The use of what equipment in cricket which has come to sad attention in Nov, 2014 was pioneered into regular usage by English batsman Dennis Amiss?
Helmet
The incident the question refers to is the death of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes who was struck by a ball on the neck and died afterwards despite wearing a helmet.
Think outside Scandinavia. What is the only country that won a gold medal at every Winter Olympics?
USA
Complementing Great Britain that won a gold at every Summer Games.
What is the name of the Hungarian-born American professor whose rating system was approved at a meeting of the United States Chess Federation in St. Louis in 1960?
(Arpad) Elo
Namesake of the rating system seen whenever chess is discussed.
(Acknowledgement)As if it needed more help, what country saw the adaptation of the clap skate in the 1990s which enables speed skaters to achieve higher speeds by allowing a more natural movement of the leg?
The Netherlands
The Netherlands typically dominates the event at all international competitions.
(Acknowledgement)Who along with Mel Hausner, Lloyd S. Shapley and Martin Shubik invented a board game called "So Long Sucker" in 1950 which involves game theory strategies?
John Forbes Nash
What unique annual event of the sporting world is said to commemorate a 1925 incident during which significant effort was expended to deliver antitoxin for a diphtheria epidemic?
Iditarod sled race of Alaska
During the 1925 serum run to Nome, also known as the "Great Race of Mercy", 20 mushers and about 150 sled dogs relayed diphtheria antitoxin 674 miles by dog sled across the Alaska in five and a half days, saving the small city of Nome and the surrounding communities from an incipient epidemic.
(Acknowledgement)A story goes that when this colorful sports figure had to undergo a surgery, his prowess at consuming alcohol was used as a guideline by the anesthesiologist as his physical attribute made all standard references moot. Who?
André the Giant
Along with his skills in the ring, he was also known for his legendary drinking habit.
(Acknowledgement)Jared Kass, one of the inventors of a recreational sport described it as follows. Fill in the missing word which is also the name of the sport.
"I just remember one time running for a pass and leaping up in the air and just feeling the Frisbee making it into my hand and feeling the perfect synchrony and the joy of the moment, and as I landed I said to myself, 'This is the ... game. This is the ... game.'"
Ultimate (frisbee)
From its beginnings in the American counterculture of the late 1960s, ultimate has resisted empowering any referee with rule enforcement, instead relying on the sportsmanship of players and invoking the "Spirit of the Game" to maintain fair play.
(Acknowledgement)In the 2014 Asian Games, the women's basketball team of Qatar withdrew from competition after refusing to make what change to their personal condition?
Remove hijabs
Claiming they were taking a stand against what they say is a discriminatory policy against Muslim women.
(Acknowledgement)Naismith's rule, not connected with basketball, is a rule of thumb that helps plan what popular activity?
Hiking
The basic rule, which applies only to hikes rated Class 1 on the Yosemite Decimal System, is:
Allow 1 hour for every 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) forward, plus 1 hour for every 600 metres (2,000 ft) of ascent.
(Acknowledgement)Sportscaster Jack Brickhouse who once said "Any team can have a bad century" provided play-by-play coverage of what American major league team's games from 1948 to 1981?
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have not won the World Series in 105 years, the longest championship drought of any major North American professional sports team, and are often referred to as the "Lovable Losers" because of this distinction.
(Acknowledgement)Which land-locked European country whose teams have excelled in water polo and fencing holds the record for having won the most medals of any nation to never host the Olympics?
Hungary
The modern decathlon originated from the pentathlon of the ancient Greek Olympics. Of the 5 events of the pentathlon, 4 - sprint, long jump, javelin and discus - find their place in the modern version. What is the odd man out?
Wrestling
Pentathletes were considered to be among the most skilled athletes, and their training was often part of military service—each of the five events in the pentathlon was thought to be useful in war or battle.
(Acknowledgement)Observant sports fans would know that the name of the French bank Crédit Lyonnais can be seen on either side of what coveted annual prize?
The yellow jersey of the Tour de France
The bank has sponsored the maillot jaune since 1987.
(Acknowledgement)When legendary Finnish athlete Paavo Nurmi was asked about the reason for his success at the 1924 Olympics despite high-heat conditions, he mentioned what tradition of his country as part of his training?
Sauna
Almost every Finnish household has a sauna and the usage of it is strongly ingrained in the country's culture.
(Acknowledgement)Nelson Mandela once gave the South African rugby player Francois Pienaar a copy of Theodore Roosevelt's "The Man in the Arena" speech for inspiration. In a 2009 movie adaptation however, what literary work was used instead of Roosevelt's speech?
The poem Invictus
The movie is the 2009 Invictus featuring rugby.
(Acknowledgement)Mount Trebević, one of the venues during a 1980s sports event saw a turnaround in its fortunes in the subsequent years when it became a snipers' nest owing to its elevation. It is located on the southeast side of what world capital that has seen more than its fair share of strife?
Sarajevo
The mountain hosted the bobsled event during the 1984 Winter Olympics.
(Acknowledgement)In baseball, what derogatory term in attributed to a player who strikes out four times in a game? It derives from 'hat trick' and the fact that such a feat deserves a bigger hat.
Golden sombrero
A platinum sombrero for five strikeouts or a titanium sombrero for six strikeouts may be awarded but they are much rarer than a golden sombrero.
(Acknowledgement)Addressing which in-the-news person did a pizza chain in India tweet on June 24, 2014 "..., if you ever feel like biting into a tastier Italian, try our famous Calabrese pizza"?
The Uruguayan footballer Luis Suarez
In the 2014 Soccer World Cup, which country's players celebrated a victory by dancing to "Hips Don't Lie"?
Colombia
Shakira who sang that hit song is also from that country.
What sports gets its name due to its originally being played using barrels and sticks, with the barrels stimulating horses?
Water polo
Decorated swimmers Mary T. Meagher and Susie O'Neill who both specialized had what operatic nickname?
"Madam(e) Butterfly"
Referring to Puccini's opera as well as the swimming event.
