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History of the Modern Olympics

The history of the Olympic Games goes back many centuries. The first recorded ancient Olympic Games were held in 776 BC, held in Olympia, Greece (read more about the Ancient Olympic Games). The Ancient Olympics continued every four years, finishing about 394 AD.

Olympic flame lighting ceremony at Olympia, Greece

In modern times, the 'Wenlock Games', officially called the Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games, dated from 1850, and was a forerunner of the modern Olympic Games which did not start until almost 50 years later. The Wenlock Games are still held annually in the Shropshire village of Much Wenlock, England. In honor of this, one of the Olympic mascots for the London 2012 Summer Olympics was named Wenlock.

In 1894, a French educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin, proposed a revival of the ancient tradition, and thus the modern-day Olympic Summer Games were born.

Timeline of the Modern Olympic Games

• 1896: The first Olympic Games of the modern era were held in Athens in 1896.
• 1900: Women first competed at the 1900 Paris Games, competing in lawn tennis and golf events (more about Women at the Olympics)
• 1908: London hosted the Games and establishes the first Olympic Stadium.
• 1916: Because of World War I there was no Olympic Games in 1916. Similarly, in 1940 and 1944 there were no Olympic Games due to World War II,
• 1924: Paris introduced the Olympic flame and the closing ceremony tradition.
• 1936: Berlin hosted the Games, remembered for Jesse Owens' iconic performance, winning four gold medals.
• 1960: The Paralympic Games for athletes with disabilities was introduced in Rome.
• 1972: Munich faced tragedy with a terrorist attack on the Israeli team, resulting in fatalities.
• 1980: The United States led a boycott of the Moscow Games, due to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan.
• 1992: Barcelona hosted the Olympics, marking the first appearance of NBA players in basketball.
• 2008: Beijing hosted a grand spectacle, showcasing modern China with impressive infrastructure and ceremonies.
• 2016: Rio de Janeiro became the first South American city to host the Olympics amid concern over infrastructure and Zika virus.
• 2020: Tokyo, postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, held the Games in 2021 under strict health protocols.

You can read information about the history of each host country.

Related Pages

• About the Ancient Olympic Games
• Alternative Olympics
• The Women's World Games / Olympics — for women participants, held between 1922 and 1934.
• Olympic Stadiums — details of the main stadiums of each Olympic Games.
• Olympic Medal History
• History of the Athlete Villages
• Royalty participating at the Games
• Olympic Games Boycotts and Political Events
• Books about the History of the Olympic Games
• History of Sport
• A description of each of the Olympic Games Posters
• Athlete deaths at the Olympic Games
• Olympic Traditions
• Olympic Mascots

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