In order for a sport to be considered for inclusion in the Olympics it must be widely practiced by men in at least 75 countries and on four continents and by women in at least 40 countries and on three continents

Abebe Bikila of Ethopia won the marathon in 1960 Rome Olympics by registering a record time of 2hrs 15mins and 16 2 secs He ran this marathon bare-footed He also became the first African to win an Olympic gold medal

Hungarian athlete Robert Fazekas broke the Olympic record in the men s discus in 2004 but was later stripped of both his gold medal and the record after it was deemed that he had committed an anti-doping rule violation

In 1924 Bill Havens was chosen to represent the USA in the rowing but as his wife was pregnant he opted to stay with her rather than compete 28 years later that child Frank Havens took gold in the 10 000 metres canoeing

In 2008 Beijing Games Michael Phelps of USA won eight golds one more than the previous record of seven at one games held by fellow swimmer Mark Spitz setting seven world records in what is dubbed The Great Haul of China

Athletes can compete as independent Olympians (not under a country s flag) at the Olympic Games Typically this happens when there are political issues with the National Olympic Committee or other internal political problems

In 1992 China s Lu Li scored a perfect 10 on the uneven bars winning gold She measured just 4 5 Twenty years earlier Tom Burleson claimed a silver medal with the US basketball team He was 7 4 almost 60 percent taller than Lu

In the 1972 games Mark Spitz won seven gold medals: 100 metres butterfly 100 metres freestyle 200 metres butterfly 200 metres freestyle 4 X 100 metres freestyle relay 4 X 100 metres medley relay 4 X 200 metres freestyle relay

When Charles Newham who was involved in mobilising funds for the 1932 Indian Olympics hockey team to Los Angeles approached Mahatma Gandhi then in talks with Lord Irvin in Shimla the Mahatma s response was blunt: What is hockey?

A 6-year-old once participated in the Olympics as a spotter for a rowing team Because the other teams were using much heavier adults as spotters the child s team won easily He apparently wandered off before he could be given a medal

Dhyan Chand the Indian field hockey player a legendary center-forward is remembered for his goal-scoring feats; first as a player and later as captain Chand won 3 Olympic gold medals (1928 Amsterdam 1932 Los Angeles and 1936 Berlin)

The very first recorded Ancient Olympic Games took place in 776 BC The event was a stadion race - a foot race on a running track 183m [200 yards] long The Greeks called this measurement a stade - from which we derive the word stadium

In 1900 in France winners got paintings instead of gold medals Gold silver and bronze medals weren t given out until the third modern Olympics in 1904 The French gave the winners paintings because they believed they were more valuable

Milo of Kroton one of the greatest Ancient Olympic champions He won the wrestling event 6 times over a span of 34 years The famous wrestler Milo was said to train by carrying a calf every day As the calf grew heavier his muscles got stronge

In the cycling road race in Rome in 1960 a great pack of riders approached the finish together After 195 kilometres Mario Zanin of Italy won the gold medal while Sture Petterson at the back of the pack took 51st place just 16 seconds behind the winne