How to Memorize the Olympic Cities

Memorize the Olympic Cities in Under 20 Minutes

Memorizing the names of all the Olympic cities 10 times faster is super easy when you know how your memory works.

Most people use their verbal memory, but memory experts use their visual memory.

In these videos I’m going to hack your brain and make you do what the experts do.

I’ll tell you exactly what to picture in your mind, and I’ll draw it for you as well. Then, your visual memory will do something astonishing and you’ll be amazed how easily you can recall the names of all the Olympic cities.

Let’s do it.

We’ll begin by picturing the Olympic rings, the five interlocking circles that are blue, yellow, black, green and red. They’re painted on the ground, and walking over and playing among the Olympic rings are eight hens.

1. ‘Eight hens’ sounds a bit like Athens, the traditional home of the Olympic movement and the first city to host the modern Olympics. The eight hens are all different colours. Now, when you think of the Olympics you’ll first picture the Olympic rings, then you’ll see in your mind those eight hens, and you’ll know the first Olympic city was Athens.
2. The 2nd city to host the Olympics was Paris. Paris sounds a bit like 'pears'. Imagine that some of the hens pick up some large green pairs and begin juggling them backwards and forwards. They’re talented hens. Clearly picture in your mind those pears flying through the air between the hens. When you visualize those pears, you’ll realize pears sounds similar to Paris and you’ll recall the host city after Athens was Paris.
3. Saint Louis was the next city to host the Olympics, and that sounds a bit like 'saint lose'. Imagine that a saint joins the hens and they have a pear catching competition. The saint has a halo over his head and white wings on his back. The saint loses the pear catching game by dropping a pear. Picture the saint losing the game as the smashed pear lies on the ground at his feet. When you visualize the saint lose you’ll be reminded of Saint Louis.
4. The 4th Olympic city was London, which sounds close to 'lung don'. A don is a university teacher, like a traditional professor from Oxford or Cambridge, and they wear the formal academic mortarboard hat and long black gown. This don has bright pink lungs on the outside of his chest – he’s a lung don. Picture the lung don consoling the losing saint, giving him a pat on his back. Now when you think of the lung don, you’ll think of London.
5. Stockholm was the next city to have the Olympics, and Stockholm sounds like 'stuck home'. Imagine the don is taking a home for a walk. After consoling the saint, the don starts to walk off again, but his home is stuck. One of its feet is stuck in a big pile of green glue. It’s a stuck home. Create a clear mental image of that stuck home and you’ll reminded of Stockholm, the 5th Olympic city.
6. Antwerp is a great name and it makes me think of 'ant warp'. A few large ants walk out of the home, but they’re warped and twisted, legs and bodies pointing in different directions. The home was like a weird ant warp, because it’s warped the ants. When you visualize that ant warp you’ll remember the next Olympic city, Antwerp.
7. Paris hosted the Olympics a second time, so we’re back to 'pears' again. The warped ants are feeling hungry and they discover a couple of delicious pears which they start devouring. As the pears are eaten away, the ants’ bellies get larger. Create a clear mental image of those pears being eaten up, and you’ll link that in your mind to Paris.
8. The 8th Olympic city was Amsterdam, and that sounds like 'hamster dam', a dam of hamsters. Imagine the pears suddenly get washed away by a flash flood. They bob along the surface of the water until they come up against a dam wall, made of hamsters. It’s a hamster dam, so when you visualize that you’ll immediately remember Amsterdam.
9. Los Angeles hosted the Olympics next, and Los Angeles sounds like 'lost angels'. Two lost angels stop to ask one of the hamsters in the wall for directions. Both of the angels have large white wings. One angel is holding a map and the other angel is scratching her head. They’re definitely confused and lost angels. When you picture those lost angels you’ll recall Los Angeles.
10. After Los Angeles came Berlin, which sounds and looks like 'burr line'. The angels walk off in a new direction, but keep stepping on large burrs, covered in spikes. There’s a long line of burrs stretched out in front of the angels. When you visualize that long line of burrs – a burr line – you’ll remember Berlin.
11. Next, after Berlin was London, so we’ll use our 'lung don' again. At the opposite end of the burr line to the angels is another don, again with his lungs on the outside of his chest. He stands on a burr and lets out a loud squeal. When you visualize that don with his lungs on the outside of his chest – a lung don – you’ll instantly recall London.
12. Helsinki was the city after London to have the Olympics. One of the E’s from the lung don’s squeal drops off and falls down to hell. It lands in some boiling hot lava and begins to sink. It’s an E starting to sink in hell. Create a clear mental image of that scene. 'Hell-sink-E' will remind you of the next Olympic city – Helsinki.
13. Melbourne was next, and that sounds a bit like 'melt-burn'. Before the E can sink out of sight, it begins to melt and burn. The E isn’t holding its shape anymore and starts to melt like an ice cube on a hot day. At the same time, large flames cover it as it begins to burn. When you visualize that E starting to melt and burn, you’ll think of Melbourne.
