There are biennial questions that arise with the arrival of each new Olympics, and they involve the colors worn by a few nations.
Most often mentioned are Australia, Italy and the Netherlands.
These nations have flags featuring three colors, none of which are the the primary colors of their athletes' uniforms (save for some Italian gear in the Winter Games).
Learn more below.
Why do the Australians wear yellow and green?
The Australian flag has a blue base with a red-and-white Union Jack and six white stars.
So why do Australia's teams and athletes wear yellow and green?
The golden wattle — or acacia pycnantha — is yellow (gold) and green while in flower, and is often referenced when the question of why the uniforms for Socceroos, Matlidas, or other Australian athletes are yellow and green.
Australia's government goes a bit deeper, saying the gold is due to "the colour of our mineral wealth, beaches, the golden fleece of Australian wool and the harvests of golden grains across every state" and that the green is "the colour of the Australian forests, gum trees, pastures and the endless horizons of growing crops."
Why do the Netherlands wear orange? And why are they called the Dutch?
Like Australia, the Netherlands have a flag featuring red, white and blue.
Like the Aussies, they usually wear a different color in athletics: orange.
The flag was created in the 16th century to celebrate the military success of the nation's Prince of... wait for it... Orange.
The House of Orange-Nassau is the reigning house of the Netherlands. Now why are people from the Netherlands sometimes referred to as the Dutch?
Well, that's largely an English language problem, according to Babbel. "The word Dutch comes from a Proto-Germanic word meaning 'of the people.' ... The use of Dutch to refer to the people of the Netherlands doesn’t occur in most languages, however. English is the only language that calls the language spoken in the Netherlands 'Dutch.'"
Why do Italy's athletes wear blue?
Correction: Some Italian athletes wear blue. Fans of the Italian national soccer teams will know their side is referred to as the Azzurri, or the Blues, even though the nation's tricolor flag is green, white, and red.
Italy's teams and athletes often wear savoy azure, the color of the ruling dynasty House of Savoy from 1861-1946.
However, winter sports have see Italian athletes in white, while red is the national auto racing color.
Why do the Olympics award gold, silver, and bronze medals?
This has long been associated with the placement of metals in the 11th family on the periodic table. Copper is the primary component of bronze, and is directly above silver on the periodic table. Gold comes next.
Gold's consideration as the most rare, then silver, then bronze, is why they were awarded in that order.