(Acknowledgement)The name of what tennis star was used by a commentator for the the hole cards Ace–King (unsuited) of Texas Hold 'em as they meet the criteria of "looks great but never wins"?
Anna Kournikova
The term introduced by the poker commentator Vince van Patten during a WPT tournament.
(Acknowledgement)Bonspiel is a tournament of what Olympic sport that many people may not even consider a sport, at first glance?
Curling
The origin of the word Bonspiel is primarily Gaelic from coin and skate.
(Acknowledgement)Summer Olympic sports are divided into categories based on popularity and the potential in generating revenue. As of 2014, only 3 sports are in Category A. They are athletics, aquatics, and what else?
Gymnastics
A memorial of running shoes in the public library of a particular American city commemorates what incident that occurred on April 15, 2013?
Boston Marathon bombing
Sprint events at the Olympics are usually dominated by countries from the western hemisphere. As of 2012, Susanthika Jayasinghe is the first and only Asian to win an Olympic medal in any of 100 m, 200 m or 400 m sprint events.
What country did she represent?
Sri Lanka
She won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney in the 200 m.
(Acknowledgement)In the Japanese fun-game of suikawari, which is similar to a piñata, what objects are typically smashed? (hint: fans of comedian Gallagher should know)
Watermelons
Gallagher is known for smashing watermelons as part of his act.
Advertising that their bats are made of maple, the ad line of baseball bats producing company MaxBats goes "Our maple kicks ___" what?
Ash
Goes without saying that ash trees are also used to make baseball bats.
The Peck and Snyder are sometimes considered the first of what sporting collectibles?
Baseball cards
The advertising cards produced by the company, issued in 1869, featured a team photo of the famous Cincinnati Red Stockings.
(Acknowledgement)Achieving a score of 147 is equivalent to perfection in what sport?
Snooker
This is often known as a maximum, a 147, or orally a one-four-seven. The 147 is amassed by potting all 15 reds with 15 blacks for 120 points, then all six colors for a further 27 points. The maximum break has been achieved 103 times in professional competition.
(Acknowledgement)What is the only sports team in the Big Four leagues of the US from the most religiously homogeneous state? You get one, you get the other!
Utah Jazz
Of the NBA.
If the Eastbourne International serves as a warm-up event for women for Wimbledon, what is the equivalent tournament for the men?
Queen's Club
Andy Roddick has called the courts at the Queen's Club "arguably the best in the world."
(Acknowledgement)Long suffering fans of what professional team trace their woes to a curse placed in 1945 by Billy Sianis when he was asked to leave the stadium because of his maladorous goat?
Chicago Cubs
British politician Norman Tebbit created controversy in 1990 commenting on the perceived lack of loyalty of South Asian and Caribbean immigrants towards the English team playing which game?
Cricket
Tebbit suggested that those immigrants who support their native countries rather than England at the sport of cricket are not significantly integrated into the United Kingdom.
(Acknowledgement)In a children's board game, what type of creatures are Lizzie (purple), Henry (orange), Homer (green), and Harry (yellow) who chomp down marbles?
Hippos
The game is Hungry Hungry Hippos, of course.
What American city has suffered two (separate) outcomes of what are now called 'The Move' and 'The Decision' in sports lore?
Cleveland
The Decision was a television special in which LeBron James announced that he would leave Cleveland to play for the Miami Heat. 'The Move' was the decision by then Browns owner Art Modell to move a NFL team from its longtime home of Cleveland to Baltimore for the 1996 NFL season.
Losing her head aside, who has been called the Mother of Golf for her interest and her pioneering effort of sorts for the game?
Mary, Queen of Scots
Her portrait hangs in the golf museum at St. Andrews.
(Acknowledgement)Describing which eccentric genius' prowess in a certain mind sport did his sister say "It was as if an Eskimo had cleared a tennis court in the snow and gone on to win the world championship"?
Bobby Fischer
She was referring to how he rose to the top without much support from anywhere.
"You, sir, are the greatest athlete in the world."
"Thanks, King."Which athlete?
Jim Thorpe
Though several sources recount this story from the 1912 Olympics at Stockholm, Wikipedia suggests it might have been apocryphal.
The chant "Boom I ay!" meaning "kill him" was famously used to egg which sportsman in 1974?
Muhammad Ali (during the Rumble in the Jungle fight)
Ali won by knockout, putting Foreman down just before the end of the eighth round. It has been called "arguably the greatest sporting event of the 20th century."
(Acknowledgement)The strategy board game Reversi played on a 8*8 board is marketed under the name of which Shakespearean character?
Othello
The name was selected as a reference to the Shakespearean play Othello, the Moor of Venice, referencing the conflict between the Moor Othello and Iago, and more controversially, to the unfolding drama between Othello, who is black, and Desdemona, who is white.
(Acknowledgement)The baseball player Glenn Burke is credited with pioneering what form of now ubiquitous gesture?
High-five
In 1977, Burke ran onto the field to congratulate his Dodgers teammate Dusty Baker after Baker hit his 30th home run in the last game of the regular season. Burke raised his hand over his head as Baker jogged home from third base. Not knowing what to do about the upraised hand, Baker slapped it.
(Acknowledgement)The Connecticut-based indie rock band The Zambonis write and sing exclusively about what?
(Ice) hockey
In deference to the ice re-surfacer and Frank Zamboni.
Just like par in golf, what is the term given to the line in skiing where most skiers aim to land?
K line
Each hill has a target called the calculation point (or K point or 'critical point') which is a par distance to aim for. It is also the place where many jumpers land, in the middle of the landing area. This point is marked by the K line on the landing strip.
(Acknowledgement)What tactic of sports commonly seen in American major leagues seeks to emphasize players defending areas of field as opposed to particular player(s)?
Zone defense
It is the alternative to man-to-man defense; instead of each player guarding a corresponding player on the other team, each defensive player is given an area known as a "zone" to cover.
(Acknowledgement)What distinctive scoring pattern of a popular sport is possibly said to have emerged from the quarterly movement of hands on a clock?
