Wednesday, July 25, 2012

A. Travel News: Now that most athletes and media crews are already in London, traffic problems are diminishing. For those of you who still plan to go to London in the coming days, remember these tips:

B. Fact Rundown with Commentary:

• 1. Do not think the French fries served at the Olympics are anything special. Surprisingly, McDonalds obtained exclusive rights to serve their fries at the games.
• 2. Expect the sports coverage to focus on women. For once, all participating countries (including Brunei, Afganistan, and Saudi Arabia) are sending women over. In Team U.S.A, there are 269 women and 261 men. Women now constitute 51% of Team U.S.A. That is a first. 
• 3. Rivalries will play a key role in the 2012 Olympics. Just think about the rivalry between the top 2 swimmers in the world, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, both from the U.S. There is a lot of hype going around with Lochte, the newer champion. Note that the correct pronunciation of Lochte’s name eludes me. Lok-tee? Lot-kee? Lat-ke? Lat-te? Oh, well.
• 4. Style will be a hot topic. After the “Team-U.S.A.-Uniforms-Made-by-Ralph-Lauren-yet-somehow-still-Made-in-China” debacle, many fashion critics are poised to pounce. TIME magazine surveyed its readers and it was determined that the most stylish uniforms belonged to Jamaica! Ya man. Also, expect any wardrobe mishaps or malfunctions to be discussed at length.
• 5. For travelers, there is an exciting alternative to traveling in the busy London streets. On the River Thames, ships are offering tours and kayaking for transportation. Be careful though; the urban river may have choppy waters.

For information on the Olympics and the schedule, click here for a link to the London games’ official website, London 2012. Let the Games begin!

C. Trivia Answers: For questions 1 – 2, bolded choices are correct. Here is a reference map to the aid in answering the questions.

Green countries hosted once while blue countries hosted multiple times.

1. Easy: Out of each pair, which cities have been host to the Olympic games?

• a. Athens or Thessalonika, Greece
• b. Annemasse or Paris, France
• c. Vancouver or Saskatoon, Canada
• d. Toledo or Barcelona, Spain
• e. Salt Lake City or New York City, U.S.A

 2. Difficult: Out of each pair, which cities have been host to the Olympic games?

• a. Geneva or St. Moritz, Switzerland
• b. Lake Tahoe or and Lake Placid, U.S.A: Trick question: Both were correct! Lake Placid held the Winter Games of 1980 while the games at Lake Tahoe were technically called the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics of 1960.
• c. Innsbruck or Vienna, Austria
• d. Sapporo or Kyoto, Japan
• e. Garmisch-Partenkirchen or Neuburg an der Donau, Germany

3. The 2012 summer games will be London’s 3rd time hosting the Olympics. How many other cities have also matched this number and how many are close to doing so?         

• Trick question: No other cities have matched this record!

4. What are the only 5 Olympic games ever to be cancelled? (Hint: they were cancelled because of World Wars.) Most cancelled games were hosted by Axis powers.

• Berlin, Germany Summer Games of 1916 (WWI)
• Sapporo, Japan Winter Games of 1940 (WWII)
• Tokyo, Japan Summer Games of 1940 (WWII)
• Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy Winter Games of 1944 (WWII)
• London, U.K. Summer Games of 1944 (WWII)

5. Where will the next Olympic games be held (winter and summer)?

• Sochi, Russia Games of 2014
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Games of 2016 

6. When were the Olympic rings first designed? When were they approved? Debuted?

• Designed in 1912 by Pierre de Coubertin, inspired by psychiatrist Carl Jung.
• Approved in June 1914, after the Stockholm Summer Olympics.
• Debuted in 1920 Antwerp, Belgium Summer Olympics.

If you disagree with an answer, prove it! Leave a comment below. genZbuzz out.