Tug of War
Tug of War Was an Olympic Event from 1900-1920 and part of the summer games. Considered part of the "athletics program," Great Britain was awarded the most medals in the event with five, including two golds!
200ft Putt
In 1981 Sir Terry Wogan wowed the golfing world by sinking a 200 ft putt at the Gleneagles golf course. While not the longest verified putt in history, it is the longest televised putt. Well done Sir Terry!
11 hour tennis match!
The longest tennis match took place at Wimbledon 2010 when John Isner of the US beat Nicolar Mahut of France in a match which lasted for 11 hours 5 minutes! The Isner–Mahut match at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships holds the record for the longest tennis match both in time and games played.
Men only!
The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece in 1896. There were 311 male but no female competitors. Women competed for the first time at the 1900 Games in Paris.
World's Oldest
Sheffield FC is the world’s oldest football club! Founded in 1857, the club is officially recognised by FIFA as being the oldest association football club in the world. Well I never!
Ancient Olympics
The prize for event winners in the Ancient Olympics was an olive branch wreath. No gold medals, but a simple wreath made from the branches and leaves of an Olive Tree. Sometimes left natural, often sprayed gold.
Tennis strings
Due to its softness and resilience, animal intestine, mainly from sheep, cow or goat used to be the most commonly used material to make tennis strings. The natural strings are produced by drying fibres extracted from part of the intestine which contains collagen. This gives elasticity.
Japan's national sport
The national sport of Japan is sumo wrestling. Sumo is a competitive, full contact sport where one wrestler tries to force the other out of the ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of his feet.
Badminton shuttlecock
The weight of the shuttlecock used in Badminton is about 17-19 ounces. It usually lasts for no more than two games. The heavier the shuttlecock, the faster it flies. They also fly faster in higher temperatures and at higher altitudes.
Heard this?
The boy who coxed the winning pair in the rowing events at the 1900 Olympics is believed to be only 7 years old.
Ouch!
The grass at Wimbledon was kept two inches long until 1949 when an English tennis player was bitten by a snake. 8mm is the optimum grass length for present day play at Wimbledon.
Our capital city
London, United Kingdom, hosted the Summer Olympics in 1908, 1948, and 2012. That makes London the ONLY city to host the event on THREE occasions!