15-30-40 pattern of a tennis point
It is possible that a clock face was used on court, with a quarter move of the hand to indicate a score of 15, 30, and 45. When the hand moved to 60, the game was over. However, in order to ensure that the game could not be won by a one-point difference in players' scores, the idea of "deuce" was introduced. To make the score stay within the "60" ticks on the clock face, the 45 was changed to 40.
(Acknowledgement)What two countries engaged in what has been called the 'Blood in the Water' match in the 1956 Olympics with the backdrop of political tensions?
Hungary and USSR
Hungary defeat the USSR 4-0 in the water polo match.
Used till the 2000s when it was supplanted by superior technology, what was the camera system that was used to judge service line calls in tennis which took its name from Greek myth?
Cyclops
In a 1914 chess tournament in St. Petersburg, what did Tsar Nicholas II call the five finalists Emanuel Lasker, José Raúl Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine, Siegbert Tarrasch, and Frank Marshall?
"Grandmasters"
According to some sources, this is the origin of its use. However, a chess historian disputed it.
What word completes this unique and 'grand' list?
Plexicushion, Clay, ___, Decoturf
Grass
Surfaces of the four tennis Grand Slam events.
The Mexican sportscaster Angel Fernandez whose signature was later adopted by Andrés Cantor for American audiences is best remembered for what vocal contribution to sports lore?
"Goooooooool!"
During soccer games.
(Acknowledgement)The aquatics discipline at most Olympics and related events usually features diving, swimming, synchronized swimming and what other sport?
Water polo
The policy of banning weapons enforced in Okinawa in medieval Japan influenced the development of what combat technique from Ryukyu Islands?
Karate
In sailing, if tacking is the maneuver by which the vessel turns its bow (front side) so that the direction from which the wind blows changes sides, what is the term for doing so by turning the stern (rear)?
Jibing
For the 2003 NBA All-Star game, the league for the first time offered ballots in three languages of English, Spanish and what else keeping in mind a certain international star?
Chinese (Yao Ming)
Yao Ming, of the Houston Rockets, was the second player with the most votes for the West, becoming the first rookie starter in the All-Star Game since 1995.
On April 30 1993, a knife wielding Günter Parche in Hamburg had a debilitating effect on the career of whom?
Monica Seles
During a quarterfinal match of Seles in the Hamburg Open in which she was leading 6-4, 4-3, Günter Parche, an obsessed fan of Steffi Graf, ran from the middle of the crowd to the edge of the court during a break between games and stabbed Seles.
Commenting on the election of the new pope Francis I in March 2013, which sportsperson said it was the "hand of God" that brought the papacy to his country?
Soccer superstar Diego Maradona of Argentina
Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio is also from Argentina. In a famous incident in the 1986 Soccer World Cup, Maradona scored a goal with his hand and later claimed it was "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God."
When ultra-marathoner Dean Karnazes ran across the entire United States in 2011, a blog headlined it by comparing him to what movie character?
Forrest Gump
Karnazes has been described as "the world's most famous ultramarathon runner."
(Acknowledgement)Commemorating the 50th anniversary of a certain event, in 2004 Britain released a 50-pence coin that showed a stop clock at at 3:59.4. Who was being honored?
Roger Bannister, best known for running the first mile in less than 4 minutes
He went on to become a distinguished neurologist and when asked whether the 4-minute mile was his proudest achievement, he said he felt prouder of his contribution to academic medicine through research.
What fast paced sport(s) take place in a court called the fronton?
Jai alai or pelota
After the Summer Olympics and the Soccer World Cup, what sport features an event that is third largest in terms of television audience?
Cricket (the World Cup)
The tournament is televised in over 200 countries to over 2.2 billion television viewers.
(Acknowledgement)What is particularly common to the symbols of the American Football teams New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings?
Logos with human figures (only 4 out of 32 teams to do so)
What 'intoxicating' practice of the sporting world was started in 1967 by 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Dan Gurney?
Spraying champagne
Champagne has been an integral part of sports celebration since Moët et Chandon started offering their Champagne to the winners of Formula 1 Grand Prix events.
In 1899, four members of the Harvard University tennis team wished to challenge Britain to a tennis competition. Name the Harvard player who designed the tournament format.
Dwight F. Davis, after whom the Davis Cup is named
The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By 2007, 137 nations entered teams into the competition.
In 1924, what did Grantland Rice collectively call Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley and Elmer Layden, the name now a part of American sports lore?
Four Horsemen
After Notre Dame's 13-7 upset victory over a strong Army team, on October 18, 1924, Grantland Rice, a sportswriter for the former New York Herald Tribune wrote "Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore their names are Death, Destruction, Pestilence, and Famine. But those are aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Crowley, Miller and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below."
The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix proved to be a watershed for the safety procedures of Formula One because of the death of Roland Ratzenberger and what other incident?
Death of Ayrton Senna
Other incidents saw driver Rubens Barrichello injured and several mechanics and spectators injured. The race led to an increased emphasis on safety and the changing of many track layouts and car designs. Since the race, numerous regulation changes have been made to slow Formula One cars.
What Asian country is the most populous country in the world never to have won an Olympic medal?
Bangladesh
The sports representative from the country attributes it to the country's weak economy.
(Acknowledgement)In 1992 British journalists Andrew Jennings and Vyv Simson wrote a controversial book about the International Olympic Committee chairman Juan Samaranch. Taking a cue from fantasy literature, what did they call it?
The Lord of the Rings
The title of course refers to the logo. In the book, the authors portrayed Samaranch as having been an active supporter of dictator Franco and accused him of corrupting the Olympic movement with secrecy and greed. Samaranch had the IOC sue the journalists for criminal libel. The writers were found guilty in absentia and ordered to serve five days in jail if they set foot in Lausanne.
(Acknowledgement)The website of what annual sporting event sells an artifact called the Green/Purple Friendship Bracelet?
Wimbledon
Green and purple (or mauve) are of course the two official colors of the tournament, also featuring in the logo.
Because many drawn games were causing organisational problems, in 1868 the British Chess Association introduced what rule that persists to this day?
