PORTLAND, Maine — The 2024 Olympics are in full swing and dozens of medals have already been handed out to athletes from across the country and the world.
Competition is also heating up in Maine.
During the games, "The Morning Report" and "Olympic Zone" teams among NEWS CENTER Maine staff will test their knowledge in what we are calling the "Stumper Olympics." Every day during the week, each team will ask the other a stumper question, and we'll be tracking the results.
UPDATE: Well, it is officially 'gut-check' time for the Olympic Zone team. After Wednesday morning, the Morning Report has answered 7 questions right and the ensemble of Lee, Sharon, Todd, Hannah, Aaron (and Dana) cannot lose the stumper challenge. The Olympic Zone team must get every question right for the rest of the week to tie the competition. If the Morning Report answers Thursday or Friday's question correctly, they win.
Here is the list of questions so far
Monday's question for The Morning Report team:
The Olympics have been off to a great start, with the opening ceremony on Friday kicking things off. According to the official Olympics website, this year there are 329 medal events across 45 sports. That's the second-largest number of events in Summer Olympics history.
Across all those events, more than 10,000 athletes are estimated to be competing. While plenty of athletes, and even some countries, are making their Olympic debuts this year, there are a few athletes who'll be the first-ever Olympians in their sport.
The question: What sport is making its Olympic debut in Paris?
- Break dancing
- Sport climbing
- Skateboarding
- Surfing
The answer: Break dancing, or breaking, as it's being called in the Olympics, debuted at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, but wasn't an official Olympic sport until this year's games. The breaking competition starts Aug. 9. All of the other sports that were answer options made their debut in Tokyo four years ago.
Monday's question for the Olympic Zone team:
Twelve years ago, Katie Ledeckey burst onto our screens during the London Olympics. At just 15 years old she took home gold in the 800-meter freestyle and never looked back. She's now a household name in the sport of swimming and has gone on to become an Olympic champion at every distance from 200 meters to 1500.
If Katie Ledeckey could get it done at such a young age, who's to say a handful of young Olympians can't go for gold this year?
The question: Which sport is the youngest Olympian competing in this year?
- Men's soccer
- Tennis
- Skateboarding
- Gymnastics
The answer: Skateboarding. Zheng Haohao will be competing for China in the Olympic Park skateboarding event during this year's games. According to USA Today, Haohao started competing internationally last year. The trick that earned her an Olympic spot for China was the 540 flip.
You can watch her compete on Aug. 6.
Results: 1-1 after day one.
Tuesday's question for The Morning Report team:
Olympic athletes typically have day jobs to fund their dreams of winning gold. They fit in rigorous training schedules around work schedules to keep up with the demands of being an Olympian. These athletes really have all kinds of jobs. They're students, members of the military, models, or business owners. And some of them change their aspirations after winning medals.
There have even been American politicians who were Olympic medalists before they were senators or representatives.
The question: The first member of Congress to win gold competed in which sport?
- Basketball
- Track and field
- Swimming
- Judo
The answer: Track and field. Ralph Metcalfe represented Illinois in the House from 1971-1978. Before his career as a politician, he was a member of the 4 x 100-meter relay team that won gold in 1936. He won two silver medals in the 100-meter race, in 1932 and 1936.
Tuesday's question for the Olympic Zone team:
Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, Usain Bolt. When you hear those names, it wouldn't be surprising that you think of Olympic royalty. They worked hard throughout their childhood to reach the ultimate goal of wearing a gold medal.
Of course, some athletes peak in their youth and just don't have enough skill to reach the games. It just so happens that this seems to be the case for us here on The Morning Report.
The question: Which member of The Morning Report team was on their junior high school's fencing team?
- Lee
- Sharon
- Todd
- Aaron
The answer: Sharon! Through seventh and eighth grade, Sharon Rose was a member of the fencing team at Oxbow Junior and Senior High School in Bradford, Vermont. It was the only high school fencing team in the state, so they had to compete against colleges and universities such as Dartmouth in nearby Hanover, New Hampshire. Though she trained with the team, Sharon never got to the point where she was able to compete, because in ninth grade she traded in her fencing foil for a pair of pom-poms on the cheerleading squad.
Results: The Morning Report team takes a 2-1 lead!
If you're looking for more trivia, check out some other questions here.
Wednesday's question for The Morning Report team:
The organizers of every Olympic games since 1968 have come up with a mascot to represent the area or heritage of the country hosting the games. The first-ever mascot was created in one night: a little man on skis, named Shuss, to represent Grenoble, France in 1968.
The first official Olympic mascot was a dachshund named Waldi, who represented Munich in 1972. And this time around, the mascot for the summer games is the Phryges. They're hats, based on caps worn during the French Revolution as a symbol of freedom.
The question: Which animal has never been a mascot for the Summer Olympics?
