SmartAss Facts
SmartAss Facts
Surprising facts about the Olympics — the world's greatest sporting event and its remarkable history.
Olympics is a surprisingly rich topic with facts that challenge common assumptions. Boxing has been part of the Olympics since 688 BCE — because apparently, even ancient Greeks thought the best way to settle who's the fastest was to punch each other in the face first. Chess is considered a sport by the International Olympic Committee - which means you can now tell your mom that sitting perfectly still and overthinking everything is actually athletic. Olympic medals are mostly made of silver - which means when you win first place, you get a shiny lie wrapped in a thin layer of gold. The Olympics used to award art medals. On SmartAss Facts, every fact goes through a verification process and is labeled ✓ TRUE or ✗ FAKE, so you never have to wonder what's real. Browse the collection below — you might be amazed by what's verified science and what turns out to be a long-running myth about olympics that people still believe.
Boxing has been part of the Olympics since 688 BCE — because apparently, even ancient Greeks thought the best way to settle who's the fastest was to punch each other in the face first. Chess is considered a sport by the International Olympic Committee - which means you can now tell your mom that sitting perfectly still and overthinking everything is actually athletic. Olympic medals are mostly made of silver - which means when you win first place, you get a shiny lie wrapped in a thin layer of gold.
Yes, this is verified. Boxing has been part of the Olympics since 688 BCE — because apparently, even ancient Greeks thought the best way to settle who's the fastest was to punch each other in the face first. Another confirmed fact: Chess is considered a sport by the International Olympic Committee - which means you can now tell your mom that sitting perfectly still and overthinking everything is actually athletic.
Yes. One popular misconception is: "The first Olympic Games were created to settle arguments without paperwork." This has been fact-checked and labeled FAKE on SmartAss Facts.