Awarding half point for a draw instead of replaying the game
Which European soccer club is named after the goddess of youth in Roman mythology whose Greek equivalent name is Hebe?
Juventus
The club is based in based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy. Hebe/Juventus was the cupbearer for the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus until she was married to Hercules; her successor was Ganymede.
Which current day sports superstar is associated with the 'To Di World' pose that has one hand bent at the elbow, the other hand fully extended and both hands pointed in the same direction towards the sky at an inclined angle?
Usain Bolt
Below is Rule 13 of a very distinctive sport. What is the missing word?
Sugar cane or rice balls packed with vitamins (molasses and rock salt) shall be given to the ___s at the end of each match and a cold beer, or soft drink, to the ___ drivers and not vice versa.
Elephant (the sport is elephant polo)
It is played in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Rajasthan (India), and Thailand. Equipment consists of a standard polo ball and six to ten foot cane (similar to bamboo) sticks with a polo mallet head on the end.
A one-hole course at Camp Bonifas that is surrounded by minefields prompting Sports Illustrated to call it 'the most dangerous hole in golf' is at what Asian location?
Korean Demilitarized Zone
South Africa was ejected from the 1970 Davis Cup in part due to the campaigning of which male star to whom that country previously denied a visa on racial grounds?
Arthur Ashe
The peloton from the French for 'little ball' is a term referring to the main group in what sport?
Road cycling
Riders in a group save energy by riding close. The reduction in drag is dramatic; in the middle of a well-developed group it can be as much as 40%.
The MacRobertson Shield is the premier tournament in what sport a surreal version of which was played with animals in a beloved 19th century classic?
Croquet
Lewis Carroll version of the game in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland features hedgehogs and flamingos.
The Dude would know that stroking and cranking are the two main types of delivery in what sport?
Bowling
The most basic form is stroking while the most powerful form is known as cranking, which imparts great leverage and maximum rotation on the ball, but sacrifices accuracy. The Dude is of course the main character in The Big Lebowski that features bowling extensively.
The trainer Angelo Dundee who passed away in Feb 2012 and who worked with sixteen world champions is best associated with which sports icon?
Muhammad Ali (between 1960-1981)
Dundee was an American boxing trainer and cornerman.
The national football team of which country is also known as 'The Eagles of Carthage'?
Tunisia
Carthage, a major urban centre that existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis is currently a suburb of Tunis, Tunisia.
In 2004, the Chinese government banned a Nike ad that depicted LeBron James defeating a martial-arts teacher, flying spirits and what other creature?
Dragon
Titled 'Chamber of Fear', the advertisement featured LeBron James simultaneously dribbling a ball while fighting off several adversaries. In Chinese culture today, the dragon is mostly used for decorative purposes. It is a taboo to disfigure a depiction of a dragon.
If the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing played a prominent role in the 2008 Summer Olympics, the FNB Stadium nicknamed 'Calabash' hosted what major sporting event of the 2000s?
Finals of the 2010 Soccer World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa
The stadium is also known by its nickname 'The Calabash' due to its resemblance to the African pot or gourd.
In September 2002, when this lady beat a certain gentleman, it was not only the first time in that sport's history that a female player beat the world's No. 1 player, it was also the first time in any sport that the No. 1 ranked male player has lost to the No. 1 ranked female player.
Whom/what are we talking about?
Judith Polgár beating Garry Kasparov
It happened in the Russia versus the Rest of the World Match.
From 1928 until 2000, the obverse side of Olympic medals contained an image of which person seen holding a winners crown in her right hand?
Nike, the Greek goddess of victory
In 2004, the image changed to make more explicit the reference to the Greek character of the games. In this design, the goddess Nike flies into the Panathenic stadium, reflecting the renewal of the games.
Chinook, the first computer program to win a world champion title against humans in any game was developed in 1989 to play what?
Checkers (or) English draughts
In 2007, Chinook's developers announced that the program has been improved to the point where it cannot lose a game. All of Chinook's knowledge was programmed by its creators, rather than learned with artificial intelligence.
The 4 Deserts race that was recognized by Time as the world's leading endurance footrace takes place in Gobi, Atacama, Sahara and what other location?
Antarctica!
Competitors can enter any of the individual races within the 4 Deserts series, but if they wish to take part in The Last Desert (Antarctica) then they must complete a minimum of two of the other races and receive an invitation to participate.
What equestrian category that combines dressage, cross-country, and show jumping is called the triathlon of that sport?
Eventing
Dressage - horsemanship, cross-country - endurance and show jumping - skill.
In 2011, a team of conservationists caught a jaguar in Brazil that was missing half an ear. It was given the nickname of which sportsperson?
Holyfield (after Evander Holyfield)
He is of course known for losing it to Mike Tyson's teeth in 1997.
Which sportsperson is associated with the phrases "He can run, but he can't hide" and "Everyone has a plan until they've been hit"?
Joe Louis (1914-81)
Sculls and eggbeater are two of the basic skills in what aesthetically pleasing sport that became an Olympic medal event in 1984?
Synchronized swimming
Sculls are hand movements used to propel the body and eggbeater is a form of treading water that allows for stability and height above the water while leaving the hands free to perform strokes.
The oche, a line that is 2.369 meters from the target is a term from what sport?
Darts
It is the line behind which the throwing player must stand.
What is the name of the yacht that won the Royal Yacht Squadron's regatta around the Isle of Wight in 1851 and lent its name to a famous sports prize?
America
The America's Cup is the oldest active trophy in international sport. The trophy was renamed the America's Cup after the boat and was donated to the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) under the terms of the Deed of Gift which made the cup available for perpetual international competition.
In golf, a six under par score has never been, and is unlikely to ever be recorded, as it requires a hole in one on a par-seven hole. What is the 'mythical' term for such a hypothetical performance? (hint: think about the names of under par scores)
Phoenix
Four under par (Condor) is the lowest individual hole score ever made. Five under par is an Ostrich.
The name of what winter sport comes from early racers moving their heads backwards and forwards to make their sliding vehicles go faster?
