating duo Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean got perfect scores for their interpretation of Boléro. Who composed the music?
        • Edward Elgar
        • Maurice Ravel
        • Igor Stravinsky
      5. The Olympic Games have never been held in Africa. Which country proposed in 2024 that they would bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympic Games?
        • Egypt
        • Morocco
        • Nigeria

      Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

      Olympic Rings, 2023 Wikipedia