With the 2014 Winter Olympics well underway, we thought we would share 5 facts about the Olympics we found interesting.

#1  Sochi has had time to get their game face on! Due to its popularity among tourists, historic characteristics, sports venues and proximity to the Caucasus Mountains, the International Olympic Committee selected Sochi as the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics back on July 4, 2007.  Yes, 7 years ago!  A city on the Black Sea, this location is unique in that it is not particularly cold in the Winter. With temperatures currently in the 50’s as of this post, to ensure the games will go on, they have had snow flown in for many of the events.

#2  Lost, stolen or damaged medal?  No problem because Olympians receive special help. Insurer Liberty Mutual is partnering with the U.S. Olympic Committee to cover the medals at no cost to athletes for the 2014 and 2016 Games. Liberty Mutual will insure each medal for $5,000, factoring in the labor to make replicas and shipping costs.

#3  Be sure to give three cheers to Norway. A nation of 5 million people, about the same as the population of Alabama, Norway, per capita, has won one Winter Olympic medal for every 16,556 residents. The United States, on the other hand, has one medal for every 1,237,154 residents. However, we all hope that we can change this over the coming days.

#4  What’s the age of an Olympian? Well, freeskier Maggie Voisin is the USA’s youngest Olympian at the Sochi Games, at age 15. The oldest woman to compete in the Olympics was British rider Lorna Johnstone, who participated in Equestrian at the 1972 Olympic Games at 70 years.   The oldest ever Olympian is Oscar Swahn of Sweden who was was 72 years, 281 days old when he competed at the 1920 Olympics in shooting.  Age doesn’t matter and everyone put their gold medal face on!

#5   Why 5 Rings?  The Olympic symbol of five interlocking rings, colored blue, yellow, black, green, and red on a white field was originally designed in 1912 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, co-founder of the modern Olympic Games.  The ring colors with the white background stand for those colors that appeared on all the national flags that competed in the Olympic games at that time.