At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Hong Kong provided the venues for the equestrian events, which took place in Sha Tin and Kwu Tung. ==History== ===Early years=== The International Olympic Committee was founded in 1894 when Pierre de Coubertin, a French pedagogue and historian, sought to promote international understanding through sporting competition.
It was unanimously chosen as the host city during a congress organised by Pierre de Coubertin in Paris, on 23 June 1894.
The Games were first held in 1896 in Athens, Greece, and were most recently held in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Winter Olympic Games were created out of the success of the Summer Olympics. The Olympics have increased in scope from a 42 competition event programme with fewer than 250 male competitors from 14 nations in 1896 to 306 events with 11,238 competitors (6,179 men, 5,059 women) from 206 nations in 2016.
The first edition of The Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896 and attracted just 245 competitors, of whom more than 200 were Greek, and only 14 countries were represented.
Female athletes were not allowed to compete, though one woman, Stamata Revithi, ran the marathon course on her own, saying "If the committee doesn't let me compete I will go after them regardless". The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in Athens, Greece, from 6 to 15 April 1896.
The IOC was also established during this congress. Despite many obstacles and setbacks, the 1896 Olympics were regarded as a great success.
The first Olympic Marathon in 1896 (a male-only race) was raced at a distance of 40 km (24 miles 85 yards).
Thus the marathon had been for the first games in 1896, but was subsequently varied by up to due to local conditions such as street and stadium layout.
For the first time since the Games started in 1896 were all five inhabited continents represented with athletes competing in the same stadium. The scheduled 1916 Summer Olympics were cancelled following the onset of World War I. ===Interwar era=== The 1920 Antwerp games in war-ravaged Belgium were a subdued affair, but again drew a record number of competitors.
The second Olympics was held in Paris. Four years later the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris attracted more than four times as many athletes, including 20 women, who were allowed to officially compete for the first time, in croquet, golf, sailing, and tennis.
The games were more successful than the 1900 and 1904 games, with over 900 athletes competing, and contributed positively to the success of future games. The 1908 London Games saw numbers rise again, as well as the first running of the marathon over its now-standard distance of 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards).
At the six Olympic games between 1900 and 1920, the marathon was raced over six distances.
In each Olympic event, gold medals are awarded for first place, silver medals are awarded for second place, and bronze medals are awarded for third place; this tradition began in 1904.
The United States leads the all-time medal table for the Summer Olympics. ==Hosting== The United States has hosted the Summer Olympic Games four times: the 1904 Games were held in St.
Louis may have contributed to the fact that very few top-ranked athletes from outside the US and Canada took part in the 1904 Games. A series of smaller games were held in Athens in 1906.
The games were more successful than the 1900 and 1904 games, with over 900 athletes competing, and contributed positively to the success of future games. The 1908 London Games saw numbers rise again, as well as the first running of the marathon over its now-standard distance of 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards).
Louis may have contributed to the fact that very few top-ranked athletes from outside the US and Canada took part in the 1904 Games. A series of smaller games were held in Athens in 1906.
The 1906 Athens games were the first of an alternating series of games to be held in Athens, but the series failed to materialise.
The games were more successful than the 1900 and 1904 games, with over 900 athletes competing, and contributed positively to the success of future games. The 1908 London Games saw numbers rise again, as well as the first running of the marathon over its now-standard distance of 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards).
The Games saw Great Britain winning 146 medals, 99 more than second-placed Americans, its best result to this day. At the end of the 1908 marathon, the Italian runner Dorando Pietri was first to enter the stadium, but he was clearly in distress and collapsed of exhaustion before he could complete the event.
The host nation won 29 gold medals, the best haul for Great Britain since the 1908 Games in London.
The only two countries in the Southern Hemisphere to have hosted the Summer Olympics have been Australia (1956 and 2000) and Brazil (2016), with Africa having yet to host any Summer Olympics. Stockholm, Sweden, has hosted events at two Summer Olympics, having been sole host of the 1912 Games, and hosting the equestrian events at the 1956 Summer Olympics (which they are credited as jointly hosting with Melbourne, Australia).
