| 1 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/olympic_rings_without_rims.png]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:350:The famous Olympic Rings, designed in 1913 by Pierre de Coubertin (with the current version applied since 2011).]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | ->''"Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communiter"'' |
| 5 | -->-- '''[[PretentiousLatinMotto Motto]]''' as of 2021 ([[DareToBeBadass "Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together."]]) |
| 6 | |
| 7 | In its purest form, the Olympic Games are a time when the world stops fighting, gathers together, and proceeds to watch as every country tries to show up every other country by beating them at sports. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | Essentially, it is a chance for (mostly) friendly competition between nations for the greater glory of one's homeland, all under the light of a sacred fire lit with the rays of the sun and brought all the way from Olympia in UsefulNotes/{{Greece}}, where an ancient version of the Games was staged from 776 BC to AD 393. However, the Olympics can also get somewhat political. Just ask the residents of UsefulNotes/{{Moscow}} and UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, which took turns hosting at the height of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar--and saw boycotts (from the US and USSR respectively) as a result. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | Originally from UsefulNotes/AncientGreece, the Games were revived as a concept in 1896. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | ---- |
| 14 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 15 | |
| 16 | !![[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Olympic_Games The Ancient Olympics]] |
| 17 | |
| 18 | Held from 776 BC to AD 393 in (fittingly enough) Olympia, Greece. As with the modern Olympic Games, they were held every four years or ''Olympiad''; Greek historians used the ''Olympiad'' to keep track of the years, because it was the one event that all of Greece could be counted on to attend and could therefore be used to cross-reference dates in the [[AlternativeCalendar innumerable calendars the city-states used]]. (Each state had its own calendar, and some had ''two''; Athens, for instance, had a twelve-month lunisolar calendar for religious and agricultural purposes, and a ten-month solar calendar for managing state business.) |
| 19 | |
| 20 | The Games were only open to free [[AlwaysMale men]] who spoke Greek (although women could enter horses in the equestrian events, and were later given the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraean_Games Heraean Games]], though not much is known about them and they appear to have been a far less prestigious affair). Winners were given wreaths made of olive branches and became heroes -- some of them even ''gods'', literally -- to their hometowns, which often brought with it a considerable sum of money (among other perks, laureates in Athens, for example, were entitled to free meals for life at the Prytaneum). Athletes competed in the nude; in fact, our word "gymnasium" comes from the Greek word "gymnos," meaning "naked". The nudity helped make sure no woman pulled a SweetPollyOliver. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | Back in the day, Olympics were very big deals indeed; during the Games period and while the athletes were traveling to the Games and back, all wars were put on hold, armies were forbidden to enter Olympia, and the use of the death penalty was suspended, in contrast to the modern world, where the Olympics gets suspended in favour of warfare. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | The Games became increasingly commercialized over the centuries as Greece lost power and prestige in the world. They were no longer considered a religious festival but a secular event. Non-Greeks were allowed to enter, and winners sought not just prestige and laurels but money. Invaders tore down the temples and shrines, while people like UsefulNotes/{{Nero}} "competed" and won, with the playing field tilted in his favor. The Games were ultimately banned by Emperor UsefulNotes/TheodosiusI, who established UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} as the state religion of UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire and viewed the Olympics as a pagan festival. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | !!The Modern Summer Olympics |
| 27 | |
| 28 | Established by a group led by French aristocrat [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_de_Coubertin Pierre de Coubertin]], the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896. Since then they have been held every four years (coincidentally on every leap year and every US presidential election year too) for the most part; this tradition has only been broken on four occasions, with the 1916 games being cancelled due to UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, the 1940 and 1944 games being cancelled due to UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics being postponed to the following summer due to the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic. There have been a number of near-misses too (most infamously the 1972 games in Munich, which were nearly cancelled midway through following a high-profile terrorist attack), but so far the four aforementioned games are the only ones to not fulfill the traditional schedule. |
| 29 | |
| 30 | Originally a strictly amateur affair in the truest sense of the word, some early winners literally were just in town and decided to have a go. The rule against professionalism was extremely serious. Jim Thorpe (Sac & Fox), who won two medals at the 1912 Games hosted by Stockholm, Sweden, was actually stripped of them when it emerged he'd earlier played baseball semi-professionally.[[note]]His family received duplicate gold medals 30 years after he died, but ''it took 110 years'' for him to be reinstated in the official Olympic record as sole winner of the pentathlon and decathlon in 1912.[[/note]] (However, the rule against professional athletes competing in what were considered amateur events had been lifted in part due to how the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc areas implemented the idea of a "full-time amateur athlete" where they were considered either students, soldiers, or workers in another profession, but were actually paid by the state to play in well-developed leagues and modern facilities to train year-round. The result of that loophole led to events like basketball allowing for professionals to play in the Olympics by the end of the 20th century. One famous example of professional players being able to play in the Olympics and do incredibly well was the 1992 U.S. Dream Team, a men's basketball team filled with eventual Hall of Fame players from the NBA (alongside a player from the NCAA and a recently retired NBA player having one last hurrah for himself), that curb stomped the competition of the entire event that year. |
| 31 | |
| 32 | Events for the games have varied over the years, with some early events (like lacrosse and tug of war) not lasting and some more recent additions, like badminton in 1992, taekwondo in 2000, rugby sevens from 2016, and skatebording in 2020. Artistic events were also previously featured as a part of the Olympics in the early days from 1912 to 1948, with architecture, literature, music, paining, and sculpture all being a part of the Olympiad at one point (with the focus of sport in mind) due to the original intentions for the Olympics by Pierre de Coubertin himself. However, all artistic endeavors for the event stopped being considered events for the Olympics by 1954 due to a ruling saying all Olympic athletes had to be amateurs, while artists were considered professionals in their respective fields. Cultural Olympiads are considered official replacements for artistic fields with the Olympics since 1956, with more information on it found in Website/TheOtherWiki [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_competitions_at_the_Summer_Olympics here.]] |
| 33 | |
| 34 | One unique event for the games is the "modern pentathlon", consisting of show jumping, 200-meter freestyle swimming, pistol shooting, épée fencing, and 3-kilometer cross-country running, purportedly based on the experiences of a nineteenth-century cavalryman behind enemy lines. As a side note, from 1912 to 1952 cavalry ''officers'' were allowed to compete in the pentathlon, while cavalry ''soldiers'' were not; the reasoning was that soldiers trained in riding and weaponry for a living and hence were "professionals", while [[OfficerAndAGentleman officers were independently wealthy and were considered "amateurs"]]. |
| 35 | |
| 36 | The host city for any given Summer Olympics is chosen about seven years in advance by the International Olympic Committee: cities submit detailed bids, which are voted on in a fairly complex process. After the first Olympiad, a large number of organizers and endorsers advocated for having the games hosted in Athens every year to uphold ancient tradition (even if it wasn't in Olympia), but this was vetoed in favor of making the games a globally-travelling affair; the games would not return to Greece until 108 years later in 2004, where they were once again held in Athens. Hosting the Olympics is a very expensive thing, although (ideally) it does give you a nice stadium or three and some vastly improved city infrastructure when you're done. In many cases, the games can act as a symbol of national strength, for better or for worse, and indeed the Olympics have been utilized for this purpose by a number of regimes, from Nazi Germany's propaganda piece in 1936 to South Korea's freedom from dictatorship in 1988, to the world in the wake of inclusion, diversity and the aftermath of an [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic ongoing pandemic]] in 2021 (the 2020 games having been delayed by a year). |
| 37 | |
| 38 | [[folder:The Summer Games]] |
| 39 | All Games are numbered as the "Games of the [Roman numeral] Olympiad", an Olympiad being a four-year cycle. |
| 40 | |
| 41 | * '''I -- 1896: Athens, Greece''' |
| 42 | -->'''Duration:''' 6-15 April\ |
| 43 | '''Participating athletes:''' 241 (all-male) from 14 [=NOCs=][[note]]Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden and United States debut[[/note]]\ |
| 44 | '''Events:''' 43 in 9 sports[[note]]'''Introduced:''' 12 athletics ([men's] 100m run, 400m run, 800m run, 1500m run, 110m hurdles, marathon, high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, shot put, and discus throw), 6 cycling (road race, sprint, time trial, 10km race, 100km race, and 12-hour race), 3 fencing ([men's] foil, masters foil, and sabre), 8 gymnastics ([men's] horizontal bar, parallel bars, pommel horse, rings, rope climbing, vault, team parallel bars, team horizontal bar), 5 shooting ([men's] 200m military rifle, 300m 3-position free rifle, 25m military pistol, 25m rapid fire pistol, and 30m free pistol), 4 swimming ([men's] 100m freestyle, 500m freestyle, 1200m freestyle, and sailors 100m freestyle), 2 tennis ([men's] singles and doubles), 2 weightlifting ([men's] one-hand lift and two-hand lift) and 1 wrestling (Greco-Roman)[[/note]]\ |
| 45 | '''First Medals (bronze):''' Austria[[note]]Adolf Schmal (men's 10km cycling)[[/note]], Denmark[[note]]Holger Nielsen (men's sabre fencing)[[/note]], France[[note]]Albin Lermusiaux (men's 1500m run)[[/note]], Germany[[note]]Hermann Weingärtner (men's vault)[[/note]], Great Britain[[note]]Charles Gmelin (men's 400m run)[[/note]], Greece[[note]]Ioannis Persakis (men's triple jump)[[/note]], Hungary[[note]]Alajos Szokolyi (men's 100m run)[[/note]], and United States[[note]]James Connolly (men's long jump)[[/note]]\ |
| 46 | '''First Medals (silver):''' Austria[[note]]Otto Herschmann (men's 100m freestyle)[[/note]], Denmark[[note]]Viggo Jensen (men's one-hand weightlifting)[[/note]], France[[note]]ALexandre Tuffere (men's triple jump)[[/note]], Germany[[note]]Hermann Weingärtner (men's pommel horse)[[/note]], Great Britain[[note]]Launceston Elliot (men's two-hand weightlifting)[[/note]], Greece[[note]]Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos (men's discus throw)[[/note]], Hungary[[note]]Nándor Dáni (men's 800m run[[/note]], Switzerland[[note]]Louis Zutter (men's vault)[[/note]], and United States[[note]]Herbert Jamison (men's 400m run)[[/note]]\ |
| 47 | '''First Medals (gold):''' Australia[[note]]Edwin Flack (men's 800m run)[[/note]], Austria[[note]]Paul Neumann (men's 500m freestyle)[[/note]], Denmark[[note]]Viggo Jensen (men's two-hand weightlifting)[[/note]], France[[note]]Eugène-Henri Gravelotte (men's foil fencing)[[/note]], Germany[[note]]Men's parallel bars team (Konrad Böcker, Alfred Flatow, Gustav Flatow, Georg Hilmar, Fritz Manteuffel, Karl Neukirch, Richard Röstel, Gustav Schuft, Carl Schuhmann, and Hermann Weingärtner)[[/note]], Great Britain[[note]]Launceston Elliot (men's one-hand weightlifting)[[/note]], Greece[[note]]Leonidas Pyrgos (men's masters foil fencing)[[/note]], Hungary[[note]]Alfréd Hajós (men's 100m freestyle)[[/note]], Switzerland[[note]]Louis Zutter (men's pommel horse)[[/note]], and United States[[note]]James Connolly (men's triple jump)[[/note]]\ |
| 48 | '''Most decorated athlete (GSB standard):''' Carl Schuhmann, Germany -- 3 gold at gymnastics[[note]]Team parallel bars, team horizontal bar, and vault[[/note]] and 1 gold at wrestling[[note]]Greco-Roman[[/note]] (4 overall)\ |
| 49 | '''Most decorated athlete (medal count):''' Hermann Weingärtner, Germany -- 6 (3 gold[[note]]Team parallel bars, team horizontal bar, and horizontal bar[[/note]], 2 silver[[note]]Pommel horse and rings[[/note]], 1 bronze[[note]]Vault[[/note]])\ |
| 50 | '''Most decorated nation (GSB standard):''' United States -- 11 gold, 7 silver and 2 bronze (20 overall, 2nd in medal count)\ |
| 51 | '''Most decorated nation (medal count):''' Greece -- 46 (10 gold, 17 silver, 19 bronze) |
| 52 | -->The very first Olympic Games. Irish-American runner [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Brendan_Connolly James Brendan Connolly]] was the very first modern Olympic champion, by way of winning the triple jump (known as hop, step and jump at that time). The highlight of the Games, however, was the first marathon, ran at the route said to have been taken by Greek soldier Pheidippides to relay news of the Greek triumph over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon, won by Greek water carrier [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyridon_Louis Spyridon Louis]], earning him a place in the Greek sporting pantheon. Princes [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_George_of_Greece_and_Denmark George]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I_of_Greece Constantine]] of Greece ran the last lap alongside him. The second-place winner was also Greek, Kharilaos Vasilakos. |
| 53 | * '''II -- 1900: Paris, France''' |
| 54 | -->'''Duration:''' 14 May -- 28 October\ |
| 55 | '''Participating athletes:''' 997 (975 men, 22 women) from 28 [=NOCs=][[note]]Argentina, Belgium, Bohemia, Canada, Cuba, Haiti, India, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Russian Empire and Spain debut; Bulgaria and Chile withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 56 | '''Events:''' 85 in 19 sports[[note]]'''Introduced:''' 8 aquatics ([men's] 200m freestyle, 1000m freestyle, 4000m freestyle, 200m team swim, 200m obstacle swim, underwater swim, and water polo), 6 archery (50m Au Cordon Doré, 33m Au Cordon Doré, 50m Au Chapelet, 33m Au Chapelet, Sur la Perche à la Herse, and Sur la Perche à la Pyramide), 7 athletics ([men's] 60m run, 200m run, 200m hurdles, 400m hurdles, 2500m steeplechase, 4000m steeplechase, and 5000m team race), 1 Basque pelota, 1 cricket, 3 croquet ([men's] 1-ball singles, 2-ball singles, and doubles), 2 cycling ([men's] 25km race and points race), 5 equestrian (jumping, high jump, long jump, hacks and hunter, and mail coach), 4 fencing ([men's] individual épée, masters épée, amateurs-masters épée, and masters sabre), 1 football (men's football), 2 golf (men's and women's), 1 gymnastics ([men's] all-around), 1 polo (men's polo), 4 rowing ([men's] single sculls, coxed pair, coxed four, and eights), 1 rugby union (men's rugby union), 13 sailing ([mixed] open-class, 0-0.5 ton (2 races), 0.5-1 ton (2 races), 1-2 ton (2 races), 2-3 ton (2 races), 3-10 ton (2 races), 10-20 ton, and 20+ ton), 8 shooting (20m rapid fire pistol, 50m individual free pistol, 50m team free pistol, 300m standing free rifle, 300, kneeling free rifle, 300m prone free rifle, 300m 3-position free rifle, 300m team free rifle, and trap shooting), 2 tennis (women's singles and mixed doubles), and 1 tug-of-war (men's tug-of-war) / '''Removed:''' 4 aquatics ([men's] 100m freestyle, 500m freestyle, 100m freestyle, and sailors 100m freestyle), 5 cycling ([men's] road race and time trial, 10km race, 100km race, and 12-hour race), 8 gymnastics ([men's] horizontal bar, parallel bars, pommel horse, rings, rope climbing, vault, team parallel bars, and team horizontal bars), 4 shooting (200m military rifle, 25m military pistol, 25m rapid fire pistol, and 30m free pistol), 2 weightlifting (one-hand lift and two-hand lift), and 1 wrestling (Greco-Roman)[[/note]]\ |
| 57 | '''First medals (bronze):''' Belgium[[note]]Georges Van Der Poele (equestrian high jump)[[/note]], Bohemia[[note]]Hedwiga Rosenbaumová (women's singles tennis)[[/note]], Canada[[note]]George Orton (men's 400m hurdles)[[/note]], Netherlands[[note]]Men's 50m free pistol shooting team (Solko van den Bergh, Antonius Bouwens, Paul Lotsij, Dirk Boest Gips, Henrik Sillem, and Anthony Sweijs)[[/note]], Mexico[[note]]Men's polo team (Eustaquio de Escandón y Barrón, Manuel de Villavieja Escandón y Barrón, Pablo de Escandón y Barrón, and Guillermo Hayden Wright)[[/note]], Norway[[note]]Carl Albert Andersen (men's pole vault)[[/note]], and Sweden[[note]]Ernst Fast (men's marathon)[[/note]]\ |
| 58 | '''First medals (silver):''' Belgium[[note]]Georges Van Der Poele (equestrian showjumping)[[/note]], Bohemia[[note]]František Janda-Suk (men's discus throw)[[/note]], Cuba[[note]]Ramón Fonst (men's amateurs-masters épée fencing)[[/note]], India[[note]]Norman Pritchard (men's 200m hurdles)[[/note]], Italy[[note]]Gian Giorgio Trissino (equestrian long jump)[[/note]], Netherlands[[note]]Men's coxed four rowing team (Coenraad Hiebendaal, Geert Lotsij, Paul Lotsij, Johannes Terwogt, and Hermanus Brockmann)[[/note]], and Norway[[note]]Ole Østmo (men's 300m standing free rifle shooting)[[/note]]\ |
| 59 | '''First medals (gold):''' Belgium[[note]]Aimé Haegeman (equestrian showjumping)[[/note]], Canada[[note]]George Orton (men's 2500m steeplechase)[[/note]], Cuba[[note]]Ramón Fonst (men's épée fencing)[[/note]], Italy[[note]]Gian Giorgio Trissino (equestrian high jump)[[/note]], Luxembourg[[note]]Michel Théato (marathon)[[/note]] and Spain[[note]]Men's Basque pelota team (José de Amézola y Aspizúa and Francisco Villota)[[/note]]\ |
