Australia - Olympic Games | Wizard Guarujá

Australia – Olympic Games

Summer

Australia has been represented at every summer Olympic Games since 1986.

Winter

Australia has been represented at all but four Winter Games in the modern era since 1924.

Summer Olympic Games 1956

- Host City: Melbourne, Australia.

- Nations participating: 72.

- Australia stayed in the 3^rd place.

- The 1956 games were the first to be staged in the South Hemisphere and Oceania.

- Melbourne is considered the sporting capital of the world, as it has more top-level sport available for its citizens that anywhere else.

Loving Diplomatic Incident

- Winners in the men’s hammer throw and female disc, the American Harold Conolly and Czechoslovak Olga Fikotová met in the Olympic Village and fell in love, creating an international incident. In the same year, despite the pressures, the iron curtain opened so that the two were married in Prague. Harold participated in four Olympics and Olga, five. In 1972, Olga was chosen to carry the American flag at the Munich Games. In 1973, the couple divorced.

Union of Peoples

- The Games closing ceremony was marked by innovation. At the suggestion of the Chinese immigrant John Ian Wing, a carpenter’s apprentice who lived in Australia, athletes marched together without separation by country, to mark the union of people.

Did you know?

- In swimming, Australia dominated due to Forbes Carlile, who created the “interval training”, revolutionary method of preparation.

- Australian Beth Cuthbert won the 100m and 200m and helped the 4x100m team win the bronze. At 18, he became Australian heroin and was nicknamed “golden girl”.

Summer Olympic Games 2000

- Host City: Sydney, Australia.

- Nations participating: 199

- Australia stayed in the 4^th place.

- It was the second time that Olympic Games were held in the South Hemisphere, the first one was in the same country

Sharks

- Concerned about the possible shark attacks in the race of the Olympic triathlon swimming, the organization has developed a transmitter wave system to ward off sharks. During the race, divers escorted the participants with the electronic equipment to avoid any accidents.

Bet

- The American Harry Haig Prieste, who participated in the 1920 Antwerp Games, climbed the mast, which was the Olympic flag and robbed. The intention was to win a bet with his friend, the swimmer Duke Kahamanoku. In 2000, Harry, to 103 years, returned the flag to the Olympic Museum.

Did you know?

- Sydney had one of the worst athletics competitions in Olympic history. Only six Olympic records were broken, equaling London-1948. In the 200 m, Greek Konstantinus Kenteris won gold with the worst time of the last four champions of proof.

- The American Marla Runyan, with only 25% of vision - is considered blind by the laws of his country-, became one of the great heroes of Sydney, to be able to qualify for the final of the 1,500m. He finished the race in eighth place.

- Colombia finished first in the medals table between the countries of South America, with its first gold medal won by weightlifter Maria Isabel Urrutia (up to 75 kg). Sydney marked the female debut in weightlifting.