This Is How Horses Get To The Olympics, Plus A Bunch Of Other Random Questions And Answers About The Olympics
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4 min read
1.Question: How do the horses get to the Olympics?
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Answer: They go on cargo planes! From the US it costs like 55,000 dollars for them to be flown to Tokyo, and they are accompanied by groomers and vets to take care of them on the journey. Basically it's like how us humans travel but honestly probably better because they get their own space and lots of hay.
@teamusa We’ve got the horses in the back (of the airplane). ??: @usequestrian #tokyoolympics #teamusa #equestrian
? SUNNY DAY - Matteo Rossanese
2.Omg WAIT, do some of the horses have braids?
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Answer: YES!! It's called mane plaiting. AKA, cute horse hairdo. It's done for fancy competitions.
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3.How much is one gold medal worth, if say, you were to melt it down and sell it?
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Answer: Okay, this is kind of drama but the Tokyo gold medals aren't even PURELY GOLD. They are mostly silver with gold plating!! So based off the math I just did going off the current price of gold and silver, one "gold" medal is worth like, 800 dollars, rounding up.
4.Were all the olympians required to be vaccinated?
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Answer: Surprisingly, no. There was no vaccine requirement to participate, however there was an effort to distribute vaccines to athletes ahead of time. Apparently around 85% of athletes are vaccinated but still, NOT ALL!!!
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5.Why do the divers shower during the diving competitions?
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Answer: It's to keep their muscles relaxed and at the right temperature!! I literally thought it was like for fun and to look hot. But no, it's actual science. The pool is cold, so showering helps keep the muscles nice n' flexible for the next dive.
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6.How deep is the diving pool, like obviously it's safe for diving but what about if you're all the way up top?
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Answer: The diving pools are 16.4 feet deep. That depth makes it safe enough for the platform divers who are diving from basically 32.8 feet high.
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7.Wait who are the members of ROC?
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Answer: Basically, it's the Russians. ROC stands for Russian Olympic Committee. They can't just be called Team Russia because Russia is currently banned from the Olympics due to doping. So this committee allows Russian athletes to participate in the Olympics, even though their country is banned. It's kinda confusing TBH!!! But, basically you can represent the colors of Russia, however the Russian flag and anthem can't be displayed/played. ˉ\_(ツ)_/ˉ
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8.How heavy is a shot put?
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Answer: For men, it's 16 pounds. For women, it's almost half the weight at 8.8 pounds. Rude.
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9.What's the sport called that like Shot Put but with a string attached?
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Answer: It's the hammer throw. It looks nothing like a hammer so I was like...why? But according to this website about the origins of the game, "A 16th century drawing shows King Henry VIII throwing a blacksmith’s sledgehammer, the implement from which the event derived its name." I believe the name should now be changed to shotput on a string though since that's basically what it is.
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10.How tall are hurdles?
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Answer: There are two different heights for men and women AND for different events. So basically, the highest they go is 3.5 feet for guys and the highest is 2.99 feet for women. The way you can picture that in your head is to stack up several subway sandwiches and then eat a bit off the top.
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11.How wide is a balance beam?
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Answer: It's literally four measley inches wide. FOUR INCHES WIDE!!!!!!! That's a 6-inch Subway sandwich once you've already eaten two inches of it.
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12.How hot is it in Tokyo right now?
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Answer: It's high 80s/90s right now. HAWT!
13.And finally, not my question, but I'm wondering the same:
Answer: He's not. But THAT GUY REALLY DOES LOOK LIKE LIAM HEMSWORTH!!! He's ROC tennis player Karen Khachanov, btw.
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