| "> | | | | The British basketball teams have qualified for the |
| Australia & Oceania | | | | London 2012. Since 1952, the United Kingdom has |
| Did you know... From 1960 to 1971, Ron Clarke | | | | never played in the Olympic Games, European |
| (Australia) set 19 world records in the 5000m, 10,000m | | | | tournaments, world championships.The British men's |
| and other long-distance races. Unfortunately, Ron has | | | | basketball team finished 20th place at the London |
| never won an Olympic gold medal. In the mid-1960s, he | | | | Summer Olympic Games in 1948. |
| said, "The effort is not continuous as it has to be in a | | | | In Athens 1896, Paul Neumann became the first |
| race. By running fast lap times and then allowing | | | | swimmer from Austria to win a gold medal. |
| himself time to recover, an athlete is deceiving himself | | | | Three Swiss sportswomen participated in the Olympic |
| as to his fitness". He is author of two books: "The | | | | Games in 1924. It was the first time Switzerland sent |
| Unforgiving Minute" (1966) and "The Lonely Breed" | | | | sportswomen to the Summer Olympics... |
| (1967). | | | | At the 1896 Olympic Games, Greece -host country- |
| The United States of America | | | | won 10 gold medals and took second place in the |
| Did you know... The state of Hawaii has won ten gold | | | | unofficial team championships. |
| medals at the Summer Olympics(1896-2008). It has | | | | Central America |
| more Olympic gold medals than Thailand, Venezuela, | | | | Did you know... Guatemala -an anti-Communist state in |
| and Lithuania. The Olympic champions are: Tommy | | | | the 20th century- did not decline to send an Olympic |
| Kono ( weightlifting/ two golds,1952 & 1956), | | | | team to the Olympic Games in the USSR (currently |
| Warren Kealoha (swimming/two golds,1920 & | | | | Russia) in 1980. Honduras, Belize and El Salvador -the |
| 1924 ), Duke Paoa Kahanamouku (aquatics/ three | | | | other anti-Communist nations in Central America- |
| golds, 1912 & 1920), Bryan Ezra Tsumoru Clay | | | | boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics... |
| (track & field/ one gold medal, 2008), Buster | | | | North America |
| Crabbe (swimming/ one gold medal, 1932), Herman | | | | Did you know... During the 1904 Olympic Games, the |
| Ronald Frazier (athletics/ one gold medal, 1976). | | | | Canadian men's soccer team won the global title. The |
| At the Winter Olympic Games in New York in 1980, | | | | Olympic winners were: Ernest Linton, John Gourley, |
| the United States men's ice hockey team won the | | | | Albert Johnston, Thomas Taylor, Alexander Hall, |
| gold medal. During the final match, the U.S. team | | | | William Twaits, Georges Ducker, Robert Lane, John |
| scored a major upset over the Soviet Union (or | | | | Fraser, Frederick Steep, Gordon McDonald, Albert |
| USSR), which had won the gold medal in Austria '64, | | | | Henderson. |
| France '68, Japan '72 and Austria'76. | | | | Caribbean |
| American boxer Muhammad Ali -formerly known as | | | | Did you know... At the Summer Olympic Games in |
| Cassius Clay- failed in the Pan American Games trials | | | | 1904 in Missouri(USA), Cuba finished third in the |
| in 1959, but he won the gold medal in the light | | | | unofficial team standings, behind the United States and |
| heavyweight (81kg/178 lbs) category at the Games of | | | | Germany. Ramón Fonst earned three gold |
| the XVII Olympiad in Italy in 1960. | | | | medals in fencing events. |
| South America | | | | In 1975, Hasely Crawford -a sprinter from Trinidad |
| Did you know... The Uruguayan men's basketball team | | | | & Tobago- earned silver in the 100m at the Pan |
| qualified to represent the Western Hemisphere in the | | | | American Games in Mexico City. Nine months, at the |
| Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad in Los Angeles in 1984. | | | | Games of the XXI Olympiad in Montreal (Canada), |
| A year ago, Uruguay did not compete at the Pan | | | | Hasely won the 100m event. |
| American Games in Venezuela. | | | | Africa |
| At the 1976 Montreal Games, Brazil won only two | | | | Did you know... Cameroon -a tropical country on the |
| bronze medals. Joao Carlos de Oliveira, a world-class | | | | African continent- sent one competitor to the Winter |
| sportsman, could not win the gold medal in the triple | | | | Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Isaac Menyoli said, |
| jump. The South American men's soccer team finished | | | | "Everything is wonderful. It's like being in a fantasy. I'm |
| 4th place-Brazil won the FIFA World Cup in 1958, 1962 | | | | happy to represent my country". |
| and 1970. | | | | In Athens 2004, Kirsty Coventry, a practically unknown |
| Venezuela's Rafael Vidal -who spent several years as | | | | swimmer from Zimbabwe, won the gold medal in the |
| a student in the United States and was graduated | | | | women's 200m backstroke. Curiously, she is an |
| from Florida University- earned the bronze medal in the | | | | American-educated athlete. |
| men's 200m butterfly at the 1984 Summer Games in | | | | Women's 200m backstroke final: |
| Los Angeles, California. | | | | 1.Coventry, Kirsty ( Zimbabwe ) gold medal |
| Europe | | | | 2.Hoelzer, Margaret ( USA ) silver medal |
| Did you know... Kosovo -it is the youngest country on | | | | 3.Nakamura, Rieko ( Japan ) bronze medal |
| earth- will compete in London 2008. For political | | | | 4.Zueva, Anastasia ( Russia ) |
| reasons, Kosovo could not participate in the 2008 | | | | 5.Beisel, Elisabeth ( USA ) |
| Olympic Games in China. This new nation could | | | | 6.Simmonds, Elizabeth ( United Kingdom ) |
| participate in at least ten sports: athletics, boxing, | | | | 7.Nay, Meagen ( Australia ) |
| Kayak/canoeing, gymnastics, shooting, swimming, table | | | | 8. |
| tennis, tennis, weightlifting, wrestling... | | | | |