| 60 | '''Most decorated athlete (GSB standard and medal count):''' Alvin Kraenzlein, United States -- 4 gold at athletics[[note]]Men's 60m run, men's 110m hurdles, men's 200m hurdles, and men's long jump[[/note]]\ |
| 61 | '''Most decorated nation (GSB standard and medal count):''' France -- 29 gold, 44 silver, 39 bronze (112 overall) |
| 62 | -->Highlights include women participating for the first time, with Swiss sailor [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A9l%C3%A8ne_de_Pourtal%C3%A8s Hélène de Pourtalès]] becoming the first female champion, as well as American runner [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_Kraenzlein Alvin Kraenzlein]] winning the 60m relay (since discontinued after Saint Louis 1904), 110m hurdles, 200m hurdles and long jump -- a record that stands to this day. Cuban fencer Ramón Fonst also became the very first Latin American medalist (and a gold medalist, too) of the Games. The marathon's epic craziness involved a poorly laid-out course, leading to runners going in circles and two Americans claiming first place. (The winner, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Th%C3%A9ato Michel Théato]], was Luxembourgian.) Another kerfoofle had to do with the fact that the French wanted to start the Games on Sunday (Saturday being Bastille Day, they were afraid nobody would show up because they'd all be at the parades), and the Americans didn't want to break the Sabbath, throwing the Games into even more chaos (historian John Kieran said the games went along "with all the smoothness of a mining town riot". Putting it mildly). Largely seen at the time as a sideshow to the ''Exposition Universelle'' (World's Fair) that Paris was hosting that year. (Which meant that nobody showed up anyway.) It wasn't even called the Olympic Games; the French organizers insisted on calling it an "international sports competition". Pierre de Coubertin remarked afterward that he was surprised that the "Olympic Movement" survived these games. |
| 63 | * '''III -- 1904: St. Louis, Missouri, United States (originally Chicago, Illinois, United States)''' |
| 64 | -->'''Duration:''' 1 July -- 23 November\ |
| 65 | '''Participating athletes:''' 651 (645 men, 6 women) from 13 [=NOCs=][[note]]South Africa debuts; Argentina, Belgium, Bohemia, Denmark, Haiti, India, Iran, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Romania, Russian Empire, Spain and Sweden withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 66 | '''Events:''' 94 in 16 sports[[note]]'''Introduced:''' 11 aquatics ([men's] platform diving, plunge-for-distance diving, 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 220-yard freestyle, 440-yard freestyle, 80-yard freestyle, 1-mile freestyle, 100-yard backstroke, 40-yard breaststroke, and 4×50-yard freestyle relay), 6 archery (men's double York round, men's double American round, men's team round, women's double National round, women's double Columbia round, and women's team round), 9 athletics ([men's] 2590m steeplechase, 4-mile team race, standing long jump, standing triple jump, standing high jump, hammer throw, 56-pound weight throw), triathlon, and all-around), 1 golf (men's team), 7 cycling ([men's] 1/4-mile race, 1/3-mile race, 1/2-mile race, 1-mile race, 2-mile race, 5-mile race, and 25-mile race), 4 gymnastics ([men's] combined, triathlon, team, and club swinging), 1 lacrosse (men's lacrosse), 1 roque (men's roque), 3 rowing ([men's] double sculls, coxless pair, and coxless four), 1 weightlifting (men's all-around dumbbell), and 7 wrestling ([men's] light flyweight freestyle, flyweight freestyle, bantamweight freestyle, featherweight freestyle, lightweight freestyle, welterweight freestyle, and heavyweight freestyle) / '''Returning:''' 6 gymnastics ([men's] horizontal bar, parallel bars, pommel horse, rings, rope climbing, and vault), 1 weightlifting (men's all-around dumbbell) / '''Removed:''' 8 aquatics (200m freestyle, 1000m freestyle, 4000m freestyle, 200m backstroke, 200m team swim, underwater swim, and water polo), 6 archery (50m Au Cordon Doré, 33m Au Cordon Doré, 50m Au Chapelet, 33m Au Chapelet, Sur la Perche à la Herse, and Sur la Perche à la Pyramide), 3 athletics (2500m steeplechase, 4000m steeplechase, and 5000m team race), 1 Basque pelota (men's Basque pelota), 1 cricket (men's cricket), 3 croquet ([men's] 1-ball singles, 2-ball singles, and doubles), 3 cycling ([men's] 25km race, points race, and sprint), 4 equestrian (jumping, high jump, long jump, hacks and hunter, and mail coach), 7 fencing ([men's] masters foil, individual épée, masters épée, amateurs-masters épée, individual foil, individual sabre, and masters sabre), 1 golf (women's individuals), 1 polo (men's polo), 2 rowing ([men's[ coxed pair and coxed four), 1 rugby union (men's rugby union), 13 sailing ([mixed] open-class, 0-0.5 ton (2 races), 0.5-1 ton (2 races), 1-2 ton (2 races), 2-3 ton (2 races), 3-10 ton (2 races), 10-20 ton, and 20+ ton), 9 shooting ([men's] 300m standing free rifle, 300m kneeling free rifle, 300m prone free rifle, 300m 3-position free rifle, 300m team free rifle, 20m rapid fire pistol, 50m individual free pistol, 50m team free pistol, and trap shooting), 2 tennis (women's singles and mixed doubles)[[/note]]\ |
| 67 | '''First medals (bronze):''' Austria[[note]]Otto Wahle (men's 440-yard freestyle swim)[[/note]] and Cuba[[note]]Charles Tatham (men's foil fencing) and Albertson Van Zo Post (men's épée fencing)[[/note]]\ |
| 68 | '''First medals (silver):''' Canada[[note]]Men's eights rowing team (Arthur Bailey, Phil Boyd, Thomas Loudon, Don [=MacKenzie=], George Reiffenstein, William Rice, George Strange, William Wadsworth, and Joseph Wright)[[/note]]\ |
| 69 | '''Most decorated athlete (GSB standard):''' Anton Heida, United States -- 5 gold[[note]]Team competition, combined, pommel horse, vault, and horizontal bar[[/note]] and 1 silver[[note]]Parallel bars[[/note]] at gymnastics (6 overall, tied for 1st with George Eyser and Burton Downing)\ |
| 70 | '''Most decorated athlete (medal count):''' Anton Heida, United States -- 5 gold and 1 bronze at gymnastics / George Eyser, United States -- 3 gold[[note]]Rope climbing, vault, and paralle bars[[/note]], 2 silver[[note]]Combined 4 events and pommel horse[[/note]] and 1 bronze[[note]]Horizontal bar[[/note]] at gymnastics / Burton Downing, United States -- 2 gold[[note]]2-mile race and 25-mile race[[/note]], 3 silver[[note]]1/4-mile race, 1/3-mile race, and 1-mile race[[/note]] and 1 bronze[[note]]1/2-mile race[[/note]] at cycling (6 medals each)\ |
| 71 | '''Most decorated nation (GSB standard and medal count):''' United States -- 78 gold, 82 silver, 79 bronze (239 overall) |
| 72 | -->A confusing, badly organized mess, with the Russo-Japanese War and the traveling keeping many Europeans away. Like Paris 1900, these were basically a sideshow for the big World's Fair that year -- the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (which lasted longer and was the main reason why the Olympics were as long as it was that year) -- and indeed, de Coubertin had been browbeaten into accepting St. Louis in lieu of Chicago, which actually won the hosting rights fair and square. The marathon was a farce and a half.[[note]]To summarize: the race day was brutally humid and hot and only one water-station was provided on the course. The athletes were running on open dirt roads and thus had to dodge oncoming traffic as they ran, the traffic also kicked up dustclouds that nearly killed one runner via pulmonary hemorrhage caused by breathing in dust (William Garcia, USA). The judges mistakenly gave the gold medal to Frederick Lorz (USA), who dropped out nine miles away, and was just jogging to pick up his clothes, not realizing the mistake until after the medals ceremony. The actual winner, British-American Thomas Hicks, was doped with strychnine (the performance enhancer of the day) and had to be carried half-dead past the finish line. The race also included South African Len Tau (also spelled Lentauw) and Yamasani, the first Africans in the Games. Lentauw placed ninth, but only because he was chased a mile off course by dogs (he worked as a sideshow freak during off-hours as a "savage", but he was actually a university student) and Yamasani twelfth. Finally, there is Félix Carbajal, a Cuban postman running in homemade shorts (because he lost all his money gambling in New Orleans), who, despite taking a snack break at an orchard en route (the apples he ate gave him mild food poisoning, so he had to take a nap too), still came in fourth.[[/note]] In short, these were the Games that almost ''ended'' the Olympics! This is also the main reason why Chicago has continuously bid on a spot for the Olympics many years later, even though they never have ben awarded a new year to make up for it. [[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-1904-olympic-marathon-may-have-been-the-strangest-ever-14910747/ More bizarre details here!]] |
| 73 | * '''''1906: Athens, Greece''''' |
| 74 | -->A special edition of the Games to celebrate its tenth anniversary, but is now retconned by the IOC as unofficial,[[note]]The thinking was that it would be the first games in a parallel four-yearly cycle with Athens as permanent host. Athens then changed its mind about the idea. You could almost call it a PoorlyDisguisedPilot[[/note]] it tends to be now called the "1906 Intercalated Games" to differentiate it from the other games. Still, a lot of things we now take for granted began here, including the Parade of the Athletes, an Olympic Village, and the Closing Ceremonies. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_George_of_Greece Prince George of Greece]] was again involved in the organizing and some of the judging, and ran the last lap of the Marathon alongside the winner, Canadian Billy Sherring. |
| 75 | * '''IV -- 1908: London, England, United Kingdom''' |
| 76 | -->'''Duration:''' April 27 - October 31\ |
| 77 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 2,008 (1,971 men, 37 women) from 22 [=NOCs=][[note]]Finland and Turkey debut; Argentina, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Russian Empire and Sweden return; Australia renamed Australasia with inclusion of New Zealand; Cuba withdraws[[/note]]\ |
| 78 | '''Events:''' 110 in 22 sports[[note]]'''Introduced:''' 7 aquatics ([men's] 400m freestyle, 1500m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 200m breaststroke, 4×200m freestyle relay, 3m springboard diving, and 10m platform diving), 1 archery (men's Continental style), 8 athletics ([men's] 5-mile race, 3200m steeplechase, 3-mile team race, 3500m walk, 10-mile walk, javelin throw, Greek discus, and freestyle javelin), 5 boxing ([men's] bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight), 5 cycling ([men's] 660-yard race, 5000m race, 20km race, tandem, and team pursuit), 2 fencing ([men's] team épée and team sabre), 4 figure skating (men's singles, men's special figures, women's singles, and pairs), 1 gymnastics (men's all-around team), 1 field hockey (men's field hockey), 1 jeune de paume (men's jeune de paume), 2 rackets ([men's] singles and doubles), 4 sailing (6m, 7m, 8m and 12m), 10 shooting ([men's] team military rifle, 100-yard free rifle, stationary-target small-bore rifle, moving-target small-bore rifle, disappearing-target small-bore rifle, team small-bore rifle, single-shot running deer, double-shot running deer, team single-shot running deer, individual pistol, and team trap shooting), 3 tennis (men's indoors singles, men's indoors doubles, and women's indoors singles), 3 water motorsports (Class A [open], Class B [below 60 feet], and Class C [6.5-8m]), and 8 wrestling (Greco-Roman bantamweight, Greco-Roman featherweight, Greco-Roman lightweight, Greco-Roman middleweight, Greco-Roman heavyweight, freestyle middleweight, freestyle light heavyweight, and freestyle super heavyweight) / '''Returning:''' 2 aquatics ([men's] 100m freestyle and water polo), 2 cycling ([men's] sprint and 100km race), 2 fencing ([men's] individual épée and individual sabre), 1 polo (men's polo), 1 rugby union (men's rugby union), and 2 shooting (300m 3-position free rifle and 300m team free rifle) / '''Removed:''' 11 aquatics ([men's] platform diving, plunge-for-distance diving, 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 220-yard freestyle, 440-yard freestyle, 880-yard freestyle, 1-mile freestyle, 100-yard backstroke, 440-yard backstroke, and 4×50-yard freestyle relay), 4 archery (men's double American round, men's team round, women's double Columbia round, and women's team round), 8 athletics ([men's] 60, run, 200m hurdles, 2590m steeplechase, 4-mile race, standing triple jump, 56-pound weight throw, triathlon, and all-around), 7 cycling ([men's] 1/4-mile race, 1/3-mile race, 1/2-mile race, 1-mile race, 2-mile race, 5-mile race, and 25-mile race), 2 golf (men's individuals and men's team), 10 gymnastics ([men's] horizontal bar, parallel bars, pommel horse, rings, rope climbing, vault, combined, triathlon, team, and club swinging), 1 roque (men's roque), 1 rowing ([men's] double sculls), 2 weightlifting (two-hand lift and all-around dumbbell), and 6 wrestling (freestyle light flyweight, freestyle flyweight, freestyle bantamweight, freestyle featherweight, freestyle welterweight, and freestyle heavyweight)[[/note]]\ |
| 79 | '''First medals (bronze):''' Australia/Australasia[[note]]Harry Kerr (men's 3500m walk)[[/note]] and Finland[[note]]Men's gymnastics team (Eino Forsström, Otto Granström, Johan Kemp, Jivari Kyykoski, Heikki Lehmusto, John Lindroth, Yrjö Linko, Edvard Linna, Matti Markkanen, Kaarlo Kustaa Paasia, Arvi Pohjanpää, Aarne Pohjonen, Eino Railio, Heikki Riipinen, Arno Saarinen, Einari Verner Sahlstein, Arne Salovaara, Kaarlo Sandelin, Elias Sipilä, Viktor Smeds, Kaarlo Soinio, Kurt Enoch Stenberg, Väinö Tiiri, and Magnus Wegelius)[[/note]]\ |
| 80 | '''First medals (silver):''' Australia/Australasia[[note]]Frank Beaurepaire (men's 400m freestyle)[[/note]], Finland[[note]]Yrjö Saarela (men's Greco-Roman light heavyweight wrestling)[[/note]], Russian Empire[[note]]Aleksandr Petrov (men's Greco-Roman super heavyweight wrestling)[[/note]], South Africa[[note]]Charles Hefferon (men's marathon)[[/note]], and Sweden[[note]]Men's 300m free rifle team (Per-Olof Arvidsson, Janne Gustafsson, Axel Jansson, Gustaf Adolf Jonsson, Claës Rundberg, and Gustav-Adolf Sjöberg)[[/note]]\ |
| 81 | '''First medals (gold):''' Finland[[note]]Verner Weckman (men's Greco-Roman light heavyweight wrestling)[[/note]], Norway[[note]]Men's 300m free rifle team (Julius Braathe, Albert Helgerud, Einar Liberg, Olaf Sæther, Ole Sæther, and Gudbrand Skatteboe)[[/note]], Russian Empire[[note]]Nikolai Panin (men's special figures skating)[[/note]], South Africa[[note]]Reggie Walker (men's 100m run)[[/note]], and Sweden[[note]]Oscar Swahn (men's single-shot running deer shooting)[[/note]]\ |
| 82 | '''Most decorated athlete (GSB standard):''' Mel Sheppard, United States -- 3 gold[[note]][men's] 800, 1500m, and medley relay[[/note]] at athletics / Henry Taylor, Great Britain -- 3 gold[[note]][men's] 400m freestyle, 1500m freestyle, and 4×200m freestyle[[/note]] at swimming\ |
| 83 | '''Most decorated athlete (medal count):''' Mel Sheppard, United States -- 3 gold at swimming / Henry Taylor, Great Britain -- 3 gold at swimming / Benjamin Jones, Great Britain -- 2 gold[[note]][men's] 5000m and team pursuit[[/note]] and 1 silver[[note]][men's] 20km race[[/note]] at cycling / Martin Sheridan, United States -- 2 gold[[note]][men's] Greek discus and discus throw[[/note]] and 1 bronze[[note]][men's] standing long jump[[/note]] at athletics / Oscar Swahn, Sweden -- 2 gold[[note]][men's] single-shot running deer and team single-shot running deer[[/note]] and 1 bronze[[note]][men's] double-shot running deer[[/note]] at shooting / Major Josiah George Ritchie, Great Britain -- 1 gold[[note]]men's singles[[/note]], 1 silver[[note]]men's doubles[[/note]] and 1 bronze[[note]]men's indoor singles[[/note]] at tennis / Ted Ranken, Great Britain -- 3 silver[[note]][men's] single-shot running deer, double-shot running deer, and team running deer[[/note]] at shooting (3 medals each)\ |
| 84 | '''Most decorated nation (GSB standard and medal count):''' Great Britain -- 56 gold 51 silver, 39 bronze (146 overall) |
| 85 | -->Originally supposed to take place in Rome, but following an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906 the games were relocated to London so Italy could focus on rebuilding the devastated Naples. Typical English weather ensued, along with protests over over the U.S. and Swedish flags not being displayed; the Finns being told they had to march under the Russian flag (they marched flagless, as did the Irish who were told they had to use the British flag); more controversy over the American flag not being dipped before King Edward VII at the royal box[[note]]this had less to do with [[{{Eagleland}} American exceptionalism]] than with Irish politics; the non-dipping flag carrier was Irish-American shotputter Ralph Rose[[/note]] Italian marathoner [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorando_Pietri Dorando Pietri]], also a strychnine user, staggering into the stadium half-dead, turning the wrong way, collapsing and being dragged across the finish line by doctors and officials (he was hailed as the winner, but disqualified for the assist); the 400-meter being run twice because of claims of foul play by two of the lead runners against the third; and the marathon length being standardized at 26 miles 385 yards (42.195 kilometers) because of royal requests to have Princess Alexandra start the marathon at the Windsor Palace, apparently to let the royal grandchildren see it. There were so many protests over the way the British officials handled their parts of the program that the IOC subsequently changed the entire way the games were put on and took much more control to standardize things. Another highlight is American medley runner [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Taylor_%28athlete%29 John Taylor]] becoming the first ever African-American champion. |
| 86 | * '''V -- 1912: Stockholm, Sweden''' |
| 87 | -->'''Duration:''' 6-22 July\ |
| 88 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 2,406 (2,359 men, 47 women) from 28 [=NOCs=][[note]]Egypt, Iceland, Japan, Luxembourg, Portugal and Serbia debut; Chile returns; Argentina withdraws[[/note]]\ |
