38. Fun facts
• Olympic sports are sports contested in the Summer and
Winter Olympic Games. The 2012 Summer Olympics
will include 26 sports, with two additional sports due to
be added to the 2016 Summer Olympics. The 2014
Winter Olympics will include seven sports.
• The number and kinds of events may change slightly
from one Olympiad to another. Each Olympic sport is
represented by an international governing body, namely
an International Federation.
39. second modern Olympic Games.
• The winter Olympic Games were first held in 1924,
beginning a tradition of holding them a few months
earlier and in a different city than the summer Olympic
Games. Beginning in 1994, the winter Olympic Games
were held in completely different years (two years apart)
than the summer Games.
• Because
of World War I and World War II, there were no
Olympic Games in 1916, 1940, or 1944.
• Stadium
• The first recorded ancient Olympic Games were held in
776 BCE with only one event - the stade. The stade was a
unit of measurement (about 600 feet) that also became
the name of the footrace because it was the distance run.
Since the track for the stade (race) was a stade (length),