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a special report about the race in the Daily Mail. The Games continued to grow, attracting 2,504 competitors, to Stockholm in 1912, including the great all-rounder Jim Thorpe, who won both the decathlon and pentathlon.
For the first time since the Games started in 1896 were all five inhabited continents represented with athletes competing in the same stadium. The scheduled 1916 Summer Olympics were cancelled following the onset of World War I. ===Interwar era=== The 1920 Antwerp games in war-ravaged Belgium were a subdued affair, but again drew a record number of competitors.
Amsterdam, Netherlands, has also hosted events at two Summer Olympic Games, having been sole host of the 1928 Games and previously hosting two of the sailing races at the 1920 Summer Olympics.
At the six Olympic games between 1900 and 1920, the marathon was raced over six distances.
For the first time since the Games started in 1896 were all five inhabited continents represented with athletes competing in the same stadium. The scheduled 1916 Summer Olympics were cancelled following the onset of World War I. ===Interwar era=== The 1920 Antwerp games in war-ravaged Belgium were a subdued affair, but again drew a record number of competitors.
The 2024 Summer Olympics will be held in Paris, France for a third time, exactly one hundred years after the city's last Summer Olympics in 1924.
This record only stood until 1924, when the Paris Games involved 3,000 competitors, the greatest of whom was Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi.
Amsterdam, Netherlands, has also hosted events at two Summer Olympic Games, having been sole host of the 1928 Games and previously hosting two of the sailing races at the 1920 Summer Olympics.
The "Flying Finn" won three team gold medals and the individual 1,500 and 5,000 meter runs, the latter two on the same day. The 1928 Amsterdam games was notable for being the first games which allowed females to compete at track & field athletics, and benefited greatly from the general prosperity of the times alongside the first appearance of sponsorship of the games, from the Coca-Cola Company.
The 1928 games saw the introduction of a standard medal design with the IOC choosing Giuseppe Cassioli's depiction of Greek goddess Nike and a winner being carried by a crowd of people.
Louis, Missouri; the 1932 and 1984 Games were both held in Los Angeles, California, and the 1996 Games were held in Atlanta, Georgia.
This design was used up until 1972. The 1932 Los Angeles games were affected by the Great Depression, which contributed to the low number of competitors. The 1936 Berlin Games were seen by the German government as a golden opportunity to promote their ideology.
This design was used up until 1972. The 1932 Los Angeles games were affected by the Great Depression, which contributed to the low number of competitors. The 1936 Berlin Games were seen by the German government as a golden opportunity to promote their ideology.
The 1936 Berlin Games also saw the introduction of the Torch Relay. Due to World War II, the Games of 1940 (due to be held in Tokyo and temporarily relocated to Helsinki upon the outbreak of war) were cancelled.
The 1936 Berlin Games also saw the introduction of the Torch Relay. Due to World War II, the Games of 1940 (due to be held in Tokyo and temporarily relocated to Helsinki upon the outbreak of war) were cancelled.
The Games of 1944 were due to be held in London but were also cancelled; instead, London hosted the first games after the end of the war, in 1948. ===After World War II=== The first post-war Games were held in 1948 in London, with both Germany and Japan excluded.
The Games of 1944 were due to be held in London but were also cancelled; instead, London hosted the first games after the end of the war, in 1948. ===After World War II=== The first post-war Games were held in 1948 in London, with both Germany and Japan excluded.
Finland made a legend of an amiable Czechoslovak army lieutenant named Emil Zátopek, who was intent on improving on his single gold and silver medals from 1948.
Dutch sprinter Fanny Blankers-Koen won four gold medals on the track, emulating Owens' achievement in Berlin. At the 1952 Games in Helsinki the USSR team competed for the first time and immediately became one of the dominant teams (finishing second both in the number of gold and overall medals won).