| 89 | '''Events:''' 102 in 14 sports[[note]]'''Introduced:''' 2 aquatics (plain high diving and 400m breaststroke), 13 athletics ([men's] 5000m run, 10000m run, 4×100m relay, 4×400m relay, 3000m team race, 10km walk, individual cross-country, team cross-country, two-handed shot put, two-handed discus throw, two-handed javelin throw, pentathlon and decathlon), 1 cycling (men's team time trial), 4 equestrian (individual dressage, individual eventing, team eventing, and team jumping), 2 gymnastics ([men's] free system and Swedish system), 1 modern pentathlon (men's modern pentathlon), 1 rowing ([men's] coxed four with inriggers), 1 sailing (10m), 11 shooting ([men's] 300m 3-position free rifle, 600m individual free rifle, team free rifle, 25m individual free rifle, 25m team rifle, 50m team free rifle, 100m single-shot running deer, 100m double-shot running deer, 30m team military pistol, 30m rapid-fire pistol, and 50m prone rifle), 1 tennis (mixed indoors doubles), 1 wrestling ([men's] Greco-Roman light heavyweight) / '''Returning:''' 1 cycling (men's individual time trial), 1 equestrian (individual jumping), 1 fencing ([men's] individual foil), 1 rowing ([men's] coxed four), 2 shooting ([men's] 50m individual free pistol and 50m team free pistol), 1 tennis (mixed outdoors doubles) / '''Removed:''' 3 archery (men's double York round, men's Continental style, and women's double National round), 8 athletics (400m hurdles, 5-mile race, 3200m steeplechase, 3-mile team race, 3500m walk, 10-mile walk, Greek discus, and freestyle javelin), 5 boxing ([men's] bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight), 7 cycling ([men's] sprint, 600-yard race, 5000m race, 20km race, 100km race, tandem, and team pursuit), 4 figure skating (men's singles, men's special figures, women's singles, and pairs), 1 field hockey (men's field hockey), 1 jeu de paume (men's jeu de paume), 1 lacrosse (men's lacrosse), 1 polo (men's polo), 2 rackets ([men's] singles and doubles), 2 rowing ([men's] coxless pair and coxless four), 1 rugby union (men's rugby union), 1 sailing (7m), 10 shooting ([men's] 300m team free rifle, 1000-yard free rifle, stationary-target small-bore rifle, moving-target small-bore rifle, disappearing-target small-bore rifle, team small-bore rifle, individual single-shot running deer, individual double-shot running deer, team single-shot running deer, and individual pistol), 3 water motorsports (Class A [open], Class B [below 60 feet], and Class C [6.5-8m]), and 5 wrestling (Greco-Roman bantamweight, freestyle lightweight, freestyle middleweight, freestyle light heavyweight, and freestyle super heavyweight)[[/note]]\ |
| 90 | '''Most decorated athlete (GSB standard and medal count):''' Vilhelm Carlberg, Sweden -- 3 gold[[note]][men's] 30m team military pistol, 25m small-bore rifle, and 25m team small-bore rifle[[/note]] and 2 silver[[note]][men's] 50m team military pistol and 50m team small-bore rifle[[/note]] at shooting (5 overall)\ |
| 91 | '''Most decorated nation (GSB standard):''' United States -- 25 gold, 19 silver, 19 bronze (63 overall, 2nd in medal count)\ |
| 92 | '''Most decorated nation (medal count):''' Sweden -- 24 gold, 24 silver, 17 bronze (65 overall) |
| 93 | -->Saw the first arts competitions, a tradition kept up until London 1948. Japan also debuted as the first ever Asian nation at the Games. First Games to have automatic timers, invented by R. Carlstedt. These Games also featured the first women's aquatics events, as well as the first pentathlon and decathlon, both won by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thorpe Jim Thorpe]] (Sac & Fox, USA), the first Native American champion; another Native athlete, Louis Tewanima (Hopi) winning silver in the 10,000 meter run and setting a record time (32:06.6) that lasted 52 years; and Finnish runner Hannes Kohlemainen setting records on the 5km, 10km and cross-country events. |
| 94 | * '''''VI -- 1916: Berlin, Germany''''' |
| 95 | -->Cancelled due to UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. |
| 96 | * '''VII -- 1920: Antwerp, Belgium''' |
| 97 | -->'''Duration:''' 14 August -- 12 September\ |
| 98 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 2,626 (2,561 men, 65 women) from 29 [=NOCs=][[note]]Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Monaco and Yugoslavia debut; Argentina, India and Spain return; Australasia dissolves into Australia and New Zealand; Austria, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Russian Empire and Turkey withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 99 | '''Events:''' 156 in 22 sports[[note]]'''Introduced:''' 3 swimming ([women's] 100m freestyle, 300m freestyle, and 4×200m freestyle relay), 10 archery ([men's] fixed large bird individuals, fixed large bird team, fixed small bird individuals, fixed small bird team, 50m moving bird individuals, 50m moving bird team, 33m moving bird individuals, 33m moving bird team, 28m moving bird individuals, and 28m moving bird team), 3 athletics ([men's] 3000m steeplechase, 3km racewalking, and 25kg weight throw), 3 boxing ([men's] flyweight, welterweight, and light heavyweight), 1 cycling (men's 50km track race), 2 equestrian ([men's] individual vaulting and team vaulting), 1 fencing (men's team foil), 1 ice hockey (men's ice hockey), 9 sailing ([mixed] 12ft dinghy, 18ft dinghy, 6.5m boat, 8.5m boat, 6m boat [1919 rules], 7m boat, 8m boat [1919 rules], 10m boat [1919 rules], 12m boat [1919 rules], 30 sq. m. Skerry cruiser, and 40 sq. m. Skerry cruiser), 13 shooting ([men's] 30m military pistol individuals, 50m small-bore rifle individuals, 300m 3-position free rifle team, 300m prone military rifle individuals, 300m prone military rifle team, 300m standing military rifle individuals, 300m standing military rifle team, 600m prone military rifle individuals, 600m prone military rifle team, 300+600m prone military rifle team, 100m running deer single-shot team, 100m running deer double-shot team, and clay pigeons team), 1 tennis (women's doubles), and 5 weightlifting ([men's] featherweight, lightweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight) '''Returning:''' 1 athletics (men's 400m hurdles), 5 boxing ([men's] bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight), 3 cycling ([men's] sprint, tandem, and team pursuit), 3 figure skating (men's singles, women's singles, and mixed pairs), 1 field hockey (men's field hockey), 1 polo (men's polo), 3 rowing ([men's] sculls doubles, coxed pair, and coxed four), 1 rugby (men's rugby union), and 10 wrestling ([men's] Greco-Roman featherweight, Greco-Roman lightweight, Greco-Roman middleweight, Greco-Roman light heavyweight, Greco-Roman heavyweight, freestyle featherweight, freestyle lightweight, freestyle middleweight, freestyle light heavyweight, and freestyle heavyweight) '''Removed:''' 5 athletics ([men's] standing long jump, standing high jump, two-handed shot put, two-handed discus throw, and two-handed javelin throw), 4 shooting ([men's] 600m free rifle individuals, free rifle team, 300m 3-position military rifle, and trap shooting team), 4 tennis (men's indoor singles, men's indoor doubles, women's indoor singles, and mixed indoor doubles)[[/note]]\ |
| 100 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Victor Boin[[note]]1912 bronze and 1908 silver medalist at water polo and 1920 silver medalist at fencing[[/note]]\ |
| 101 | '''First medals (bronze):''' Australia[[note]]Frank Beaurepaire (men's 1500m freestyle swimming)[[/note]], Brazil[[note]]Men's 50m free pistol team (Afrânio da Costa, Sebastião Wolf, Dario Barbosa, Fernando Soledade, and Guilherme Paraense)[[/note]], Czechoslovakia[[note]]Men's ice hockey team (Karel Hartmann, Vilém Loos, Jan Palouš, Jan Peka, Karel Pešek, Josef Šroubek, Otakar Vindyš, and Karel Wälzer)[[/note]], Italy[[note]]Ernesto Ambrosini (men's 3000m steeplechase)[[/note]], New Zealand[[note]]Darcy Hadfield (men's single sculls rowing)[[/note]], and South Africa[[note]]Men's pursuit cycling team (James Walker, William Smith, Henry Kaltenbrun, and Harry Goosen)[[/note]]\ |
| 102 | '''First medals (silver):''' Australia[[note]]George Parker (men's 3000m walk)[[/note]], Brazil[[note]]Afrânio da Costa (men's 50m free pistol shooting)[[/note]], Estonia[[note]]Jüri Lossmann (men's marathon)[[/note]], Japan[[note]]Ichiya Kumagae (men's singles tennis)[[/note]], Luxembourg[[note]]Joseph Alzin (men's weightlifting, 82.5kg)[[/note]], and Spain[[note]]Men's polo team (Álvaro de Figueroa, José de Figueroa, Hernando Fitz-James, Jacobo Fitz-James, and Leopoldo Saínz de la Maza)[[/note]]\ |
| 103 | '''First medals (gold):''' Brazil[[note]]Guilherme Paraense (men's 30m military pistol shooting)[[/note]], Estonia[[note]]Alfred Neuland (men's weightlifting, 67.5kg)[[/note]], and Netherlands[[note]]Men's 6.5m sailing team (Joop Carp, Berend Carp, and Petrus Wernink)[[/note]]\ |
| 104 | '''Most decorated athlete (GSB standard):''' Willis Augustus Lee, United States -- 5 gold,[[note]][men's] 50m small-bore rifle team, 300m prone military rifle singles, 600m free rifle team, 300+600m free rifle team, and free rifle team[[/note]], 1 silver,[[note]]men's 300m standing military rifle team[[/note]] and 1 bronze[[note]]men's 100m running-deer single-shot team[[/note]] in shooting (7 total)\ |
| 105 | '''Most decorated athlete (medal count):''' Willis Augustus Lee, United States -- 5 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze at shooting / Lloyd Spooner, United States -- 4 gold,[[note]][men's] 300m prone military rifle team 600m prone military rifle team, 300+600m prone military rifle team, and free rifle team[[/note]] 1 silver[[note]]men's 300m standing military rifle team[[/note]] and 2 bronze[[note]][men's] 600m prone military rifle individuals and 100m running-deer single-shot team[[/note]] at shooting (7 medals each)\ |
| 106 | '''Most decorated nation (GSB standard and medal count):''' United States -- 41 gold, 27 silver, and 27 bronze (95 total) |
| 107 | -->First appearance of the Olympic Flag, the Oath and the doves. First Games in which the U.S. Army and Navy took an official part. The U.S. team [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutiny_of_the_Matoika were brought over on a military transport with lousy accommodations and threatened to strike]] -- and again when they discovered their Antwerp lodgings were in an old abandoned schoolhouse. Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn set a record for becoming the oldest medalist ''ever'', winning silver at 72 years old (he had won gold in the previous two Games), and introduced the world to legendary Finnish runner [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paavo_Nurmi Paavo Nurmi]], who won three golds and one silver. As the losing nations of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, Austria, Germany[[note]]would also be banned from the 1924 Olympics[[/note]], Hungary and Turkey were banned from these games. |
| 108 | * '''VIII -- 1924: Paris, France''' |
| 109 | -->'''Duration:''' May 4 -- July 27\ |
| 110 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 3,089 (2,954 men, 135 women) from 44 [=NOCs=][[note]]Ecuador, Haiti, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Philippines, Poland and Uruguay debut; Austria, Bulgaria, Cuba, Hungary, Mexico, Romania and Turkey return[[/note]]\ |
| 111 | '''Number of sports:''' 17\ |
| 112 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Géo André[[note]]1920 bronze and 1908 silver medalist at athletics[[/note]] |
| 113 | -->This marked the second time the Games were held in Paris. Not especially well known, except for the movie ''Film/ChariotsOfFire'', which focused on Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, British runners who won the 400m and 100m, respectively. For those who would pry deeper, the Games featured Paavo Nurmi once again, as he tore through the competition with five golds, complementing his compatriots' domination of the track events. These Games also introduced the Olympic Motto and the idea of a Village in which athletes could interact and train with each other. |
| 114 | * '''IX -- 1928: Amsterdam, Netherlands''' |
| 115 | -->'''Duration:''' July 28 -- August 12\ |
| 116 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 2,883 (2,606 men, 277 women) from 46 [=NOCs=][[note]]Malta, Panama and Rhodesia debut; Germany returns; Brazil and Ecuador withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 117 | '''Number of sports:''' 14\ |
| 118 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Harry Dénis[[note]]1920 bronze medalist at football[[/note]] |
| 119 | -->The Games that set several firsts, such as the first appearance of the Olympic Flame, the tradition of Greece starting the athletes' parade, the 400m oval which would become the standard for Olympic track events, and the sponsorship of Coca-Cola. Germany, banned in both 1920 and 1924, made its return. Austro-Hungarian-American swimmer Johnny Weissmuller won two gold medals, then went on to a film career as Franchise/{{Tarzan}}, and Paavo Nurmi ended his career with a gold and a silver. Amsterdam 1928 also featured the first ever Asian gold medalist, Japanese triple jumper Mikio Oda. |
| 120 | * '''X -- 1932: Los Angeles, California, United States''' |
| 121 | -->'''Duration:''' July 30 -- August 14\ |
| 122 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 1,332 (1,206 men, 126 women) from 37 [=NOCs=][[note]]China and Colombia debut; Brazil returns; Bulgaria, Chile, Cuba, Egypt, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Panama, Rhodesia, Romania and Turkey withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 123 | '''Number of sports:''' 14\ |
| 124 | '''Olympic Oath:''' George Calnan[[note]]1928 and 2-time 1932 bronze medalist at fencing[[/note]] |
| 125 | -->First use of the victory podium. Not exactly notable except for people who watched ''Film/LettersFromIwoJima'' -- one of its main characters is Takeichi Nishi, Japan's only equestrian gold medalist, who would later die as a soldier during the defense of Iwo Jima. Fellow Japanese swimmer Kusuo Kitamura also became the youngest ever Olympic champion at 14 years old, a record that would last until 1992. Afro-American Ed Gordon (father of, yes, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Gordon_(journalist) that Ed Gordon]]) took the gold in long jump. |
| 126 | * '''XI -- 1936: Berlin, Germany''' |
| 127 | -->'''Duration:''' August 1-16\ |
| 128 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 3,963 (3,632 men, 331 women) from 49 [=NOCs=][[note]]Afghanistan, Bermuda, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Liechtenstein and Peru debut; Bulgaria, Chile, Cuba, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Romania and Turkey return; Haiti, Ireland and Spain withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 129 | '''Number of sports:''' 19\ |
| 130 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Rudolf Ismayr[[note]]1936 silver and 1932 gold medalist at weightlifting, as well as five-time world record holder[[/note]]\ |
| 131 | '''Lighter of the Flame:''' Fritz Schilgen |
| 132 | -->"[[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany The Nazi Games]]"[[note]]Hitler originally had denounced the Olympics as made up by "Jews and Freemasons". In 1931 the Weimar Republic was in charge and the IOC had awarded them the 1936 games; when Hitler came to power, Goebbels talked him into the Olympics to prove "Aryan superiority"[[/note]] and the first to be broadcast on television. African-American runner Jesse Owens won four gold medals (in the process defying UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler[='s=] philosophy of Aryan supremacy) in a highly controversial games that saw a Spanish boycott[[note]]There was a movement in many countries, including the US, for a boycott due to reports of German genocide; influential sports official Avery Brundage (later IOC president) dismissed the warnings as fake news made up by Jewish advertisers[[/note]], the first torch relay, and only "Aryans" being allowed to compete for Germany. |
| 133 | * '''''XII -- 1940: Tokyo, Japan''''' |
| 134 | -->Taken from Tokyo when the Second Sino-Japanese War began, then moved to Helsinki, Finland, then definitely cancelled after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII began. An unofficial POW games was held in Stalag XIII-A though. |
| 135 | * '''''XIII -- 1944: London, England, United Kingdom''''' |
| 136 | -->Cancelled, also due to UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. However, an unofficial POW games was held in Oflag II-C by the Polish prisoners with German permission. |
| 137 | * '''XIV -- 1948: London, England, United Kingdom''' |
| 138 | -->'''Duration:''' July 29 - August 14\ |
| 139 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 4,104 (3,714 men, 390 women) from 59 [=NOCs=][[note]]British Guiana, Burma, Ceylon, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Lebanon, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Korea, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela debut; Ireland, Spain and Panama return; Bolivia, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Estonia, Germany, Japan, Latvia and Romania withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 140 | '''Number of sports:''' 17\ |
| 141 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Don Finlay[[note]]1936 bronze and 1932 silver medalist at athletics[[/note]]\ |
| 142 | '''Lighter of the Flame:''' John Mark |
| 143 | -->This marked the second time the Games were held in London. The "austerity games", with athletes housed in barracks. Germany and Japan, losers of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, were banned. These Games featured a breakthrough in women's sports through Dutch runner [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Blankers-Koen Fanny Blankers-Koen]], then a 30-year-old mother of three, winning both the 100m, 200m, 80m hurdles and 4×100m relay. |
| 144 | * '''XV -- 1952: Helsinki, Finland''' |
| 145 | -->'''Duration:''' July 19 -- August 3\ |
| 146 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 4,955 (4,436 men, 519 women) from 69 [=NOCs=][[note]]Bahamas, Gold Coast, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Netherlands Antilles, Nigeria, Saar, Soviet Union and Vietnam debut; Bulgaria, Germany, Japan and Romania return; China represented by the PRC; Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq, Malta, Peru and Syria withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 147 | '''Number of sports:''' 17\ |
| 148 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Heikki Savolainen[[note]]1928, 3-time 1932, 1936 and 1952 bronze, 1932 silver, and 2-time 1948 gold medalist at gymnastics, as well as one of Finland's most decorated Olympians[[/note]]\ |
| 149 | '''Lighters of the Flame:''' Paavo Nurmi[[note]]1920 and 2-time 1928 silver, and 3-time 1920, 5-time 1924 and 1928 gold medalist at athletics, known as the "Flying Finn"[[/note]] (on-track) and Hannes Kolehmainen[[note]]1912 silver and 3-time 1912 and 1920 gold medalist at athletics[[/note]] (above stadium) |
| 150 | -->The only appearance of Saar, then not part of UsefulNotes/WestGermany. These Games marked the debut of Israel as well as the USSR, in its first appearance since UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia last competed in Stockholm 1912 (previously, Soviet leaders denounced the Games as "bourgeois" and [[TheMoralSubstitute created their own "Workers Olympics"]]). Also, Japan and Germany, having been banned in 1948, made their returns again, although only West Germany represented Germany as a whole. These Games featured an astonishingly successful performance by Hungarian athletes, as well as Czechoslovak runner [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_Z%C3%A1topek Emil Zátopek]] winning both the 5km, 10km and marathon, as well as USA's Bob Mathias becoming the first to successfully defend his decathlon gold. Also among the athletes was British runner [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Bannister Roger Bannister]], whose failure to win the 1500m event inspired him to train harder, leading him to ultimately become the very first runner to run a mile (1609 m) under four minutes in a 1954 race. |
