The Games Odyssey Podcast

05/12/2022

When Adolf Hi**er and the N**i Party take control of Germany in 1933, they inherit the 1936 Olympic hosting duties, which they decide will provide the perfect opportunity to present A***n superiority to the world. After “warming up” to their hosting duties during the Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany prepares to have the world’s eyes on them during the Summer Games in Berlin. Racial discrimination, rumors of boycotts, and blatant propaganda efforts cast a dark cloud over the Olympic movement in one of the most infamous sporting events of all time.

Listen to our newest episode to learn more about how the 1936 Olympic Games unfolded by clicking the link below.

https://anchor.fm/games-odyssey/episodes/The-Summer-Olympics-of-Berlin-1936--Part-I-Dark-Clouds-e1rnbro/a-a8vtvo1

Photo Credit: Unknown Author, German Federal Archives

29/11/2022

We were on a bit of a Thanksgiving break over here but managed to get a new episode out over the weekend!

After welcoming Germany back to the Olympics in 1928, the IOC awards the 1936 Olympic hosting duties to Germany in 1931. Two years later, Adolf Hi**er comes to power and the N**is seize control of Germany. The resort town Garmisch-Partenkirchen is then selected to host the Winter Games leading up to the infamous Summer Games in Berlin 1936, injecting their politics into the Olympic movement. The IV Olympiad would feature some old favorites from prior Games, the addition of alpine skiing to the program, and a British conspiracy in the ice hockey tournament.

Learn more: https://anchor.fm/games-odyssey

15/11/2022

Love 'em, hate 'em, or indifferent to 'em, there is some interesting history and stories behind the Olympic and Paralympic mascots. In this wildcard episode, we do an overview of the history of Olympic and Paralympic mascot tradition by presenting Sarah's Top Ten (or so) list of mascots and their historical significance to the Olympic/Paralympic movement.

Visit https://anchor.fm/games-odyssey to listen to our newest episode!

25/10/2022

The last time the US hosted the Olympics was for the III Olympiad in St. Louis, which was less than amazing, but now the US will become only the second nation to have hosted the Olympic Games twice as the III Winter Olympiad heads to the sleepy winter resort town of Lake Placid, New York. But amid the ravages of the Great Depression, is it possible for these Games to be the beacon of hope the Olympic movement is supposed to embody?

Find out by listening to our newest episode!
https://anchor.fm/games-odyssey

Photo Credit: Public Domain

23/10/2022

We love a grainy throwback pic! In 2011, Sarah made sure the first place she saw in Amsterdam was the Olympic Stadium. If that isn’t on brand, we don’t know what is. Listen to our most recent episode (link below) and hear about a few Olympic traditions that began in this very stadium in 1928!

https://anchor.fm/games-odyssey

14/10/2022

In 1928, the Dutch finally get the chance to host the Olympic Games after years of trying to throw their hat into the ring. The first standalone Summer Games would provide some new opening ceremony traditions and see the addition of even more women who finally get to compete in athletics and gymnastics for the first time.

Learn more at the link below!

https://anchor.fm/games-odyssey/episodes/The-Summer-Olympics-of-Amsterdam-1928-The-Olympics-Go-Dutch-e1p410c

Photo: Public Domain

06/10/2022

A new era in Olympic history begins with the first truly standalone Winter Olympics and a new IOC President following Pierre de Coubertin’s retirement. The Winter Games head to the resort town of St. Moritz in Switzerland where the Swiss organizers appear to have everything under control…except for the weather. Learn more about these Games, including the first Opening Ceremony to be held in a blizzard, by listening to this week's episode!

Listen Here: https://anchor.fm/games-odyssey

Photo: https://bryanpinkall.blogspot.com

23/09/2022

Twenty-four years after the confusing disaster of the second Olympic Games in Paris 1900, Baron Pierre de Coubertin is set to oversee his last Olympic Games as President of the IOC. He intends the VIII Olympiad in Paris 1924 to be his swan song to the movement he founded – but will it be everything he hopes it will be? Find out by listening to our newest episode!

Photo Credit: International Olympic Committee

https://www.gamesodyssey.com/episodes/summer-olympics-paris-1924

15/09/2022

Let the Winter Games Begin!

