Jackie Joyner-Kersee, by far and away the worlds greatest Heptathlete suffered from asthma.  

The 1984 Olympics in LA were the first Olympic games to actually make a profit.

Apparently Sergy Bubka (PV WR holder) has run 100m in 10.8s whilst carrying his pole (probably 5.20m in length).

The fastest recorded 100m is actually 9.69s. This time was set by Obadele Thompson but as it was wind assisted (+5.7m/s) it can not be a world record, and to make it a little easier it was also set at altitude.

Johnathan Edwards triple jump of 18.43m is the longest jump of all time but the wind assistance of +2.4m/s was just over the legal limit of +2.0m/s.

Before the men's javelin specification was changed the WR reached 104.80m.

Over 2 billion people  watched the Sydney Olympics.

The first 4 marathons to be held at the modern games were about 40km (25 miles) long, but at the 1908 games the race started at Windsor Castle and ended at White City stadium, a distance of 26 miles 385yd (42.2km) which has become the standard length.

The Olympic flag was not used until the 1920 games.

In 1978 Vladimir Yashchenko cleared 2.35m indoors in the High jump (a world best) using the straddle technique.

Early Triple Jump practitioners in Ireland used 2 hops and a jump before the event was standardized. The best distance achieved using this technique was 15.72m by Daniel Ahearne (3rd July 1910), Daniel also set the first IAAF record of 15.52 the next year (30th May 1911).

Diskos was a Greek word meaning 'thing for throwing'. Metal or stone discoi were used for what became a standard event at the ancient Olympics.

Britain is only 1 of 5 countries to have competed in every Olympic games, along with France, Australia, Greece, and Switzerland.

The earliest evidence of organized running dates back to 3800 B.C. in Memphis, Egypt. Ritual races around the town walls may have even pre-dated 4100 B.C.. At this time races were also run between 2 pillars, normally 4 lengths.

The first use of 'electric' timing occurred at the AAU (USA) Championships in 1891.

The first indoor athletics took place in India in 324 B.C. when 2 generals of Alexandra the great erected a large marquee.

Harold I, king of England (1035-1040) was known as 'Harefoot' due to his running speed.

2 Months after the Sydney Olympics had finished 108 coaches and athletes (including 8 British) were 'missing in action'.