| 151 | * '''XVI -- 1956: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia / Stockholm, Sweden''' |
| 152 | -->'''Duration:''' November 22 -- December 8\ |
| 153 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 3,314 (2,938 men, 376 women) from 72 [=NOCs=][[note]]Cambodia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Kenya, Liberia, Malaya, North Borneo and Uganda debut; Afghanistan, Colombia and Peru return; China represented by the ROC; East Germany, West Germany and Saar merge into Unified Germany; Gold Coast, Guatemala, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Netherlands Antilles and Panama withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 154 | '''Number of sports:''' 17\ |
| 155 | '''Olympic Oath:''' John Landy[[note]]1956 bronze medalist at athletics and former governor of Victoria[[/note]]\ |
| 156 | '''Lighter of the Flame:''' Ron Clarke[[note]]1964 bronze medalist at athletics and former mayor of Gold Coast, Queensland[[/note]] |
| 157 | -->First Games in the southern hemisphere. The equestrian events were held in Stockholm due to quarantine regulations; they were also held five months earlier than the rest of the Olympics, taking place from June 11-17. Australian athletes had a field day, courtesy of runner Betty Cuthbert winning the 100m, 200m and 4×100m, as well freestyle swimmers Murray Rose, the first to win multiple golds since Weissmuller (400m, 1500m and 4×200m), and Dawn Fraser at the 400m and 4×100m. The Games also featured the debut of Soviet gymnast [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larisa_Latynina Larisa Latynina]], who won four gold and one each of silver and bronze. The Americans left far from empty-handed, with sprinter Bobby Morrow winning the same events on the men's side as Cuthbert on the women's, as well as discus thrower Al Oerter, who would win the first of his four discus golds – the first of only two athletes[[note]]for our North American friends, "track and field athletes"[[/note]] to win four golds in the same event. |
| 158 | * '''XVII -- 1960: Rome, Italy''' |
| 159 | -->'''Duration:''' August 25 -- September 11\ |
| 160 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 5,338 (4,727 men, 611 women) from 83 [=NOCs=][[note]]Morocco, San Marino, Sudan and Tunisia debut; Haiti, Iraq, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands Antilles, Panama and Rhodesia return; Gold Coast returns as Ghana; Egypt renamed to United Arab Republic; Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago merge with Barbados into British West Indies; Cambodia and North Borneo withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 161 | '''Number of sports:''' 17\ |
| 162 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Adolfo Consolini[[note]]1952 silver and 1948 gold medalist at discus[[/note]]\ |
| 163 | '''Lighter of the Flame:''' Giancarlo Peris |
| 164 | -->The Games featured American runner and polio survivor Wilma Rudolph winning three sprint medals. The Games also marks the debut of nineteen-year-old Cassius Clay -- the boy who would become UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli -- through a gold medal at light-heavyweight boxing. Other highlights included Crown Prince Constantine of Greece, the country's flagbearer and future king, winning Greece's first gold medal since ''1912'' (in dragon-class sailing), Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikila running barefoot[[note]]He couldn't find shoes that fit and were comfortable enough to run in.[[/note]] to become the first black African gold medalist, Australian runner Herb Elliott dominating the 1500m event, and American decathlete Rafer Johnson defeating his Taiwanese friend Yang Chuan-kwang in perhaps one of the most dramatic finals in Olympic history, as well as Larisa Latynina adding three golds, two silvers and a bronze to her collection. |
| 165 | * '''XVIII -- 1964: Tokyo, Japan''' |
| 166 | -->'''Duration:''' October 10-24\ |
| 167 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 5,151 (4,473 men, 678 women) from 93 [=NOCs=][[note]]Algeria, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Dominican Republic, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mali, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Northern Rhodesia, Senegal and Tanganyika debut; Bolivia, Cambodia and Costa Rica return; British West Indies dissolve into Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago; Malaya and North Borneo merge into Malaysia; Fiji, Haiti, Indonesia, Malta, San Marino, Singapore, South Africa and Sudan withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 168 | '''Number of sports:''' 19\ |
| 169 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Takashi Ono[[note]]1952, 1956 and 2-time 1960 bronze, 3-time 1956 and 1960 silver, and 1956, 3-time 1960 and 1964 gold medalist at gymnastics[[/note]]\ |
| 170 | '''Lighter of the Flame:''' Yoshinori Sakai[[note]]Runner born on the day the atomic bomb destroyed his native Hiroshima, August 8, 1945, symbolizing Japan's rebirth[[/note]] |
| 171 | -->First Games in Asia, the first broadcast live via satellite, and also the first in color for viewers in Japan and America. To emphasize Japan's message of postwar recovery, the Flame was lit by 19-year-old runner Yoshinori Sakai, who was born in 6 August 1945 -- the day the atomic bomb destroyed his native Hiroshima. The Games featured Larisa Latynina capping her career with two each of gold, silver and bronze, making her one of the most successful Olympians ever with 9 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze, for a total of 19 medals total -- a record that stood until Michael Phelps broke it in 2012. Other highlights include Dawn Fraser's final gold at the 100m freestyle swimming (capping a 3-peat), Abebe Bikila becoming the first marathoner to successfully defend his Olympic gold (this time wearing shoes), and Native American runner Billy Mills' (Oglala Lakotah) astonishing win at the 10km event -- the only American to do so. First Games to represent the various events with simple pictograms, as a way to help with the language barrier; which became a standard feature. |
| 172 | * '''XIX -- 1968: Mexico City, Mexico''' |
| 173 | -->'''Duration:''' October 12-27\ |
| 174 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 5,516 (4,735 men, 781 women) from 112 [=NOCs=][[note]]Barbados, British Honduras, Central African Republic, DR Congo, El Salvador, Guinea, Honduras, Kuwait, Libya, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, Suriname and US Virgin Islands debut; Ecuador, Fiji, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malta, Singapore, Sudan and Syria return; Unified Germany dissolve into East Germany and West Germany (Saar merged); British Guiana, Northern Rhodesia and Tanganyika renamed Guyana, Zambia and Tanzania, respectively; Cambodia, Congo, Liberia, Nepal and Rhodesia withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 175 | '''Number of sports:''' 18\ |
| 176 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Pablo Garrido[[note]]Marathoner[[/note]]\ |
| 177 | '''Lighter of the Flame:''' Enriqueta Basilio[[note]]Hurler and the first woman to light the Flame[[/note]] |
| 178 | -->The first Olympics celebrated in Latin America, and one in which many notable events happened. American runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos, gold and bronze winners at the 200m race, respectively, did a Black Power salute and [[http://www.history.com/news/1968-mexico-city-olympics-black-power-protest-backlash got banned for life]], while somebody got banned for drug use for the first time. The Games were also marred by student protests against the corrupt and almost dictatorial government, which ended with the army being sent in to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlatelolco_massacre massacre protesters and civilians, ten days before the opening ceremony]]. On a lighter note, the Games feature the first woman to light the Olympic Flame, hurdler Enriqueta Basilio. American long jumper Bob Beamon also set a record at the long jump with 8.90m – a world record until 1991, and an Olympic record to this day. Other highlights included Tanzanian marathoner [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Stephen_Akhwari John Stephen Akhwari]] finishing last at the marathon, trudging on despite a dislocated knee, as well as a boxing gold for future American heavyweight star George Foreman. Mexico, the host nation, won the biggest amount of medals of any Olympics here, winning nine medals, which is the smallest amount of medals won by a host nation in the summer edition. Felipe Muñoz became the most known Mexican athlete of the games. |
| 179 | * '''XX -- 1972: Munich (aka "München"), West Germany (now Germany)''' |
| 180 | -->'''Duration:''' August 26 -- September 10\ |
| 181 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 7,134 (6,075 men, 1,059 women) from 121 [=NOCs=][[note]]Albania, Dahomey, Gabon, Lesotho, Malawi, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Swaziland, Togo and Upper Volta debut; Congo, Haiti, Liberia and Nepal return; United Arab Republic renamed Egypt; Central African Republic, DR Congo, Guinea, Honduras, Iraq and Sierra Leone withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 182 | '''Number of sports:''' 21\ |
| 183 | '''Mascot:''' Waldi the dachshund[[note]]The first official mascot, as the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble had an unofficial one; dachshunds are a common breed in the Bavaria region, and represent the tenacity, resilience and agility required of Olympians[[/note]]\ |
| 184 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Heidi Schüller[[note]]Long jumper, and first woman to take the Athletes' Oath[[/note]] (Athletes) / Heinz Pollay[[note]]Equestrian judge, 1952 bronze and 2-time 1936 gold medalist in dressage[[/note]] (Judges)\ |
| 185 | '''Lighter of the Flame:''' Gunter Zahn |
| 186 | -->Tragically and permanently overshadowed by [[https://youtu.be/X4eZWj5sapw a poorly-handled and horrific hostage crisis]] on September 5 and 6 involving eleven members of the Israeli delegation and Palestinian terrorists, that ended with all eleven and most of their captors dead. Particularly jarring since the Games were meant to be a LighterAndSofter counterpoint to Berlin 1936's Nazi leanings, with its basic aesthetics [[https://youtu.be/JZSajtrVxo0 designed with extreme care and precision]][[note]]including unbelievable [[https://alfalfastudio.com/2019/11/28/the-iconic-identity-of-the-1972-munich-olympics/ posters by Otl Aicher]] that were decades ahead of their time[[/note]] to be as colorful and joyful as possible. The wish for peace and harmony, however, may have led the games' organizers to ignore warnings of potential terrorism and provide poor security overall[[note]]the security guards were letting people in and out at all hours without a lot of 'show me your ID', because as they said later, they didn't want to be 'fascists'[[/note]], as well as prove completely unable to handle the situation once it occurred. Competition was suspended for 24 hours, then resumed, although some athletes chose to leave. Highlights include a controversial win of the Soviet basketball team against the USA, as well as Jewish-American swimmer Mark Spitz setting a record for most medals in one Games (seven), which stood until Michael Phelps surpassed it in 2008, and Belarussian Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut winning three gold and one silver. Also the first summer edition to include the judges' oath of impartiality. |
| 187 | * '''XXI -- 1976: Montreal, Quebec, Canada''' |
| 188 | -->'''Duration:''' July 17 -- August 1\ |
| 189 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 6,084 (4,824 men, 1,260 women) from 92 [=NOCs=][[note]]Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Cayman Islands and Papua New Guinea debut; Honduras returns; British Honduras renamed Belize; Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Burma, Cambodia, Ceylon, Congo, Chad, China, Dahomey, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guyana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam, Upper Volta and Zambia withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 190 | '''Number of sports:''' 21\ |
| 191 | '''Mascot:''' Amik the beaver[[note]]Beavers are a common animal and a national symbol of Canada[[/note]]\ |
| 192 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Pierre Saint-Jean[[note]]Weightlifter[[/note]] (Athletes) / Maurice Fauget (Judges)\ |
| 193 | '''Lighters of the Flame:''' Stéphane Préfontaine and Sandra Henderson[[note]]15-year-old youths representing Canada's French and English heritages, respectively[[/note]] |
| 194 | -->Montreal 1976 saw a 24-nation African boycott over New Zealand's national rugby team touring South Africa (then banned from the Olympics due to apartheid), [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq-C5-vIim8 a guy win a gymnastics medal with a broken knee]] and the first perfect score in a gymnastics event by fourteen-year-old Nadia Comăneci from Romania. [[BrokeTheRatingScale The scoreboards couldn't handle it.]] The Games were also notorious for Canada not winning a gold medal on its home Games, a streak that continued in Calgary 1988 but finally broken come Vancouver 2010. The Games also put Montreal in debt for the next three decades. Other highlights include Georgian Soviet triple jumper Viktor Saneyev complete a rare three-peat, Cuban Alberto Juantorena winning track's so-called "impossible double" of the 400 and 800 m, American decathlete Caitlyn (then Bruce) Jenner setting a world record with 8,634 points, and American boxers Sugar Ray Leonard, Leon Spinks his brother Michael Spinks, and Leo Randolph winning gold medals before launching successful professional careers. Also among the Olympians was Thomas Bach, member of the gold-winning West German fencing team, who in 2013 would become the very first Olympic medalist to become IOC President. Lowlights included the ramp-up of East Germany's infamous government-mandated [[note]]with often-underage athletes given no choice in the performance-enhancing substances they were forced to take, in some cases [[https://www.wired.com/2000/07/e-german-olympic-dopers-guilty/ being informed it was just "vitamins"]], even if they could see alarming changes going with it[[/note]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doping_in_East_Germany extensively-documented doping program]], particularly then noticeable amongst its female athletes — [[ProperlyParanoid when the US women's swimming team complained]], they were called "sore losers" in the media. For one reason or another, authorities and media decided to look the other way, while steroid use had [[https://globalsportmatters.com/health/2019/11/07/ex-east-german-athletes-struggle-with-health-problems-due-to-the-consequences-of-ped-taking/ terrible lifelong physical and mental health consequences]]; additionally, despite possessing all the evidence and admission of cheating for decades as of TheNewTwenties (and [[AllForNothing from a country and regime that no longer exists, to boot]]), the IOC refuses to revise or annotate the official standings or award medals to athletes who rightly earned them. A small highlight was the maligned American women's swimming team managing to take gold from East Germany in the 4x100 freestyle relay ''anyway''; both the race and the doping are covered in the documentary film ''Film/TheLastGold''. |
| 195 | * '''XXII -- 1980: Moscow, USSR (now Russia)''' |
| 196 | -->'''Duration:''' July 19 -- August 3\ |
| 197 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 5,179 (4,064 men, 1,115 women) from 80 [=NOCs=][[note]]Angola, Botswana, Cyprus, Jordan, Laos, Mozambique and Seychelles debut; Afghanistan, Algeria, Burma, Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guyana, Iraq, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Malta, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Syria, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam and Zambia return; Ceylon, Dahomey and Rhodesia return as Sri Lanka, Benin and Zimbabwe, respectively; Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Egypt, Fiji, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Ivory Coast, Japan, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands Antilles, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Suriname, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United States, US Virgin Islands and West Germany withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 198 | '''Number of sports:''' 21\ |
| 199 | '''Mascot:''' Misha (Mikhail Potapych Toptygin) the bear[[note]][[RussianBear Bears are considered the national animals of Russia]][[/note]]\ |
| 200 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Nikolai Andrianov[[note]]Russian 1972-1980 bronze, 1972, 2-time 1976 and 2-time 1980 silver, and 1972, 4-time 1976 and 2-time 1980 gold medalist at gymnastics, as well as one of the most decorated gymnasts of all time[[/note]] [Athletes] / Aleksandr Medved[[note]]Belarusian wrestling judge and 1964-1972 gold medalist[[/note]] [Judges]\ |
| 201 | '''Carrier of the Torch and Lighter of the Flame:''' Viktor Saneyev[[note]]Georgian triple jumper and 1980 silver and 1968-1976 gold medalist[[/note]] / ''Sergei Belov''[[note]]Russian basketball player and 1968, 1976 and 1980 bronze and 1972 gold medalist[[/note]] |
| 202 | -->The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan a year earlier saw a large-scale (65 nations) USA-led boycott of these Games, with some nations only parading under the Olympic Flag, so these Games were dominated by the USSR and East Germany. A lot of world records got broken, though. Other standouts include British decathlete Daley Thompson breaking Jenner's record en route to gold (and later repeating four years later) and Cuban boxer Teófilo Stevenson becoming the only heavyweight to win three consecutive golds. Even though the boycott was made on its behalf, Afghanistan ironically participated and later joined the 1984 boycott (it had a pro-Soviet regime at the time, after all). These were also the first games in which the opening and closing ceremonies became the expensive, full-blown, almost theatrical events we know today (the animated crowd mosaic of Misha shedding a tear at the closing ceremonies became an enduring image of the Olympics). |
| 203 | * '''XXIII -- 1984: Los Angeles, California, United States''' |
| 204 | -->'''Motto:''' "Play a Part in History"\ |
| 205 | '''Duration:''' July 28 -- August 12\ |
