Pierre de Fredy, Baron de Coubertin (commonly referred to as Baron Pierre de Coubertin) was a rich Frenchman. He is deservedly known as the Father of Modern Olympics because his vision founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which led to the staging of the first Modern Olympics in 1896 at Athens, Greece.

The Olympic Flame (or Olympic Torch), a symbol of the Olympic Games, is lit in Olympia, Greece as per tradition and is then transported to the Olympic host city by a relay system.

The Olympic flag was adopted in 1914, but was first hoisted only at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics because the 1916 Berlin Olympics was cancelled due to World War I. At each celebration of the Games, the Olympic flag is hoisted during the opening ceremony, flown throughout the Games, and lowered at the closing ceremony to signal the end of the Games.

At the end of each edition of the Olympic Games, the mayor of the host city passes the Olympic flag to the mayor of the next host city.

Paris was the first city to host the Summer Olympic Games twice. The II Olympiad (from 14 May to 28 October 1900) and the VIII Olympiad (from 4 May to 27 July 1924) were held at Paris in France.

The Vélodrome de Vincennes (officially Vélodrome Jacques Anquetil - La Cipale) in Vincennes near Paris (France) was the main stadium for the 1900 Summer Olympic Games. The opening ceremony as well as the cycling, cricket, football, gymnastics, and rugby union events took place in the velodrome.

At the 1900 Paris Olympics, four teams (Great Britain, France, Belgium, and Holland) were supposed to compete in cricket. Since Belgium and Holland withdrew, only Great Britain played against France in a two-day game. The Great Britain team which won was awarded silver medals and the French team bronze medals. Gold and silver medals were retroactively assigned to Britain and France, respectively, by the International Olympic Committee.

Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe was a versatile American athlete who won two gold medals in the Pentathlon and Decathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. He was divested of his medals for violating amateur status rules while playing minor league baseball. His medals were restored in 1983, only 30 years after his death.

The VI Olympiad (Summer Olympic Games) was to be held at Berlin, Germany in 1916, but was cancelled due to World War I.

The VI Olympiad (Summer Olympic Games) was to be held at Berlin, Germany in 1916, but was cancelled due to World War I.

The XII Olympiad (to be held at Tokyo, Japan in 1940) and the XIII Olympiad (to be held at London, United Kingdom in 1944) were the two Summer Olympic Games cancelled due to World War II.

The XII Olympiad (to be held at Tokyo, Japan in 1940) and the XIII Olympiad (to be held at London, United Kingdom in 1944) were the two Summer Olympic Games cancelled due to World War II.

Mike Agassi (born Emmanuel Aghassian in 1930) was a member of the Iranian Olympic Boxing squad in the 1948 London Olympics and the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. He is the father of the tennis star, Andre Agassi.

James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens, the American track and field athlete, achieved great fame by winning four gold medals (one each in 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump, and as a member of the 4 x 100 meter relay team) at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

The XVI Olympiad (Summer Olympic Games) was held at Melbourne in Australia from 22 November to 8 December 1956. Only the equestrian events were held at Stockholm in Sweden.

Dr. Richard ("Ric" or "Rick") Ian Charlesworth represented Australia in field hockey at four Olympic Games (1972 Munich Olympics, 1976 Montreal Olympics, 1984 Los Angeles Olympics as captain, and 1988 Seoul Olympics).

The Luzhniki Stadium or the Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex (previously called the Central Lenin Stadium) in Moscow (Soviet Union) was the main venue for the 1980 Summer Olympic Games. The opening and closing ceremonies as well as the athletics, football finals, and individual jumping grand prix events took place in the stadium.

Alexander Nikolaievich Dityatin, the great Russian gymnast, won eight medals (3 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 1 bronze medal) at the 1980 Moscow Olympics to set an Olympic record for the most medals at one Olympic Games.

Alexander Nikolaievich Dityatin, the great Russian gymnast, won eight medals (3 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 1 bronze medal) at the 1980 Moscow Olympics to set an Olympic record for the most medals at one Olympic Games. Michael Fred Phelps, the great American swimmer, won eight medals twice (6 gold medals and 2 bronze medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and 8 gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics) to equal Dityatin's record for the most medals at one Olympic Games.

Joan Benoit Samuelson, an American runner, won the gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, the year the women's marathon was introduced.

Taekwondo (or Tae Kwon Do) is the Korean martial art most popular for its dynamic kicks. It was introduced as an exhibition sport at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and twelve years later was contested as an official sport at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Yolanda Gail Devers won the gold medal twice in athletics for the US Olympic team. Although she was diagnosed with Graves' disease in 1990, she responded rapidly to radiation therapy. The US athlete was the women's 100-meters champion at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Haile Gebrselassie, the great Ethiopian athlete, won two straight gold medals in the 10000-meter race at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2000 Sydney Olympics by defeating Paul Tergat.

The Panathinaiko Stadium was the venue for the first modern Summer Olympics in 1896 at Athens and is the only major stadium in the world to be built totally of white marble. The ancient Panathinaiko Stadium features on the medals awarded at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The ancient Pankration (literally meaning 'all powers') or Pancratium, a martial arts sport introduced in the Greek Olympic Games in 648 B.C., was based on a combination of boxing and wrestling.

Sailing (or Yachting) has events such as 470 class, 49er class, Dragon class, Europe class, Finn class, Flying Dutchman, Laser class, Sailboard class, Soling class, Star class, Tempest class, Tornado class, and Yngling class.