After ice hockey’s debut at the 1920 Games in Antwerp and the return of figure skating, there were those who thought there should be a separate Winter Olympic Games. But there were others…who did not.

Learn more about how the first Winter Olympiad came to be in Chamonix by listening to this week's episode!

https://www.gamesodyssey.com/episodes/winter-olympics-chamonix-1924

02/09/2022

Sometimes being a trailblazer means being a water-blazer. After contracting polio as a child, Ethelda Bleibtrey took up swimming to counteract the effects of the disease - and within a couple years found herself breaking records and making a huge splash at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp. But just as swimming changed her life, her legacy is marked by changing the lives of others through swimming. Learn more by listening to our newest episode!

https://www.gamesodyssey.com/episodes/olympics-antwerp-1920

30/08/2022

Oscar Swahn set a record at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp that still stands. Any guesses what that record is and do you think it will ever be broken? Listen to our most recent episode to learn more and let us know what you think!

https://www.gamesodyssey.com/episodes/olympics-antwerp-1920-pf7et

25/08/2022

Let Season 2 begin! After the devastation of World War I, the Olympic movement finds itself at a crossroads, especially in Europe. To this day, the Antwerp Games of 1920 are the only time the Games have been hosted in Belgium and would be the last single Olympic Games before being split into Winter and Summer editions.

Listen to this week's episode and learn more about the incredible stories of the record-breaking athletes who participated at these Games.

https://www.gamesodyssey.com/episodes/olympics-antwerp-1920-pf7et

After the devastation of World War I, the Olympic movement finds itself at a crossroads, especially in Europe. While the VI Olympiad was supposed to take place in Berlin, Germany has been banned from participation as politics is interjected into the Olympic Games. Now the IOC must decide where to ho

24/08/2022

Season 2 launches tomorrow with our episode covering the 1920 Antwerp Summer Games. Subscribe to The Games Odyssey on your favorite podcast platform so you don't miss it!

08/08/2022

Have you entered our first ever G I V E A W A Y yet?

What better thing to give away than our favorite Olympics trivia book “Total Olympics” by Jeremy Fuchs? If you love the show, you’ll love this book. So here’s how you can enter and re-enter:

-Like this post (1 entry)
-Comment on this post (1 entry)
-Follow if you don’t already. If you already follow us…you’re already entered. (1 entry)
-Tag a Games-loving friend (1 entry)
-Tag your favorite Olympian or Paralympian (1 entry)
-Leave a review, screenshot that review, and send the screenshot in a message (3 entries)

That’s right…you can get up to 8 entries if you do everything. Winner will be announced Friday, August 12!

Apple Podcasts link to leave review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-games-odyssey-podcast/id1603898141

Spotify link to leave review: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Kjax7lf9nVPsyXRQo32w7?si=6083e7bb098947b6

05/08/2022

We promised it and now we’re here to deliver…our first ever G I V E A W A Y!

And what better thing to give away than our favorite Olympics trivia book “Total Olympics” by Jeremy Fuchs? If you love the show, you’ll love this book. So here’s how you can enter and re-enter:

-Like this post (1 entry)
-Comment on this post (1 entry)
-Follow if you don’t already. If you already follow us…you’re already entered. (1 entry)
-Tag a Games-loving friend (1 entry)
-Tag your favorite Olympian or Paralympian (1 entry)
-Leave a review, screenshot that review, and send the screenshot in a message (3 entries)

That’s right…you can get up to 8 entries if you do everything. Winner will be announced Friday, August 12!

Apple Podcasts link to leave review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-games-odyssey-podcast/id1603898141

Spotify link to leave review: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Kjax7lf9nVPsyXRQo32w7?si=6083e7bb098947b6

04/08/2022

Where did sports come from? While that may always remain a bit of a mystery, we take a dive into the history of sports across the world, from ancient Egyptian sports, the ancient Olympic Games, and eventually the explosion in formalized sports during the 19th century, which helped set the stage for the modern Olympic and Paralympic movement and the thriving sports industry.