| 206 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 6,829 (5,263 men, 1,566 women) from 140 [=NOCs=][[note]]Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, British Virgin Islands, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Grenada, Mauritania, Mauritius, North Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Solomon Islands and United Arab Emirates debut; Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kenya, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Malawi, Malaysia, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands Antilles, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Singapore, Somalia, South Korea, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Thailand, Togo, United States, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands and West Germany return; DR Congo returns as Zaire; PRC and ROC designated People's Republic of China and Chinese Taipei, respectively; Afghanistan, Angola, Bulgaria, Cuba, East Germany, Ethiopia, Hungary, Laos, Libya, Mongolia, North Korea, Poland, Soviet Union and Vietnam withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 207 | '''Number of sports:''' 21\ |
| 208 | '''Mascot:''' Sam the eagle[[note]]The bald eagle is the national symbol of the United States[[/note]]\ |
| 209 | '''Bearers of the Olympic Flag:''' [[Creator/CaitlynJenner Bruce (now Caitlyn) Jenner]][[note]]1976 gold medalist at decathlon and record setter[[/note]], Wyomia Tyus[[note]]1964 silver and 1964 and 2-time 1968 gold medalist at athletics[[/note]], Parry O'Brien[[note]]1960 silver and 1952-1956 gold medalist at shot put[[/note]], John Naber[[note]]1976 silver and 4-time 1976 gold medalist at swimming[[/note]], Al Oerter[[note]]1956-1968 gold medalist at discus and the first four-time champion in the sport[[/note]], Mack Robinson[[note]]1936 silver medalist at athletics (behind Jesse Owens) and older brother of Jackie Robinson, the first black baseball player to be admitted into the MLB[[/note]], Billy Mills[[note]]1964 gold medalist at athletics, the second Native American gold medalist, and the only athlete from the Western Hemisphere to win the 10,000m event[[/note]] and Bill Thorpe Jr.[[note]]Grandson of Jim Thorpe, 1912 gold medalist at decathlon and pentathlon and the first Native American gold medalist[[/note]], accompanied by Sammy Lee[[note]]Korean-American 1948 bronze and 1948-1952 gold medalist at diving and the first Asian American gold medalist (he also serves as a nod to Seoul, the next host city)[[/note]], Pat [=McCormick=][[note]]2-time 1952 and 2-time 1956 gold medalist at diving[[/note]] and Richie Sandoval[[note]]1979 Pan American Games silver medalist at boxing, member of the 1980 team and retired WBA Bantamweight Champion[[/note]]\ |
| 210 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Edwin Moses[[note]]1988 bronze and 1976/1984 gold medalist in the 400m hurdles[[/note]]\ |
| 211 | '''Carrier of the Torch and Lighter of the Flame:''' Gina Hemphill[[note]]Granddaughter of Jesse Owens, 4-time 1936 gold medalist at athletics[[/note]] / ''Rafer Johnson''[[note]]1956 silver and 1960 gold medalist at decathlon, as well as the first black man to light the Flame[[/note]] |
| 212 | -->This marked the second time the Games were held in Los Angeles, and the first to turn a profit since 1932. After the financial disaster of Montreal 1976, there were ''no'' other bidders and as the only game in town (or rather, the only town in the game) LA was able to dictate terms to the IOC that allowed them to host a Diet Lite Olympics that used mainly already-existing facilities. A smaller, USSR-led Eastern boycott for this one in retaliation for the USA-led one four years prior. This allowed America to earn its most medals since Saint Louis 1904.[[note]]It also bit UsefulNotes/McDonalds in the ass: Mickey D's had started a "When the US wins, you win!" game where patrons would get scratch-off cards that listed an event (mostly ones that the Soviet Bloc dominated in) that would net winners free meals if the US won a gold medal. The chain [[DidntThinkThisThrough apparently never considered the possibility that the Warsaw Pact would boycott.]] The massive US gold wins meant that [=McDonalds=] had to take a bath on all the free food they were on the hook to provide to winners.[[/note]] Also had a theme by Music/JohnWilliams that is still played by NBC to this day and a guy fly a jet-pack during the opening ceremonies, and the appearance of a fake UFO during the closing ceremonies. Widely considered the most financially successful Games, according to [[Website/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]]. Many of the Games' notable events come from athletics, with USA's Carl Lewis matching Owens' feat in winning the 100m, 200m, 4×100m and long jump (in the first of his four appearances), Morocco's Nawal El Moutawakel becoming the first woman from an Islamic nation to win a gold medal (in the 400m hurdles), and Great Britain's Sebastian Coe the first back-to-back 1500m winner. Other notables include British rower Steve Redgrave winning the first of his five consecutive gold medals, Chinese gymnast Li Ning winning 3 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze -- the most of any Chinese athlete -- presaging his country's ascendancy in future editions, and the first appearance of future Dream Team players UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan, Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin, then amateurs, as the US basketball team wins gold. These are the last Summer Games to date to be telecast in the United States on a network other than NBC (in this case, ABC). They were also the last Summer Games, and the first since 1960, held in a city without rail transit.[[note]]The Pacific Electric "Red Car", still in its prime in 1932, was long gone by '84 and UsefulNotes/LosAngelesMetroRail didn't start operation until 1992[[/note]] |
| 213 | * '''XXIV -- 1988: Seoul, South Korea''' |
| 214 | -->'''Motto:''' "Harmony and Progress"\ |
| 215 | '''Duration:''' September 17 -- October 2\ |
| 216 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 8,391 (6,197 men, 2,194 women) from 160 [=NOCs=][[note]]American Samoa, Aruba, Cook Islands, Guam, Maldives, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, South Yemen and Vanuatu debut; Afghanistan, Angola, Bulgaria, East Germany, Hungary, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mongolia, Poland, Soviet Union and Vietnam return; Upper Volta returns as Burkina Faso; Madagascar, Nicaragua and Seychelles withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 217 | '''Number of sports:''' 23\ |
| 218 | '''Mascots:''' Hodori the tiger and Hosuni the tigress[[note]]The tiger is an auspicious animal in Korean culture[[/note]]\ |
| 219 | '''Bearers of the Olympic Flag:''' Yang Jung-mo[[note]]1976 gold medalist at wrestling[[/note]], You In-tak[[note]]1984 gold medalist at weightlifting[[/note]], Kim Weon-kee[[note]]1984 gold medalist at wrestling[[/note]], Shin Joon-sup[[note]]1984 gold medalist at boxing[[/note]], Jo Hea-jung[[note]]1976 bronze medalist at volleyball[[/note]], Choi Aei-young, Yoon Soo-kyung[[note]]1984 silver medalists at basketball[[/note]] and Seo Hyang-soon[[note]]1984 gold medalist at archery[[/note]]\ |
| 220 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Hur Jae[[note]]Basketball player[[/note]] and Son Mi-na[[note]]1984 silver and 1988 gold medalist at handball[[/note]] [Athletes] / Lee Hak-rae[[note]]Judo referee[[/note]] [Judges]\ |
| 221 | '''Carriers of the Torch and Lighters of the Flame:''' Sohn Kee-chung[[note]]1936 gold medalist at marathon and the first Korean medalist, competing as "Son Kitei" for Japan[[/note]] / Im Chun-ae[[note]]1988 runner[[/note]] / ''Kim Won-tak, Chung Sun-man and Sohn Mi-cheung''[[note]]1988 marathoner, schoolteacher and dancer, respectively, symbolizing South Korean sport, education and art[[/note]] |
| 222 | -->The attention the Games brought helped make UsefulNotes/SouthKorea a democracy: the last dictator of the country, president Chun Doo-hwan, had been voted out of office earlier that year in the country's first peaceful transition of power, and his successor, Roh Tae-woo, instituted sweeping pro-democracy reforms in the leadup to the games, thus making the 1988 Olympics an icon of freedom from dictatorship and an uncanny prelude to the downfall of the Soviet Union over the course of the next three years. During most opening ceremonies, doves of peace were released after the lighting of the Flame. In Seoul, they let the doves out ''before'' the torch came in, a number of confused doves perched on the rim of the Olympic Cauldron just before it was lit, and were burned to death on worldwide television; that's why this was the last Games at which live doves were released (future editions of the Games would use allusions). On a side note, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristie_Phillips one gymnast]] who was infamously snubbed when participants were selected for this games despite winning the National Championship in her home country went on to become an action star in the ''Film/JamesBond'' parody ''Spitfire''. Canadian Ben Johnson won a gold medal and a new record at the 100 metre dash, only to be promptly stripped of both when he was caught using banned steroids. There was an event that saw a very controversial boxing judgment. There was a boycott by UsefulNotes/NorthKorea, which had demanded that the Games be co-hosted by both Koreas. Albania and Cuba joined the North Korean boycott, but the less hardline communist countries (including glasnost-era USSR) competed. Tennis returned as a medal sport for the first time since 1924, after having been a demonstration sport at the Games in 1968 and 1984. The men's singles Gold was won by Czechoslovakia's Miroslav Mečíř, his signature achievement. The #1 seed in the men's field, Sweden's Stefan Edberg, lost to Mečíř in the semis, meaning he shared Bronze with American Brad Gilbert, who lost an all-American semi to eventual Silver Medalist Tim Mayotte, as there was no Bronze Medal Match between the two semifinal losers at the time. Meanwhile, the women's Gold was won by West Germany's Steffi Graf, the best player in the world. Having already completed the Calendar Year Grand Slam weeks earlier at the US Open, that achievement combined with the Olympic Gold was dubbed a '''Calendar Golden Slam''' for Graf. The United States swept the doubles Golds: the men's title went to the successful team of Ken Flach and Robert Seguso, who had repeated as Wimbledon men's doubles champions earlier that summer, in addition to winning the 1985 US Open. The women's Gold was won by Pam Shriver and Zina Garrison, making Garrison the first black Olympic Gold Medalist in tennis history.[[note]]Shriver's usual partner, the great Martina Navratilova, skipped the event, thinking that tennis needed to establish itself as an Olympic sport. She was the only player in the WTA's Top 20 the week of the Olympics not to go to Seoul. Navratilova eventually played in the women's doubles tournament in Athens in 2004, getting to the quarterfinals with Lisa Raymond before being eliminated by the Japanese duo of Ai Sugiyama and Shinobu Asagoe.[[/note]] |
| 223 | * '''XXV -- 1992: Barcelona, Spain''' |
| 224 | -->'''Motto:''' "Friends for Life"\ |
| 225 | '''Duration:''' July 25 -- August 9\ |
| 226 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 9,356 (6,652 men, 2,704 women) from 169 [=NOCs=][[note]]Namibia debuts; Albania, Cuba, Estonia, Ethiopia, Latvia, Lithuania, Madagascar, Nicaragua, North Korea, Seychelles and South Africa return; Soviet Union dissolves, with most former states (except Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) merging again as the Unified Team; Yugoslavia dissolves, with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia debuting and athletes from Macedonia and Yugoslavia proper entering as independents; Burma and Ivory Coast renamed Myanmar and Côte d'Ivoire, respectively; East Germany and West Germany merge to Germany; North Yemen and South Yemen merge to Yemen; Afghanistan, Liberia and Somalia withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 227 | '''Number of sports:''' 25\ |
| 228 | '''Mascots:''' Cobi the sheepdog[[note]]Cobi is drawn with elements of avant-garde, of which Spain is one of its birthplaces, and cubism, in honor of eminent Spanish artist Creator/PabloPicasso[[/note]] / Petra the armless girl (Paralympics)[[note]]Though created separately, Petra was specifically designed by the same artist to complement Cobi.[[/note]]\ |
| 229 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Luis Doreste[[note]]1984 and 1992 gold medalist at sailing[[/note]] [Athletes] / Eugeni Asensio[[note]]Water polo referee[[/note]] [Judges]\ |
| 230 | '''Carriers of the Torch and Lighter of the Flame:''' Herminio Menéndez[[note]]1980 bronze and 1976-1980 silver medalist at canoeing[[/note]] / Juan Antonio San Epifanio "Epi"[[note]]1984 silver medalist at basketball[[/note]] / ''Antonio Rebollo''[[note]]Paralympian and 1988 bronze and 1984/1992 silver medalist in archery[[/note]] |
| 231 | -->Twelve of the states of the recently defunct USSR competed as a unified team and Yugoslav athletes competed as individuals. As the first Games where NBA players were allowed to compete in men's basketball[[note]]professionals from other leagues that weren't the NBA had previously been allowed to compete[[/note]], the USA exploited the opportunity by sending a "Dream Team" composed of NBA superstars such as UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan, which steamrolled their way to gold. Also best-known for having probably the most memorable lighting of the Olympic Flame in history, featuring Paralympic archer Antonio Rebollo firing a flaming arrow into the cauldron [[note]]If you watch [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsfwMbXYNsU the footage outside the stadium]], the arrow actually goes over the cauldron and falls behind it, though a large cloud of unlit gas has been allowed to build up over the cauldron so that the passing arrow could set it alight; Rebollo deliberately aimed long because a burning arrow falling on the audience may not have been the best note to start an Olympiad on, especially with memories of what happened in Seoul still fresh in people’s minds[[/note]]. Also featured the Olympics theme song "Barcelona", sung by [[Music/{{Queen}} Freddie Mercury]] and Montserrat Caballé[[note]]After Mercury’s death in 1991, a travelogue of the city was shown with the song in the background[[/note]]. First Games since 1960 to feature South Africa, which had previously been banned as punishment for [[UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra apartheid]]. Other notables include Fermín Cacho becoming the surprise winner of the 1500m run and the first Spanish running champion; 13-year-old Chinese diver Fu Mingxia the youngest Olympic gold medalist of all time; and Belarusian gymnast Vitaly Scherbo (as part of the Unified Team) winning six golds (four on one day alone), and also tying Eric Heiden's record from the 1980 Winter Games with five golds in individual events. Creator/{{NBC}}'s coverage of these Games in the US were supplemented by the infamous [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympics_Triplecast Olympic Triplecast]], a [[CrackIsCheaper rather costly]] pay-per-view package offering three channels with expanded coverage of other Olympic events not seen on NBC itself; while a decent idea, the Triplecast was plagued with issues and NBC (along with partner Cablevision) took a financial bath on it. (NBC would eventually return to the idea of using cable channels for extra Olympics coverage beginning in 1998, albeit using various cable networks owned by NBC itself rather than by way of pay-per-view.) |
| 232 | * '''XXVI -- 1996: Atlanta, Georgia, United States''' |
| 233 | -->'''Motto:''' "Celebration of the Century"\ |
| 234 | '''Duration:''' July 19 -- August 4\ |
| 235 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 10,320 (6,797 men, 3,523 women) from 197 [=NOCs=][[note]]Burundi, Cape Verde, Comoros, Dominica, FYR Macedonia, Guinea-Bissau, Nauru, Palestine, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and São Tomé and Príncipe; Afghanistan, Cambodia, Liberia and Somalia return; Czechoslovakia dissolves into Czech Republic and Slovakia; Unified Team dissolves into Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan; Yugoslavia returns[[/note]]\ |
| 236 | '''Number of sports:''' 26\ |
| 237 | '''Mascot:''' Izzy the [[CartoonCreature "Whatizit"]][[note]]Izzy is hailed as the first computer-generated Olympic mascot[[/note]]\ |
| 238 | '''Bearers of the Olympic Flag:''' Edwin Moses, Steve Lundquist[[note]]Atlanta native and 2-time 1984 gold medalist at swimming[[/note]], Katrina [=McClain=][[note]]1988-1992 bronze and 1996 gold medalist at basketball[[/note]], Geoff Gaberino[[note]]1984 gold medalist at swimming[[/note]], Mary T. Meagher[[note]]1988 bronze and 3-time 1984 gold medalist at swimming[[/note]], Ralph Boston[[note]]1968 bronze, 1964 silver and 1960 gold medalist at athletics[[/note]], Dave Maggard[[note]]1968 runner and sports director for the Games' organizing committee[[/note]] and Benita Fitzgerald-Brown[[note]]1984 gold medalist in the 100m hurdles[[/note]]\ |
| 239 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Teresa Edwards[[note]]1992 bronze and 1984-1988 and 1996-2000 gold medalist at basketball[[/note]] [Athletes] / Hobie Billingsley[[note]]Diving referee[[/note]] [Judges]\ |
| 240 | '''Carriers of the Torch and Lighter of the Flame:''' Al Oerter [Outside] / Evander Holyfield[[note]]Atlanta native, 1984 bronze medalist at boxing and retired professional cruiserweight/heavyweight champion[[/note]] and Voula Patoulidou[[note]]1992 gold medalist in athletics, specifically the 100m hurdles, and the first female Greek medalist, both as a nod to Greece as the birthplace of the Games and partly as consolation for Athens failing the 1996 bid[[/note]] / Janet Evans[[note]]3-time 1988 and 2-time 1992 gold medalist at swimming[[/note]] / ''UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli''[[note]]1960 gold medalist at boxing (as Cassius Clay) and one of the greatest professional heavyweight boxers of all time[[/note]] |
