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WorksheetsAncient and Modern Olympics Trivia
Total questions: 88
Worksheet time: 2hrs 24mins
In which country did the ancient Olympics originate?
Canada
Greece
Turkey
Oman
Which god from ancient Greek mythology is said to have founded the Olympics?
Heracles (Roman Hercules)
Hera
Apollo
Orion
Where did the Olympics get its name?
It was a type of Greek cheese
After a Roman emperor
After a religious sanctuary
It’s where cameras were invented
How often did the ancient Olympics take place?
Once every four years
When Heracles declared them to happen
Once in a blue moon
Every two years
True or false: The four-year increment between the games was used by ancient historians to measure time.
At their peak (around 500 B.C.), over how many days did the Olympics take place?
5 days
3 weeks
2 months
6 months
True or false: Olympians wore a special loin cloth while competing at the ancient Olympics.
True or false: Some participants covered their skin with olive oil and sand before training and competing.
What marked the finish line for all the races?
An olive tree
A row of bricks
A squirrel
A barbecue
True or false: A barbecue was a main feature at the ancient games.
What was presented to the winners?
A medal
An olive wreath
A flower bouquet
Some Greek cheese
True or false: The main event at the games was the marathon.
True or false: The first recorded victor in the 776 B.C. Olympics was a cook.
True or false: The English word “stadium” gets its name from the stade race.
True or false: No woman at the ancient Olympics won because women were not allowed to participate.
True or false: Some athletes who cheated had their names inscribed on the base of statues.
Who banned the ancient Olympics in A.D. 393?
Theodosius I
Napoleon
Julius Caesar
Zeus
Who is credited with being the founder of the modern Olympics?
Baron Pierre de Coubertin
Takeshi Yamashita
The International Olympic Committee (IOC)
In what year were the first modern Olympics held?
776 B.C.
1896
2020
What are the Olympics?
Where did the first modern Olympics take place?
Athens, Greece
Sheffield, England
Tokyo, Japan
Washington D.C.
How many countries attended the 1896 Games?
1
5
12
137
How many events were featured in the first modern Olympics?
10
18
43
57
A race was held at the 1896 Games to honor Pheidippides. What was this race?
Piggy-back race
1200-meter freestyle swim
Marathon
Three-legged race
Who or what was Pheidippides?
A Greek soldier
A type of dinosaur
A mathematical equation
A type of Turkish flatbread
True or false: Tug-of-war was an Olympic sport.
In which year was electronic timing devices used for the first time at the Olympics?
776 B.C.
1912
2000
Never
How many rings are on the Olympic flag?
3
5
7
9
What do the five rings stand for?
The number of countries who participated in the 1896 Games
Flag colors and unity
Hula-hoop event
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
True or false: Initially, the Summer and Winter Games took place in the same year.
True or false: The last time the Summer and Winter Games share the same year was 2020.
True or false: The Summer Olympics, therefore, take place once every four years.
True or false: The Olympics have never been canceled.
In 1976, where did Canada host the Summer Games?
Montreal
Vancouver
Toronto
Niagara Falls
How many medals has Canada won in the Olympics, not including the 2020 Games?
None
101
207
302
Where did the 1980 Summer Olympics take place?
Los Angeles, California
Moscow, Russia
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sydney, Australia
True or false: The 1996 Summer Games took place in Barcelona, Spain.
Where were the 2000 Summer Olympics held?
Athens, Greece
Chicago, Illinois
Atlanta, Georgia
Sydney, Australia
How many times has London hosted the Summer Olympics?
Once
Twice
Trice
Never
True or false: Soccer is an Olympic sport.
True or false: Even though it’s popular, basketball is NOT an Olympic sport.
Which sport featured in the Winter Olympics was originally part of the Summer Olympics?
Figure skating
Curling
Ski jumping
Bobsleigh
Which sport was never an Olympic event?
Baseball
Obstacle Swim
Squash
Hot Air Ballooning
True or false: The Paralympic Games began because sport was seen as an important means to help rehabilitate those who were disabled in World War II.
True or false: The first televised Olympics were the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo.
True or false: Olympic gold medals are just that -- solid gold.
Which Summer Olympics was impacted by student riots?
2000 Games in Sydney, Australia
1968 Games in Mexico City, Mexico
1980 Games in Moscow, Russia
2020 Games in Tokyo, Japan
Which fact about the 1968 Summer Olympics is NOT true:
It was the first Olympics to be held at high altitude, which had an impact on track-and-field races and swimming events.
Two athletes were banned from the Olympic Village and sent home since they raised their fists in tribute when receiving their medals.
All the events were televised in black and white.
A new technique called the “Fosbury Flop” was introduced.
