OLYMPIC GAMES - 4 - ANSWERS

1. A. Jaipal Singh Munda

(Indian Hockey Team at 1928 Olympics)

Field hockey was introduced at the Olympic Games as a men's competition at the 1908 Games in London. However, India sent its first Men's Hockey team to Olympics in 1928 Amsterdam Games under the captainship of "Jaipal Singh Munda". Indian National field Hockey team was dominant in Olympics, winning eleven medals in twelve Olympics between 1920 and 1980. The run included 8 gold medals total and six successive gold medals from 1928–1956.

Other than a Hockey player, Jaipal Singh Munda (3 January 1903 – 20 March 1970) was a politician and prolific writer. After his heroics in Hockey, he emerged as a campaigner for the causes of Adivasis and the creation of a separate homeland for them in central India. In 1940 at Ramgarh session of Congress, he discussed with Subash Chandra Bose for need to form separate state Jharkhand for Adivasis. As a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, he campaigned for the rights of the whole tribal community.

2. B. Cameroon

Since 1992 Summer Olympics, there has been major changes in criteria of participants in Men's Football. As decided by IOC, since 1992 male competitors must be under 23 years old, and since 1996, players under 23 years old, with three over-23 year old players, are allowed per squad. African countries have taken particular advantage of this, with Nigeria and Cameroon winning in 1996 and 2000 respectively.

(Cameroon Football team after winning the Gold Medal match in 2000 Sydney Olympics)

In the final match of the 2000 Summer Olympics at Olympic Stadium, Sydney, Cameroon won its first gold medal in any Olympic sport when it came from two goals down to tie Spain, 2-2, and then beat the Spaniards, 5-3, on penalty kicks.

3. B. Steffi Graf

After being dropped from Olympics after the 1924 Games, Tennis made a return in 1988 Seoul Olympics which saw an unprecedented performance by West German player Steffi Graf.

Steffi Graf was already world number one, and just shy of 19 years old, when she began the 1988 season. She won the Australian Open in January and the French Open in June with ease. In the Wimbledon, she came up against six-time defending champion Martina Navratilova in Final, unbeaten since 1981. The 19-year-old Graf lost the first set 7-5 before getting the measure of her rival and fighting back to take the next two sets 6-2, 6-1. Then on 11 September in New York (US Open), Graf became the first woman to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year since Australia’s Margaret Smith-Court in 1970.

Immediately after the US Open was the Olympics in Seoul. The teenager had already taken part at the Los Angeles Games in 1984 when tennis made its Olympic return as a demonstration sport after 60 years being dropped from the programme and claimed a prestigious and symbolic victory in the final against Yugoslavia’s Sabrina Goles on the courts at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), winning 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.

Less than three weeks after beating Gabriela Sabatini (Argentina) in US Open Final, Graf inflicted yet another defeat on the Argentinean in the Olympics Final, giving her no chance with an imposing 6-3, 6-3 victory. The term “Golden Slam” was born at that exact moment. Four Grand Slam wins and an Olympic title in the same year – a feat that no male or female player had achieved before or has done since.

4. A. Alpine Skiing

"Alpine skiing" or "Downhill skiing", is the sport of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing (cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for recreation or for sport, it is typically practised at ski resorts.

Alpine skiing has been an event at the Winter Olympic Games since 1936. The sport is traditionally dominated by Alpine countries, Austria has a commanding lead in total medals with 121 and in gold medals with 37.

(An athlete competes in the slalom)

The five events in Alpine skiing are - "Combined", "Downhill", "Slalom"- involves skiing between poles or gates. These are spaced more closely than those in giant slalom, super giant slalom and downhill, necessitating quicker and shorter turns, "Giant slalom" and "Super-G".

5. C. Hungary and USSR

The "Blood in the Water" match is one of the hardest-fought contests in Olympic history - a water polo match between Hungary and the USSR in 1956 Melbourne Olympics - a match which came to symbolize the Hungarian struggle against Soviet rule. The match took place on 6 December 1956 against the background of the 1956 "Hungarian Revolution" and saw Hungary defeat the USSR 4–0. The name "Blood in the Water" was coined after Hungarian player "Ervin Zador" emerged during the last two minutes with blood pouring from above his eye after being punched by Soviet player Valentin Prokopov.