| 241 | -->Touted as a [[MilestoneCelebration commemoration of the centennial of the Games]], though overshadowed by a bomb attack in the Olympic Park. [[ShootTheShaggyDog Ruined the career and ultimately prematurely ended the life of the security guard who called in the threat.]] The selection of the venue also [[RevengeByProxy caused the Greeks to switch to Pepsi given Atlanta is]] [[TheScapegoat Coca-Cola's headquarters.]] On the brighter side, the Games featured the lighting of the Flame by one of Atlanta's most famous locals: UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli, then a 54-year-old with Parkinson's disease. Also notable for being the first Opening Ceremonies scripted with a flowing, cohesive '''storyline''', a concept since used in every subsequent Summer Games' opening ceremonies. Also the first Opening Ceremonies to have an opera written to symbolize the spirit of the Games, and also noted for featuring marching-bands and cheerleaders, both of which are traditions somewhat unique to the United States (and to a lesser extent, Canada). Other notable events include the USA women's gymnastics team winning its first gold, Canadian runner Donovan Bailey setting a world record at the 100m [[note]]Especially gratifying for Canadians who liked to think he restored the honor of Canadian track and field athletes after the Ben Johnson disgrace in Seoul[[/note]], American runner Michael Johnson doing the same for the 200m and 400m, France's Marie-José Pérec winning the same two events as Johnson (but without the world records), Carl Lewis matching Al Oerter with his fourth long jump gold, Wrestling/KurtAngle winning the gold medal in men's freestyle wrestling 100 kg with a literal broken neck, and USA winning gold for the very first women's football/soccer tournament. Also notable for being the only recent Olympics in which no nation swept the podium (in other words, in no event did all 3 medals go to the same nation). Swimmer Amy Van Dyken became the first American woman to win four gold medals in a single Olympics, Winter or Summer, capturing gold in the 50m freestyle, 100m butterfly, and 4x100m freestyle and medley relays. Four years later in Sydney, Van Dyken would pick up two more golds in the latter events, ending her Olympic career with six medals, all of them gold. In June of 2014, Van Dyken was severely injured in an ATV accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. And don't forget Karch Kiraly winning gold for the USA in the debut of beach volleyball, becoming the first (and still only) individual to have won gold medals (or, for that matter, medals of any color) in both indoor and beach volleyball.[[note]]Kiraly had won golds with Team USA in 1984 and 1988.[[/note]] Also, for some reason, the ads that aired during Creator/{{NBC}}'s coverage of the games seemed to be better fit for the Super Bowl than the Olympics; Website/PlatypusComix [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/videos/ohatlanta.html has more info on that.]] |
| 242 | * '''XXVII -- 2000: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia''' |
| 243 | -->'''Motto:''' "Share the Spirit, Dare to Dream"\ |
| 244 | '''Duration:''' September 15 -- October 1\ |
| 245 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 10,651 (6,582 men, 4,069 women) from 199 [=NOCs=][[note]]Eritrea, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau debut; Zaire renamed DR Congo; Afghanistan withdraw; athletes from Timor-Leste enter as independents[[/note]]\ |
| 246 | '''Number of sports:''' 28\ |
| 247 | '''Mascots:''' Olly the kookaburra, Syd the platypus, and Millie the echidna (Olympics)[[note]]Respectively, their names are a play on the words "Olympics", "Sydney" and "Millennium", and also represent qualities of the Olympic spirit of generosity, the environment and energy of Australia, and the third millennium; the three mascots are also based on animals unique to Australia[[/note]] / Lizzie the lizard (Paralympics)[[note]]Though created separately, Lizzie was specifically designed by the same artists to complement Olly, Syd and Millie.[[/note]]\ |
| 248 | '''Bearers of the Olympic Flag:''' Bill Roycroft[[note]]1968/1976 bronze and 1960 gold medalist at equestrian[[/note]], Murray Rose[[note]]1960 bronze, 1960 silver and 3-time 1956 and 1960 gold medalist at swimming[[/note]], Liane Tooth[[note]]1988 and 1996 gold medalist at field hockey[[/note]], Gillian Rolton[[note]]1992-1996 gold medalist at equestrian[[/note]], Marjorie Jackson[[note]]2-time 1952 gold medalist at athletics[[/note]], Lorraine Crapp[[note]]1956-1960 silver and 2-time 1956 gold medalist at swimming[[/note]], Michael Wenden[[note]]1968 bronze, silver and 2-time gold medalist at swimming[[/note]] and Nick Green[[note]]1992-1996 gold medalist at rowing[[/note]]\ |
| 249 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Rechelle Hawks[[note]]1998 and 1996-2000 gold medalist at field hockey[[/note]] [Athletes] / Peter Kerr[[note]]Water polo referee[[/note]] [Judges]\ |
| 250 | '''Carriers of the Torch and Lighter of the Flame:''' Herb Elliott[[note]]1960 gold medalist at athletics[[/note]] [Outside] / Female Australian Olympic medalists, celebrating the centenary of women's participation in the Games: Betty Cuthbert[[note]]3-time 1956 and 1964 gold medalist at athletics[[/note]] (on wheelchair) and Raelene Boyle[[note]]2-time 1968 and 1972 silver medalist at athletics[[/note]] / Dawn Fraser[[note]]1956, 2-time 1960 and 1964 silver and 2-time 1956 and 1960-1964 gold medalist at swimming[[/note]] / Shirley Strickland[[note]]2-time 1948 and 1952 bronze, 1948 silver, and 1952 and 2-time 1956 gold medalist at athletics[[/note]] / Shane Gould[[note]]1972 bronze, silver and 4-time gold medalist at swimming[[/note]] / Debbie Flintoff-King[[note]]1988 gold medalist at athletics[[/note]] / ''Cathy Freeman''[[note]]1996 silver and 2000 gold medalist at athletics, as well as then reigning 400m world champion; she is also a symbolic entity as an aboriginal[[/note]] |
| 251 | -->Basketball fans probably remember that dunk by Vince Carter. Sydney 2000 was also dubbed the "Women's Games", celebrating 100 years of female participation (it was also the first Games to have women's weightlifting, and saw increased female participation, albeit then at 25% the number of men). The final torch relay was done entirely by women medalists from past Games, culminating with UsefulNotes/{{aboriginal|Australians}} runner Cathy Freeman, silver medalist from Atlanta 1996, who would win her event, the 400m run. Michael Phelps, then 15, made his Olympic debut here, finishing fifth in the men's 200m butterfly final, while fellow American Tom Malchow won the event, the only Olympic gold of Malchow's career. These Games are infamous in the US for the fact that ''everything'' that NBC and the cable channels they used to supplement their coverage[[note]]CNBC and MSNBC, in this case, the first time that NBC used cable networks to supplement Olympics coverage (when you don't count the Olympics Triplecast disaster they brought in for Barcelona '92)[[/note]] aired was taped, thanks to the 14-hour time difference between Sydney and the US's Eastern Time Zone. The ''only'' event NBC aired live was the men's basketball gold medal game between the US and France, since it fit into the primetime slot on their penultimate night of coverage, and even then, they only showed it live because US lost almost their semifinal to Lithuania, with Šarūnas Jasikevičius missing a three-point shot that he didn't get off in time anyway, as the ball was still in his hands when the clock hit zero.[[note]]Even though 99.9% of everything NBC, CNBC, and MSNBC aired was taped, their studio hosts - Bob Costas, Hannah Storm (both NBC), Jim Lampley (MSNBC), and Pat O'Brien (CNBC) - always appeared live on-camera, meaning, when events held for primetime were airing at night in the US, Costas was anchoring coverage live from Sydney, where it was late morning (when primetime coverage started) to early afternoon (when primetime coverage ended).[[/note]] Many American print outlets talked about the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's commitment to showing the Games live, no matter what time they were going on, and also pointed out the fact that some northern US cities - Seattle, Detroit, and Buffalo, in particular - got CBC on cable packages, giving viewers in those cities a choice between NBC and CBC. Then-NBC Olympics executive producer Dick Ebersol angrily pointed out that those same print outlets didn't mention the fact that CBC's ratings for live coverage weren't very good, meaning people chose sleep over the Olympics. Sure enough, in those northern US cities where people had a choice between broadcasters, NBC's taped coverage crushed CBC's in the ratings. |
| 252 | * '''XXVIII -- 2004: Athens, Greece''' |
| 253 | -->'''Motto:''' "Welcome Home"\ |
| 254 | '''Duration:''' August 13-29\ |
| 255 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 10,625 (6,296 men, 4,329 women) from 201 [=NOCs=][[note]]Kiribati and Timor-Leste debut; Afghanistan returns; Djibouti withdraws; Yugoslavia renamed Serbia and Montenegro[[/note]]\ |
| 256 | '''Number of sports:''' 28\ |
| 257 | '''Mascots:''' Athena and Phevos, ancient Greek dolls[[note]]Named respectively after the classical goddess of victory and namesake patroness of the city of Athens, and an alternate name of Apollo, god of the sun to whom the Olympic Flame is dedicated during its ceremonial lighting[[/note]] / Proteas the seahorse (Paralympics)[[note]]Though created separately, Proteas was specifically designed by the same artist to complement Athena and Phevos.[[/note]]\ |
| 258 | '''Bearers of the Olympic Flag:''' Petros Galaktopoulos[[note]]1968 bronze and 1972 silver medalist at wrestling[[/note]], Ilias Hatzipavlis[[note]]1972 silver medalist at sailing[[/note]], Niki Bakoyianni[[note]]1996 silver medalist at high jump[[/note]], Angelos Basinas[[note]]Professional footballer and key player in the national team's upset victory at the 2004 UsefulNotes/EuropeanChampionship, when he passed the ball to Angelos Charisteas, who kicked their winning goal[[/note]], Leonidas Kokas[[note]]Albanian-Greek 1996 silver medalist at weightlifting[[/note]], Michail Mouroutsos[[note]]2000 gold medalist at taekwondo[[/note]], Valerios Leonidis[[note]]Russian-Greek 1996 silver medalist at weightlifting[[/note]] and Dimosthenis Tampakos[[note]]2000 silver and 2004 gold medalist at gymnastics[[/note]]\ |
| 259 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Zoe Dimoschaki[[note]]Swimmer and 2004 athlete[[/note]] [Athletes] / Lazaros Voreadis[[note]]Basketball referee[[/note]] [Judges]\ |
| 260 | '''Carriers of the Torch and Lighter of the Flame:''' Nikos Galis[[note]]Basketball legend and member of the 1987 FIBA [=EuroBasket=] championship team[[/note]] / Mimis Domazos[[note]]Legendary football veteran[[/note]] / Voula Patoulidou / Kakhi Kakhiashvili[[note]]Greek-Georgian 1992-2000 gold medalist at weightlifting[[/note]] / Ioannis Melissanidis[[note]]1996 gold medalist at gymnastics[[/note]] / ''Nikolaos Kaklamanakis''[[note]]1996 gold and 2004 silver medalist at windsurfing[[/note]] |
| 261 | -->This marked the second time the Games were held in Athens. The torch relay for this Olympics notably spanned every continent. Touted as the "Homecoming Games", this marks Greece's best performance ''since the inception of the games''. However, these games were notable by the low number of attendance at the events, and eventually being one of the contributors to putting Greece into a crippling default later in the decade. These Games also served as the introduction to 19-year-old American swimmer Michael Phelps, who showed much promise with six golds and two bronzes. Other notable events include Brazilian runner Vanderlei de Lima defying a last-minute crasher to win bronze, hurdler Liu Xiang winning China's first gold in men's athletics, Moroccan runner and world record holder Hicham El Guerrouj finally winning the 1500m (following a last-minute stumble in 1996 and being outpaced by Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge in 2000) as well as the 5000m, and a shock defeat by the US men's basketball team, which had to settle for bronze.[[note]]Although, close watchers weren't exactly shocked, as the road to Athens was quite bumpy: It started at the 2002 FIBA World Championships (now the FIBA Basketball World Cup) in Indianapolis, where the USA finished '''sixth''' (after losing their quarterfinal matchup to Yugoslavia, dropping them into a consolation bracket to determine finishers five through eight, where they advanced to the fifth-place game and lost to Spain) with a roster not exactly stacked with star power, meaning that the US's days of cruising to gold medals with just anybody were over. A year later, at the 2003 Tournament of the Americas (now the FIBA [=AmeriCup=]) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a much-more USA-like squad, dubbed the Dream Team IV, won the tournament without losing a game, earning a spot at the Olympics. But, then, nine of those 12 players decided to skip Athens, forcing USA Basketball to bring in a lot of youth, including the three predominant rookies of the previous NBA season - [=LeBron=] James, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony. A month before the Games, the team lost a friendly to Italy 95-78. Then, the big show began. The USA started the Olympic tournament with a 19-point ''loss'' to Puerto Rico. After not-so-dominant wins over the hosts Greece and Australia, they dropped a second group stage game to Lithuania. They closed the group stage with a 36-point defeat of Angola, the biggest margin of victory they'd have in Athens. They opened up the knockout stage with a 102-94 quarterfinal win over Spain, the first time they hit the century mark in the tournament, before losing in the semis 89-81 to Manu Ginobili and Argentina, who would go on to defeat Italy in the Gold Medal Game. The US avenged the group stage defeat to Lithuania by beating them in the Bronze Medal Game, 104-96. This prompted USA Basketball to begin asking players to make a three-year commitment to the team, from the FIBA World Championships to the subsequent Olympics. It has been successful, as the US has won Gold at the three following Olympics.[[/note]] |
| 262 | * '''XXIX -- 2008: Beijing, China''' |
| 263 | -->'''Motto:''' "One World, One Dream"\ |
| 264 | '''Duration:''' August 8-24\ |
| 265 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 10,942 (6,305 men, 4,637 women) from 204 [=NOCs=][[note]]Marshall Islands and Tuvalu debut; Djibouti returns; Serbia-Montenegro dissolves into Montenegro and Serbia; Brunei withdraws[[/note]]\ |
| 266 | '''Number of sports:''' 28\ |
| 267 | '''Mascots:''' The Fuwa (good-luck dolls)--Beibei the fish, Jingjing the panda, Huanhuan the flame, Yingying the antelope, and Nini the swallow[[note]]Their names come from the phrase "Beijing huangying ni" ("Beijing welcomes you"), and are also respectively based after the colors of the Olympic rings (Blue, Black, Red, Yellow, and Green) and the traditional elements in Chinese divination (Water, Metal, Fire, Earth, and Wood)[[/note]]\ |
| 268 | '''Bearers of the Olympic Flag:''' Zhang Xielin[[note]]6-time World Table Tennis Championships medalist -- 2 each of gold, bronze and silver from 1961 to 1971 in singles and doubles[[/note]], Pan Duo[[note]]ethnic Tibetan mountaineer and the first Chinese woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest[[/note]], Zheng Fengrong[[note]]high jumper and China's first world record holder (1.77m in 1957)[[/note]], Yang Yang (A)[[note]]2006 bronze, 1998-2002 silver and 2-time 2002 gold medalist in short track speed skating and China's first Winter Olympic champion[[/note]], Yang Ling[[note]]1996-2000 shooting gold medalist[[/note]], Mu Xiangxiong[[note]]3-time breastroke world record setter[[/note]], Xiong Ni[[note]]1992 bronze, 1988 silver and 1996 and 2-time 2000 gold medalist in diving[[/note]] and Li Lingwei[[note]]badminton player and 4-time IBF World Championships medalist (3 golds, 1 silver)[[/note]]\ |
| 269 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Zhang Yining[[note]]2-time 2004 and 2-time 2008 gold medalist in table tennis[[/note]] [Athletes] / Huang Liping[[note]]1996 silver medalist at gymnastics and referee[[/note]] [Judges]\ |
| 270 | '''Carriers of the Torch and Lighter of the Flame:''' Xu Haifeng[[note]]1984 gold medalist in shooting and China's very first gold medalist[[/note]] / Gao Min[[note]]1988-1992 gold medalist in diving and China's first back-to-back medalist[[/note]] / Li Xiaoshuang[[note]]1992-1996 gold medalist in gymnastics[[/note]] / Zhan Xugang[[note]]1996-2000 gold medalist in weightlifting[[/note]] / Zhang Jun[[note]]2000-2004 gold medalist in badminton doubles[[/note]] / Chen Zhong[[note]]2000-2004 gold medalist in taekwondo[[/note]] / Sun Jinfang[[note]]volleyball player and member of the gold-winning 1982 FIVB World Championship team, China's first major team sport championship[[/note]] / ''Li Ning''[[note]]1984 1-time bronze, 2-time silver and 3-time gold medalist in gymnastics and China's most decorated Olympian[[/note]] |
| 271 | -->A controversial Games, where the torch relay became a source of protests by anti-Chinese government demonstrators, including more than one Torch runner getting attacked by pro-{{UsefulNotes/Tibet}} protesters and the Flame actually being deliberately put out ''three times'' in Paris by security. (Torch relay teams carry a backup lamp, also lit in Athens, for incidents like these.) [[WhyWeCantHaveNiceThings This got so bad that it's pretty much killed off any chances of another worldwide torch relay]]. The main event, though, passed without incident. Phelps set the record for the most medals in one Games at eight golds on all his events, also tying Heiden and Scherbo for most golds in individual events in a single Games at five. This also marked the debut of 21-year-old Jamaican runner [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xDhGY-ehYg Usain Bolt, who set a 100m sprint record]] while showboating for the last 20 meters. LiveButDelayed. The dazzling ceremonies of these Games will possibly not be beaten for a long, long time. The opening culminated with Li Ning, 1984 six-time medal-winning gymnast (3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze) and China's most successful Olympian, literally [[WireFu running through the sky]] with the Torch in hand across a giant scroll which unrolled to reveal the stylized cauldron as he lit the Flame. |
| 272 | * '''XXX -- 2012: London, England, United Kingdom''' |
| 273 | -->'''Motto:''' "Inspire a Generation"\ |
| 274 | '''Duration:''' July 27 -- August 12\ |
| 275 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 10,768 (5,992 men, 4,776 women) from 204 [=NOCs=][[note]]Brunei returns; Netherlands Antilles dissolves, with its athletes (including those from South Sudan) entering as independents[[/note]]\ |
| 276 | '''Number of sports:''' 26\ |
| 277 | '''Mascots:''' Wenlock (Olympics) and Mandeville (Paralympics) the steel blobs[[note]]Following Vancouver 2010's lead, they were the first official Summer Olympic/Paralympic mascot tandem, representing Britain's leading role in the UsefulNotes/IndustrialRevolution; the former is named after the town of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Much_Wenlock Much Wenlock]] in Shropshire, which hosted [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenlock_Olympian_Games a local precursor]] to the Olympic Games; the latter, after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoke_Mandeville_Hospital Stoke Mandeville Hospital]] in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, which specialized in spinal injury research and also hosted [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IWAS_World_Games a precursor]] to the Paralympic Games.[[/note]]\ |
