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This Is How Horses Get To The Olympics, Plus A Bunch Of Other Random Questions And Answers About The Olympics

BuzzFeed
4 min read

1.Question: How do the horses get to the Olympics?

  Picture Alliance / dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images
Picture Alliance / dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images

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?

  Behrouz Mehri / AFP via Getty Images
Behrouz Mehri / AFP via Getty Images

Answer: YES!! It's called mane plaiting. AKA, cute horse hairdo. It's done for fancy competitions.

  Julian Finney / Getty Images
Julian Finney / Getty Images

3.How much is one gold medal worth, if say, you were to melt it down and sell it?

  Patrick Smith / Getty Images
Patrick Smith / Getty Images

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?

  Anadolu Agency / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Anadolu Agency / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

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!!!

  Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images
Alexander Hassenstein / Getty Images

5.Why do the divers shower during the diving competitions?

  Tim Clayton - Corbis / Corbis via Getty Images
Tim Clayton - Corbis / Corbis via Getty Images

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.

  Jean Catuffe / Getty Images
Jean Catuffe / Getty Images

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?

  Francois-xavier Marit / AFP via Getty Images
Francois-xavier Marit / AFP via Getty Images

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.

  Tom Pennington / Getty Images
Tom Pennington / Getty Images

7.Wait who are the members of ROC?

  Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images
Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images

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

  Jamie Squire / Getty Images
Jamie Squire / Getty Images

8.How heavy is a shot put?

  David Ramos / Getty Images
David Ramos / Getty Images

Answer: For men, it's 16 pounds. For women, it's almost half the weight at 8.8 pounds. Rude.

  Mike Comer / NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Mike Comer / NCAA Photos via Getty Images

9.What's the sport called that like Shot Put but with a string attached?

  Andrej Isakovic / AFP via Getty Images
Andrej Isakovic / AFP via Getty Images

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.

  Ryan Pierse / Getty Images
Ryan Pierse / Getty Images

10.How tall are hurdles?

  Gallo Images / Getty Images
Gallo Images / Getty Images

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.

  Xinhua News Agency / Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
Xinhua News Agency / Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images

11.How wide is a balance beam?

  Xavier Laine / Getty Images
Xavier Laine / Getty Images

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.

  Xavier Laine / Getty Images
Xavier Laine / Getty Images

12.How hot is it in Tokyo right now?

  Nurphoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Nurphoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images

Answer: It's high 80s/90s right now. HAWT!

timeanddate.com

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.

  Anadolu Agency / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Anadolu Agency / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Do you have more random questions that you've asked yourself while watching the Olympics? Comment below and I'll try and find the answer.

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