14. Rome was the Olympic city after Melbourne, so to remember that we’ll use 'row M'. As the E continues to melt and burn, a letter M rows past in a row boat and narrowly misses the E. The letter M continues to row along on the lava. Picture the M rowing – a row M – and that will prompt you to remember Rome.
15. After Rome was Tokyo, and Tokyo sounds a bit like 'turkey O'. The letter M somehow rows out of hell and back to the surface of Earth, but almost crashes into a large letter O made of turkeys. The turkeys are floating in the air, forming a letter O. Imagine that turkey O and you’ll remember the next Olympic city was Tokyo.
16. Mexico City was next to host the Olympics, and we’ll use 'maxi coat city'. A maxi coat is a long coat that reaches down to the knees or ankles. One of the turkeys flies through the air and over an entire city of people wearing maxi coats. It’s a maxi coat city. Clearly visualize the turkey flying over that city filled with maxi coats and you’ll recall Mexico City.
17. The next Olympic host city was Munich, and that sounds a little like 'moon lick'. A lady from the maxi coat city suddenly flies up into the air, right up to the moon, and gives it a lick with her enormous tongue. It’s a moon lick. I’m not sure why, it’s just the way it is. Picture that maxi coat wearing lady giving the moon a lick and you’ll remember Munich.
18. Montreal was after Munich, so we’ll use 'mount reel'. In complete surprise at being licked, the moon falls to the ground and lands on a huge mountain of movie reels. It’s mount reel. I’m not sure if these still exist in the digital age, but I’m sure you know what a movie reel looks like. Imagine the moon falling on a mountain of reels, and mount reel will make you think of Montreal.
19. Next is Moscow, which sounds like 'moss cow'. One of the movie reels rolls off the mountain and rolls on its side until it crashes into a cow. The cow is covered in green moss. It’s a moss cow. It’s a little surprised to have a movie reel crash into it. Visualize that reel running into a moss cow and you’ll know that after Montreal was Moscow.
20. After Moscow, the Olympics returned to Los Angeles, so we’ll use a 'lost angel' again. Imagine an angel with large white wings climbs onto the back of the cow for a better view. The angel is lost and is holding up a map, trying to find her way. Create a clear mental image of that lost angel and that will link in your mind to Los Angeles.
21. The next city to host the Olympics after that was Seoul. Let’s use the sole of a shoe to remember this one. The angel climbs off the cow and starts walking, but the sole has started to come off her shoe, flopping around. She looks at it as it hangs down, barely attached to the shoe. When you picture that sole hanging down, you’ll remember the South Korean city – Seoul.
22. After Seoul was Barcelona. This is a challenging one, but let’s go with 'bar-sea-loner'. The sole climbs off the shoe and walks into a bar. The bar is on the edge of the sea and there’s one man sitting at the bar, by himself, having a drink. He’s a complete loner. A loner at a bar by the sea – he’s a bar sea loner. Visualize that image and you’ll recall Barcelona.
23. The next Olympic host city was Atlanta, which sounds like '@ lantern'. The lone man stands up in surprise, because over the sea he sees an @ lantern floating on the water, glowing brightly. On each side of the lantern is an @symbol. It’s an @ lantern, which will make you remember the next city – Atlanta.
24. Sydney in Australia was after Atlanta, and Sydney sounds like 'sit knee'. The @ lantern comes ashore, grows arms and legs and sits on the knee of some giant legs. Picture that lantern as it sits on the knee, you’ll think of sit-knee and that will make you remember Sydney, the 24th host city of the Olympics.
25. The 25th Olympiad returned to the traditional home of the games – Athens, so we’ll use our 'eight hens' again. The giant legs get up and begin juggling eight hens with the giant feet, like they were balls. Focus on those eight hens and that will link in your mind to Athens, the host city of the 25th Olympic games.
26. After Athens the Olympics went to the Chinese city – Beijing. Beijing sounds a little like 'barging'. One of the chickens runs away from the giant legs and begins barging its way through a crowd of people, bumping into some and sending them reeling backwards. Picture this scene and remember the hen is barging. When you remember the word barging, you’ll remember the city Beijing.
27. London hosted the Olympics for a third time after Beijing, so we’re back to our 'lung don'. As the hen is barging through the crowd, it runs straight into another lung don, wearing his black academic gown and hat, with lungs on the outside of his chest. The hen crashes into the lung don and goes flying backwards. Visualize the lung don and that will link once again in your mind to London.
28. Rio de Janeiro is the next Olympic city after London. This time we’ll get creative and go with 'rear D jam hero'. Out of the sky, a super hero jar of jam swoops down, grabs the don his gown and pulls him up into the air. The jar of jam is wearing a cape and has a large capital letter D on its rear end. It’s a rear D jam hero. Create a clear mental image of that rear D jam hero, and you’ll always remember the Olympic city after London was Rio de Janeiro.

Wow, you’ve just memorized all the Olympic cities, well done!

Now close your eyes and 'watch' your mental memory movie again.

Tell me in the comments below if you can recall and recite the names of all the cities right now.

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