| 278 | '''Bearers of the Olympic Flag:''' Doreen Lawrence, Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon[[note]]British Jamaican anti-racism activist and founder of Stephen Lawrence Foundation, named in memory of her son, a victim of hate crime in 1993[[/note]], Haile Gebrselassie[[note]]Ethiopian runner, 1996-2000 gold medalist in athletics, and crusader against poverty[[/note]], Sally Becker[[note]]British humanitarian best known for volunteer work rescuing children in Bosnia and Kosovo during UsefulNotes/TheYugoslavWars[[/note]], Ban Ki-Moon[[note]]former South Korean foreign affairs minister and then-current secretary general of the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations[[/note]], Leymah Gbowee[[note]]Liberian activist and founder of a women's pressure group that helped end her nation's civil war in 2003[[/note]], Shami Chakrabarti[[note]]British civil liberties activist and founder of Liberty[[/note]], Daniel Barenboim[[note]]Argentine-born Israeli conductor and founder of West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (with his late Palestinian friend, scholar Edward Said), which brings together Arab and Jewish youths[[/note]], and Marina Silva[[note]]Brazilian environmentalist, politician, and United Nations "Champion of the Earth"; she also serves as a nod to her homeland hosting the next edition at Rio de Janeiro[[/note]]; brief cameo by Muhammad Ali\ |
| 279 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Sarah Stevenson[[note]]2008 bronze medalist in weightlifting[[/note]] [Athletes] / Mik Basi (boxing) [Judges] / Eric Farrell [Coaches]\ |
| 280 | '''Carriers of the Torch and Lighters of the Flame:''' David Beckham[[note]]East London native and retired football superstar, having played for the England national team, Manchester United of England's UsefulNotes/PremierLeague, Real Madrid of Spain's La Liga, AC Milan of Italy's Serie A, LA Galaxy of the USA's UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer and Paris Saint-Germain of France's Ligue 1[[/note]] [by motorboat] / Steve Redgrave[[note]]1988 bronze and 1984-2000 gold medalist in rowing, as well as one of the most decorated British Olympians[[/note]] / ''Seven teenage athletes nominated by seven legendary British Olympians, in the spirit of the Games' theme of "[[PassingTheTorch inspiring a generation]]": Callum Airlie (Shirley Robertson''[[note]]2000-2004 gold medalist in sailing[[/note]]''), Jordan Duckitt (Duncan Goodhew''[[note]]1980 bronze/gold medalist in swimming[[/note]]''), Desiree Henry (Daley Thompson''[[note]]1980/1984 gold medalist at decathlon[[/note]]''), Katie Kirk (Mary Peters''[[note]]1972 gold medalist in pentathlon[[/note]]''), Cameron [=MacRitchie=] (Steve Redgrave), Aidan Reynolds (Lynn Davies''[[note]]1964 gold medalist in long jump[[/note]]'') and Adelle Tracey (Kelly Holmes''[[note]]2000 bronze and 2004 gold medalist in 800m, and 2004 gold medalist in 1500m[[/note]]'')'' |
| 281 | -->This made London the first city to host the Games thrice, as well as the first Games where all 204 participating nations, including individual athletes from recently-dissolved Netherlands Antilles and newly-independent South Sudan, had female athletes. These Games boast Great Britain's best medal haul since 1908 (ending with a respectable third-place finish behind perennial board-leaders USA and China), Usain Bolt's continued domination of sprint events, and Michael Phelps surpassing Latynina's record with four golds and two silvers, marking a new world record of 22 medals (eighteen gold and two each of silver and bronze). [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4As0e4de-rI The Opening Ceremonies]], directed by Creator/DannyBoyle, will probably also go down in history as "the one where UsefulNotes/ElizabethII parachuted into the arena with Film/JamesBond" and "the one where [[https://static01.nyt.com/images/2012/07/27/sports/27oepning16/27oepning16-blog480.jpg Paul [=McCartney=] performed]]." These ceremonies were so hugely complex they [[https://blog.oup.com/2012/08/oxford-companion-london-2012-opening-ceremony/ inspired their own Oxford Companion guide]]. Mention should also be made of the original cauldron design, comprising a loose assembly of 204 copper "petals" (one carried in by a member of each participating nation's team) with thin copper gas pipes as "stalks". Once lit these rose up to form [[https://static01.nyt.com/images/2012/07/27/sports/27opening13/27opening13-blog480.jpg a tight cluster so that the flames merged]], symbolizing unity. |
| 282 | * '''XXXI -- 2016: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil'''[[note]]Branded as Rio 2016[[/note]] |
| 283 | -->'''Motto:''' "A New World"\ |
| 284 | '''Duration:''' August 5-21\ |
| 285 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 11,544 from 207 [=NOCs=][[note]]Kosovo and South Sudan debut; refugee athletes grouped under one team; Kuwaiti athletes compete as independents as their NOC was suspended[[/note]]\ |
| 286 | '''Number of sports:''' 28\ |
| 287 | '''Mascots:''' Vinicius (Olympics) and Tom (Paralympics), representatives of Brazilian fauna and flora, respectively[[note]]Both are also respectively named after poet [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinicius_de_Moraes Vinicius de Moraes]] and musician [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant%C3%B4nio_Carlos_Jobim Antônio Carlos "Tom" Jobim]], co-creators of the famous bossa nova song "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Girl_from_Ipanema The Girl from Ipanema]]".[[/note]]\ |
| 288 | '''Olympic Laurel:''' Kipchoge Keino[[note]]Kenyan runner, 4-time medalist (a gold and a silver at both Mexico City 1968 and Munich 1972) and philanthropist[[/note]]\ |
| 289 | '''Bearers of the Olympic Flag:''' Emanuel Rego[[note]]2004 gold, 2008 bronze and 2012 silver medalist in beach volleyball[[/note]], Rosa Celia Pimentel Barbosa[[note]]pioneering pediatric cardiologist and children's rights activist[[/note]], Sandra Pires[[note]]1996 gold and 2000 bronze medalist in beach volleyball[[/note]], Torben Grael[[note]]most decorated Brazilian ever, with five medals, two of them gold, in sailing[[/note]], Joaquim Cruz[[note]]1984 gold and 1988 silver medalist in the 800m, and one of the few men to run the course under 1 minute 42 seconds[[/note]], Marta[[note]]footballer and highest-scoring player at the FIFA Women's World Cup; won two Olympic silvers[[/note]], Ellen Gracie Northfleet [[note]]American-Brazilian judge and first female president of the Supreme Court of Brazil[[/note]] and Oscar Schmidt[[note]]basketball player, 1978 FIBA World Cup bronze medalist and member of the Naismith Memorial and FIBA Halls of Fame[[/note]]\ |
| 290 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Robert Scheidt[[note]]1996/2004 gold, 2000/2008 silver and 2012 bronze medalist at sailing[[/note]] (athletes) / Martinho Nobre (judges)\ |
| 291 | '''Carriers of the Torch and Lighter of the Flame:''' Gustavo "Guga" Kuerten[[note]]Former world #1 tennis player and three-time French Open champion[[/note]] / Hortência Marcari[[note]]1996 silver medalist at basketball, and Naismith and FIBA Hall of Famer[[/note]] / ''Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima''[[note]]2004 bronze medalist in the marathon and recipient of the Pierre de Coubertin medal for his extraordinary display of fair play and sportsmanship despite losing an opportunity to win gold to a mid-race disruption; football legend Pelé was intended to be the lighter of the flame, but was unable to for health reasons[[/note]] |
| 292 | -->The first Games in South America, held two years after Brazil hosted [[UsefulNotes/TheWorldCup the 2014 FIFA World Cup]]. Despite concerns over the Zika virus, alarming pollution on the city waters, infrastructure problems, inadequate security and some pre-Games violence, and a massive doping scandal that shaved off almost the entire Russian athletics team[[note]]the sole exception was USA-based Darya Klishina[[/note]], the Games are best remembered for an [[GreenAesop environmentally-themed opening ceremony]], featuring athletes marching in carrying seedlings which will be planted after the Games and culminating in a small, low-emission cauldron accented by a wind-powered kinetic sculpture, the final performances of Michael Phelps, who finished with five gold and one silver, and Usain Bolt, who completed a "triple-triple" (gold at the 100m, 200m and 4×100m on all three Games he attended[[note]]In 2017, he lost this tag, after a retest of Nesta Carter's drugs sample from 2008 - he was one of the 4x100m relay members - came back positive.[[/note]], American gymnast Simone Biles adding four gold and one silver to her ten gold and two each of silver and bronze from the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Somali-born British runner Mo Farah becoming the second athlete to successfully defend his 5,000m and 10,000m gold medals after Finland's Lasse Virén in 1972 and 1976, and hosts Brazil finally winning its first football gold, in some ways gaining both redemption for its fourth-place disappointment at said World Cup, as well as some measure of vengeance for its 1-7 semifinals humiliation from Cup winner Germany through penalty kicks (5-4, 1-1 after 120 minutes). Kuwait's Fehaid Al-Deehani won the Men's Double Trap shooting event, becoming the first Independent Olympic Athlete to win a gold medal. The record for oldest individual Olympic gold medalist in swimming history was broken twice during these Games: On August 9, Michael Phelps won the Men's 200-Meter Butterfly at age 31; three days later, American Anthony Ervin shattered that record, winning the Men's 50 Free at ''35''. Ervin won the same event at the Sydney Games, ''16 years prior'', in a tie for gold with fellow American and former training partner Gary Hall Jr. American Simone Manuel became the first African-American to win an individual gold medal in swimming, tying for gold with Canada's Penny Oleksiak in the Women's 100 Free. Oleksiak made her own history in the process: while it was the third tie for gold in Olympic swimming history, Oleksiak was the first non-American to tie for gold in an individual Olympic swimming event. After a century away, golf returned to the Olympics. Many of the big names in the men's game opted to skip the Olympics, some citing the Zika virus[[note]]Tiger Woods didn't qualify, as he was in the midst of a miserable period in his career where injuries, plus perhaps depression, kept him off the course.[[/note]] Fortunately for the sport's Olympic future, the men's podium had recognizable names: claming Gold was Britain's Justin Rose (finishing at 16-under par), the 2013 US Open champion, who would go on to become the World No. 1 later in his career; the Silver went to Sweden's Henrik Stenson (14-under), who won the Open Championship at Royal Troon in Scotland just a month before the Games; and Bronze went to American Matt Kuchar (13-under), considered one of the best players of his generation to not win a major. The women's tournament had many of its big names come down to Rio, and thus, they were rewarded with a podium they could be proud of: South Korea's Inbee Park, a winner of seven majors, won Gold, shooting 16-under, and having three rounds of 66 in the tournament; Silver went to New Zealand youngster Lydia Ko (11-under), at the time the top-ranked player in the women's game; and Bronze was won by China's Shanshan Feng (10-under), the 2012 LPGA Championship (now Women's PGA Championship) winner. These Olympics were Bob Costas' last as primetime host of NBC's US coverage; on February 9, 2017, Costas announced that he would stand down from the role. Mike Tirico, a longtime ESPN personality who joined NBC Sports in July 2016, replaced Costas beginning with the 2018 Winter Olympics in [=PyeongChang=], South Korea. |
| 293 | * '''XXXII -- 2020: Tokyo, Japan'''[[note]]Postponed to 2021, but still called "Tokyo 2020"[[/note]] |
| 294 | -->'''Motto:''' "United by Emotion"\ |
| 295 | '''Duration:''' July 23 - August 8, 2021 (originally scheduled for July 24 - August 9, 2020)\ |
| 296 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 11,646 from 206 [=NOCs=][[note]]FYR Macedonia renamed North Macedonia; Swaziland renamed Eswatini; Russia renamed "ROC" (standing for the "Russian Olympic Committee") as part of their punishment for state-sponsored doping; North Korea withdraws[[/note]]\ |
| 297 | '''Number of sports:''' 33\ |
| 298 | '''Mascots:''' Miraitowa (Olympics) and Someity (Paralympics), {{Cartoon Creature}}s with checkered patterns[[note]]They are a nod to Japan's fascination for cute mascots as well as anime; respectively, the former is colored blue after the Games' official logo, and whose name is based on the Japanese words for "future" and "eternity", while the latter is colored pink [[CherryBlossomGirl in allusion]] to {{Cherry Blossoms}}, a cherished part of Japanese culture, and is named after the ''somei-yoshino'' (''Prunus × yedoensis'', a kind of cherry blossom) and the English words "So mighty".[[/note]]\ |
| 299 | '''Bearers of the Japanese Flag:''' Yoshinobu Miyake[[note]]weightlifter and 3-time medalist (silver at Rome 1960 and gold at Tokyo 1964 and Mexico City 1968)[[/note]], Naoko Takahashi[[note]]marathon gold medalist at Sydney 2000[[/note]], Momoha Tabata[[note]]member of the silver-winning curling team at Lausanne 2020 YOG[[/note]], Hibiki Sakai[[note]]12-year-old blind drummer[[/note]], Keita Dohi[[note]]sport climbing gold medalist at Buenos Aires 2018 YOG[[/note]], and Mizuki Asano[[note]]rescue worker, representing her fellow rescuers during the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami[[/note]]\ |
| 300 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Kasumi Ishikawa for the athletes; Asumi Tsuzaki for the judges.\ |
| 301 | '''Olympic Laurel:''' Muhammad Yunus[[note]]Bangladeshi banker, entrepreneur, and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate[[/note]]\ |
| 302 | '''Bearers of the Olympic Flag:''' Six athletes representing the five continents and the Refugee Olympic Team who served as community workers during the pandemic: Kento Momota[[note]]Japanese badminton player and three-time World Championships medalist (bronze in 2015, gold in 2018 and 2019)[[/note]] (Asia), Elena Galiabovitch[[note]]Australian shooter, bronze medalist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and doctor[[/note]] (Oceania), Paula Pareto[[note]]Argentine judoka, two-time medalist (bronze at Beijing 2008 and gold at Rio 2016), and physician[[/note]] (Americas), Mehdi Essadiq[[note]]Moroccan triathlete[[/note]] (Africa), Paola Egonu[[note]]Nigerian-Italian volleyball player and part of the silver-winning 2018 World Championships team[[/note]] (Europe), and Cyrille Tchatchet[[note]]Cameroonian weightlifter and nurse[[/note]] (Refugee Olympic Team) / Eight Japanese first responders\ |
| 303 | '''Carriers of the Torch and Lighter of the Flame:''' Tadahiro Nomura[[note]]judoka and the only three-time consecutive gold medalist in his sport (Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, and Athens 2004)[[/note]] and Saori Yoshida[[note]]wrestler and 4-time medalist (gold in Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and London 2012; silver in Rio 2016)[[/note]] / Shigeo Nagashima, Sadaharu Oh, and Hideki Matsui, baseball legends[[note]]Nagashima was a 14-time Japan Series champion--11 as player, 3 as manager--with the Yomiuri Giants, one of Tokyo's most successful teams; Oh was 11-time Japan Series champion, also with the Giants, as well as current world record holder for most home runs at 868; Matsui was 3-time Japan Series champion, again with the Giants, as well as 2009 World Series champion and Series MVP with the New York Yankees[[/note]] / Hiroki Ōhashi and Junko Kitagawa, medical first responders / Wakako Tsuchida[[note]]paraplegic racer and Japan's first Paralympic medalist in both winter and summer editions (two gold and two silver in Nagano 1998 on ice sledge, then a bronze in Sydney 2000 and both a gold and silver in Athens 2004 on wheelchair)[[/note]] / Six schoolchildren born in Fukushima, Iwate, and Miyagi, the three most affected prefectures during the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami / ''Naomi Osaka''[[note]]Japanese-Haitian-American tennis superstar, four-time Grand Slam winner (2019 and 2021 Australian Open, and 2018 and 2020 US Open), then-reigning world #2, and activist for human rights and mental health awareness[[/note]] |
| 304 | -->This marks the second time the Games have been held in Tokyo, the first time an Asian city hosted the Games twice, and the fifth in a list of such repeats overall, after Athens (1896, 2004), Paris (1900, 1924), London (1908, 1948, 2012), and Los Angeles (1932, 1984). These Olympics mark the return of baseball and softball to the sports program for the first time since 2008. Four sports also made their Olympic debut in Tokyo: karate (yet another hand-to-hand combat sport at the Olympics), surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing.[[note]]a variation of rock climbing[[/note]] On June 9, 2017, 15 new events were announced, including 3-on-3 basketball, the addition of a 4x100-meter mixed medley relay in swimming (along with the long-awaited installation of the 800-meter freestyle for men, and the 1,500-meter freestyle for women), and a 4x400-meter mixed relay for track. After mounting pressure to postpone the Games - including indications that Australia and Canada would not send a team - due to the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic (and calls for equality, inclusion, and diversity), they were postponed until 2021 on 24 March 2020; [[NonIndicativeName despite this, they were still referred to as "Tokyo 2020"]]. In order to limit the further spread of the virus, the games were held without an audience, and the opening and closing ceremonies were significantly reduced in scale[[note]][[https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2021/07/22/general/olympic-opening-ceremony-that-wasnt/ The issue with the ceremonies]] [[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57924885 was complicated]] and involved Dentsu, one of Japan's largest advertising companies, plus several creative team members being fired for grossly inappropriate remarks, ''plus'' public reaction to holding the Games at all when there's a virus. Japanese fans online have blamed Dentsu for mishandling the situation, especially since they've been involved with the Olympics since ''1960''.[[/note]] and largely composed of pre-recorded segments; a highlight was the lighting of the cauldron, revealed by a high-tech sphere that disclosed like a flower and set atop a structure resembling Mount Fuji, at the hand of tennis superstar and activist Naomi Osaka. This however did not stop a majority of the Japanese population to protest and demand the definitive cancellation of the event in a country still in the middle of the health crisis. This Games also marked the debut of a new corporate imagery for the IOC and also announced a change to the Olympic motto, expanding "Faster, Higher, Stronger" to add "Together" to emphasize unity. |
| 305 | * '''XXXIII -- 2024: Paris, France''' |
| 306 | -->'''Motto:''' "Games Wide Open"\ |
| 307 | '''Duration:''' August 2-18\ |
| 308 | '''Mascots:''' The Phryges (phrygian caps) are shared for both Olympic and Paralympic games (Paralympic Phryge is differentiated by having a prosthetic leg.)[[note]]Phrygian caps are a symbol of freedom, and more specifically the French Revolution.[[/note]] |
