8 – Record number of men’s Olympic hockey gold medals won by India, though the last one came at Moscow 1980. Click ‘Read More’ to see the complete countdown from 100 until today.
9 – Michael Jordan won 2 OG basketball golds wearing No. 9 (1984, 1992), not his Bulls #23. (Olympic BK numbers are 4-15).
10 – Canadian Ian Millar (Equestrian) will compete in an all-time record 10th Olympic Games in London.
11 – All 11 professional players on the USA’s 1992 DreamTeam have been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
12 – Record number of Olympic athletics medals won by Paavo Nurmi (FIN) – 9 gold and 3 silver from 1920-28.
13 – 13 of the 27 athletes to have won 10+ Olympic medals have done so in Artistic Gymnastics. Next most is swimming with 8.
14 – Italy have won 14 individual fencing foil titles (M+F) – most Olympic golds in any event of any sport by a non-US country.
15 – Elisabeta Lipa (ROU) had to row 15 km in finals to win a record 8 medals in rowing from 1984 until 2004.
16 – Number of summer Olympic Games that have been held in Europe, including London 2012.
17 – Record number of Olympic medals won by one country in one day – the USA on 11 August 1984 (5 sports).
18 – All-time record of medals won by gymnast Larissa Latynina (URS) – under threat by Michael Phelps (16) in London 2012.
19 – Number of Olympic gold medals won by Great Britain at Beijing 2008 – their 2nd most ever after 1908 (55).
20 – China have won 20 out of a total of 24 gold medals on offer in Olympic Table Tennis events21 – HUN and SWE share all-time lead in Olympic Modern Pentathlon medals with 21 each. Both also lead with 9 golds.
22 – Kenya have won 22 Olympic gold medals in athletics and only 1 in all other sports: boxing in 1988.
23 – Sailing is the only current Olympic sport in which GBR is the leading gold medallist, on 23 golds.
24 – Switzerland are likely to become the 24th NOC to win 50+ Olympic gold medals. However, it’s unlikely to come at London.
25 – Total medals won by Great Britain the last time the Olympics were held in London in 1948.
26 – Golds won by USA in 3m Springboard (diving), the most golds won by any country in any discipline in any sport.
27 – 27 entities have won exactly 1 Olympic medal, including Cuba/USA, which won fencing team foil gold in 1904.
28 – There will be 28 sports on the Olympic programme at Rio 2016 with Golf and Rugby7s added to the current 26.
29 – Pierre de Coubertin (FRA) was the longest serving IOC president – 29 years from 1896 until 1925.
30 – Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) has broken the women’s pole vault world record 30 times (indoor and outdoor).
31 – After the 30th Games London 2012, Brazil will cheer for Rio de Janeiro 2016 as hosts of the 31st Olympic Summer Games.
32 – The Dream Team beat Croatia by 32 pts in the 1992 basketball final, the closest game USA played in Barcelona.
33 – London has 33 boroughs. There are 33 venues London 2012 (OG and Para) and there are 3300 appartments in the Olympic Village
34 – Biggest single-game margin in men’s Olympic handball history, when Yugoslavia df Kuwait 44-10 in 1980.
35 – Carl Lewis’ age when he won the Long Jump at Atlanta 1996. No other man has won it beyond 28. Lewis also won at 31 in 1992.
36 – Germany won 36 gold medals at the Berlin ‘36 Olympic Games, 2nd most in their unified history (behind 43 in 1992).
37 – Turkey have won 37 gold medals in their Olympic history – all in Wrestling (28), Weightlifting (8) and Judo (1).
38 – It took Usain Bolt almost 38 seconds in total in 3 finals to win 3 golds in 2008 (100m, 200m, 100m relay leg).
39 – The USA’s winning time in the Athletics Men’s 4x100m Relay in 1960 was 39.0 seconds. Jamaica’s current WR is 37.04sec.
40 – At age 40, 4-time Olympic champion Janet Evans (USA) is trying to qualify for London 2012. She won 3 golds at Seoul 1988 at 17
41 – 41 NOCs have won gold medals in both Shooting & Boxing. Only Athletics has more NOCs winning gold (63).
42 days to go – To give the royal family a better view on the race, the course of the 1908 marathon became exactly 42.195km, the standard ever since.
43 days to go – There were 43 medal events at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. There will be 302 at London 2012. Click ‘Read More’ to see the complete countdown from 100 until today.
44 – Great Britain have scored a total of 44 Olympic goals in women’s hockey.
45 – Number of fencing gold medals won by Italy in Olympic history, making it their most successful Olympic discipline.
46 – Naim Suleymanoglu (TUR) set 46 WRs and won 3 gold medals in weightlifting earning him the nickname ‘The Pocket Hercules’.
47 – Medals won by GBR at Beijing 2008, their 2nd most ever but 90 short of their haul of 137 at London 1908.
48 – Age of Tebbs Johnson (GBR) when he won bronze at the ‘48 London Olympic Games in the 50km Walk.
49 – Seconds it took (49.11) for Cathy Freeman to win Australia’s most famous Olympic gold – 400m at Sydney 2000.
50 – One country has won 50+ golds at a single Games 7 times, most recently China in 2008 (51).
51 – Number of Olympic gold medals won by Bulgaria in their history, ranking them 23rd among all nations.
52 – Exact time (52.00) it took for Sweden’s Lars Frölander to win the Men’s 100m Butterfly at Sydney 2000.
53 – Number of athletes who have won at least 5 summer Olympic gold medals, led by Michael Phelps’ 14.
54 – Number of votes for London in the 4th and final round of the host city election in 2005, 4 votes more than Paris.
55 – Record number of gold medals won by an NOC at a single Olympic Games that they did NOT host – Soviet Union at Seoul 1988.