The only two countries in the Southern Hemisphere to have hosted the Summer Olympics have been Australia (1956 and 2000) and Brazil (2016), with Africa having yet to host any Summer Olympics. Stockholm, Sweden, has hosted events at two Summer Olympics, having been sole host of the 1912 Games, and hosting the equestrian events at the 1956 Summer Olympics (which they are credited as jointly hosting with Melbourne, Australia).
Pacing himself by chatting with the other leaders, Zátopek led from about halfway, slowly dropping the remaining contenders to win by two and a half minutes, and completed a trio of wins. The 1956 Melbourne Games were largely successful, barring a water polo match between Hungary and the Soviet Union, which the Soviet invasion of Hungary caused to end as a pitched battle between the teams.
Eighty nations were represented at the Moscow Games – the smallest number since 1956.
A system of reallocation was put in place so the empty seats were filled throughout the Games. Rio de Janeiro in Brazil hosted the 2016 Summer Olympics, becoming the first South American city to host the Olympics, the second Olympic host city in Latin America, after Mexico City in 1968, as well as the third city in the Southern Hemisphere to host the Olympics after Melbourne, Australia, in 1956 and Sydney, Australia, in 2000.
Due to a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Britain at the time and the strict quarantine laws of Australia, the equestrian events were held in Stockholm. At the 1960 Rome Games a young light-heavyweight boxer named Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, arrived on the scene.
Other performers of note in 1960 included Wilma Rudolph, a gold medallist in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4 × 100 meters relay events. The 1964 Games held in Tokyo are notable for heralding the modern age of telecommunications.
There were also emotional scenes, such as when Muhammad Ali, clearly affected by Parkinson's disease, lit the Olympic torch and received a replacement medal for the one he had discarded in 1960.
The IOC selected Tokyo, Japan, to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, when it would have become the first city outside the Western world to have hosted the Summer Olympics more than once, having already hosted the Games in 1964.
Tokyo will be the first city outside the predominantly English-speaking and European nations which usually host the games to have hosted the Summer Olympics twice; it will also be the largest city ever to have hosted, having grown considerably since 1964. The 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were the first Summer Olympics to be held in South America and the first that was held completely during the local "winter" season.
Other performers of note in 1960 included Wilma Rudolph, a gold medallist in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4 × 100 meters relay events. The 1964 Games held in Tokyo are notable for heralding the modern age of telecommunications.
The 1964 Games were thus a turning point in the global visibility and popularity of the Olympics.
Judo debuted as an official sport, and Dutch judoka Anton Geesink created quite a stir when he won the final of the open weight division, defeating Akio Kaminaga in front of his home crowd. Performances at the 1968 Mexico City games were affected by the altitude of the host city.
The 1968 Games also introduced the now-universal Fosbury flop, a technique which won American high jumper Dick Fosbury the gold medal.
Věra Čáslavská, in protest to the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia and the controversial decision by the judges on the Balance Beam and Floor, turned her head down and away from the Soviet flag whilst the anthem played during the medal ceremony.
A system of reallocation was put in place so the empty seats were filled throughout the Games. Rio de Janeiro in Brazil hosted the 2016 Summer Olympics, becoming the first South American city to host the Olympics, the second Olympic host city in Latin America, after Mexico City in 1968, as well as the third city in the Southern Hemisphere to host the Olympics after Melbourne, Australia, in 1956 and Sydney, Australia, in 2000.
This design was used up until 1972. The 1932 Los Angeles games were affected by the Great Depression, which contributed to the low number of competitors. The 1936 Berlin Games were seen by the German government as a golden opportunity to promote their ideology.
She returned home as a heroine of the Czechoslovak people but was made an outcast by the Soviet-dominated government. Politics again intervened at Munich in 1972, with lethal consequences.
Korbut, however, failed to win the all-around, losing to her teammate Ludmilla Tourischeva. There was no such tragedy in Montreal in 1976, but bad planning and fraud led to the Games' cost far exceeding the budget.
Lasse Virén repeated his double gold in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters, making him the first athlete to ever win the distance double twice. ===End of the 20th century=== Following the Soviet Union's 1979 invasion of Afghanistan, 66 nations, including the United States, Canada, West Germany, and Japan, boycotted the 1980 games held in Moscow.
