“Did you know what?” – is a column in which we share little-known facts from the world of sports. In the third issue you will find 15 new surprising discoveries!
Interesting facts from the world of sports
Spelling errors sometimes occur on the Stanley Cup because names are engraved by hand. For example, the name of Canadian hockey player Jacques Plante has been misspelled five out of six times. Errors also occur in team names.- In Japan, the game of Go serves as a way to maintain horizontal communication in a hierarchical society. Newcomers to large companies are often invited to join a corporate Go club, where they can play as equals, even with the president.
- The movie “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” uses images of the oldest chess pieces in the world. They were discovered by peasant M. Macleod in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. The pieces were carved from walrus tusks and whale teeth.
- Incredibly, chess can be won in just two moves. The fastest checkmate is known as the “Fool’s Checkmate”, which is placed by the queen on the unprotected diagonal h4-e1 or h5-e8.
Until September 17, 2023, there had never been a case of a father and son winning a world championship in freestyle wrestling. Vugar Orudzhev, the CIS bronze medalist at the ’92 Olympics, won the world championship in 1991 and 1995. His son, Vito Aruzhau, won the world title in 2023 representing the USA.- In Scandinavian countries backgammon is included in the school program. This game develops children’s logical thinking, planning and analytical skills. The inclusion of backgammon in the educational process is an example of advanced approaches of the Scandinavian education system.
- Scientists say that the minimum time in which a person can run 100 meters is 9.48 seconds. Usain Bolt’s record (9.58 seconds), set in 2009, is on the verge of being humanly possible.
- In floorball, as in ice hockey, the two-minute penalty ends if the team playing in the minority concedes a goal. However, the five-minute penalty remains in force even after a goal has been conceded.
- Why do baseball players spit? To avoid dehydration or to moisten their hands for better ball control. They used to use chewing tobacco to increase salivation, but now they prefer gum or snus.
- Wrestling was popular in medieval Europe. The English King Henry VIII challenged the French King Francis I to a duel, and the latter won.
- The water temperature in the water polo pool is strictly regulated and is 26.5 degrees. A decrease in temperature by three degrees causes stiffness of movement, and overheating water leads to rapid fatigue of athletes.
The Gagarin Cup weighs 20 kilograms and is made of sterling silver. Its cost is about 1,680,000 rubles.
The cup holds 16 bottles of champagne so that each player on the team can drink three glasses.- The slogan “The Best League in the World” used by the FNL appeared as an ironic joke in the VGIK group on VKontakte in 2012-2013. The meme took hold and became part of the league’s branding, and the community became FNL’s official meme partner.
The official ball for games in the Volleyball Super League is the domestic Volar model VL-100. It was approved by the All-Russian Volleyball Federation and is now also used in beach and winter volleyball.- In the NHL, pucks are frozen before a game to improve their sliding. When the puck warms up, its color changes, which signals to the referees that it needs to be replaced. Between 15 and 20 pucks are used per game.
