Host Cities of the Olympic Games

When choosing locations for the Olympic Games, the IOC specifically gives the honor of holding the Games to a city rather than a country. The ancient Olympic Games were always held at Olympia in Greece. The first Olympic Games of the modern era was held in Athens, Greece too. From then onwards, the Games have been held in different host cities.

Host City Information

Olympiads

An Olympiad is a period of four successive years. The Olympic Games celebrate each Olympiad. For the modern Olympic Games, the first Olympiad celebration was in 1896. Every four years celebrates another Olympiad; thus, even the Games that were canceled (1916, 1940, and 1944) count as Olympiads. The 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo will be called the Games of the XXXII Olympiad.

Host City Trivia

Because of World Wars, there were no Olympic Games held in the years 1916, 1940, or 1944 (though the Olympiads were still counted).

Two continents – Africa and Antarctica – have never hosted an Olympics.

With London hosting the 2012 Olympic Games, they became the first city to host the Summer Olympic Games three times. Paris (2024) and Los Angeles (2028) will also join them in having hosted the Games three times.

The USA have hosted the Summer Olympic Games four times, the most of any country: 1904, 1932, 1984 and 1996, and will do so again in 2028. (see more on countries with host cities).

The awarding of the Olympic Games to two hosts at once, Paris (2024) and LA (2028), was for the first time done at one time (in 2017).

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