10 Facts About The Olympics That You Didn’t Know [Video]

Friday marks the opening ceremony for the London Olympiad, i.e., the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Over 10,000 athletes from around the world are expected to participate. London is the first city to ever host the modern Olympic Games three times (1908, 1948, and of course 2012).

The first-day festivities for the 2012 London Olympics, under the direction of Slumdog Millionaire helmer Danny Boyle are even rumored, according to Mediaite, to feature ” an array of iconic fictional British characters” including Daniel Craig as James Bond Agent 007.

The Olympic Games are considered to be the world’s foremost sports competition and more than 200 nations participate. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. The first Games held under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)–the governing body of the modern Olympic movement–took place at the Panathenaic stadium in Athens in 1896.

There are, of course, a lot of fun acts associated with the Olympic Games.

For example, do you know what Olympic gold medals are actually made of (and this isn’t a trick question)? Were you aware that winners in the 1900 Paris Olympics did not receive gold medals? How about the first Olympic athlete to fail a drug test? Or what was the largest Olympic Games ever held?

Watch this video to learn the answers to these questions along with other intriguing facts about the history of the Olympic Games:

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Are you planning to watch the 2012 London Olympics? If so, is there a particular event or events for which you have the most interest?