Bobsledding (from 'bobbing' on their sleds)
The bobsled was developed in Switzerland in 1897 when a group of vacationers put runners on a toboggan to get greater speed down the famous Cresta Run at St. Moritz.
In athletics, what is the maximum permissible wind speed for a result to be registered as a record?
2 meters per second
The exceptions are the combined events like heptathlon and decathlon. Here, the total score may be accepted even though some of the results had a tail wind of more than 2.0 m/s. The maximum limit is 4.0 m/s for any one event, but 2.0 m/s on average across all applicable disciplines.
When its big neighbor made its debut at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, this country was asked to use a different name. It refused and thus became the only country to boycott the Winter Olympics. What is the country in question?
Taiwan
It refused to use the name Chinese Taipei when China made its debut and took the name away.
In which Olympic sport do participants wear an electrically conductive jacket called a lamé to define the scoring areas?
Fencing
It is worn by Foil and Sabre fencers. In foil, the lamé extends on the torso from the shoulders to the groin area. It also covers the back. In sabre, the lamé covers both arms, the torso from the shoulders to the waist, and the back. The lamé is connected to the body cord with an alligator clip causing it to be conductive.
What puzzle game whose name means 'single number' was popularized by Nikoli in its native country in 1986 before gaining international popularity from 2005 onwards?
Sudoku (from Japan)
Completed puzzles are always a type of Latin square (an n × n array filled with n different Latin letters, each occurring exactly once in each row and exactly once in each column) with an additional constraint on the contents of individual regions.
For those unfamiliar with American football, linemen are usually the largest players on the field since that position requires less running and more strength than others. Al Davis, the owner of Oakland Raiders once considered hiring which overseas superstars to be the linemen for his team?
Sumo wrestlers!
Only their perceived lack of stamina and high-cost prevented him.
In 1967, both sides in Nigeria's civil war called a 48-hour cease-fire for an exhibition match of a certain ball game in Lagos. Who or what was the main attraction?
Pelé
The name of which American sports team has its origin in how the fans avoided getting knocked down by trolleys on their way to the games?
Brooklyn Dodgers
Which quotable sportsman got his nickname from a friend who said that he resembled a Hindu holy man whenever he sat around waiting to bat, or while looking sad after a losing game?
'Yogi' Berra
Using 'games' as a clue, fill in the missing word.
___, Pythian, Nemean, Isthmian
Olympic
These are the four Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece, a forerunner of the modern Olympic Games. The Games took place in a four-year cycle known as the Olympiad, which was one of the ways the Greeks measured time. The Olympic Games were used as a starting point, year one of the cycle; the Nemean and Isthmian Games were both held (in different months) in year two, followed by the Pythian Games in year three, and then the Nemean and Isthmian Games again in year four. The cycle then repeated itself with the Olympic Games. They were structured this way so that individual athletes could participate in all of the games.
The 'Stimpmeter', a device that applies a known force to a ball and then measures the distance it travels is used in what sport?
In golf, to measure the speed of a putting green
It was designed by golfer Edward Stimpson, Sr. in 1935, hence the name.
A 1993 spectator sport popularity study that was called the largest of its kind ranked what sport as the 2nd most popular in the US, just behind NFL?
Ladies' figure skating
The study also found that three figure skaters - Dorothy Hamill, Peggy Fleming, and Scott Hamilton were among the eight most popular athletes in the United States, out of over 800 athletes surveyed.
When Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years in prison, his first question to an Australian visitor was, "Is ___ still alive?" referring to which sports-person?
The cricketer Donald Bradman ("Bradman")
In 2001, more than 50 years after his retirement as a Test player, the Australian Prime Minister John Howard called him the "greatest living Australian." Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has been claimed to be statistically the greatest achievement in any major sport.
Literally meaning 'seven boards of skill', which Chinese puzzle game's objective is to create a shape using seven non-overlapping flat pieces?
Tangram
The American showman Ely Culbertson is credited with popularising which sport/pastime?
Contract bridge
Which sports locale is known for its Amen Corner, The Big Oak Tree and the Eisenhower tree?
Augusta National Golf Club
Since 1934 it has played host to the annual Masters Tournament, one of the four major championships in professional golf. It is currently ranked the number one course in Golf Digest's list of America's 100 greatest courses.
From the German for 'compulsion to move', what 'z' term in chess describes a situation where one player is put at a disadvantage because he has to make a move - the player would prefer to pass and make no move?
Zugzwang
The fact that the player must make a move means that his position will be significantly weaker than the hypothetical one in which it were his opponent's turn to move.
Which Grand Slam tournament uses the distinctive serving pose of the Swedish player Stefan Edberg on its logo?
Australian Open
Which French word that means 'to rescue' is a practice that allows participants to continue to the next round in a competition if they failed to meet qualifying standards only by a small margin?
Repechage
In karate, judo, taekwondo, and wrestling tournaments, single elimination brackets are used to determine the two athletes who will compete in the final match for first and second place. The repechage bracket is built by selecting all of the athletes who were knocked out by the finalists and building brackets to determine third place. Repechage addresses the possibility of two top competitors meeting in an early round, allowing the loser a chance to compete for a bronze medal.
Which legendary muscle-man called his system of exercises as 'Dynamic Tension' when he first popularized them in the 1920s?
Charles Atlas (1892-1972)
Dynamic Tension is a self-resistance exercise method which pits muscle against muscle. The practitioner tenses the muscles of given body part and then moves the body part against the tension as if a heavy weight was being lifted. However, Dynamic Tension exercises are not merely isometrics, since they call for movement.
Which two milers featured in a 1954 race in the British Empire Games at Vancouver that is known in sports lore as 'The Miracle Mile', the 'Race of the Century' and the 'Dream Race'?
Roger Bannister and John Landy
Landy ran his second sub-4 minute mile in the race, but lost to Roger Bannister, who had his best-ever time. On the final turn of the last lap, as Landy looked over his left shoulder, Bannister passed him on the right. A larger-than-life bronze sculpture of the two men at this moment was created by Vancouver sculptor Jack Harman in 1967. egarding this sculpture, Landy quipped that "While Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back, I am probably the only one ever turned into bronze for looking back."