- Coyote
- Racoon
- Beaver
- Kangaroo
The answer: Kangaroo. Organizers for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney wanted to pick less well-known animals to represent Australia, so no kangaroos or koalas. They went with a kookaburra, a platypus, and an echidna. A coyote represented Salt Lake City in 2000, a raccoon represented Lake Placid in 1980, and a beaver represented Montreal in 1976.
You can catch the daily stumper with Lee, Todd, Sharon, and Aaron at 5:30 a.m. during The Morning Report and watch the Olympic Zone with Chris, Sam, Rya, and Caroline at 7:30 p.m. on NEWS CENTER Maine.
Wednesday's question for the Olympic Zone team:
The Olympics is obviously a time for people across the world to cheer on their countries and with the wide range of sports that are played during the games, it's also a time for people to check out events they normally wouldn't watch. For many of you that may be volleyball.
We wanted to make sure that you have a better understanding of the things you'll hear the commentators discuss.
The question: Which of these is not a volleyball term:
- Quad Box
- Campfire
- Roof
- Mintonette
The answer: Quad Box. It's more likely that you find a quad box watching the Gold Zone on Peacock during these Olympic games. That new show gives people an instant look at the most recent medal events. As for those other terms, you may hear them all over the next two weeks. A campfire happens when a ball hits the floor and two or more players are circling it almost like a campfire. A roof is a defensive play and mintonette is the original name for volleyball.
Results: The Morning Report still leads 2-1.
Thursday's question for The Morning Report:
Team USA's gymnastics team has been stunning audiences this year, winning gold just two days ago on their self-described "redemption tour." They follow in the footsteps of other team USA gymnastics teams that have been winning gold since 2012. and, just like those past teams, this year's gold medalists needed a nickname too. Their official name is now the "Golden Girls." Simone Biles wrote in a social media post that it was because they're the oldest Olympic team. According to NBC, Biles, at 27, is the oldest Olympic gymnast in 72 years.
The question: Which is not a nickname for a previous u-s women's gymnastics team?
- The Fearless Five
- The Fearless Five
- The Fierce Five
- The Fighting Four
The answer: The Fearless Five. Hoda Kotb suggested the "Fearless Five" for this year's team in a Today Show interview last month, but they said no. The "Fighting Four" competed in 2020, "Final Five" in 2016, "Fierce Five" in 2012, and the first Olympic gold for an American women's gymnastics team went with the "Magnificent Seven" in 1996.
Thursday's question for the Olympic Zone team:
As more people flock to vacationland this time of year the odds are that if you look out at the water, it's going to be busy. Canoe's, ferry's, lobster boats and sailboats are just a few vehicles hitting the water. It turns out, that sailboats aren't just being used for a relaxing trip along the coast. If you turn on the TV this week, you'll probably see Olympians handling these boats for a shot at a medal.
Between fun trips, and Olympic sports, sail boating is leaving it's mark on the world, even when it comes to how we talk.
The question: Which of these common phrases originated from maritime culture?
- Under the weather
- Break a leg
- Come rain or shine
- Pipe down
The answer: Pipe down. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, pipe down is normally a request for people to be quiet, but NOAA added that ship crews received a variety of signals from the boatswain's pipe. One of which was to "pipe down the hammocks." This meant that the crew should go below deck and prepare for sleep.
The results: The Morning Report leads 3-2.
Friday's question for the Morning Report:
There are so many Olympic sports, it can be hard to keep track of them all. And when athletes, journalists, or attendees don't speak the same language, it can be hard to get the same message across to everybody. To solve this problem, the Olympics have pictograms. They're simplistic drawings that show all the different sports athletes are competing in. This year, the pictograms look a little different. They look a little like coats of arms now, to "serve as rallying cries for sports fans." But, they first appeared more than 50 years ago.
The question: Which country was the first to use pictograms to symbolize Olympic events?
- Russia
- Japan
- Greece
- Sweden
The answer: Japan. When Tokyo hosted the Olympics in 1964, organizers knew most visitors didn't know Japanese. So, they created simplistic drawings to act as a universal language. They had 20 pictograms for sports and 39 for general information, like first aid, phones and bathrooms.
Friday's question for the Olympic Zone:
Women's soccer has only been an Olympic sport since 1996, but in it's short stint thus far the U.S. Women's National Team has just absolutely dominated in the Olympics. They have won medals in six of the seven Olympic games that they've competed in which leads the way for any country.
In 1996, the women won the first-ever Olympic gold for women's soccer, defeating China 2-1 on their home turf in Atlanta. And then starting in 2004 they tallied off three straight gold medals. Just pure dominance from the team.
The question: Who has the most Olympic goals all time on the U.S. Women's National Team?
