Finnish middle and long-distance runner Paavo Nurmi won nine gold and three silver medals at the Olympic Games in Antwerp (1920), Paris (1924) and Amsterdam (1928). Usain Bolt and Carl Lewis also won nine gold medals each, second only to the Finn with silver. ¹⁾

The size of a soccer field was originally described using yards. Thus, for example, players should move 10 yards away from each other when taking a free-kick and the penalty area is 18 by 44 yards. ²⁾

The number of competitions in the Summer Olympics increased rapidly between 1980 (203 competitions in Moscow) and 2000 (300 competitions in Sydney). Then it was decided that the number of competitions was frozen and new ones could only appear if the old ones were removed. ³⁾

Raymond Clarence “Ray” Ewry contracted polio as a child and was in a wheelchair for a time. He did not learn to walk until he was 20 years old and began practicing standing jumps. His standing long jump record (3.48 m) is still unbeaten today, as this competition was abandoned in the 1930s. At three Olympic Games (1900-1908) he won 10 gold medals in the long jump, high jump and triple jump. ⁴⁾

Because of the restrictive laws on animal transport in Australia, and to avoid the troublesome transport of horses to the other side of the world, it was decided to move the equestrian events to Europe in 1956. They were held in Stockholm; due to the different seasons in both hemispheres, they took place almost six months before the actual games in Melbourne. ⁵⁾