Mailbag III -- Olympic Rings, History Things

Time to dig back into the Olympic Mailbag to see what's on your mind as you follow the 2000 Olympic Games from Sydney.

First of all, I have to say that many of you are asking questions about television coverage. To see the television schedules for NBC, CNBC and MSNBC, you need to visit this page on NBC's Olympics site. And if you're upset that certain events aren't receiving proper coverage, send them an e-mail. Trust me, there's nothing we can do about it.

And now, let's get to the questions . . .

Desiree of Cincinnati asks, "What do the 5 Olympic rings stand for?"

Great question. Here's a quote from the official site of the Sydney games that explains the origin of the rings: "The rings are thought to symbolise the five continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and America. It is widely believed that the colours of the rings were chosen because at least one of them can be found in the flag of every nation, though this has never been confirmed as the intention of the designer."

Katey says, "I would like to see a list of the medals for each sport they are won and by which country. It is great to see the U.S. on top but it would be nice to see a listing of what medals they won. Thank you."

Here's a link to the best place for that info, Katey. It's the standings board on the official site of the Sydney games. Once you are there, click on the individual countries' names, and then on "Medal Winners" link on the left, and you will see a list of that country's medal winners in chronological order. And you're welcome.

Sam in Warren, Michigan, asks, "I want to know, is the world record better than the Olympic record or is it the other way around and why? I believe that the Olympic record is the better one. Also are all swimming pools in regular competition Olympic size or are some different? Thanks."

Well Sam, it's all a matter of perspective. The world record is the best time, score, whatever, recorded in a given event, anytime, anyplace. The Olympic record is the best ever recorded in an Olympic competition. The two could overlap. For example, in the men's 400m, the world record is the Olympic record, set by Michael Johnson with a time of 43.18 four years ago in Atlanta.

But in the men's 100m, the world record is held by Maurice Greene of the U.S., who ran a 9.79 last summer in Athens, while the Olympic record was set by Canada's Donovan Bailey with a 9.84 in Atlanta.

The world record is the better time, but Bailey (and most Canadians) would argue that the Olympic record is more prestigious. Millions of people watched Bailey set his record live, while very few people saw Greene in action.

As for the swimming pools questions, are you familiar with the term "Olympic-sized pool"? These are the Olympics. Those are pools. There's your answer.

Desiree of Cincinnati wants to know, "Where did the first Olympics take place?"

They were held in Athens, Greece, from April 6-15, 1896. And not that you asked, but Greece kinda cleaned up that year -- the hosts won 47 medals, compared to 19 for the U.S. and 15 for Germany. To give you an idea of how far we've come athletically since then, compare these swimming times: In 1896, Alfred Hajos of Hungary won the gold medal in the men's 100m freestyle with a time of 1:22.2. This year, Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands won the gold by swimming the same distance in 48.30.

Samantha of Cincinnati asks, "Where can I get a complete recap of scores from women's gymnastics?"

Follow this link to the medal winners page for gymnastics on the official site of the Sydney games. You will find men's and women's results there. And if you're interested in other sports, you can follow the same drill -- click on "Every Sport" at the top, then click on "Medal Winners" on the left navigation bar when you get to the sport-specific page.

A. Warner wants to know, "How old was the young lady that starred in the opening ceremonies?"

Nikki Webster is 13 years old, and she will also take part in the closing ceremonies, so stay tuned.

"Hoxi" from Houston asks, "Who was the swimmer from equatorial Guinea who was by himself in the pool and do you have a story on him? This person to me exemplifies the Olympic spirit. Thank you."

The swimmer to whom you are referring is undoubtedly Eric Moussambani. He set an Olympic record with the slowest time ever in the men's 100m freestyle -- but gained celebrity status in the process. Here's a story on Moussambani, and here's a story about Paula Barila, the 20-year-old who is the sole member of the women's swimming team from Equatorial Guinea.

That answer goes for Jenn of Sacramento as well. And regarding your question on video from the opening ceremonies, Jenn, sorry, NBC and the IOC own full copyright of the video and they aren't sharing it with us. However, if you click here you'll see a story and slideshow from the ceremonies on the official site of the Sydney Games.

Juliet of Humble asks us, "How many athletes are representing France in this year's Olympics? Is there one sport or one athlete that France is counting on to do well? How many gold, silver, or bronze medals do the French have and what sports are these medals in?"

Approximately 553 athletes and officials are representing France at the Olympics this year. Of the 35 events in which they're participating, France has won six medals each in cycling and judo. Here's a link to France's medal winners page on the official site for the Sydney games.

Frank of Spring notes, "If this is the 27th Olympiad, then the three cancelled Olympics must still have been counted -- correct?"

Right you are, Frank. The definition of an "Olympiad" is a four-year interval between Olympic games, and the cancelled Olympic Games were indeed scheduled. In 1916, the Games were to be held in Berlin, but were called off due to WWI. The 1940 Games were originally scheduled for Tokyo but were moved to Helsinki when Japan resigned as hosts following the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937. Then the Games were cancelled altogether in 1939 after the Soviet Union invaded Finland. The 1944 Games were to be held in London, but were cancelled due to WWII. The Games resumed in 1948 in London.

Patrick of Butler wants to know, "How many events are there in the 2000 Games? Are they all medal events?"

By my count there are 37 events in the Games -- counting track & field, swimming, gymnastics, etc., as one event -- and yes, they are all medal events. New events this year include taekwondo and the triathlon.

Elsworth in Detroit says, "I see that the we have a first in the 2000 Olympics. While watching the trials my daughter, who swims for the Brewster/Wheeler team in Detroit, noticed we have a Black swimmer in these games. Is this a first? I have watched the games as long as I can remember and I believe this is a first. If this is true it would do the youth and black swimmers in the city a lot of good to read or see someone like them to inspire them to go beyond splashing and cannon balling. Thank you for your help."

Elsworth, I'm sure you're referring to Anthony Ervin, who won the gold medal in the men's 50m freestyle. Yes, he made history as the first swimmer with an African-American lineage to qualify for the U.S. Olympic swimming team -- his father is 75 percent African-American and 25 percent Native American, while his mother is white. However, Ervin doesn't like to make a big deal out of his race. According to his bio on NBC's Olympics site, Ervin says, "I hope to be a role model for everybody, black, white or brown."

However, his race is undeniably a big story for African-Americans and swimming fans throughout the U.S. I'm sure that somewhere Al Campanis right now is saying, "Huh, well I'll be darned . . . "

Dina of Houston asks, "How many medals and of what type has Ian Thorpe of Australia won at the 2000 Olympics?"

Thorpe won three golds and a silver in these games. His gold medals were in the 400m freestyle, the 4x100m freestyle relay, and the 4x200m freestyle relay, and his silver was in the 200m freestyle.

Dale of Seneca, S.C., asks, "Mark Spitz won seven gold medals in 1972 I think. Which events were they in and where is he now?"

Spitz did indeed win seven golds in Munich in 1972. They were in the 100m and 200m freestyle and butterfly, and three relays -- the 4x100 and 4x200 freestyle and the 4x100 medly. Additionally, he broke the world record in each of those seven events! After a successful real estate career, Spitz is now a motivational speaker and promotes the USOC.