Portal:Olympic Games
The Olympic Games Portal
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; French: Jeux olympiques) are a series of international multi-sport events. Considered among the biggest sporting events in the world, the Olympics are organised into distinct Summer and Winter Games, each featuring different sports. The Olympic Games, open to both amateur and professional athletes, involve thousands of athletes and more than 200 teams, each team representing a sovereign state or territory. The Games often, but not always, substitute for any world championships during the year in which they take place. The Summer and Winter Olympics are each held every four years, and themselves occur two years apart within the four-year Olympiad. This arrangement has been in place since the 1994 Winter Olympics, prior to which the Summer and Winter Games were held in the same year.
Their creation was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, leading to the first modern Games in Athens in 1896. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement, which encompasses all entities and individuals involved in the Olympic Games. The Olympic Charter defines their structure and authority.
The evolution of the Olympic Movement during the 20th and 21st centuries has resulted in numerous changes to the Olympic Games. Some of these adjustments include the creation of the Winter Olympic Games for snow and ice sports, the Paralympic Games for athletes with disabilities, the Youth Olympic Games for athletes aged 14 to 18, the five Continental Games (Pan American, African, Asian, European, and Pacific), and the World Games for sports that are not contested in the Olympic Games. The IOC also endorses the Deaflympics and the Special Olympics. The IOC has adapted to a variety of economic, political, and technological advancements. The abuse of amateur rules prompted the IOC to shift away from pure amateurism, as envisioned by Coubertin, to the acceptance of professional athletes participating at the Games. The growing importance of mass media has created the issue of corporate sponsorship and general commercialisation of the Games. World Wars I and II led to the cancellation of the 1916, 1940, and 1944 Olympics; large-scale boycotts during the Cold War limited participation in the 1980 and 1984 Olympics; and the 2020 Olympics were postponed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 restrictions.
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The original five Winter Olympic Sports (consisting of nine disciplines) were bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, Nordic skiing (consisting of the disciplines military patrol, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, and ski jumping), and skating (consisting of the disciplines figure skating and speed skating). The Winter Olympic Games have evolved since their inception. Sports and disciplines have been added and some of them, such as alpine skiing, luge, short track speed skating, freestyle skiing, skeleton, and snowboarding, have earned a permanent spot on the Olympic program. Some others, including curling and bobsleigh, have been discontinued and later reintroduced; others have been permanently discontinued, such as military patrol, though the modern Winter Olympic sport of biathlon is descended from it. Still others, such as speed skiing, bandy and skijoring, were demonstration sports but never incorporated as Olympic sports.
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The 2024 Summer Paralympics (French: Jeux paralympiques d'été de 2024), also known as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (French: Jeux paralympiques d'été de Paris 2024), and branded as Paris 2024, were the 17th Summer Paralympic Games, an international multi-sport parasports event governed by the International Paralympic Committee. The Games were held in Paris, France, from 28 August to 8 September 2024, and featured 549 medal events across 22 sports. These games marked the first time Paris hosted the Summer Paralympics and the second time France hosted the Paralympic Games, following the 1992 Winter Paralympics in Tignes and Albertville. France also hosted the 2024 Summer Olympics. The Paralympics return to its usual 4-year cycle following the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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| “ | I have always had a dream to take part in an Olympic Games, and losing my leg didn't change anything. | ” |
| — Natalie du Toit, South African swimmer, a Paralympian who competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics | ||
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Current Events
- 26 September 2026 – Bids for the 2036 Summer Olympics
- Germany's Olympic committee selects Munich as its candidate to host the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2036, 2040, or 2044. (AP)
- 12 September 2026 – 2026 Summer Youth Olympics
- The Olympic flame arrives in Dakar, Senegal, ahead of the upcoming Youth Olympic Games, which will be the first Olympic Games held in Africa. (AP)
- 29 August 2026 – 2026 Women's NORCECA Volleyball Championship
- Canada at the 2028 Summer Olympics, Volleyball at the 2028 Summer Olympics
- In volleyball, the Canadian women’s national team qualifies for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, U.S., their first qualification since 1996 following a victory against the Dominican Republic in the Women's NORCECA Volleyball Continental Championship. (CBC)
- 16 August 2026 – 2026 IFAF Women's Flag Football World Championship, Canada at the 2028 Summer Olympics
- In flag football, Canada's women's team defeats the defending champion United States to win its third IFAF Flag Football World Championship title. Additionally, the men's football team qualifies for the upcoming Summer Olympics. (Global News)
- 15 August 2026 – 2026 European Aquatics Championships
- In swimming, Johannes Liebmann sets a men's 1,500-metre freestyle world record of 14:26.79 at the European Championships, improving Bobby Finke's 2024 Olympic record by nearly four seconds. (AFP via RFI)
Did You Know...-
- ... that Evelyn Terhune, a member of the U.S. fencing team at the 1960 Summer Olympics, took up the sport on a dare?
- ... that the Israeli team at the 1972 Summer Olympics attended the German production of Fiddler on the Roof as guests of its star, Israeli actor Shmuel Rodensky, the night before the Munich massacre?
