Olympics current affairs 2024|Summer Olympics 2024| Paris Olympics 2024 current affairs All Updates| Important sports gk

Ancient Olympics

• Origins: The Olympic Games originated in ancient Greece, dating back to 776 BC in Olympia.
• Events: Initially, they featured a single race but gradually expanded to include events like wrestling, long jump, shot put, and chariot racing.
• Frequency: Held every four years to honor Zeus.

Modern Olympics

• Revival: The modern Olympic Games were brought back to life by Pierre de Coubertin in 1896.
• First Modern Games: These were held in Athens, Greece, with 13 countries participating and 280 athletes competing in 43 events.

Overview

• Frequency: The Summer Olympics are held every four years.
• Events: These include a wide range of sports such as athletics, swimming, gymnastics, cycling, rowing, and many others.
• Notable Venues: Some of the prominent host cities have been London (1908, 1948, 2012), Los Angeles (1932, 1984, 2028), Tokyo (1964, 2020/2021), and Paris (1900, 1924, 2024).

• President of 2020 Tokyo Olympics: Seiko Hashimoto (Japan). She has appeared in seven Olympics (Speed skater and cyclist).
• Official Mascots of Tokyo Olympics 2020

Medals for India at Tokyo Olympic 2020:

Most medals in Tokyo Olympics 2020 won by- America – Total Medal-113 (39 Gold, 41 Silver and 33 Bronze medal)

On second position: China- 88 Medals- (38 Gold, 32 Silver and 18 Bronze)

Third position is of: Japan- 58 Medals (27 Gold, 14 Silver and 17 Bronze)

India’s position- 48^th– 07 Medals (1 Gold, 2 Silver, 4 Bronze)

Highest number of Gold Medal- America (39), Highest number of Silver Medal- America (41), Highest Bronze Medal- America(33)

India’s 7 medals record in Tokyo Olympic-

1. Gold- Neeraj Chopra- Athletics (Men’s Javelin throw)
2. First Silver in weightlifting: Chanu Saikhom Mirabai has become the first Indian weightlifter to win Silver at Olympics. She won in 49 Kg category.
3. Silver- Ravi Kumar Dahiya- Weightlifting (Men’s freestyle 57 kg)
4. Bronze- P.V. Sindhu- Badminton (Women’s Singles)
5. Bronze- Lovlina Borgohain- Boxing (Women’s welterweight)
6. Bronze- India men’s national field hockey team- Field Hockey (Men’s tournament)
7. Bronze- Bajrang Punia- Wrestling (Men’s freestyle 65 kg)

First Ever (Maiden): Indian Qualifier at Olympics

Bhavani Devi- First ever Fencer

Nethra Kumanan- First ever woman sailor

Youngest athlete in Tokyo Olympics – Hend Zara- 12 yr. ( Syrian table tennis player)

First ever transgender athlete at Olympics– Laurel Hubbard (New Zealand), competed in the women’s 87 kg weightlifting category for Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Old and new Motto of Olympics:

Initial Motto: “Faster, Higher, Stronger” (“Citius, Altius, Fortius” in Latin). This has been the Olympic motto since 1894.

Updated Motto: “ Faster, Higher, Stronger, Together” (“Citius, Altius, Fortius, Communiter”). This was to reflect solidarity across the world at the time of COVID-19.

Five new sports were introduced to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 program: skateboarding, karate, sport climbing, surfing, and softball/baseball. where softball/ baseball was reinstated after 2008 and remaining were introduced for the first time in Olympics’ history.

Upcoming Games

Paris 2024: Planned for July 26 to August 11, 2024, with a focus on sustainability and urban venues.

Los Angeles 2028: Scheduled for July 21 to August 6, 2028, highlighting technology and innovation.

Some details of winter Olympic Beijing 2022 (24^th Edition)

The competition included 109 events spanning 15 sports, such as skiing, skating, ice hockey, curling, snowboarding, and others. Mascot of “Beijing winter Olympics 2022” was Bing Dwen Dwen.

Motto of Beijing Winter Olympics 2022- Together for a Shared Future

Highest medals won by – Norway 37 (16G, 8S, 13B)

At second position- Germany 27 (12G, 10S, 5B)

At third position- China-15 (9G, 4S, 2B)

India didn’t get any medal in this Olympics. The only player from India who qualified in Beijing Winter Olympics- Mohammad Arif Khan (Alpine skier sport) (belongs to Jammu and Kashmir.)

Contrary to popular belief, the colors of the Olympic Rings are not associated with any specific continent.

When Pierre de Coubertin designed the Olympic Rings, he selected the five colors, along with the white background, because they could collectively represent the colors of all national flags, a characteristic that continues to hold true today.

Olympic Flame: Represents the link between the ancient and modern Games, ignited in Olympia and carried to the host city

Traditions

Opening Ceremony: Highlights the parade of nations and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.

Closing Ceremony: Features the transfer of responsibilities to the next host city and the extinguishing of the Olympic flame.

Medals: Given to the top three athletes or teams in each event (gold, silver, bronze).

Challenges and Controversies

Doping

Concern: The use of performance-enhancing drugs has been a major concern, prompting the implementation of strict anti-doping measures.

Action: The creation of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) aimed to address doping in sports.

Political Issues

Protests: The Olympics have sometimes been a platform for political protests and statements

Paralympics and Youth Olympics

Paralympics

Summary: Taking place immediately after the Summer and Winter Olympics, these games highlight athletes with disabilities.

First Occurrences: The Summer Games debuted in Rome in 1960, while the Winter Games premiered in Örnsköldsvik in 1976.

Economic Impact

Expense: Hosting the Olympics can be quite costly, with outcomes varying in terms of return on investment.

Legacy: Potential long-term benefits include improvements in infrastructure and increased tourism.

Social Impact

Unity and Inspiration: The Games aim to promote peace, unity, and inspiration through athletic competition.

Inclusivity: Efforts are made to embrace a wider range of sports and athletes from diverse backgrounds.