56 – Australia have won 56 Olympic gold medals in swimming, making it their best sport. Next is athletics with 19.
57 – Emil Zatopek (TCH) ran 57 km, 195m combined to win 3 gold medals in 1952 in the 5000m, 10000m and Marathon.
58 – Great Britain won 58 gold medals combined at the two previous London Olympic Games in 1908 and 1948.
59 – France have won 59 Olympic medals in Track Cycling, more than any other country.
60 – There are 60 different fencers to have won at least 1 Gold 1 Silver, 1 Bronze at the Olympic Games.
61 – The 61st and final part of the latest Olympic Charter (July 2011, www.olympic.org) is about Dispute Resolution.
62 – Dawn Fraser (AUS) needed 62 seconds (1:02) to win her first of a record 3 golds in W 100m Freestyle.
63 – The URS ended USA’s 63-match-unbeaten streak in Olympic basketball with a controversial win in the 1972 final.
64 – The Olympic Games return to London after 64 years since the city last held the event in 1948.
65 – With a height of 1.65m Laszlo Papp (HUN) was first to win Boxing gold at 3 Olympics in a row (1948, 52, 56).
66 – Netherlands scored 66 points in the 1996 Men’s Volleyball Final thriller vs Italy to win gold: 15-12, 9-15, 16-14, 9-15, 17-15.
67 – Hiroshi Hoketsu (JPN – Dressage) was the oldest competitor in Beijing at the age of 67. He has also qualified for London 2012.
68 – The oldest standing Olympic Record in any of the current sports is Bob Beamon’s 8.90m long jump in Mexico 1968.
69 – Korea are favourites to win their 69th Olympic Gold in one of the first medal events London 2012, Archery Men’s Team.
70 – Nadia Comaneci (ROU) scored 7 perfect 10s at the 1976 Olympics, including the first ever at the uneven bar discipline.
71 – Hungary has won 71 Olympic canoe-sprint medals, the only current instance of any NOC winning 70-79 medals in any sport.
72 – Age of the oldest Olympic medallist: Oscar Swahn (SWE), who won silver in the 100m Running Deer Double Shoot in 1920.
73 – Number of Olympic gold medals amassed by the Soviet Union in all Gymnastics disciplines. The next most is just 29 (USA).
74 – In men’s 74kg freestyle wrestling, Bouvaisa Saitiev (RUS) won 3 Olympic golds (1996, 2004-08). No one else has more than 1.
75 – Record number of gold medals won at a single non-boycotted Olympic Games, by the USA in 1904 in St. Louis.
76 – Number of men who finished the 2008 Olympic Marathon. All 76 had times that would have won at the first four modern Olympic Marathons.
77 – France’s record Olympic medal total in both forms of Cycling Track & Road combined. Their 35 track and road golds are also a record.
78 – In women’s 78kg judo at the #Olympic Games, 4 of the 5 gold medals have been won by Asian countries – China 2, Japan, Korea
79 -79 men have won gold in rugby union which returns at Rio 2016. USA won last edition in 1924.
80 – Number of NOCs to have won at least 2 Olympic gold medals in their history.
81 – The 81kg event in Judo has never been won more than once by the same athlete in all 10 editions.
82 – There will be 82 athletes at London 2012 trying to win medals in 4 Canoe-Slalom events.
83 – Rafael Nadal (ESP) won a total of 83 games en route to his Olympic gold medal in Beijing in 2008.
84 – The 84 matches in Men’s+Women’s handball in Beijing produced record 4545 goals (54.1 avg/match).
85 – Number of Olympic records broken at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
86 – A record 86 NOCs won at least 1 medal in Beijing as opposed to a record few 11 NOCs in 1904.
87 – USA have won 87 golds in women’s swimming events, the most by any NOC in women’s events in any sport.
88 – Double 8: Michael Phelps (USA) won 8 medals in 2004 before embarking on his record 8 GOLDS in Beijing.
89 – GER won 89 medals at the Berlin Games in 1936, more than double the medals they won in Beijing (41).
90 – Amunike scored a 90th minute winner to give Nigeria the first football gold for Africa in the 1996 final vs Argentina (3-2).
91 – Number of all-time Olympic medals won by Brazil, including 20 gold. Sailing is their best sport with 6 golds & 16 medals.
92 – Japan have won 92 Olympic medals in Artistic Gymnastics, two behind the USA for most among current NOCs (USSR have 182).
93 – Number of countries who participated in the first Olympic Games held in Asia, Tokyo 1964, a record at the time.
94 – The USA have won exactly 94 medals at three different Olympic Games 1972, 1976 & 2000. No other country has ever done it. #countdown
95 – Brazil have scored a record 95 goals in the men’s Olympic Games football tournament, though they have never won the gold.
96 – Success of the Games: 176 athletes competed in 1896 to more than 10,000 in 1996.
97 – 97 years ago, in 1915, the International Olympic Committee headquarters moved to Lausanne, Switzerland, where it is still located.
98 – There will be 98 male and 98 female participants in Artistic Gymnastics at the 2012 Olympic Games.
99 – Carl Lewis was the first man to win the Olympic 100m title in under 10 seconds at sea level, finishing in 9.99 seconds at Los Angeles 1984.
100 – Total medals won by China at Beijing 2008, the most ever by an Asian country at one Olympic Games.
OLYMPIC GAMES – During the 2012 London Olympic games, London’s Underground (subway) system, locally know as ‘the tube’ will rename its 361 stations after Olympic legends and athletes. We will chart each line on a weekly basis. This week, it is the Northern Line with Basketball and Tennis players. Click on the links to find their profiles on the 
sportsdesklive.wordpress.com 