- Mia Hamm
- Abby Wambach
- Carli Lloyd
- Megan Rapinoe
The answer: Carli Lloyd. The long time soccer great retired from the game in 2021 just weeks after she secured this record. Lloyd's Olympic career began in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic games and she didn't waste anytime making an impact. Lloyd scored the goal that clinched gold for tam USA during the 2008 and 2012 games. She was one goal behind Abby Wambach until 2021 when she scored two goals in her final game for team USA.
After the first week of the Stumper Olympics: The Morning Report leads 5-2.
Week 2
Monday's question for the Morning Report:
While the Olympics are in their second week, the Paralympics don't start for another couple of weeks. One athlete that's returning to compete this year is Morteza Mehrzadselakjani, from Iran. He's won two gold medals and several world championships in his sport, which we'll get to in a minute
In addition to being a Paralympic champion, Mehrzadselakjani is eight feet and one inch tall. He's the tallest athlete to ever compete at the Paralympics and the second tallest man in the world. He's 9 inches taller than Victor Wembanyama, who is the tallest active NBA player and this year's tallest Olympian.
The question: Mehrzadselakjani plays which sport at the Paralympics?
- Tennis
- Swimming
- Volleyball
- Basketball
The answer: Volleyball, or to be more precise, sitting volleyball. Athletes must have less, or a complete loss of, muscular strength or flexibility in a joint to play. The Iranian team takes to the court for the first time on August 30th.
Monday's question for the Olympic Zone:
The quarterfinals begin today for men's basketball. Team USA is taking on brazil at 3:30. Since 1992, team USA has dominated on the court winning gold in seven of eight Olympic games and it just so happens that '92 was the first year NBA players could compete on team USA.
FIBA or the international basketball federation voted to allow professional players, opening the door for the likes of magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and what would eventually become the dream team.
The question: Which player from the dream team averaged the most points during the 1992 Olympics?
- Larry Bird
- Chris Mullin
- Michael Jordan
- Charles Barkley
The answer: Charles Barkley. His 18 points per game led the way for team USA. Michael Jordan actually said he didn't think Barkley was going to available for the team because of an incident in their first game against Angola. Barkley received a technical foul after elbowing Herlander Coimbra in the chest. Barkley also led the 1996 team in points as well.
Tuesday's question for the Morning Report:
British diver Tom Daley doesn't make much of a splash in the pool, because he's so good at his sport, but he made headlines during the Olympics in Tokyo for something else: knitting. He says he took up knitting and crocheting during the pandemic.
Daley has since started an Instagram account to show off his creations, "Made With Love by Tom Daley." He also has a brand under the same name, which he uses to sell clothing. And even though Daley has knitted and crocheted plenty while not competing, he's only made a few things at the Olympics.
The question: Which of the following has Tom Daley not knitted at the Olympics?
- A Scarf
- A Sweater
- A Pouch
- A Cardigan
The answer: A scarf. While he's made plenty of scarves outside of the games, he hasn't made one during them yet. In Tokyo, Daley knitted a cardigan, and a pouch for his gold medal. And this year, he made a sweater. It says "Paris 24" on the front, and Daley on the back. It also has a "five" on the sleeve, for his fifth Olympics, as well as the flags of great Britain and France.
Tuesday's question for the Olympic Zone:
Olympians are already talented, but it turns out quite a few of them found themselves also shining on the big screen. Hilary Wolf is well know for her role as big sister to McCauley Culkin in the home alone movies. She also represented the united states in judo at the 1996 summer Olympics. And before Harold Sakata was playing villains in the James bond movie Gold Finger, he found himself representing the U.S. in weight lifting events.
The question: Which one of these gold medalists has not won an Oscar?
- Shaquille O'Neal
- Kobe Bryant
- Lebron James
- Steph Curry
The answer: Lebron James. King James may have four NBA titles, but nothing when it comes to the Oscars. He did star in the Space Jam remake back in 2022. He actually took home a Razzie award for worst actor due to his performance in that film. While Shaq has been nominated for a Razzie as well, the big fella actually got it done at the Oscars. Both Shaq and Steph Curry were executive producers on a documentary called the 'Queen of Basketball' and that won for best short subject documentary. Kobe took home the academy award for best animated short film. He wrote and narrated the film 'Dear Basketball'.
Wednesday's question for the Morning Report:
Hundreds of athletes from dozens of countries have already won gold medals this year. First place winners at the first modern Olympics in 1896 actually won silver medals, and an olive branch. The "gold, silver, bronze" sequence started in 1904. And until 1912, gold medals were made of pure gold. They don't do that anymore, because it would be too expensive. While the feeling of winning gold is probably priceless, someone's got to pay for prizes.
The question: If the 2024 gold medals were made of pure gold, how much would they be worth?
- $10,000
- $40,000
- $80,000
- $100,000
The answer: $40,000. That price is why the medals have been mostly silver since 1912. This year, they're made of just six grams of gold. The rest is iron and silver, worth about $1,000 in total. Silver medals are worth just over $500, and bronze medals are worth $5.
