Smurfs, Lady Gaga and AIN: 10 Olympics questions you need answers to

Niche Olympic sports have us all down rabbit holes looking at rules and regulations, but what about those little back-of-the-brain questions you've been curious about?

Well, we have the answers.

You may have noticed Olympians have been receiving a small box when presented with their medals.

It's tradition for the host nation to give a small gift as part of the medal ceremony. Previously we've seen athletes receive small bouquets or plush mascots.

This year, they're being presented with a copy of the event poster, illustrated by French artist Joachim Roncin. They're also given a plush mascot with their medal embroidered on the front after they've left the podium.

If you missed the opening ceremony, you might be confused by all the talk of Lady Gaga, the Last Supper, and rumblings of Christian outrage.

The organising committee of the Games was forced to release an apology on Sunday morning (AEST) following outrage from Catholic and Christian groups worldwide.

A scene featuring drag queens, a transgender model and a singer decked out in blue body paint was intended to represent the Greek god of fertility Dionysus.

But its similarity to the Leonardo da Vinci painting The Last Supper had Christians around the globe concerned the scene was intended to make a mockery of their religion.

Meanwhile, American pop singer Gaga was one of several individual performers featured during the three hour-long ceremony.

And the classically trained singer performed entirely in French alongside a jazz orchestra.

She sang before French-Canadian singer Celine Dion made a comeback performance to conclude the ceremony. It was her first appearance since withdrawing from public life following a Stiff Person Syndrome diagnosis.

Pollution levels in the Seine have been a hot topic leading into this year's Games, so much so the mayor of Paris jumped into it to prove it was safe to swim in.

And yet, on the day of the men's triathlon, the event was postponed due to pollution levels in the river.

The schedule has allowed for the event to be put off until the end of the first week. If water quality does not improve before then, athletes will compete in a duathlon, dropping the swim leg.

You've heard about this amazing moment, you're scrolling social media to find the clip, and you run into the dreaded 'this video is not available in your location'.

The International Olympic Committee has some of the tightest copyright rulings going around. They tightly control the use of the symbols, terms, and broadcast footage of the games.

It's for this reason regular viewers can struggle to find clips online and why you may struggle to find a clip of a moment you have read about online.

Simply, the paddle and the way an athlete sits in their boat.

The whitewater sports feature athletes flying down a course and through several gates.

When competing in a kayak, they use a two-bladed paddle and are seated in their boat.

When competing in a canoe, they have just a single bladed paddle, and kneel inside their boat.

There's been a lot of vision so far of American rappers Flavor Flav and Snoop Dogg but the pair has become the faces of the American campaign for very different reasons.

Flav announced in May that he had signed a five-year deal with the USA women's water polo team and taken on the role of official 'hype man'.

A social post from team captain Maggie Steffens outlining the high costs for American athletes to attend the Games was the catalyst for the rapper's financial contribution to the sport.

Meanwhile, after going viral for his commentary of the equestrian at the Tokyo 2020 games, Snoop is back on deck for the American broadcast, interviewing athletes around the village.

He played a role in the opening ceremony, as one of the last torchbearers before the flame was lit, and has been seen in the stands at several events already.

In 2024, Russia and Belarus have been banned from participating in the games due to breaching the 'principles of participation'.

That is, the countries were deemed to be "actively supporting the war" by the IOC after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

But athletes from these two nations have been granted permission to compete as Athlètes Individuels Neutres - or Individual Neutral Athletes, in English.

These athletes compete under the AIN flag and anthem, as opposed to the Olympic flag and anthem, which has been granted to the IOC Refugee team.

Established in 2016, the team is made up of independent athletes who are refugees.

This year the team is composed of 36 athletes from 11 countries, with just under half the team from Iran.

As at the time of writing, no IOC Refugee athlete has ever won an Olympic medal.

As a nation, Australia has a penchant for nicknames and it's something that has carried into our national teams.

With so many teams and events to discuss during an Olympic period, it can be hard to keep up to date with what names mean what, so here's a cheat sheet.

They might be equal partners with their riders but, unfortunately, the horses competing in equestrian and modern pentathlon events do not get their own medals if they place.

However, every person who competes in a relay does, whether they're a swimmer, a cyclist, or a track runner.

So if an athlete competes in a relay team during a heat but is not selected for the final, they still get a medal.

It's the same in team sports, even if an athlete spends just a minute playing all tournament, they still are presented with a medal.

In medium distance track events, runners will begin in what appears to be staggered starting positions.

Due to some sports maths and the curve in a 200m track, runners are staggered to ensure they are all actually running the same distance.

Those in the inside lanes start behind those in outer lanes to help compensate for the shorter distance they would otherwise have to cover.