- ... that at the 2018 Winter Olympics, Dom Parsons won the first medal for a British male in skeleton in 70 years?
- ... that at the 2018 Winter Olympics, New Jersey-born Anthony Watson became the first slider to represent Jamaica in skeleton at the Olympic level?
- ... that after the U.S. Congress passed a resolution urging the IOC to reject Beijing's bid for the 2000 Olympics, the city's vice mayor Zhang Baifa threatened to boycott the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta?
Upcoming Olympic Games
2028 Summer Olympics
The 2028 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 2028 or LA28, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place from July 14 to 30, 2028, in the United States. Los Angeles will be the host city, with various events also scheduled to be held at other cities spread across the Greater Los Angeles area, plus two subsites in Oklahoma City.
Los Angeles had originally bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Following multiple withdrawals, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved a process to concurrently award the 2024 and 2028 Games to Los Angeles and Paris as the two remaining candidates; Paris was preferred as host for 2024, while Los Angeles agreed to host in 2028. Los Angeles was formally awarded the Games at the 131st IOC Session in Lima, Peru, on September 13, 2017. They will mark the fifth Summer Olympics, and ninth Olympics overall to be hosted by the United States. Los Angeles has previously hosted the Summer Olympics in 1932 and 1984, and will become the third three-time host city after London (1908, 1948, 2012) and Paris (1900, 1924, 2024), and the first non-European city to do so. These will be the first Summer Olympics held under the IOC presidency of Kirsty Coventry.
After debuting in 2020 as optional events, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing have been promoted to the Summer Olympics' core event program. The Games will feature the debut of flag football and squash as optional sports, joined by the return of baseball/softball, cricket (for the first time since 1900) and lacrosse (for the first time as a medal event since 1908).
All-time Combined Olympic Games Medal Table
Separate current and precursor NOCs (records not combined):
| No. | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States | 1,232 | 1,013 | 892 | 3,137 |
| 2 |  Soviet Union | 473 | 376 | 355 | 1,204 |
| 3 |  China | 330 | 262 | 227 | 819 |
| 4 |  Germany | 327 | 326 | 327 | 980 |
| 5 |  Great Britain | 318 | 346 | 361 | 1,025 |
| 6 |  France | 293 | 329 | 363 | 985 |
| 7 |  Italy | 281 | 250 | 298 | 829 |
| 8 |  Norway | 229 | 199 | 188 | 616 |
| 9 |  Sweden | 224 | 238 | 247 | 709 |
| 10 |  Japan | 211 | 198 | 233 | 642 |
2030 Winter Olympics
The 2030 Winter Olympics (French: Jeux olympiques d'hiver de 2030), officially known as the XXVI Olympic Winter Games (French: XXVIes Jeux Olympiques d'hiver) and branded as Alpes 2030, is an upcoming international winter multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 1 to 17 February 2030 in the French Alps region as main hosts.
As part of the new Olympic bid process, the Future Host Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) nominated the French Alps as its preferred candidate on 29 November 2023. The French Alps' bid was approved during the 142nd IOC Session in Paris, France ahead to the 2024 Summer Olympics on 24 July 2024. These will be the first Olympic Games to be officially hosted by a region rather than a host city.
The events will take place in two French regions, mainly in the Metropolis of Lyon and in the departments of Savoie and Haute-Savoie in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, as well as in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Speed skating is scheduled to be held in Heerenveen, Netherlands. These will be the fourth Winter Olympics, and the seventh Olympic Games overall, to be hosted by France.
Olympic Sports
- 3x3 basketball (discipline)
- Archery
- Artistic swimming (discipline)
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Baseball (discipline)
- Basketball (discipline)
- Beach volleyball (discipline)
- Boxing
- Canoeing
- Cricket
- Cycling
- Diving (discipline)
- Equestrian
- Fencing
- Football
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Handball
- Field hockey
- Judo
- Lacrosse
- Marathon swimming (discipline)
- Modern pentathlon
- Rowing
- Rugby sevens (discipline)
- Sailing
- Shooting
- Skateboarding
- Softball (discipline)
- Sport climbing
- Squash
- Surfing
- Swimming (discipline)
- Table tennis
- Taekwondo
- Tennis
- Triathlon
- Volleyball (discipline)
- Water polo (discipline)
- Weightlifting
- Wrestling
- Alpine skiing (discipline)
- Biathlon
- Bobsleigh (discipline)
- Cross-country skiing (discipline)
- Curling
- Figure skating (discipline)
- Freeride (discipline)
- Freestyle skiing (discipline)
- Ice hockey
- Luge
- Short track speed skating (discipline)
- Skeleton (discipline)
- Ski jumping (discipline)
- Ski mountaineering
- Snowboard (discipline)
- Speed skating (discipline)
- Basque pelota
- Breaking
- Croquet
- Jeu de paume
- Karate
- Military patrol
- Nordic combined (discipline)
- Polo
- Rackets
- Roque
- Rugby union (discipline)
- Tug of war
- Water motorsports
Olympic Games Countdown
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Topics
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| Unofficial sports |
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National Olympic Committees that have competed at the Olympic Games | |
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| Africa |
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| Americas |
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| Asia |
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| Oceania | |
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