Dhyan Chand of India is regarded as the greatest player of all time in which Olympic sport?
Hockey
A legendary center-forward, he is remembered for his goal-scoring feats, first as a player and later as captain. Chand won 3 Olympic gold medals (1928 Amsterdam, 1932 Los Angeles, 1936 Berlin).
The dictator Mobuto of Zaire may not be well-known for political reasons but he was instrumental in facilitating what major 1974 combat event of the sporting world?
Rumble in the Jungle between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman
According to the documentary When We Were Kings, promoter Don King promised both fighters $5,000,000 USD for the fight, and no other group would put up that kind of money for the fight. Mobutu, wanting to expand the image of the nation of Zaire, put up the nation's money to do so. According to a quote in the film, Ali supposedly said: "Some countries go to war to get their names out there, and wars cost a lot more than $10,000,000."
Duke Kahanamoku, an Olympic swimming champion during the years of 1912 and 1924 is credited with popularizing which sport?
Surfing
Growing up on the outskirts of Waikiki (near the present site of the Hilton Hawaiian Village), Kahanamoku spent his youth as a bronzed beach boy. It was at Waikiki Beach where he developed his surfing and swimming skills.
By what name is the famous boxing rematch between Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey held on September 22, 1927 better known?
Long Count Fight, in which Tunney won
It was said to be the first $1 million gate and the first $2 million gate in entertainment history. Because of a controversial delay offered to Tunney when he was down, it became known as The Long Count Fight.
Which iconic sportsperson refers to his ethnicity as 'Cablinasian'?
Tiger Woods
A syllabic abbreviation he coined from Caucasian, Black, (American) Indian, and Asian).
Which Italian form of bowling that starts when a ball called 'pallino' is thrown has been played since Roman times?
Bocce
What is the highest ranked non-human on ESPN's 1999 list of 'Top 50 Athletes of the 20th Century'?
Secretariat, who in 1973 became the first Triple Crown champion in twenty-five years
It set new race records in two of the three events in the Series - the Kentucky Derby (1:59 2/5), and the Belmont Stakes (2:24) - records that still stand today. The other two non-humans on the list were also racehorses: Man o' War at 84th and Citation at 97th.
Shakehand and penhold grips are used in which sport?
Tabletennis
The name of which game can be traced to the winter hoods of French priests which were black on the outside and white on the inside?
Dominos
The name comes from the resemblance of its main artifacts to Venetian Carnival masks that were in turn named as they resembled French priests' winter hoods. The name ultimately derives from the Latin dominus, meaning 'lord' or 'master.'
In 2009, the tennis player Shahar Peer was prevented from playing at the Dubai Tennis Championships after she was denied a visa mainly for her nationality. Which country was she representing?
Israel
A number of players condemned the action to not grant Peer a visa, and WTA chief Larry Scott said that he had considered canceling the tournament, but chose not to after consulting Peer. ATP player Andy Roddick chose not to defend his title, with prize money of over $2 million, to protest the UAE's refusal to grant Peer a visa for the event.
What is the essential difference between American roulette and the European roulette?
In American roulette, there is a pocket marked 00 that is not present in the European version.
Chuck Wepner, an obscure boxer from New Jersey who once went 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali in a fight served as the inspiration for the creation of what on-screen personality?
Rocky
Young actor Sylvester Stallone watched the fight at home on television and was inspired to write the script for Rocky, based on Wepner's gutsy challenge. Wepner would later sue Stallone three times (twice unsuccessfully) for a share of the profits. Stallone settled for an undisclosed amount in the third suit, having publicly stated that Wepner was his inspiration for the script.
In 1956, while he was a race car builder at Kurtis Kraft (a famous builder of Indy race cars during the 1950s), Art Ingels assembled the first one of what?
Go-kart
Art Ingels is known as 'the father of karting.'
Nicknamed El Chino ('The Chinese') and El zurdo de Vitacura ('The lefty from Vitacura'), Marcelo Rios of Chile is the only player in the open era of men's tennis to hold the number one ranking despite never doing what?
Winning a Grand Slam
Senet is a grid game for two players and is thought to be the oldest board game in the world. In which country did it originate?
Egypt
The oldest remnants of any ancient board game ever unearthed are those of senet, found in Predynastic and First Dynasty burials of Egypt, circa 3500 BC and 3100 BC respectively. By the time of the New Kingdom in Egypt (1567-1085 BC), it had become a kind of talisman for the journey of the dead. Because of the element of luck in the game and the Egyptian belief in determinism, it was believed that a successful player was under the protection of the major gods of the national pantheon: Ra, Thoth, and sometimes Osiris. Consequently, Senet boards were often placed in the grave.
What is the only country to have won at least one gold at every Summer Olympics?
Great Britain
Ranging from one gold in 1904, 1952 and 1996 to fifty-six golds in 1908. However there is controversy regarding the medal won by Irishman Tom Kiely in 1904. Though Kiely wanted to represent Ireland, as Ireland was not independent in 1904, the IOC lists him as representative of the team of Great Britain and Ireland at the 1904 Summer Olympics.
What game whose objective is to knock over wooden blocks by throwing wooden sticks at them is like a combination of bowling, horseshoes and chess and enjoys popularity in Sweden?
Kubb
Rules vary from country to country and from region to region, but the ultimate object of the game is to knock the "King" over, before your opponent does. This, combined with the fact that there is a surprising level of strategy that can be used by players, has led some players and kubb fans to nickname the game "Viking Chess." The game can be played on a variety of surfaces such as sand, concrete, grass, or even ice.
Which South Pacific island belonging to Vanuatu is known for being the spiritual birthplace of bungee jumping, originating in an age-old ritual called the naghol?
Pentecost Island
Between April and June every year, men in the southern part of the island jump from tall towers with vines tied to their feet, in a ritual believed to ensure a good yam harvest. The ritual is also now used to show acceptance into manhood. Land diving was first given international exposure when David Attenborough and a BBC film crew brought back footage of the ritual during the 1950s.