In the Olympics, what does the acronym IOC stand for?
International Olympic Committee
Intergalactic Observation Center
Insist on Candy
Interesting Olympic Candidates
Which organization looks after the Olympics?
Which organization looks after the Olympics?
The United Nations
President of France
Greece
International Olympic Committee
Which country has earned the most Olympic medals overall?
The United States
China
Japan
Great Britain
True or false: The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were delayed because of a pandemic.
True or false: Even though the Tokyo Olympics took place in 2021, it’s still called the 2020 Games.
True or false: The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo made history because it’s the first time an Asian city has hosted the Olympics.
In addition to gold, silver, and bronze, the medals at the 2020 Games were made of:
Beverage coasters
Old electronic devices
Wood carvings
Really big chocolate chip cookies
True or false: The beds in the Olympic Village were a first because they were futons.
Which sports made their first Olympic debut?
Skateboarding
Sport climbing
Karate
Surfing
True or false: In the men’s 800-meter track semi-final, two Olympians lost their shoes.
In which sport did two athletes share a gold medal?
High jump
Fencing
Triathlon
Tug-of-War
True or false: All the women who won medals in the women’s street skateboarding event were teenagers.
True or false: Chase Kalisz won the first gold medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics.
True or false: Sunisa Lee achieved an Olympic first at Tokyo 2020.
During the closing ceremony of the 2020 Summer Games, the Olympic flag was passed to a representative of the city that will host the next Summer Games in 2024. Where will the next Summer Olympics take place?
Beijing, China
Los Angeles, California
Paris, France
Milan, Italy
Which country won the most medals at Tokyo 2020?
The United States
China
Japan
Great Britain
In which U.S. city will the 2028 Summer Olympics be held?
Orlando, Florida
Fairfield, Iowa
Sitka, Alaska
Los Angeles, California
Which U.S. city hosted the first modern Olympics?
New York, New York
St. Louis, Missouri
Paris, France
Houston, Texas
And what was also happening in St. Louis at the same time as the Olympics?
National Carrot Convention
The World’s Fair
A presidential debate
A blizzard
Which bizarre fact about the marathon in the 1904 Olympic Games is NOT true:
Len Taunyane, from South Africa, was chased off the course by wild dogs.
The marathon gold medal was almost awarded to a participant, Fred Lorz, who hitched a car ride during part of the race.
The ultimate winner of the marathon, Thomas Hicks, was carried across the finish line.
It was the coldest recorded marathon in history, and there were places along the course where athletes had to run through snow!
True or false: The NBA “Dream Team” participated in the 1988 Summer Olympics.
True or false: The U.S. hosted the first Special Olympics in 1968.
What statement below is NOT true about the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California.
It was the first time people in the U.S. saw the Olympics on television.
It was the first time the Zamboni machine was used at the Olympics.
It was the first time artificial snow was used.
Walt Disney helped organize the opening and closing ceremonies.
True or false: The U.S. men’s hockey team first won gold at the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid.
The U.S. boycotted which Olympics?
2020 Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan
1980 Summer Games in Moscow, Russia
1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia
2012 Summer Games in London, United Kingdom
True or false: The country that has won the most medals at a single Summer Olympics is the United States.
True or false: No Olympian has ever won gold in both the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics.
Who was the first female Olympic champion?
How old was the oldest Olympic champion?
58
72
87
112
True or false: Oscar Swahn actually rode a deer for 100 meters.
Who was the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal?
John Baxter Taylor Jr.
Simone Biles
Jesse Owens
Michael Jordan
Which statement about Simone Biles is NOT true:
She’s not a fan of pizza.
She’s afraid of bees.
She’s the most decorated female gymnast in America.
She’s the first female gymnast to win three world all-around titles in a row.
Which athlete won the most medals at a single Paralympics?
What did Muhummad Ali take on a plane with him to the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy?
Special socks
A parachute
A supply of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
A guitar
True or false: Avril Lafoule won the poodle clipping event at the 1900 Games in Paris.
Which statement about Michael Phelps is NOT true:
He is the most decorated Olympian with a total of 28 medals, including 23 gold.
He has a pet snake.
He hated swimming at first and was afraid to put his head underwater.
One of his nicknames is “Deep Sea Frog.”
True or false: No Olympian has ever participated in more than nine Olympic Games.
True or false: The world’s fastest marathon runner takes just over 5 minutes on average to run each mile.
Which athletes enter last in the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremony?
Greece
Whoever wins the coin toss
Zimbabwe
The host country
What caused Bobby Pearce (a rower) to slow down in his event at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam?
Alligator
Boat began leaking
Baby ducks
He lost his shoe
