Olympics of the 1960s Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bobsleigh

When Squaw Valley was chosen as a future Olympic site in 1956, the facilities there were very limited. The California State Legislature would authorize $5,000,000 to spend on a number facilities including housing for athletes and performance venues. The organizers chose not build a bobsleigh facility as it was felt that only a small number of the nations participating would have a bobsleigh team (9 of the 30 countries). Biathlon actually made its first appearance at the 1960 Winter Olympics.

Answer: Cassius Clay

Cassius Clay (1942-2016) would join the Nation of Islam in 1961 and change his name to Muhammad Ali. Winning the World Heavyweight title in 1964, Ali would be stripped of the title in 1967 for refusing to enlist in the US military draft during the Vietnam War, a decision that continues to be controversial. Boxing matches in the Rome Olympics were held at the Sports Palace.

In addition to the gold medal for the light heavyweight division, the US also won gold medals for the middleweight and light middleweight divisions.

Answer: The team included a future head of state

The team was composed of Prince Constantine, Odysseus Eskidioglou, and Georgios Zaimis. The dragon is a keelboat that was a class in Olympic sailing from 1948 until 1972. Constantine II (born 1940) reigned as King of Greece from 1964 to 1973. He also served as a member of the International Olympic Committee form 1963 to 1974.

Answer: Luge

A luge is a one or two-person sled which the rider steers with his or her calf muscles. Three class occurred at this Olympics--Men's Singles, Women's Singles, and Doubles. Germany won the gold medal for the first two and home country Austria won the final gold medal.

The only other nation out of the twelve that competed in this sport to win any medal was Italy which won the bronze medal in the Doubles event.

Answer: Soviet Union

The Soviet Union won its second gold medal for hockey. More shockingly, for the first time in Olympic history, Canada did not win any medal for hockey. In a controversial decision, the scoring method used to determine which team won third was changed between the conclusion of games and the awarding of the medals. Formerly it had been based on goal differentials between the top four teams but was changed to goal differential between all teams.

Answer: Marathon

Abebe Bikila (1932-1973) was the first athlete to have back to back Olympic gold medals in this event. He first gained worldwide attention at the 1960 Olympics by running the marathon barefoot because of ill-fitting athletic shoes. He was the first sub-Saharan African athlete to win a gold medal in any sport. Sports injuries and a car accident in the late 1960s ended his running career.

He spent much of the 1950s and 1960s as a member of the Ethiopian Imperial Guard, rising to the rank of Captain.

Answer: The country they represented changed names

The Summer Olympics in Tokyo ran from October 10 to 24, 1964. The contingent from Northern Rhodesia consisted of 12 athletes. The contingent consisted of 11 men and one woman. Though they did not win any medals, none of the team members were disqualified based on drug tests. On the last of day of the Olympics, the colony of Northern Rhodesia declared its independence as the new nation of Zambia.

Answer: Figure Skating

American Peggy Fleming (born 1948) won the gold medal for Ladies' Single Figure Skating. She was also a three-time World Champion (1966-1968) in this event. The US won three silver medals in Women's 500 m speed skating because of a three-way tie for second in the finals race.

The US also won a silver medal for the Men's 500 m speed skating race and a bronze for the Women's 1000 m speed skating race. The US also won a silver medal for the Men's Single Figure Skating event.

Answer: 200 m

The athletes who raised their fists were Tommy Smith of the US, who won the gold medal and John Carlos of the US, who won the bronze medal. Australian Peter Norman, the winner of the silver medal, wore a civil rights badge. The demonstration was a show of support for the Civil Rights movement.

The International Olympic Committee banned Smith and Carlos from the Olympics for life. It is believed by some that Norman was blocked by Australia from participating in the 1972 Summer Olympics.

Answer: Discus

Al Oerter was the first Olympic athlete to accomplish this feat in the Olympics in any sport. He nearly died in a car accident in 1957, the year after his first gold medal. Though he retired from the sport after the 1968 Olympics, he attempted to make a comeback for the 1980 Olympics and participated in the 1980 Olympic Boycott Games where he won a silver medal.