Mentioned prominently in the 1986 film The Color of Money, which Russian-born cue maker has achieved legendary status in the world of cue sports and is called as 'the Stradivarius of cuemakers'?
George Balabushka (1912-1975)
His full name or last name standing alone is often used to refer to a cue stick made by him. Although already well known and valuable to collectors, Balabushka and his cues became much more so after being prominently featured in the movie.
"If we lose, it will be the biggest upset in the history of sports."
This was the modest statement of a coach in 1992, an Olympic year. Who is 'we'?
US Basketball team at the Olympics, the original Dream Team
This statement was made by Chuck Daly. The 1992 team consisting of Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson is often regarded as the greatest collection of talent on one team in basketball history.
What sporting rules were written by John Chambers in 1865 and published in 1867 superseding the Revised London Prize Ring rules of 1853?
Queensberry rules for boxing
They were named so because the 9th Marquess of Queensberry publicly endorsed the code. This version persuaded boxers that "you must not fight simply to win; no holds barred is not the way; you must win by the rules."
There is a prize for the fastest circumnavigation of the world by any type of yacht and was first awarded to a yacht which sailed around the world in less than 80 days. Can you guess after whom the trophy is named?
Jules Verne, of course
The original idea for this competition has been attributed to Yves Le Cornec in 1985. The rules were defined in 1990.
The 'Aussie Round' is considered by many to be the ultimate test of skills in this field where an object should cross a 50 metre circle and come right back to the centre. What is the object in question?
Boomerang
Each thrower has five attempts. Points are awarded for distance, accuracy and the catch.
After the Olympics, what are the world's second-largest multi-sport event, the Delhi edition of which was in the news in 2010?
Commonwealth Games
Attendance at the Commonwealth Games is typically around 5,000 athletes.
Which land area near Wendover, Utah that is marked out for motor sports is particularly noted as the venue for numerous land speed records?
Bonneville Speedway
It is part of the 159 sq mile Bonneville salt flat in northwestern Utah. The area is extremely flat and nearly aligned perfectly with the shape of Earth, allowing visitors to see the curvature of the planet by producing an optical illusion that makes many of the mountains within the vicinity appear to be floating in the air since their bases are on the other side of the curve and thus out-of-sight.
Statistically the greatest driver of Formula One, Michael Schumacher won his seven championships with which two companies?
Benetton and Ferrari
After winning two championships with Benetton, Schumacher moved to the Ferrari in 1996 and won five consecutive drivers' titles with them.
You cannot be serious. According to the DVD interview of the movie Amadeus, Tom Hulce studied which tennis star's mood swings for his portrayal of Mozart's unpredictable genius?
John McEnroe
In 1999, which tennis player ranked No.3 became the highest ranked player ever to announce retirement from the sport at that time? This record was broken by No.1 Justine Henin in 2008.
Steffi Graf
What is the maximum score that can be achived in a single game of bowling? And how many perfect throws?
300; 12
Over 56,000 perfect games were recorded by USBC in 2005.
In US college sports, what is the most common nickname/school mascot?
Eagles
The 12 most used names of four-year college mascots: Eagles (74), Tigers (46), Bulldogs (39), Panthers (33), Knights (32), Lions (31), Bears (30), Hawks (28), Cougars (27), Pioneers (27), Warriors (27) and Wildcats (25).
In curling, what is the name given to the target area towards which teams slide polished granite stones?
House
Two sweepers with brooms accompany each rock and use timing equipment and their best judgement along with direction from their other teammates to help direct the stones to their resting place. The complex nature of stone placement and shot selection has led some to refer to curling as "chess on ice."
In gymnastics, what are the only 2 events that are common to men and women?
Floor exercise and vault
Men compete on Floor Exercise, Pommel Horse, Still Rings, Vault, Parallel Bars, and High Bar, while women compete on Vault, Uneven Bars, Beam, and Floor Exercise.
Whom did Muhammad Ali refer to when he said that while he does consider himself the greatest heavyweight in boxing history, ___ ___ ___ is the greatest pound for pound boxer of all time?
Sugar Ray Robinson
Robinson is widely considered one of the greatest boxers in history, and has been ranked as the greatest boxer of all time by sportswriters, fellow boxers, and trainers. The phrase "pound for pound", was created by sportswriters for him during his career as a way to compare boxers irrespective of weight, and Hall of Fame fighters such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Leonard have ranked Robinson as the greatest pound for pound boxer in history.
Which American hall of fame basketball player and ex-senator also appears as the Vice-President of US in Shall We Tell the President? by Jeffrey Archer?
Bill Bradley
In 1969-70, he helped the Knicks win their first NBA championship, followed by a second in 1972-73. The second championship season was Bradley's best and he made his only All-Star Game appearance that year. Retiring from basketball in 1977, he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. In 1984 the Knicks retired his number 24 jersey.
Which Swede is the only man in tennis history to have won at least two Grand Slam singles titles on each of the three surfaces of grass, clay and hardcourt?
Mats Wilander
From 1982 through 1988, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles (three at the French Open, three at the Australian Open, and one at the US Open), and one Grand Slam men's doubles title (at Wimbledon). Although he never won the singles title at Wimbledon, Wilander twice won the Australian Open when that tournament was still played on grass courts. He won three of the four Grand Slam singles events in 1988 and finished that year ranked World No. 1.
What medieval sport is the official sport of Maryland as well as the first to be made an official sport by an American state?
Ring jousting
At Wimbledon, there is no play on which day as it is designated a rest day?
Middle Sunday of the 2-week tournament
However, rain has forced play on the Middle Sunday three times in the Championship's history: in 1991, 1997, and 2004. On each of these occasions, Wimbledon has staged a "People's Sunday", with unreserved seating and readily available, inexpensive tickets.
Although a total of 43 clubs have competed in the English Premier League since its 1992 inception, how many teams have won the title as of 2009?
Only four (Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, and Manchester United)
An attempt to run round the perimeter of the Great Court in the time during the clock striking twelve is a tradition at which hallowed institution?
