Q: With the Winter Olympics under way, I wonder why and when did English and French become the official languages of the Games?
—Michael Nimer, Milton
A: French was the Olympics' first prominent language, according to the Olympic charter, which was written in 1908, to honor Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics. He championed the idea of beginning the modern Games, which were first held in 1896. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, which is in a French-speaking part of that country. French was mentioned as the official language in the "Olympic Charter 1924 — Statutes of the International Olympic Committee, Rules and Protocol," an IOC spokeswoman told Q&A on the News in an email. English was first mentioned as an official language in the "Olympic Charter 1949 — Olympic Rules," she wrote. English had become a widely used language by that point. French often takes precedence over English, as seen in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The IOC demanded that announcements, ceremonies, "billboards and pageantry" be in both languages, with French being read first, despite the Games being held in an English-speaking country, The London Telegraph reported.
Q: If you win the lottery and choose to take the yearly payments, does your family get the remaining amount of money if something happens to you?
—Carlton Gill, Powder Springs
A: All remaining payments would be paid to the winner's estate in annual installments, according to the Georgia Lottery's website (www.galottery.com).
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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