Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — In a recent poll, KSL.com readers expressed more interest in Summer Olympics than Winter Olympics, and gymnastics took the cake for their favorite summer sport to watch.
The poll results show that 72 percent of participants prefer Summer Olympics, while 28 percent enjoy Winter Olympics more. When asked what their favorite Summer Olympic sport to watch is, 28 percent of voters chose gymnastics; swimming followed close behind with 27 percent of the votes and beach volleyball was the poll’s third most popular with 9 percent.
More than 3,600 people participated in the Summer Olympics versus Winter Olympics poll, while 3,814 people answered the question about their favorite sport to watch.
According to www.olympic.org, the first modern Summer Olympics occurred in Athens, Greece, in 1896. Athletes from 14 nations participated in the Olympics that year, “with the largest delegations coming from Greece, Germany, France and Great Britain.”
“Due to its historical significance, the Greek hosts wanted to win the marathon above all else,” according to the website. “Spyridon Louis set off from the city of Marathon and took the lead 4 kilometers from the finish line and, to the joy of the 100,000 spectators, won the race by more than 7 minutes.”
James Connolly, an American, became the first Olympic champion in over 1,500 years on April 6, 1896, after winning the triple jump, according to the website.
The first Summer Olympics included artistic gymnastics, a sport that has been seen at every Summer Olympics since.
“At the beginning, it comprised disciplines that are difficult to qualify as ‘artistic,’ such as climbing and acrobatics,” according to www.olympic.org.
Rhythmic gymnastics became a part of the Olympics in 1984.