Trinity College, Cambridge
This race is also depicted in the movie Chariots of Fire. It is a rather difficult challenge and the only people believed to have actually completed the run in time are Lord Burghley in 1927 and Sebastian Coe when he beat Steve Cram in a charity race in October 1988.
What is unique about the Summer Olympics and the combinations '1916-Berlin', '1940-Tokyo, then Helsinki' and '1944-London'?
Games were cancelled due to the World Wars; had they taken place, those cities were the assigned locations.
Before their cancellation, the games of 1940 were retracted from Tokyo by the IOC due to the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.
As of 2012, what are the only two Olympic sports in which no professionals compete?
Boxing and wrestling
Even this requires a definition of amateurism based on fight rules rather than on payment, as some boxers and wrestlers receive cash prizes from their National Olympic Committees.
(Acknowledgement)What nickname was given to the New York Yankees baseball team of the late 1920s, in particular to the first six hitters in the 1927 team lineup?
Murderer's Row
The 1927 Yankees are recognized as one of the best teams in baseball history, alongside the 1939 Yankees, the 1961 Yankees and the 1998 Yankees.
First held in 1981, the World Games are meant for what kind of sports?
Those not contested in the Olympic Games
Some of the sports that were on the program of the World Games eventually made it as Olympic sports (such as triathlon) or have been Olympic sports in the past (like tug of war). Some of the sports that are currently held at the World Games are orienteering, body building, powerlifting, finswimming, squash, netball, water skiing, casting, etc. The sports that are included in the World Games are based on the facilities available in the host city, no new facilities may be constructed for the games.
(Acknowledgement)Tally-ho, in his 1893 play A Woman of No Importance, what activity did Oscar Wilde call "the unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable"?
Fox hunting
It is a recreational form of hunting in which trained dogs pursue Red Foxes, followed by human hunters who are usually on horses but sometimes on foot. Many animal welfare campaigners object to it as barbaric, while many proponents and participants view it as a crucial part of rural history in England, vital for conservation, and a method of pest control.
In Japanese sporting world, one of the more unusual memorabilia that can be purchased is the 'tegata.' This is the sumo version of what?
Autograph
Tegata consist of a hand print of the wrestler accompanied by his fighting name written in calligraphic style by the wrestler himself. The ink for the handprint itself can be either red or black. Original tegata can be quite expensive, but printed copies of the most popular wrestlers can be obtained very inexpensively.
The tennis player Vitas Gerulaitis was a colorful character. After finally beating Jimmy Connors after 16 straight losses, what did he quip?
"Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row."
Gerulaitis is considered one of the great "might-have beens" of tennis. Some believe that by indulging in a close and perhaps servile friendship with Björn Borg, Gerulaitis may have stifled the aggressive instincts needed to bring a player to the top rank. He is remembered as one of the most pleasing players to watch on court, and a gentleman off court. He died in a tragic carbon monoxide poisoning accident in 1994 at age 40.
(Acknowledgement)The uniform of which NFL team is green because their once owner was born on St Patrick's day?
New York Jets
The team began in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League under the name New York Titans. The Jets later joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL Merger. The Jets hold the distinction of being the first AFL team to defeat an NFL club in an AFL-NFL World Championship Game when they defeated the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.
(Acknowledgement)Which type of race originated in the British Isles where runners raced from one town's ___ to the next where the ___'s were used as markers due to their visibility over long distances? Along the way runners inevitably had to jump creeks and low stone walls separating estates.
Steeplechase (the missing word is steeple)
The length of the race is usually 3000 m. The number of laps depends on whether the water jump is located to the inside of lane one or to the outside of lane eight or nine. Each runner encounters a total of 28 barriers over the course of the race, as well as 7 water jumps.
(Acknowledgement)"When I came back to my native country, after all the stories about Hitler, I couldn't ride in the front of the bus. I had to go to the back door. I couldn't live where I wanted. I wasn't invited to shake hands with Hitler, but I wasn't invited to the White House to shake hands with the President, either."
Whose words?
Jesse Owens
In the Olympics, what is the longest race in athletics in terms of distance? Not so fast, junior.
50 kilometre race walk
Most people mistakenly assume its the Marathon, which is 42.195 kms or 26 miles, 385 yards.
The main news in London on July 7th, 2005 was the terrorist bombing in the Underground. What was the contrasting sports news the previous day that made Londoners happy?
London winning the Olympic bid
If a chess player says j'adoube, what is he about to do?
Adjust a piece on its square without the intention of moving.
Adjustment can only be done when it is the player's move and the adjustment is preceded by speaking I adjust or j'adoube.
Which chess opening named for a Spanish monk consists of the following moves?
1. e4, e5
2. Nf3, Nc6
3. Bb5Ruy Lopez
One of the most popular openings, it has such a vast number of variations that in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings all codes from C60 to C99 are assigned to them.
(Acknowledgement)Nicknamed the Russian Dan Gable, he went undefeated in international competition from 1987 to 2000 until upset by the American wrestler Rulon Gardner. He won gold medals at the 1988, 1992, and 1996 Olympic Games and went the last six years of his unbeaten streak without giving up a point. Who is he?
Alexander Karelin, the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of all time
Karelin was famous for his body lift, the "Karelin Lift", where facing the opponent who was lying flat on the mat to keep from being thrown, Karelin was able to lift the opponent from around his waist and throw him all the way over his shoulders, scoring from 2 to 5 points depending on the height of the throw. Karelin's ability to perform this throw against elite opponents weighing as much as 130 kg was amazing to audiences as well as other participants and observers of the sport.
(Acknowledgement)Which Romanian, nicknamed "Nasty", was the first tennis player to be ranked No.1 by a computer after computer-generated weekly rankings were introduced in 1973?
Ilie Năstase
Until the computer-generated rankings began in 1973, all previous rankings going back to 1913 had been to at least some degree subjective. Even the "authoritative" end-of-the-year amateur rankings issued by such groups as the United States Lawn Tennis Association were based on judgments made by men and women and not on mathematical formulas assigning points for wins or losses.