Olympic Games or Olympics are leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions.
The Olympic Games are considered the world’s foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Olympic Games are held every four years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternating by occurring every four years but two years apart.
Their creation was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD.
Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, leading to the first modern Games in Athens in 1896. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority.
City | Country | Year |
Athens | Greece | 1896 |
Paris | France | 1900 |
St. Louis | United States | 1904 |
London | United Kingdom | 1908 |
Stockholm | Sweden | 1912 |
Berlin | Germany | 1916 |
Antwerp | Belgium | 1920 |
Chamonix | France | 1924 |
Paris | France | |
St. Moritz | Switzerland | 1928 |
Amsterdam | Netherlands | |
Lake Placid | United States | 1932 |
Los Angeles | United States | |
Garmisch-Partenkirchen | Nazi Germany | 1936 |
Berlin | Nazi Germany | |
Sapporo | Japan | 1940 |
Helsinki | Finland | |
Cortina d’Ampezzo | Italy | 1944 |
London | United Kingdom | |
St. Moritz | Switzerland | 1948 |
London | United Kingdom | |
Oslo | Norway | 1952 |
Helsinki | Finland | |
Cortina d’Ampezzo | Italy | 1956 |
Melbourne Stockholm |
Australia Sweden |
|
Squaw Valley | United States | 1960 |
Rome | Italy | |
Innsbruck | Austria | 1964 |
Tokyo | Japan | |
Grenoble | France | 1968 |
Mexico City | Mexico | |
Sapporo | Japan | 1972 |
Munich | West Germany | |
Innsbruck | Austria | 1976 |
Montreal | Canada | |
Lake Placid | United States | 1980 |
Moscow | Soviet Union | |
Sarajevo | Yugoslavia | 1984 |
Los Angeles | United States | |
Calgary | Canada | 1988 |
Seoul | South Korea | |
Albertville | France | 1992 |
Barcelona | Spain | |
Lillehammer | Norway | 1994 |
Atlanta | United States | 1996 |
Nagano | Japan | 1998 |
Sydney | Australia | 2000 |
Salt Lake City | United States | 2002 |
Athens | Greece | 2004 |
Turin | Italy | 2006 |
Beijing[f] | China | 2008 |
Vancouver | Canada | 2010 |
London | United Kingdom | 2012 |
Sochi | Russia | 2014 |
Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 2016 |
Pyeongchang | South Korea | 2018 |
Tokyo | Japan | 2020 |
Beijing | China | 2022 |
Paris or Los Angeles (pending the election on September 13, 2017) |
France or United States (pending the election on September 13, 2017) |
2024 |
2028 |