Lasse Virén repeated his double gold in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters, making him the first athlete to ever win the distance double twice. ===End of the 20th century=== Following the Soviet Union's 1979 invasion of Afghanistan, 66 nations, including the United States, Canada, West Germany, and Japan, boycotted the 1980 games held in Moscow.
The boycott contributed to the 1980 Games being a less publicised and less competitive affair, which was dominated by the host country. In 1984 the Soviet Union and 13 Soviet allies reciprocated by boycotting the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
On the topic of the 1980 Summer Olympics, a 1989 Australian study said "There is hardly a medal winner at the Moscow Games, certainly not a gold medal winner, who is not on one sort of drug or another: usually several kinds.
They were reinstated in 1983, 30 years after his death.
Louis, Missouri; the 1932 and 1984 Games were both held in Los Angeles, California, and the 1996 Games were held in Atlanta, Georgia.
The boycott contributed to the 1980 Games being a less publicised and less competitive affair, which was dominated by the host country. In 1984 the Soviet Union and 13 Soviet allies reciprocated by boycotting the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Romania, notably, was one of the nations in the Eastern Bloc that did attend the 1984 Olympics.
The Moscow Games might as well have been called the Chemists' Games." Documents obtained in 2016 revealed the Soviet Union's plans for a statewide doping system in track and field in preparation for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
In 1988, one such contractor, Giuseppe Zappia "was cleared of fraud charges that resulted from his work on Olympic facilities after two key witnesses died before testifying at his trial".
Portugalov was also one of the main figures involved in the implementation of the Russian doping programme prior to the 2016 Summer Olympics. The 1988 games, in Seoul, was very well planned but the games were tainted when many of the athletes, most notably men's 100 metres winner Ben Johnson, failed mandatory drug tests.
On the topic of the 1980 Summer Olympics, a 1989 Australian study said "There is hardly a medal winner at the Moscow Games, certainly not a gold medal winner, who is not on one sort of drug or another: usually several kinds.
Despite splendid drug-free performances by many individuals, the number of people who failed screenings for performance-enhancing chemicals overshadowed the games. The 1992 Barcelona Games featured the admittance of players from one of the North American top leagues, the NBA, exemplified by but not limited to US basketball's "Dream Team".
The 1992 games also saw the reintroduction to the Games of several smaller European states which had been incorporated into the Soviet Union since World War II.
A third of the tickets failed to sell, but ticket sales still topped figures from the Seoul and Barcelona Olympics (1988 and 1992).
Louis, Missouri; the 1932 and 1984 Games were both held in Los Angeles, California, and the 1996 Games were held in Atlanta, Georgia.
He was awarded a new medal 36 years later at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
The only two countries in the Southern Hemisphere to have hosted the Summer Olympics have been Australia (1956 and 2000) and Brazil (2016), with Africa having yet to host any Summer Olympics. Stockholm, Sweden, has hosted events at two Summer Olympics, having been sole host of the 1912 Games, and hosting the equestrian events at the 1956 Summer Olympics (which they are credited as jointly hosting with Melbourne, Australia).
In June 2003, the principal suspect in this bombing, Eric Robert Rudolph, was arrested. The 2000 Summer Olympics was held in Sydney, Australia, and showcased individual performances by local favorite Ian Thorpe in the pool, Briton Steve Redgrave who won a rowing gold medal in an unprecedented fifth consecutive Olympics, and Cathy Freeman, an Indigenous Australian whose triumph in the 400 meters united a packed stadium.
A system of reallocation was put in place so the empty seats were filled throughout the Games. Rio de Janeiro in Brazil hosted the 2016 Summer Olympics, becoming the first South American city to host the Olympics, the second Olympic host city in Latin America, after Mexico City in 1968, as well as the third city in the Southern Hemisphere to host the Olympics after Melbourne, Australia, in 1956 and Sydney, Australia, in 2000.
