Sports Grab Bag Trivia Quiz

Answer: Alberto Ascari

Alberto began his incredible winning streak, by winning the Belgian Grand Prix on Jun 22 1952. He followed that with wins at the French, British, German, Dutch, and Italian; culminating with the win at the Argentinian Grand Prix on 18th January 1953. If and when this record is ever beaten, it will have stood for over half a century!

Answer: Cricketer

All of these words are associated with the quintessentially 'English' sport of cricket. 'Whites' refers to the white shirts or sweaters that the teams wear. The 'crease' is the line at which the batsman stands. The 'gully' is a fielding position, very close to the batsman, where the opposing team member hopes to catch a ball that glances off the edge of the bat.

The pavilion? That's where both the winners and losers go to have a very nice cup of Darjeling, and a buttered scone, after the match :) Or in the case of the England team, under the captaincy of Ian Botham - a LOT of beers!

Answer: Karate

Whilst the Olympic committee recognises ALL of the 4 sports as being international, Karate was not a sport contested at the 2000, 2004, or 2008 Olympic games.

Answer: 1958

The 1958 FIFA World cup finals were hosted by Sweden. Brazil beat the host nation by 5-2, in an excellent final which saw the first appearance on the world stage by the legendary footballer, Pelé. To get to the final, Brazil beat Wales 1-0 in the quarter-final, and France 5-2 in the semi-finals.

Answer: Finland

Believe it or not, but the sport of 'wife carrying' is an internationally recognised sport, complete with an annual world championships! The world championships were first held at Sonkajärvi in eastern Finland in 1992, but the 'sport' dates back to the 19th century, according to local legend.

There is no specification as to the 'wife' having to be one's OWN wife - or anyone's wife - any female, or old wife will do! There is a minimum weight limit of 49 kg, and she must be over 17 years of age.

Answer: 102,800 ft (31,330 meters)

Captain Kittinger ascended to over 100,000 ft (30,000 meters) in an helium filled balloon, then began his epic parachute jump. The actual 'free-fall' part of the descent was 85,300 ft, reaching speeds close on the speed of sound! There is some dispute amongst sources, as to whether or not he actually EXCEEDED the speed of sound.

He descended, in free-fall, 19.5 miles, in 4 mins 36 secs. This amazing world record was set in 1960.

Answer: Single blue dot

Squash balls come in two basic sizes - 39.5 mm and 40.5 mm. They weigh between 23 and 25 grams. Different 'speed' balls suit different levels of play - the more experienced players would generally use slow balls that are smaller and have less bounce than those used by novices.

A slower ball, with very little bounce, has to be hit a lot harder to 'bounce back', allowing a good player to make the ball 'die' in the corner of the court, whereas a 'fast' ball will bounce back with ease. The small coloured dots on the ball, indicate its dynamic level, and therefore the standard of play for which it is suited. Some manufacturers produce balls which are even faster (or slower) than the 5 standard speeds.

Answer: Golf

These are all terms used in the sport of golf.
o 'dunk' is the term used when the ball falls into a water hazard.
o 'dogleg' refers to a course that deviates to either the left or right, thus obscuring the 'green' from the 'tee'.
o 'grass-cutter' is a fast shot that travels just above the ground, skimming the grass.
o 'groove' is the indentations cut into the face of the club. They enable a 'spin' to be put on the ball.
o 'pitch mark' is the term given to the mark made by the ball when it lands on the green.

Answer: Tells you if you are going up or down, and the rate

A variometer is a non-essential piece of equipment, but it is certainly useful to have, especially for an inexperienced pilot! A compass is another non-essential equipment - hang-gliding flights do not cover a great distance, so direction of travel really isn't important.

The best air temperature gauge is ones own body - if a pilot starts to feel very cold, then it's best to end the flight, and avoid even the slightest chance of hypothermia. In my 12 years experience of hang-gliding, I don't recall ever seeing a fuel gauge on a hang-glider (or an ashtray) lol

Answer: Japan and Cuba

The Japanese version of Baseball is based on the American MLB, but there are slight differences. Despite strong anti-American feeling, the game of baseball is entrenched in Cuban culture. Surprisingly, Japan has won the first two World Baseball Classics. In the 2006 World Baseball Classic, they defeated Cuba in the finals and in 2009 World Baseball Classic they defeated South Korea in 10 innings to defend their title.
Source: wikipaedia