Portal:Olympic Games
The Olympic Games Portal
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (French: Jeux olympiques) are the 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 teams, representing sovereign states and territories participating; by default the Games generally substitute for any World Championships the year in which they take place (however, each class usually maintains their own records). The Olympic Games are normally held every four years, and since 1994, have alternated between the Summer and Winter Olympics every two years during the four-year period.
Their creation was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games (Ancient Greek: Ὀλυμπιακοί Ἀγῶνες), 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 (which encompasses all entities and individuals involved in the Olympic Games) with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority.
The evolution of the Olympic Movement during the 20th and 21st centuries has resulted in several changes to the Olympic Games. Some of these adjustments include the creation of the Winter Olympic Games for snow and ice sports, the Paralympic Games for athletes with disabilities, the Youth Olympic Games for athletes aged 14 to 18, the five Continental games (Pan American, African, Asian, European, and Pacific), and the World Games for sports that are not contested in the Olympic Games. The IOC also endorses the Deaflympics and the Special Olympics. The IOC has needed to adapt to a variety of economic, political, and technological advancements. The abuse of amateur rules by the Eastern Bloc nations prompted the IOC to shift away from pure amateurism, as envisioned by Coubertin, to the acceptance of professional athletes participating at the Games. The growing importance of mass media has created the issue of corporate sponsorship and general commercialisation of the Games. World wars led to the cancellation of the 1916, 1940, and 1944 Olympics; large-scale boycotts during the Cold War limited participation in the 1980 and 1984 Olympics; and the 2020 Olympics were postponed until 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The five Olympic rings represent the five continents and were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920.
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“ | I hope that this medal inspires the kids at home to put down guns and knives and pick up a pair of trainers instead. | ” |
— Erick Barrondo, Guatemalan racewalker, on winning Guatemala's first Olympic medal in London 2012 |
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Current Events
- 16 October 2023 – 2026 Winter Olympics
- The Italian Olympic Committee announces that bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton events will not be held in Italy due to the high costs of rebuilding the Eugenio Monti Olympic Track in Cortina d'Ampezzo. (BBC News)
- 16 October 2023 – 2028 Summer Olympics
- The International Olympic Committee approves the inclusion of cricket, flag football, lacrosse, squash, and baseball/softball at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. (Sky Sports)
- 7 August 2023 – Belarus 2020 Summer Olympics scandal
- Belarusian–Polish sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya is cleared to represent Poland at the World Championships after being removed from the Tokyo Olympics by the Belarus Olympic Committee. (AP)
Did You Know...-
- ... that Lucinda Whitty, Olivia Price and Nina Curtis became a team in 2011 when they heard the Elliott 6m boat would be required for an Olympic sailing event?
- ... that after Irishman Con O'Kelly won a gold medal for Great Britain at the 1908 Summer Olympics, he was paraded through Hull on the back of a fire engine?
- ... that after winning the silver medal at the 1908 Summer Olympics, Finn Yrjö Saarela won the gold medal in heavyweight wrestling at the 1912 Games?
- ... that Nicola Wilson and Opposition Buzz were selected for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics after Piggy French was forced to withdraw?
- ... that 1976 Yugoslav Olympic rifle shooter Miro Sipek is the Australian 2012 Summer Paralympic rifle coach and has coached Australian Olympic rifle teams?
Upcoming Olympic Games
2024 Summer Olympics
The 2024 Summer Olympics (French: Jeux olympiques d'été de 2024), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (French: Jeux de la XXXIIIe Olympiade) and commonly known as Paris 2024, is a forthcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024 in France, with Paris as the main host city and 16 other cities spread across metropolitan France, plus one subsite in Tahiti—an island within the French overseas country and overseas collectivity of French Polynesia.
Paris was awarded the Games at the 131st IOC Session in Lima, Peru, on 13 September 2017. After multiple withdrawals that left only Paris and Los Angeles in contention, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved a process to concurrently award the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics to the two cities. Having previously hosted in 1900 and 1924, Paris will become the second city (after London) to host the Summer Olympics three times. Marking the centenary of Paris 1924, these Olympic Games will be the sixth hosted by France (three in summer and three in winter), and the first French Olympics since the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville. Following Paris 2024, the Summer Games will return to the traditional four-year Olympiad cycle, as the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo was delayed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Paris 2024 will feature the debut of breaking (also known as breakdancing) as an Olympic event, and it will be the final Olympic Games held during the presidency of IOC President Thomas Bach. Preparations for these Games have been marred by the ongoing controversy surrounding the potential participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus. The Paris Olympics are expected to cost €8.3 billion.
All-time Combined Olympic Games Medal Table
Separate current and precursor NOCs (records not combined):
No. | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
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1 | United States (USA) | 1174 | 952 | 833 | 2959 |
2 | Soviet Union (URS) | 473 | 376 | 355 | 1204 |
3 | Germany (GER) | 305 | 305 | 312 | 922 |
4 | Great Britain (GBR) | 296 | 323 | 331 | 950 |
5 | China (CHN) | 285 | 231 | 197 | 713 |
6 | France (FRA) | 264 | 293 | 332 | 889 |
7 | Italy (ITA) | 259 | 231 | 269 | 759 |
8 | Sweden (SWE) | 212 | 228 | 239 | 679 |
9 | Norway (NOR) | 209 | 186 | 173 | 568 |
10 | Russia (RUS) | 194 | 165 | 186 | 545 |
2026 Winter Olympics
The 2026 Winter Olympics (Italian: 2026 Olimpiadi invernali), officially the XXV Olympic Winter Games (Italian: XXV Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Milano-Cortina 2026, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 6 to 22 February 2026 in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. The joint bid from the two cities beat another joint bid from Swedish cities Stockholm–Åre by 47–34 votes at the 134th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 24 June 2019.
This will be the fourth Olympic Games hosted in Italy, which previously hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo and the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. It will be the first Olympic Games officially featuring multiple host cities and will be the first Winter Olympics since Sarajevo 1984 where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held in different venues. Events will also take place in seven other north-northeastern Italian cities. The games will mark the 20th anniversary of the Winter Olympics in Turin and the 70th anniversary of the Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo. It will follow the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and precede the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.
Olympic Sports
- Archery
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Beach volleyball
- Boxing
- Canoeing
- Cycling
- Diving
- Equestrian
- Fencing
- Football
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Handball
- Field hockey
- Judo
- Karate
- Modern pentathlon
- Rowing
- Rugby
- Sailing
- Shooting
- Skateboarding
- Sport climbing
- Surfing
- Swimming
- Artistic swimming
- Table tennis
- Taekwondo
- Tennis
- Triathlon
- Volleyball
- Water polo
- Weightlifting
- Wrestling
Olympic Games Countdown
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