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Olympic Games
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Lighting the Olympic flame Explore Britannica's coverage of the Summer Olympics, including the 2024 Paris Games.
When were the first Olympic Games?
Olympics
Ancient Olympic Games Wrestlers on an ancient Greek cup
Strange moments in Olympic history
How are sports chosen for the Olympics?
Opening ceremony at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games Olympic Games
For Students
Olympic Games summary
Quizzes
Silhouette of hand holding sport torch behind the rings of an Olympic flag, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; February 3, 2015.
The Olympics Quiz
Marble bust of Alexander the Great, in the British Museum, London, England. Hellenistic Greek, 2nd-1st century BC. Said to be from Alexandria, Egypt. Height: 37 cm.
Ancient Greece
Former U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program bobsledder Steven Holcomb, front, is greeted at the finish line after teaming with Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler and Curtis Tomasevicz to win the first Olympic bobsleigh gold medal in 62 years for Team USA ,(cont)
The Olympic Games
Usain Bolt of Jamaica reacts after breaking the world record with a time of 19.30 to win the gold medal as Churandy Martina (left) of Netherlands Antilles and Brian Dzingai of Zimbabwe come in after him in the Men's 200m Final at the National Stadium during Day 12 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 20, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Summer Olympics, track and field, athletics)
I Am the Greatest (Athlete)
Assorted sports balls including a basketball, football, soccer ball, tennis ball, baseball and others.
American Sports Nicknames
Related Questions
Read Next
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Olympics: Cycling
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Olympics: Racket Sports
indoor female volleyball match Italy vs Russia during the Volleyball World Cup, in Milan.
Olympics: Volleyball
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7 Canceled or Reintroduced Olympic Sports
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Olympic Games: Facts & Related Content

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Transport strike affecting Olympic test event underscores risks facing Milan-Cortina Games • Feb. 18, 2025, 9:40 AM ET (AP)
Trump Jr. backs Enhanced Games, an Olympic disruptor that would allow some steroids in sports • Feb. 13, 2025, 3:30 PM ET (AP)
Lindsey Vonn says she 'would be proud to race with anyone' in team combined at the Olympics • Feb. 12, 2025, 12:38 PM ET (AP)
Lindsey Vonn places 15th in downhill at ski worlds. She called it a 'practice run for the Olympics' • Feb. 8, 2025, 12:10 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As Olympiad
Notable Honorees Julie Foudy • Shi Tingmao • Sophia Smith • Yulimar Rojas • Lisa Fernandez • Valerie Brisco-Hooks • Diana Taurasi • Carissa Moore • Jayson Tatum • Jessica Fox • Sha’Carri Richardson • Valerie Adams • Devin Booker • Emma McKeon • Hamish Bond • Gong Lijiao • Quan Hongchan • Nathan Adrian • Pablo Morales • Laurie Hernandez • Anna Meares • Caeleb Dressel • Lisa Carrington • Arshad Nadeem • Neeraj Chopra • Sally Pearson • Suni Lee • Yuto Horigome • Butch Reynolds • Liu Shiying • Grant Hill • Sabrina Ionescu • Ariarne Titmus • Emma Twigg • Joan Benoit Samuelson • Candace Parker • Trinity Rodman • Megan Rapinoe • Alex Morgan • Brittney Griner • Jimmy Butler • Muhammad Ali • Bill Russell • LeBron James • Lionel Messi • Michael Phelps • Rafael Nadal • Usain Bolt • Chris Paul • Hayley Wickenheiser • Dwyane Wade • Ryan Lochte • Kobe Bryant • Kevin Durant • Andre Agassi • Yelena Isinbayeva • Michael Jordan • Meseret Defar • Chris Hoy • Serena Williams • Jesse Owens • Shaquille O’Neal • Carmelo Anthony • Nastia Liukin • Stephen Curry • Charles Barkley • Scottie Pippen • Lennox Lewis • Jim Thorpe • Kerri Walsh Jennings • Katie Ledecky • Bradley Wiggins • Abby Wambach • Missy Franklin • Michelle Akers • Russell Coutts • Carolina Klüft • Nancy Lieberman • Libby Trickett • Ashton Eaton • Noureddine Morceli • Magic Johnson • Cheryl Miller • Anne Donovan • Pernell Whitaker • Simone Biles • Misty May-Treanor • Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce • Mo Farah • Joe Frazier • Guo Jingjing • Allyson Felix • Michael Johnson • Kōhei Uchimura • Carl Lewis • Donovan Bailey • Andy Murray • Wu Minxia • Inge de Bruijn • Ben Ainslie • Tirunesh Dibaba • Michelle Smith • Gabby Douglas • Hanyu Yuzuru • Sebastian Coe • Jackie Joyner-Kersee • Rafer Johnson • Věra Čáslavská • Fanny Blankers-Koen • Tommy Kono • Ian Thorpe • Nadia Comăneci • Karch Kiraly • Ferenc Puskás • Floyd Patterson • Halil Mutlu • George Foreman • Babe Didrikson Zaharias • Emil Zátopek • Vitaly Scherbo • Johnny Weissmuller • Peter Snell • Bill Bradley • Paavo Nurmi • Arne Borg • Steven Holcomb • Iolanda Balas • Paul Elvstrøm • Sergey Bubka • Helen Wills • Irena Szewińska • Sheryl Swoopes • Karl Malone • Suzanne Lenglen • Aileen Riggin • Oscar Robertson • Cynthia Cooper-Dyke • Caitlyn Jenner • Vasily Ivanovich Alekseyev • Steven Redgrave • Liu Xiang • Naim Süleymanoğlu • Gertrude Ederle • Parry O’Brien • Harry Mallin • Dick Fosbury • Micheline Ostermeyer • Boris Anfiyanovich Shakhlin • Steve Ovett • Nino Benvenuti • John J. Flanagan • John Stockton • Evelyn Ashford • Tracy Caulkins • Florence Griffith Joyner • Eddie Eagan • Sugar Ray Leonard • Janet Evans • Jessica Ennis-Hill • Mijaín López • Bob Richards • Bob Mathias • Shirley Strickland de la Hunty • Greg Louganis • Al Oerter • Pete Desjardins • Aleksandr Karelin • Charley Paddock • Dot Richardson • Mia Hamm • Kip Keino • Marie-José Pérec • Leonid Ivanovich Zhabotinsky • Marita Koch • Stanisława Walasiewicz • Ralph Metcalfe • Bob Hayes • Teresa Edwards • Adolph Rupp • Barney Ewell • Tatyana Kazankina • Wilma Rudolph • Adhemar Ferreira da Silva • Michael Spinks • Fu Mingxia • Mary Lou Retton • Felix Savón • Bobby Morrow • Olga Korbut • Alvin Kraenzlein • Lee Evans • Daley Thompson • Mac Wilkins • Bob Beamon • Billy Mills • Teófilo Stevenson • Dawn Fraser • Norman Ross • Nikolai Andrianov
Related Facts And Data Tokyo - Facts

