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Summer Olympics Party

It's the biggest summer party of them all as the world converges upon Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Olympic Party Ideas

The Olympic Movement is all about "building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport." That's a party theme right there.

Set up backyard games or take the gang to a local park and get sporty with baseball, volleyball, swimming, or tennis.

Run a foot race like the ancient Greeks, or try a relay race and hand off (replica) Olympic torches.

Have a potluck and ask your guests to bring dishes that reflect their ethnic or cultural heritages.

Decorate with flags of many countries or showcase your national pride.

Build a better world by having an eco-friendly party: use recyclable or reusable party goods.

Olympic Competition

Challenge your friends to a trivia game. Visit the official website of the Olympic Movement to discover:

When the Olympic flame was first lit in modern times (Amsterdam 1928)
Where the Games were first televised (London 1948)
Who currently holds the women's Olympic record for the 100-meter backstroke (Natalie Coughlin, U.S.A., Athens 2004)

Dig a little deeper and find out who is the oldest athlete to win Olympic gold, which country has the highest medal count, and what those Olympic mascots are all about.

Create an Olympic Q&A game and award the first, second, and third place winners with medals (fashion your own or find them at a party store).

Olympic Movie Marathon

Get your Olympic Games groove on with dinner and a movie:

Chariots of Fire
Tokyo Olympiad
Miracle
Cool Runnings

Ring Tones

Five interlaced rings make up the famous symbol of the Olympic Games. The official Olympic Charter tells us these rings represent "the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games."

Proclaim your Olympic spirit and decorate a sheet cake with Olympic rings in blue, black, red, yellow, and green--or whip up a thematic fruit pizza.

Olympic Rings Fruit Pizza

Global Connections

Take your taste buds for a global adventure and connect with the world's largest community of home cooks.

Olympics Survey

Are you going to watch? What's your favorite Olympic event? Take the survey today!

Summer Olympics Survey

The whole world will be watching (and vowing to hit the gym) as more than 10,000 athletes gather in China from August 8 to 24 to take part in 302 sporting events.

In contrast, the first Ancient Olympic Games--held in 776 B.C. at a religious sanctuary in Olympia--had only one event: a foot race. And who took that very first Olympic prize? A cook named Koroibos!

Honor the achievement of that fleet-footed chef and get into the spirit of this once-every-four-years summer sports extravaganza by inviting your friends over for world-class food, fun, and games.

China: The Host Country

Tune into the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games as the hosts go all out to showcase their country and thousands of the world's best athletes go on parade, proudly carrying the flags of their nations. Celebrate this grand global meet and greet with a Chinese feast.

Modern Greece

The first modern-day Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896, with 241 athletes (all male) from 14 nations competing in 9 sports with 43 events. Volleyball wasn't one of them.

Athens hosted its second Summer Games in 2004, this time with 10,625 athletes (4,329 women and 6,296 men) from 201 nations competing in 28 sports with 301 events--including volleyball and beach volleyball. All that progress deserves a tasty Greek treat.

Twice the Fun

Athens isn't the only city that has hosted the Summer Games twice. The short list of double-dippers includes Paris (1900 and 1924) and Los Angeles (1932 and 1984). Applaud their twin triumphs with French crepes (sweet or savory) served with sparkling wine from California.

London Calling

When London takes on the next Summer Olympics, it will become the first city to host the Games three times (1908, 1948, and 2010). Cheer this triple win with summer berries times three.

All-American

American James Connolly won the triple jump in Athens on April 6, 1896, making him the first athlete to win an Olympic competition since the days of the Ancient Games. The man deserves an All-American pie.

Golden Girl

Charlotte Cooper of Great Britain was the first female champion in the modern-day Olympics. The year was 1900, the city was Paris, and her sport was tennis. You go girl!