In June 2003, the principal suspect in this bombing, Eric Robert Rudolph, was arrested. The 2000 Summer Olympics was held in Sydney, Australia, and showcased individual performances by local favorite Ian Thorpe in the pool, Briton Steve Redgrave who won a rowing gold medal in an unprecedented fifth consecutive Olympics, and Cathy Freeman, an Indigenous Australian whose triumph in the 400 meters united a packed stadium.
Controversy occurred in the Women's Artistic Gymnastics when the vaulting horse was set to the wrong height during the All-Around Competition. ===Start of the 21st century and new millennium=== In 2004, the Olympic Games returned to their birthplace in Athens, Greece.
At least $7.2 billion was spent on the 2004 Games, including $1.5 billion on security.
Although unfounded reports of potential terrorism drove crowds away from the preliminary competitions at the first weekend of the Olympics (14–15 August 2004), attendance picked up as the Games progressed.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Hong Kong provided the venues for the equestrian events, which took place in Sha Tin and Kwu Tung. ==History== ===Early years=== The International Olympic Committee was founded in 1894 when Pierre de Coubertin, a French pedagogue and historian, sought to promote international understanding through sporting competition.
All 202 NOCs participated at the Athens Games with over 11,000 participants. The 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing, People's Republic of China.
The United States returned to the top of the medal table after China dominated in 2008.
The 2028 Games in Los Angeles will mark the fifth occasion on which the Summer Games have been hosted by the U.S. In 2012, the United Kingdom hosted its third Summer Olympic Games in London, which became the first city ever to have hosted the Summer Olympic Games three times.
Equestrian events were held in Hong Kong. London held the 2012 Summer Olympics, becoming the first city to host the Olympic Games three times.
The IOC had removed baseball and softball from the 2012 programme.
The Montreal Games were the most expensive in Olympic history, until the 2014 Winter Olympics, costing over $5 billion (equivalent to $ billion in ).
The Games were first held in 1896 in Athens, Greece, and were most recently held in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Winter Olympic Games were created out of the success of the Summer Olympics. The Olympics have increased in scope from a 42 competition event programme with fewer than 250 male competitors from 14 nations in 1896 to 306 events with 11,238 competitors (6,179 men, 5,059 women) from 206 nations in 2016.
Tokyo will be the first city outside the predominantly English-speaking and European nations which usually host the games to have hosted the Summer Olympics twice; it will also be the largest city ever to have hosted, having grown considerably since 1964. The 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were the first Summer Olympics to be held in South America and the first that was held completely during the local "winter" season.
The Moscow Games might as well have been called the Chemists' Games." Documents obtained in 2016 revealed the Soviet Union's plans for a statewide doping system in track and field in preparation for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Portugalov was also one of the main figures involved in the implementation of the Russian doping programme prior to the 2016 Summer Olympics. The 1988 games, in Seoul, was very well planned but the games were tainted when many of the athletes, most notably men's 100 metres winner Ben Johnson, failed mandatory drug tests.
A system of reallocation was put in place so the empty seats were filled throughout the Games. Rio de Janeiro in Brazil hosted the 2016 Summer Olympics, becoming the first South American city to host the Olympics, the second Olympic host city in Latin America, after Mexico City in 1968, as well as the third city in the Southern Hemisphere to host the Olympics after Melbourne, Australia, in 1956 and Sydney, Australia, in 2000.
The IOC selected Tokyo, Japan, to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, when it would have become the first city outside the Western world to have hosted the Summer Olympics more than once, having already hosted the Games in 1964.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which was to be the second time that the city had hosted, were postponed to twelve months from the original scheduled date.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, the IOC and the Tokyo Organizing Committee announced that the 2020 Games were to be delayed until 2021, marking the first time that the Olympic Games have been postponed. ==Sports== There has been a total of 42 sports, spanning 55 disciplines, included in the Olympic programme at one point or another in the history of the Games.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, the IOC and the Tokyo Organizing Committee announced that the 2020 Games were to be delayed until 2021, marking the first time that the Olympic Games have been postponed. ==Sports== There has been a total of 42 sports, spanning 55 disciplines, included in the Olympic programme at one point or another in the history of the Games.
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