It is the 120^th anniversary of the Modern Olympic Games. Modern, because we can’t really tell when the first ever Olympics were held in ancient Greece. So, we thought we’d collect a few of the coolest facts about the most prestigious sporting event in the world. Here they are –

1. The Olympiad: The Olympics were held in Greece in honour of Zeus, King of Gods. They were held then, as they are now, once in four years. They were three other games – Pythian, Nemean and Isthmian, but the Olympics were the most important. The Olympiad became a unit of measuring time for the ancient Greeks.
    
2. Nude Athletes: Nike, Adidas, Under Armor and other sportswear giants would be at a loss in ancient Greece. The male athletes (there were no women until 1900) worked out, and competed, in the nude. The tradition of athletic nudity started in 720 BC, and was considered a tribute to the gods.
    
3. The First Olympics On TV: Held in 1936, the Berlin (or 'Nazi') Olympics were the first ever to be televised. While nowhere close to showing us each bead of sweat rolling down ripped muscles, or making each grunt of effort audible, it was still a huge leap from the radio commentary.
   
   Hitler was Chancellor during these Olympics, and wanted everything to be suitably glorious. However, not everything moved according to plan. Thousands of pigeons were released in the sky. As the pigeons circled overhead, cannons were fired. This frightened the poor birds. A mass of droppings followed.
    
4. More Glitter Than Gold: For more than a 100 years, medals haven’t been made of gold. They are silver but with a gold plating. The winners should still be happy. In ancient Greece, all that the sole winner received was a wreath of olive leaves. The idea was men fighting for honour, rather than money.
    
5. Olympic Rings: Five in number. Blue, black, green, yellow and red in colour. In number, they represent the major regions of the world – Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. As for the colours, all the national flags feature at least one of those.