The Olympic rings
The Olympic Games, or simply Olympics, are an international event involving a number of summer and winter sporting competitions among athletes from all over the world. Held every four years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternating by occurring every four years but two years apart, the Olympics are the world's most prestigious sporting event and one of the most widely viewed and followed sporting events, second only to the FIFA World Cup.
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.
List of Olympiads[]
Summer[]
| City | Country | Continent | Number | Year | Opening ceremony |
Closing ceremony |
Opened by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens |  Rhomania |
Europe | I | 1896 | 6 April | 15 April | King Andronikus VI |
| Paris |  France |
Europe | II | 1900 | 14 May | 28 October | King Emmanuel |
| St. Louis |  United States |
North America | III | 1904 | 1 July | 23 November | President Theodore Roosevelt |
| London |  United Kingdom |
Europe | IV | 1908 | 27 April | 31 October | King George VIII |
| Stockholm |  Sweden |
Europe | V | 1912 | 5 May | 22 July | King Adolph Gustav |
| Berlin |  Germany |
Europe | VI | 1916 | Canceled due to the Great War | Kaiser Wilhelm II (presumed) | |
| Antwerp |  Belgium |
Europe | VII | 1920 | 20 April | 12 September | King Louis II |
| Paris | France |
Europe | VIII | 1924 | 4 May | 27 July | President Raymond Poincaré |
| Amsterdam |  Netherlands |
Europe | IX | 1928 | 17 May | 12 August | Queen Wilhelmina |
| Los Angeles | United States |
North America | X | 1932 | 30 July | 14 August | President Frank Orren Lowden |
| Berlin | Germany |
Europe | XI | 1936 | 1 August | 16 August | Kaiser Wilhelm II |
| Alexandria |  Egypt |
Africa | XII | 1940 | 12 April | 5 May | Pharaoh Nectanebo VI |
| London |  United Kingdom |
Europe | XIII | 1944 | 5 June | 5 July | King George IX |
| Oslo |  Norway |
Europe | XIV | 1948 | 14 June | 25 July | King Haakon VII |
| Peking |  China |
Asia | XV | 1952 | 8 August | 24 August | Emperor Jingwei |
| Wellington |  New Zealand |
Oceania | XVI | 1956 | 22 November | 8 December | Governor General Willoughby Norrie |
| Florence |  Italy |
Europe | XVII | 1960 | August 25 | 11 September | King Victor Emmanuel IV |
| Tokyo |  Japan |
Asia | XVIII | 1964 | 10 October | 24 October | Kenji Miyamoto |
| Mexico City |  Mexico |
North America | XIX | 1968 | 15 June | 31 July | President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz |
| Rio de Janeiro |  Brazil |
South America | XX | 1972 | 5 August | 21 August | Emperor Pedro III |
| Montreal |  Quebec |
North America | XXI | 1976 | 8 July | 7 August | President Hughes Lapointe |
| Moscow |  Soviet Union |
Europe | XXII | 1980 | 21 July | 15 August | First Secretary Dmitry Yazov |
| Los Angeles | United States |
North America | XXIII | 1984 | 28 July | 12 August | President Robert F. Kennedy |
| Seoul |  Korea |
Asia | XXIV | 1988 | 17 September | 2 October | Emperor Heong |
| Barcelona |  Spain |
Europe | XXV | 1992 | 25 July | 9 August | King Alfonso XIV |
| Atlanta |  Confederate States |
North America | XXVI | 1996 | 19 July | 4 August | President Bill Clinton |
| Nieuw Amsterdam |  New Holland |
Oceania | XXVII | 2000 | 15 September | 1 October | King Willem II |
| Athens | Rhomania |
Europe | XXVIII | 2004 | 13 August | 29 August | King Andronikus VII |
| Peking | China |
Asia | XXIX | 2008 | 8 August | 24 August | Emperor Tailong |
| London | United Kingdom |
Europe | XXX | 2012 | 27 July | 12 August | King Richard IV |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil |
South America | XXXI | 2016 | 5 August | 21 August | Emperor Luiz I |
| Tokyo |  Japan
|
Asia | XXXII | 2020 | 24 July | 9 August | Emperor Akihito |
| Madrid | Spain
|
Europe | XXXIII | 2024 | 25 July | 11 August | Queen Isabella IV |
| Saskatoon |  Canada
|
North America | XXXIV | 2028 | 21 July | 6 August | Governor General of Canada |
| Swan River City |  Swania
|
Oceania | XXXV | 2032 | 23 July | 8 August | Governor General of Swania |
Winter[]
| City | Country | Continent | Number | Year | Opening ceremony |
Closing ceremony |
Opened by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamonix | France |
Europe | I | 1924 | 25 January | 5 February | President Raymond Poincaré |
| St. Moritz |  Switzerland |
Europe | II | 1928 | 11 February | 19 February | President Edmund Schulthess |
| Lake Placid | United States |
North America | III | 1932 | 4 February | 15 February | President Frank Orren Lowden |
| Garmisch-Partenkirchen | Germany |
Europe | IV | 1936 | 6 February | 16 February | Emperor Wilhelm II |
| Sapporo |  Hokkaido |
Asia | V | 1940 | 14 January | 14 February | Emperor Hirohito |
| Cortina d'Ampezzo | Italy |
Europe | VI | 1944 | 26 January | 5 February | King Umberto II |
| St. Moritz | Switzerland |
Europe | VII | 1948 | 30 January | 8 February | President Enrico Celio |
| Oslo | Norway |
Europe | VIII | 1952 | 14 February | 25 February | King Haakon VII |
| Albertville | France |
Europe | IX | 1956 | 15 January | 15 February | President Charles de Gaulle |
| Squaw Valley | United States |
North America | X | 1960 | 18 February | 28 February | President Earl Warren |
| Innsbruck |  Danubia |
Europe | XI | 1964 | 29 January | 9 February | Emperor Franz Joseph II |
| Akureyri |  Iceland |
Europe | XII | 1976 | 20 January | 12 February | President Thor Thors |
| Lake Placid | United States |
North America | XII | 1980 | 13 February | 24 February | President Robert F. Kennedy |
| Sarajevo | Danubia |
Europe | XIV | 1984 | 7 February | 19 February | Emperor Franz Joseph III |
| Calgary | Canada |
North America | XV | 1988 | 13 February | 28 February | Governor General Jeanne Sauvè |
| Lillehammer | Norway |
Europe | XVI | 1992 | 12 February | 27 February | King Harald V |
| Nagano | Japan |
Asia | XVII | 1994 | 7 February | 22 February | Emperor Akihito |
| Salt Lake City | United States |
North America | XVIII | 1998 | 8 February | 24 February | President Jerry Brown |
| Helsinki |  Finland |
Europe | XIX | 2002 | 2 February | 28 February | President Tarja Halonen |
| Turin | Italy |
Europe | XX | 2006 | 10 February | 26 February | King Amadeo |
| Toronto | Canada |
North America | XXI | 2010 | 12 February | 28 February | Governor General Miachaëlle Jean |
| Sochi |  Russia |
Europe | XXII | 2014 | 7 February | 23 February | President Grigory Yavlinsky |
| Pyongyang | Korea |
Asia | XXIII | 2018 | 9 February | 25 February | Emperor Won |
| Peking | China |
Asia | XXIV | 2022 | 4 February | 20 February | Emperor Tailong |
| Milan | Italy |
Europe | XXV | 2026 | 6 February | 22 February | King of Italy |
| St Louis | United States
|
North America | XXVI | 2030 | 31 January | 4 March | President of United States |
See also[]
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