Photos and Videos

Lighting the Olympic flame
Ancient Olympic Games
Wrestlers on an ancient Greek cup
Opening ceremony at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games
Olympic Games
Olympic torch relay
Athens 1896 Olympic Games
American Olympic team members
St. Louis 1904 Olympic swimmers
Archers at the London 1908 Olympic Games
When were the first Olympic Games?
Olympics
Strange moments in Olympic history
How are sports chosen for the Olympics?
The 1936 Berlin Olympics and Nazi propaganda
See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Pierre, baron de Coubertin
Pierre, baron de Coubertin
French educator
Jerry Lucas
Jerry Lucas
American basketball player
Pat Summitt and members of the University of Tennessee's women's basketball team
Pat Summitt
American basketball coach
Bob Knight
Bob Knight
American coach
Diver Sammy Lee is presented with a gold medal at the 1948 Olympics in London
Sammy Lee
American diver
Dezsö Gyarmati
Hungarian water polo player and coach
Avery Brundage
Avery Brundage
American sports administrator
American wrestler Dan Gable
Dan Gable
American freestyle wrestler and coach
Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin
Irish author
Harold Abrahams
Harold Abrahams
British athlete

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Marble bust of Alexander the Great, in the British Museum, London, England. Hellenistic Greek, 2nd-1st century BC. Said to be from Alexandria, Egypt. Height: 37 cm.
Ancient Greece
Former U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program bobsledder Steven Holcomb, front, is greeted at the finish line after teaming with Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler and Curtis Tomasevicz to win the first Olympic bobsleigh gold medal in 62 years for Team USA ,(cont)
The Olympic Games
Former U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program bobsledder Steven Holcomb, left, and teammates Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler and Curt Tomasevicz bite their gold medals Saturday night at Whistler Medals Plaza after winning the Olympic four-man bobsled, 2010.
Round 1: Olympic History Quiz
Assorted sports balls including a basketball, football, soccer ball, tennis ball, baseball and others.
American Sports Nicknames
Usain Bolt of Jamaica reacts after breaking the world record with a time of 19.30 to win the gold medal as Churandy Martina (left) of Netherlands Antilles and Brian Dzingai of Zimbabwe come in after him in the Men's 200m Final at the National Stadium during Day 12 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 20, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Summer Olympics, track and field, athletics)
I Am the Greatest (Athlete)
Olympic games in 1928 at Amsterdam, Holland. The finish of the 100 meter dash finals, won by Percy Williams.
Round 2: Olympic History Quiz
Olympic games in 1928 at Amsterdam, Holland. The finish of the 100 meter dash finals, won by Percy Williams.
Summer Olympics Host Cities
Rich Harden no. 40 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers. July 31, 2008 at Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Cubs defeated the Brewers 11-4. Major League Baseball (MLB).
Sports Firsts Through the Ages Quiz
Silhouette of hand holding sport torch behind the rings of an Olympic flag, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; February 3, 2015.
The Olympics Quiz
A person is shooting with recurve bow on a target during an archery competition. Focus on the targets. archery
Obscure Olympic Sports
Marble bust of Alexander the Great, in the British Museum, London, England. Hellenistic Greek, 2nd-1st century BC. Said to be from Alexandria, Egypt. Height: 37 cm.
Ancient Greece
List
Gold, silver, and bronze medals in the air. Background for Rio Olympic time (Olympics, Olympic games)
8 Olympic Cheating Scandals
Young man skeet shooting with airborne shell
6 Unusual Olympic Sports
Bolshoy Ice Dome during ice hockey Men's Prelim. Sochi 2014 XXII Olympic Winter Games
7 Ways Hosting the Olympics Impacts a City
Silhouette of hand holding sport torch behind the rings of an Olympic flag, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; February 3, 2015.
7 Significant Political Events at the Olympic Games
Tug-of-war at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md., 2005.
7 Canceled or Reintroduced Olympic Sports
Demystified
Olympic torch illustration surrounded by sports in the summer games
How Are Sports Chosen for the Olympics?
low angle view of a female swimmer preparing to dive from diving board against clear blue sky.
How Is Diving Scored?
Corfu, Greece - April 23, 2016: The Olympic flame is symbolically passed from one torch to another after the official ceremonial lighting
How Does the Olympic Torch Stay Lit?
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games Rings.
What Do the Olympic Rings and Flame Represent?