5 Things to Know About the 2014 Olympics

Compared to some Olympics, the Sochi Games seem to have gotten off on a rough start with criticism regarding the city's state of looking unprepared, terror threats and even an embarrassing moment during Friday's opening ceremonies.

But there are a few interesting little nuggets to know for this year's games -- things to keep in mind as you see the events unfold in the next couple weeks.

Medal worth its weight?

Let's start with the fact that the gold medals are some of the largest in Olympic history. Now, one might think a larger medal with more metal weight would be worth more, Forbes pointed out that they're actually worth 20 percent less though than the London 2012 Summer Olympic equivalents. Why? Thank the drop in silver and gold prices in the last couple years. This year's medals are worth about $566 in physical value.

A gold paralympic medal is displayed for journalists during a presentation of Sochi 2014 medals at the SportAccord International Convention in St.Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, May 30, 2013. (AP/Dmitry Lovetsky)

Still, the design is pretty nifty.

Check out this video showing the medal's production:

Scary designs for a crazy sport

If you think the design of the medal is cool, take a look at the creative helmets of these skeleton athletes in action. Nothing like terrifying whatever is in your path as you speed head first toward the finish line.

On the mascot front

These, in case you see them around at various events and start to wonder, are the Olympic mascots.

The 2014 Winter Olympic games official mascots, the Leopard, the Polar Bear, and the Hare, perform during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Friday, Feb. 7, 2014. (AP/Lionel Bonaventure, Pool)

Athletes bodies -- then and now

Athletes look really different at the Olympics 100 years ago -- and it's not that the human body has changed that much. This video explains what has changed in the Olympic athlete's physique over the years:

Who has the most gold?

In terms of countries with the most gold medals, keep an eye on Norway. Though the country only has 5 million people, it has earned 107 golds in the Winter Olympics, making that one medal for every 16,556 residents, according to USA Today. The U.S. comes in at second place for winter competition gold, but its population size means there's only one medal for every 1.2 million residents.

Keep up with TheBlaze's Sochi 2014 coverage.