By Mark

Cities bid to host the Olympics. It is a two step

process, the city must have proper accommodation, security, transportation etc. It gets approved by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) executive board and they are considered candidates. In the second part, an evaluation committee goes to the city and writes a report. The IOC votes on choosing the site for the upcoming Olympics.

Around the world, the number eight is linked to success. In China, it is considered a lucky number because it’s pronunciation in Cantonese is the same as the word for prosperity. The number is pronounced "ba," which is like the word for prosperity (fa). Also the number eight has long been considered fortuitous in China.

In 1940 and 1944 the Olympics were cancelled. This is because of World War II, and in 1916 the Games were also cancelled because of World War I. So if the countries are at war the Olympics are not going to be on.

The four year period is called an

Olympiad, and was used as a date system. Because time was counted in Olympiads rather than years in the Ancient Olympics. This is used in both Ancient and Modern eras.

The Sydney 2000 Olympic Mascots were Olly, Syd, and Millie. Olly is a kookaburra, Syd is a platypus and Millie is an echidna. They were chosen because their native animals of Australia. They represent the earth, air and water. Olly is the Olympic spirit of generosity and Syd represents the environment. Millie is a techno-whiz and information guru.

At the Centennial Olympic Park, thousands of people went to a late concert by the band Jack Mack and the Heart Attack. After Midnight, Rudolph planted a green U.S. military ALICE pack (knapsack) containing three pipe bombs surrounded by nails underneath a bench. It was the largest pipe bomb in U.S history,and a Security guard called Richard Jewell found it and alerted Georgia Bureau of Investigation. At 1:20 am the bomb exploded.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CentennialOlympic_Park_bombing http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_does_a_comunity_get_ chosen_to_host_the_olympics

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_are_the_Olympics_held_every_four_years

http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/collector_uk.asp?type=1&id=5&OLGT=1&OLGY=2000

The Olympic Games in Antiquity, The Olympic Museum, 2nd Edition 2007