Olympic Games (thing)

This is:    Olympic Summer Games 
Go to:      Olympic Winter Games    Ancient Olympic Games

Ancient Olympic games - Greece
Notes: The athletes competed nude. Imagine what that would do to TV-ratings today...

Olympics 1896 - Athens, Greece
No. of countries: 14
No. of athletes: 255 - only men
No. of events: 43
Notes: The marathon was run between the city of Marathon and Athens.

Olympics 1900 - Paris, France
No. of countries: 24
No. of athletes: 1225 - (1206 m + 19 w)
No. of events: 86
Notes: These games lasted for five months. First time women were allowed to participate, against the will of M de Coubertin.

Olympics 1904 - St. Louis, United States
No. of countries: 13
No. of athletes: 689 - (681 m + 8 w)
No. of events: 89
Notes: Fist time gold, silver and bronze medals were given to the three best athletes in each event.

Olympics 1906 - Athens, Greece
No. of countries: 22
No. of athletes: ?
No. of events: ?
Notes: Extra games as a 10 year celebration of the games. Later declared as unofficial games by the IOC.

Olympics 1908 - London, England
No. of countries: 22
No. of athletes: 2035 - (1999 m + 36 w)
No. of events: 107
Notes: The winner of the marathon was disqualified for having been helped over the finish line. Tough luck!

Olympics 1912 - Stockholm, Sweden
No. of countries: 28
No. of athletes: 2547 - (2490 m + 57 w)
No. of events: 102
Notes: Decathlete Jim Thorpe was disqualified since he had been a professional baseball player. The gold medal was given back to his family in 1983, 30 years after his death.

1916 - No games, World War I.

Olympics 1920 - Antwerp, Belgium
No. of countries: 29
No. of athletes: 2668 - (2591 m + 77 w)
No. of events: 155
Notes: The flag with the five Olympic rings was introduced.

Olympics 1924 - Paris, France
No. of countries: 44
No. of athletes: 3092 - (2956 m + 136 w)
No. of events: 126
Notes: Swimming was the most popular event, with American Johnny Weissmuller as the star. 

Olympics 1928 - Amsterdam, Holland
No. of countries: 46
No. of athletes: 3014 - (2724 m + 290 w)
No. of events: 126
Notes: The Olympic fire was introduced. Coca-Cola sponsored...

Olympics 1932 - Los Angeles, United States
No. of countries: 37
No. of athletes: 1408 - (1281 m + 127 w)
No. of events: 117
Notes: Olympic Village concept introduced.

Olympics 1936 - Berlin, Germany
No. of countries: 49
No. of athletes: 4066 - (3738 m + 328 w)
No. of events: 129
Notes: Jesse Owens, United States, irritated Adolf Hitler, Germany, by winning four gold in track and field.

1940 and 1944 - No games, World War II

Olympics 1948 - London, England
No. of countries: 59
No. of athletes: 4099 - (3714 m + 385 w)
No. of events: 136
Notes: Germany and Japan were not welcome in London after the war. 

Olympics 1952 - Helsinki, Finland
No. of countries: 69
No. of athletes: 4925 - (4407 m + 518 w)
No. of events: 149
Notes: The first Cold War games.

Olympics 1956 - Melbourne, Australia
No. of countries: 67
No. of athletes: 3184 - (2813 m + 371 w)
No. of events: 145
Notes: First games in Asia. Hungary was invaded by Soviet this year, and when the two countries met in water polo, the police had to stop the match to save the life of the players.

2005.10.2@18:28 The Debutante says re Olympic Games: It might interest you that the equestrian events of the 1956 games were actually held in Stockholm, because the horses could not be safely transported to Australia!

Olympics 1960 - Rome, Italy
No. of countries: 83
No. of athletes: 5348 - (4738 m + 610 w)
No. of events: 150
Notes: American Cassius Clay won a boxing gold and went on as a professional. Abeke Bikila of Ethiopia won the marathon, barefooted.

Olympics 1964 - Tokyo, Japan
No. of countries: 93
No. of athletes: 5140 - (4457 m + 683 w)
No. of events: 163
Notes: Several athletes were excluded for having participated in the rivaling games Games of the New Emerging Forces (GANEFO). 

Olympics 1968 - Mexico City, Mexico
No. of countries: 112
No. of athletes: 5530 - (4750 m + 780 w)
No. of events: 172
Notes: American Bob Beamon jumps 8.90 meters in long-jump. Dick Fosbury of the United States shocks the world by jumping high-jump backwards! Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos raise their clenched fists to their flag, as a part of the Black Panther movement.

Olympics 1972 - Munich, West Germany
No. of countries: 121
No. of athletes: 7123 - (6065 m + 1058 w)
No. of events: 195
Notes: Terrorists kill 2 Israeli athletes. Mark Spitz of the United States wins 7 gold, swimming.

Olympics 1976 - Montreal, Canada
No. of countries: 92
No. of athletes: 6028 - (4781 m + 1247 w)
No. of events: 198
Notes: 14-year old Nadia Comaneci of Romania becomes the first gymnast ever to receive a 10 point score. Boris Onisjenko of the Soviet Union is disqualified for having cheated in the fencing. The games were boycotted by Africa.

Olympics 1980 - Moscow, Soviet Union
No. of countries: 80
No. of athletes: 5217 - (4092 m + 1125 w)
No. of events: 203
Notes: The games were boycotted by many western/NATO countries.

Olympics 1984 - Los Angeles, United States
No. of countries: 140
No. of athletes: 6797 - (5230 m + 1567 w)
No. of events: 221
Notes: American Carl Lewis wins four gold in track and field. China participated for the first time since 1948.

Olympics 1988 - Seoul, South Korea
No. of countries: 159
No. of athletes: 8465 - (6279 m + 2186 w)
No. of events: 237
Notes: Ben Johnson of Canada runs 100 meters in 9,79 but is later found guilty of doping. Flo-Jo of the US wins 100 and 200 meters, crushing the old records.

Olympics 1992 - Barcelona, Spain
No. of countries: 169
No. of athletes: 9367 - (6659 m + 2708 w)
No. of events: 257
Notes: American Dream Team in basketball.

Olympics 1996 - Atlanta, United States
No. of countries: 197
No. of athletes: 10320 - (6797 m + 3523 w)
No. of events: 271
Notes: Coca Cola games. Alexander Karelin of Russia wins his third wrestling gold, this time without losing one single point.

Olympics 2000 - Sydney, Australia
No. of countries: 200
No. of athletes: - (m + w)
No. of events: 296
Notes: Aleksandr Karelin sensationally lost the final in wrestling, his first loss ever as a senior in a tournament.

Olympics 2004 - Athens, Greece
No. of countries: 200 (est)
No. of athletes: 11000 (est) (m + w)
No. of events: 296
Notes: More to come.

Olympics 2008 - Beijing, China
No. of countries:
No. of athletes: (m + w)
No. of events:
Notes: More to come.

/msg me if you have corrections or suggestions.