Turin Olympics Quiz
Torino, Italy is the site of the 2006 Winter Games. The Winter Games were held in Italy once before. What year?
- Cortina d'Ampezzo was the site of the 1956 Winter Games. However, the Games were originally scheduled to be held there in 1944 but were cancelled due to World War II.
When the Torino Games take place in February, how many times will the Winter Games have been held?
- The Torino Games are the 20th Winter Olympics. The Games have been held every four years since 1928 with the following exceptions: The games were cancelled in 1940 and 1944 due to World War II and in 1992, then again two years later in 1994 in order to off-set the Winter and Summer Games and alternate them every two years.
How many athletes are expected to compete at the Torino Games?
- 2,500 athletes from 85 countries will compete for glory at the XXth Winter Olympics.
What distinctive characteristic will Torino's Olympic Cauldron boast?
- The Cauldron at Torino's Olympic Stadium, which will house the Olympic Flame for the 16 days of competition in 2006, will stand at a height of 57 meters (187 feet) and will be visible from anywhere in the city.
What unique method of transportation did the Olympic flame take on its two-month national tour of Italy leading up to the 2006 Winter Games?
- The Olympic torch began its 64-day, 7,022-mile relay in Rome, where it was blessed by Pope Benedict XVI, then headed north through Florence and Genoa before heading south for Sardinia and a Christmas break in Palermo, Sicily before turning north again for Naples and eventually Torino.
The official mascots of the Torino Winter Games are Neve and Gliz. They are meant to be embodiments of which of the following?
- Neve and Gliz were created by Portuguese designer Pedro Albuquerque and according to the Torino Organizing Committee “Neve is a soft, friendly and elegant snowball. Gliz is a lively and playful ice cube. The shapes of their bodies and the sounds of their names, Neve and Gliz remind us of the two vital elements for practicing winter sports: snow and ice.”
The Italian name of Turin, Torino, translates to English as which of the following?
- In fact, the coat of arms and symbol of the city features the image of a bull. However, if you guessed A, you get partial credit. The origin of the name Torino is supposed to have originated from the Celtic word Tau, which means mountains.
In 2002 at the Salt Lake City Winter Games, how many total medals did the United States win?
- The United States won 10 golds, 13 silvers and 11 bronze medals in 2002 good for second place in the medals count behind Germany's 35 total medals.
Torino's most famous sight, the Shroud, is actually rarely on display. The cloth, in which Christ's body was allegedly wrapped, only is viewable every 25 years. According to the schedule when will be the next opportunity to see it?
- The Shroud was on display for 72 days in 2000 and viewed by more than a million people.
The medals awarded at each Olympics are designed by the host nation's organizing committee. What distinctive characteristic do the medals to be given out in Torino have?
- The medals have the Torino logo on one side and images from various sports on the other. The silk ribbon that goes around the winner's neck is looped through a hole in the center. The hole is designed to symbolize the open space of an Italian piazza.
