2012 will bring us another year of Olympic Games and for sports fans and Olympic fanatics alike, this is an exciting time. In the months to come, we will see athletes training and preparing for their events and it is time to cheer on your country and your favorite participants. In the spirit of the Olympics, here are some weird but true Olympic stories worth sharing.
lucky loonie from canada– At the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Canadian hockey teams faced a real challenge. The odds were stacked against them, but when the games started, it looked like they had a bit more luck with them that day. Both the men and women won their finals and the question “Where did your luck come from?” After the ceremonies, the ice-making team (the same Canadians) admitted that they had buried a dollar coin under the center ice. That coin now sits in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
A Walk-On Winner- What if you could casually join the Olympic Games today? Do you think you would come home with a suitcase full of medals? That’s what Ireland’s John Pius Boland did at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. He was orphaned at age 12 and taught to play tennis by his adoptive parents. He and his friend had been playing recreationally and doing well when he decided that he would participate in the Games. He won the singles title and the doubles title.
The mysterious helmsman – At the 1900 Paris Olympics, the Dutch rowing team needed a coxswain in order to compete. The helmsman is a (preferably small) person who sits at the end of a rowboat and yells “Row! Row! Row!” establish a rhythm with the rowers. The Dutch team pulled a little boy out of the crowd and chose him as their helmsman. It was a very close race but the Dutchman won, partly thanks to some big whoops from the little guy. He posed for the victory photo and then disappeared. They were never able to find out his name or age and he was never seen again.
Lost medal of Muhammad Ali – The truth of what happened to Ali’s gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics may never be known. The 18-year-old, then known by his birth name Cassius Clay, won the gold medal in boxing in what would begin a famous career. Back then, however, he was not declared a hero. Racism was still rampant in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, and the original story said that he got so fed up that he threw his gold medal into the river. Several searched for him but he has never recovered. Ali later said that he may have lost the medal. Regardless of what happened, Olympic officials gave him a replacement in a 1996 ceremony.
What are some of your favorite Olympic stories or legends?