This one’s a real treat because it was our first practice episode…so you get to hear us fumbling around and trying to figure things out as we talk about the history of sports and its Olympic and Paralympic connections.

https://www.gamesodyssey.com/episodes/bonus-history-sports-1

Where did sports come from? While that may always remain a bit of a mystery, we take a dive into the history of sports across the world, from ancient Egyptian sports, the ancient Olympic Games, and eventually the explosion in formalized sports during the 19th century, which helped set the stage for

25/07/2022

Whoops-running behind on this but if you haven't already listened to it, here are the links for our second bonus episode where we discuss the highlights of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics! It's got Riley the guide dog, Oksana Masters, and Team Ukraine - what more do you want?

15/07/2022

Breaking news!!! Jim Thorpe reinstated by IOC as the sole gold medalist and record holder for pentathlon and decathlon in the 1912 Games 110 years after he won. Hope he’s running the bright path today!

https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/34245374/ioc-reinstates-jim-thorpe-sole-winner-1912-olympic-decathlon-pentathlon?platform=amp

Jim Thorpe, stripped of two gold medals because he'd been paid to play minor league baseball, was reinstated by the IOC on Thursday as the sole winner of the decathlon and pentathlon at the Stockholm Olympics.

14/07/2022

Our first mid-season bonus is out - an unscripted conversation where Jonathan James Jordan and Sarah Patton talk through highlights of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics - the good, the bad, and the "small-dron." Links in the comments. Did we miss any of your highlights? We'd love to hear!

09/07/2022

RIP Shinzo Abe.

https://youtu.be/sOVk29x5F1I

Love Sport Tokyo 2020The Flag Handover, from the Cidade Maravilhosa to the City of Waterways, made the audience captivated thanks to its stylish and edgy mus...

05/07/2022

We wrapped up Season 1 last week and are prepping for Season 2 over the next month or so, but we want to hear your thoughts! What can we do to make the show better? We'd really appreciate your two cents. Fill out the Season 1 survey here: https://www.gamesodyssey.com/survey

30/06/2022

You might know Jim Thorpe as the first Native American man to win a gold medal (2 actually...) for the US at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm...but did you know that earlier that year, he won the intercollegiate ballroom dancing competition? An athlete with unrivaled versatility, Jim's life was marked by loss, the impacts of racism, and substance abuse - and yet his "bright path" has left a legacy in sports to this day.

29/06/2022

You’ve probably heard of the athlete on the right in this picture. In fact, an Academy Award winning film was made about him even though there is no mention of the Olympics in the movie. George S. Patton competed in the modern pentathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Games and finished fifth overall. Of course, Patton would go on to be most well known for his military career.

Learn more about the 1912 Games by visiting the link below!

https://www.gamesodyssey.com/episodes/stockholm-1912

27/06/2022

This past weekend, Jonathan tried out archery for the first time - even though he's wanted to give it a "shot" since he was sixteen. Anyone else out there trying out some Olympic/Paralympic hobbies?
https://youtube.com/shorts/Cut2cntXgNw

25/06/2022

The 1912 Stockholm Games featured the longest recorded modern wrestling match between Estonian Martin Klein and Alfred Asikainen of Finland. After 11 hours and 40 minutes, Klein won but was too exhausted to wrestle in the gold medal match.

24/06/2022

Happy Olympic Day!

23/06/2022

Swedish meatballs, Swedish fish, IKEA, Nobel Prizes and the Olympic Games of Stockholm 1912. We’re here for it.

22/06/2022

This is the only way we would have a chance against Usain Bolt. Which athlete would you like to race in near zero gravity?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/vhyys1/usain_bolt_racing_in_reduced_gravity/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

Posted in r/Damnthatsinteresting by u/Sxzym • 4,892 points and 80 comments

21/06/2022

Have you listened to our recent episode about Olympic Gold Medalist Madge Syers, who we call the first Queen of Figure Skating? Coached by her husband Edgar (also her pairs partner), Madge would break the ice ceiling for women in skating and leave a lasting impact on the sport.

Learn more: https://www.gamesodyssey.com/episodes/madge-syers

17/06/2022

If you need a distraction today here’s a great one we found!

https://wizardpins.com/blogs/education/the-winningest-olympian-at-every-modern-olympics

The modern Olympic Games, inspired by the ancient Olympic Games held in Greece, are international athletic competitions held every two years, alternating between the summer and winter seasons. World-class athletes train for years in hopes of winning a medal at these renowned competitions. But do you...