The Ultimate Olympic Quiz Book is an ‘ultimate’ read!!!

Vineet Ramakrishnan

Did you know the 1932 Games were the first Olympics to make profit of any sort? I bet you did not even think about Olympics being weighed in the profit-loss bracket. Did you know TV personality Bruce Jenner of ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’ fame was an Olympic champion? Surprised to know that? Well, The Olympic Games would never seize to amaze you and if you get your hands on the “The Ultimate Olympic Quiz Book” by Suvam Pal, the amazement would only become manifold. As Suvam Pal, the author of the book states, Olympics are much more than ‘citius, altius, fortius (faster, higher, stronger). They are a canvas on which myriad moments of grit and glory are drawn. Olympics are not just about winning medals, as sport is not just about winning. And reading the ‘The Ultimate Olympic Quiz Book’ one would realize that the Games are a celebration. The book is a trivia treasure, and true to its name, the ultimate Olympic quiz. Nearly 170 pages of questions, with an average of 4 questions in a single page, I bet if you know the answer to 2 on an avg. in each page consider yourself a hardcore Olympic fan. Pal definitely has proven with this book his knowledge, passion and researching skill to compile one of the toughest quiz books around. But if your prime motive is not to inflate your quizzer ego, even then the book solves the purpose of engrossing the reader. Apart from the obvious question the book offers anecdotes, some funny, some interesting some even shocking. So even if you fail miserably trying to answer, those anecdotes will help you to cheer up. On of the striking features of the book is possibly the very first chapter itself on the Ancient Olympics dating back to 776 BC. organised in honour of the Greek God ‘Zeus’ (you would have guessed that right!!!). It is a fascinating chapter to kick start the journey of Olympics and as hinted earlier you would be surprised at what all you did not know about the Olympics. Plato is known to be a philosopher, mathematician and student of Socrates but he was also a double Olympic champion in a sport named Pankration. It is a well compiled and organised book with chapters dedicated to each of the Olympics and every question in each chapter placed in a very systematic order. Even winter Olympics have been covered in this book. Also, the book offers two chapters dedicated to India and the Indian Olympians, primarily Indian hockey. The chapter ‘The Indian hockey heroes at the Olympics’, clears any doubt if you had any about the domination of our stick-wielders during the 50s, 60s and even the 70s. The chapter ‘The incredible Indians at Olympics’ not just lists down Indian Olympians but portrays the struggle, hardship, jubilation experienced by them during their journey to the ultimate glory . ‘The Ultimate Olympic Quiz Book’ is a must have for every sports enthusiast and definitely an ‘ultimate’ read!!!