| 309 | -->These Games make Paris the second three-time host after London, as well as the city's first in exactly a century. After three failed bids for 1992, 2008 and 2012, there were fears within the IOC that Paris, the birthplace of Pierre de Coubertin, may never put forth a bid again if fourth time is still unlucky, and with competitors Rome, Hamburg and Budapest all withdrawing due to lack of popular support and/or opposition, leaving only Los Angeles, a wild scenario popped up: the ''2028'' Summer Games could be a consolation prize to whoever lost the rights for 2024. Despite initial opposition, both parties eventually warmed up to the idea, though Paris lobbied harder to earn 2024 due to development of proposed venues being earmarked for no later than that date. With Los Angeles conceding for 2028, Paris easily won its bid virtually unopposed. Apart from being the first Games to debut breakdancing, Paris 2024 will be a groundbreaker for taking the opening and closing ceremonies out of the stadium (which had a precedent in the Buenos Aires 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games) and onto the streets, in particular along the banks of the Seine River and finishing at Trocadéro, across the river from the iconic Eiffel Tower and for the first time ever, the athletes would be a part of the opening ceremony. These Games will see the debut of breaking (aka breakdancing) as an Olympic sport. The surfing events will set a new Olympic record for greatest distance between a host city and an event venue; the venue of Teahupo'o in the French overseas territory of [[UsefulNotes/FrenchPolynesia Tahiti]] is 15,716 km from Paris (about 130 km farther than the 1956 equestrian venue of Stockholm was from the host city of Melbourne). On May 11, 2023, [=NBCUniversal=] announced that, for the first time ever at a European Olympics, all major event finals would be televised live for the United States audience instead of being held for primetime, with NBC broadcasting '''nine hours''' of live coverage each day during the daytime hours. Also, their streaming service Peacock will have every single event (all 329 competitions) broadcast live on their Olympics section. |
| 310 | * '''XXXIV -- 2028: Los Angeles, California, United States'''[[note]]Branded as [=LA28=][[/note]] |
| 311 | -->'''Motto:''' "Together We Create the Future"\ |
| 312 | '''Duration:''' July 14 - 30\ |
| 313 | '''Number of sports:''' 35 (as of 2024) |
| 314 | -->These Games make the city the third three-time host after London and Paris, as well as the first Summer Games in the USA after 32 years (Atlanta 1996). Boston was originally the USA's candidate for 2024, but withdrew due to lack of support, causing the USOC to turn to experienced Los Angeles. Withdrawals of other candidate cities forced the IOC to simultaneously award the 2024 and 2028 Games to the two remaining candidates, and with Los Angeles eventually conceding the 2024 Games to Paris, it was nevertheless rewarded with the 2028 Games, with its eleven-year preparation period the longest to date. Once again as in 1984, heavy use of already-existing facilities with what new infrastructure is built to be planned with the city's long-term needs in mind (such as finally connecting the [[UsefulNotes/LosAngelesMetroRail Metro]] to LAX and building much-needed housing). |
| 315 | * '''XXXV -- 2032: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia''' |
| 316 | -->'''Motto:''' TBA |
| 317 | -->'''Duration:''' July 23 - August 8 |
| 318 | -->These Games make Australia just the second country, after the USA, to host the Summer Games in three different cities, as well as the first to win its bid unopposed since Los Angeles 1984, and the first to win under a new host selection format wherein the IOC will directly enter into discussions with interested host cities without the need to pit them against each other. |
| 319 | [[/folder]] |
| 320 | |
| 321 | !!Winter Olympic Games |
| 322 | |
| 323 | The Winter Olympic Games consist of multiple winter sport events -- officially defined as sports practiced on snow or ice -- and are held every four years, also excepting 1940 and 1944. The first Winter Games were held in 1924. As with the Summer Games, various sports have been added and/or removed over the years, but six events -- figure skating, speed skating, ice hockey, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and Nordic combined -- have been featured in every Winter Olympics since 1924. Today's games also feature snowboarding and luge, just to name a couple. |
| 324 | |
| 325 | The Winter Games were initially held during the same year as the Summer Games. While there still tend to be fewer countries participating than in the Summer Games, the Winter Olympics have grown in popularity, and in 1986 the IOC decided to offset the Winter Games from the Summer ones by two years starting in 1994. |
| 326 | |
| 327 | [[folder:The Winter Games]] |
| 328 | Unlike the Summer Olympics, which count the Olympiad whether the games occurred in them or not, the Roman numerals of the Winter Olympics count only the games. |
| 329 | |
| 330 | * '''I -- 1924: Chamonix, France''' |
| 331 | -->'''Duration:''' January 25 -- February 5\ |
| 332 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 258 from 16 [=NOCs=][[note]]Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, United States and Yugoslavia debut[[/note]]\ |
| 333 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Paul Camille Mandrillon[[note]]1924 bronze medalist at biathlon[[/note]] |
| 334 | -->Originally called the "International Winter Sports Week" (and a part of Paris 1924), these Games were successful enough that the IOC decided to make the Winter Olympics more or less regular. |
| 335 | * '''II -- 1928: Saint Moritz, Switzerland''' |
| 336 | -->'''Duration:''' February 11-19\ |
| 337 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 464 (438 men, 26 women) from 25 [=NOCs=][[note]]Argentina, Estonia, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands and Romania debut[[/note]]\ |
| 338 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Hans Eidenbenz[[note]]Nordic combined athlete[[/note]] |
| 339 | -->The first true Winter Olympics. The Games were also notorious for fluctuating weather -- a blizzard at the opening ceremony, followed by warm weather for the rest of the tournament. |
| 340 | * '''III -- 1932: Lake Placid, New York, United States''' |
| 341 | -->'''Duration:''' February 4-15\ |
| 342 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 252 (231 men, 21 women) from 17 [=NOCs=][[note]]Argentina, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands and Yugoslavia withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 343 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Jack Shea[[note]]2-time 1932 gold medalist at speed skating[[/note]] |
| 344 | -->The first Winter Games outside Europe, and the first time the host team beat perennial Winter Games board-leader Norway. |
| 345 | * '''IV -- 1936: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany''' |
| 346 | -->'''Duration:''' February 6-16\ |
| 347 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 646 (566 men, 80 women) from 28 [=NOCs=][[note]]Australia, Bulgaria, Greece, Liechtenstein, Spain and Turkey debut; Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Yugoslavia return[[/note]]\ |
| 348 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Willy Bogner, Sr.[[note]]Nordic skier[[/note]] |
| 349 | -->Not as Nazi-ridden as the summer version, held in Berlin later that year, but the Germans still managed to come behind Norway in the medals table. These Games featured the debut of alpine skiing, and featured Britain's upset of Canada in men's ice hockey (a sport traditionally associated with the latter). |
| 350 | * '''''1940: Sapporo, Japan''''' |
| 351 | -->Supposed to be the first Winter Games in Asia, only for Japan to resign from hosting duties due to the Second Sino-Japanese War, and ultimately cancelled due to UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. The same city would later be awarded the 1972 edition. |
| 352 | * '''''1944: Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy''''' |
| 353 | -->Also cancelled due to UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. The same town would later be awarded the 1956 edition by itself and the 2026 edition alongside Milan. |
| 354 | * '''V -- 1948: Saint Moritz, Switzerland''' |
| 355 | -->'''Duration:''' January 30 -- February 8\ |
| 356 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 669 (592 men, 77 women) from 28 [=NOCs=][[note]]Chile, Denmark, Iceland, Lebanon and South Korea debut; Argentina returns; Australia, Estonia, Germany, Japan, Latvia and Luxembourg withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 357 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Bibi Torriani[[note]]1928/1948 bronze medalist at ice hockey[[/note]] |
| 358 | -->The first Winter Games to be held in a previous host city. These Games featured Barbara Ann Scott, the only Canadian woman to win gold in figure skating, as well as Dick Button, American figure skater and the first to successfully pull off a double axel en route to a gold, and Henri Oreiller, French alpine skier and first to win a downhill event by a wide margin (4 seconds). Like London 1948, Japan and Germany, losers of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, were not invited. |
| 359 | * '''VI -- 1952: Oslo, Norway''' |
| 360 | -->'''Duration:''' February 14-25\ |
| 361 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 694 (585 men, 109 women) from 30 [=NOCs=][[note]]New Zealand and Portugal debut; Australia, Germany and Japan return; South Korea, Liechtenstein, Romania and Turkey withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 362 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Torbjørn Falkanger[[note]]1952 silver medalist at ski jumping[[/note]]\ |
| 363 | '''Lighter of the Flame:''' Eigil Nansen[[note]]Grandson of famous polar explorer Fritjof Nansen[[/note]] |
| 364 | -->As expected, Norway dominated these Games, among which is its most decorated athlete, trucker and speed skater Hjalmar Andersen, who won three of his four events. Emulating the summer versions, these Winter Games also introduced the passing of an Olympic flag from the mayor of the current host to that of the next host through the IOC president at the closing ceremonies (though recent Winter Games use replicas of the "Oslo flag"). These Games also featured the first Winter Olympic torch relay. |
| 365 | * '''VII -- 1956: Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy''' |
| 366 | -->'''Duration:''' January 26 -- February 5\ |
| 367 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 821 (687 men, 134 women) from 32 [=NOCs=][[note]]Bolivia, Iran and Soviet Union debut; Liechtenstein, South Korea and Turkey return; Germany renamed United German Team; Argentina, Denmark, New Zealand and Portugal withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 368 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Giuliana Minuzzo[[note]]1952/1960 bronze medalist at alpine skiing[[/note]]\ |
| 369 | '''Lighter of the Flame:''' Guido Caroli[[note]]Speed skater[[/note]] |
| 370 | -->Regaining hosting rights to the Games after the town lost the 1944 Games to UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, these games were the first televised Winter Games, as well as the first to rely on corporate sponsorship. These Games marked the debut of Soviet winter athletes, who would tear through the medals table, particularly men's ice hockey, which they would dominate for the next three decades. Austrian alpine skier Toni Sailer also became the first athlete to sweep all three skiing events -- downhill, slalom and giant slalom. |
| 371 | * '''VIII -- 1960: Squaw (now Olympic) Valley, California, United States''' |
| 372 | -->'''Duration:''' February 18-28\ |
| 373 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 665 (521 men, 144 women) from 30 [=NOCs=][[note]]South Africa debuts; Argentina, Denmark and New Zealand return; Belgium, Bolivia, Greece, Iran, Romania and Yugoslavia withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 374 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Carol Heiss[[note]]1956 silver and 1960 gold medalist at figure skating and actress[[/note]]\ |
| 375 | '''Lighter of the Flame:''' Ken Henry[[note]]1952 gold medalist at speed skating[[/note]] |
| 376 | -->The "austerity games" of the Winter Olympics, bobsledding and luge were omitted as it was considered too expensive to build a track. The opening ceremonies was directed by Creator/WaltDisney himself. Predating the "Miracle on Ice" 20 years later, the American ice hockey team win their first ice hockey gold medal at the expense of Canada and the Soviet Union, breaking the latter's dominion over the sport for the first time in many years. Soviet speed skater Lidiya Skoblikova also debuted with two gold medals, making her the most successful athlete of the Games, together with compatriot Yevgeny Grishin, who also won two golds in 1956. |
| 377 | * '''IX -- 1964: Innsbruck, Austria''' |
| 378 | -->'''Duration:''' January 29 -- February 9\ |
| 379 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 1,091 (892 men, 199 women) from 36 [=NOCs=][[note]]India, Mongolia and North Korea debut; Belgium, Greece, Iran, Romania and Yugoslavia return; New Zealand and South Africa withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 380 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Paul Aste[[note]]Bobsleigh athlete and 1958 bronze and 1955 silver medalist at the FIBT World Championships[[/note]]\ |
| 381 | '''Lighter of the Flame:''' Josef Rieder[[note]]Alpine skier and 1958 2-time silver and gold medalist at the FIS World Championships[[/note]] |
| 382 | -->Due to a dry spell earlier that year, the Austrian Army had to literally carve out the ice from high up the Alps. These Games marked the first time East and West Germany marched as one, and featured Lidiya Skoblikova adding four more golds (on all her events) to her collection. |
| 383 | * '''X -- 1968: Grenoble, France''' |
| 384 | -->'''Duration:''' February 6-18\ |
| 385 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 1,158 (947 men, 211 women) from 37 [=NOCs=][[note]]Morocco debuts; United German Team split into East Germany and West Germany; New Zealand returns; Belgium and North Korea withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 386 | '''Mascot:''' Schuss, an abstract skier[[note]]Although originally unofficial, the IOC has since retroactively recognized him as the first Olympic mascot[[/note]]\ |
| 387 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Léo Lacroix[[note]]1964 silver medalist at downhill skiing[[/note]]\ |
| 388 | '''Lighter of the Flame:''' Alain Calmat[[note]]1964 silver medalist at figure skating[[/note]] |
| 389 | -->The edition that made the Winter Olympics a household word in American media, not the least because of extensive coverage from ABC and the popularity of such figures as French alpine skier Jean-Claude Killy, who won all three of his events, and figure skater Peggy Fleming, the only American gold medalist in these Games (who also heralded the renaissance of the sport in the USA following a plane crash seven years earlier that killed the entire US team en route to the World Championships in Prague). These Games were also the first time the IOC ordered drug and gender testing for athletes. |
| 390 | * '''XI -- 1972: Sapporo, Japan''' |
| 391 | -->'''Duration:''' February 3-13\ |
| 392 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 1,006 (801 men, 205 women) from 35 [=NOCs=][[note]]China (under what is now Chinese Taipei) and Philippines debut; Belgium and North Korea return; Chile, Denmark, India, Iceland, Morocco and Turkey withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 393 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Keiichi Suzuki[[note]]Speed skater[[/note]] [Athletes] / Fumio Asaki[[note]]Ski jumping referee[[/note]] [Judges]\ |
| 394 | '''Lighter of the Flame:''' Hideki Takada |
| 395 | -->Like Cortina d'Ampezzo, Sapporo regained hosting rights after surrendering the 1940 edition due to the Sino-Japanese War (which was ultimately cancelled). These Games were the first in Asia, as well as the first time Japan had ever won gold in any Winter Games, with a podium sweep by Yukio Kasaya (gold), Akitsugu Konno (silver) and Seiji Aochi (bronze) on the 70m ski jump as their only medals. |
| 396 | * '''XII -- 1976: Innsbruck, Austria''' |
| 397 | -->'''Duration:''' February 4-15\ |
| 398 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 1,123 (892 men, 231 women) from 37 [=NOCs=][[note]]Andorra and San Marino debut; Chile, Iceland and Turkey return; Mongolia, North Korea and Philippines withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 399 | '''Mascot:''' Schneeman the snowman[[note]]A symbol of the Games' theme of simplicity[[/note]]\ |
| 400 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Werner Delle Karth[[note]]Bobsleigh athlete[[/note]] [Athletes] / Willy Köstinger[[note]]Nordic combined skier and referee[[/note]] [Judges]\ |
| 401 | '''Lighters of the Flame:''' Christl Haas[[note]]1968 bronze and 1964 gold medalist at alpine skiing[[/note]] and Josef Feistmantl[[note]]1964 gold medalist at luge[[/note]] |
| 402 | -->The Games were originally awarded to Denver, Colorado, but locals voted down a bond issue to fund necessary construction, and the IOC turned initially to runner-up candidate (and eventual host-city come 2010) Vancouver, BC, which declined due to short notice, and then to the hosts of twelve years earlier. To this day, Denver remains the only city to decline hosting the Games. Given the financial effect of the Games being hosted in Montreal that same year, one could hardly blame them. The main highlight of these Games was the dramatic victory of Austrian alpine skier Franz Klammer over his Swiss rival Bernhard Russi. |
| 403 | * '''XIII -- 1980: Lake Placid, New York, United States''' |
| 404 | -->'''Duration:''' February 14-23\ |
| 405 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 1,072 (840 men, 232 women) from 37 [=NOCs=][[note]]Costa Rica and Cyprus debut; Bolivia and Mongolia return; China now represented by the PRC; Chile, Iran, San Marino and Turkey withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 406 | '''Mascot:''' Roni the raccoon[[note]]Named after the Adirondack Mountains, where Lake Placid is situated, its face pattern resembles the hat and goggles used by competitors[[/note]]\ |
| 407 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Eric Heiden[[note]]5-time 1980 gold medalist at speed skating[[/note]] [Athletes] / Terry [=McDermott=][[note]]1968 silver and 1964 gold medalist at speed skating and referee[[/note]] [Judges]\ |
| 408 | '''Lighter of the Flame:''' Charles Gugino |
| 409 | -->Famous for the "Miracle on Ice", in which the motley American ice hockey team [[DefeatingTheUndefeatable defeated the heavily favored Soviet team]] (which had beaten them 10-3 two weeks prior), 4-3, en route to a gold medal finish against Finland. Other highlights include Swedish skier Ingemar Stenmark winning two gold medals on the slalom and giant slalom and American speed skater Eric Heiden winning all five events, making him the most successful Olympian in both these Games and perhaps in the history of the Winter Olympics. |
| 410 | * '''XIV -- 1984: Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina)''' |
| 411 | -->'''Duration:''' February 8-19\ |
| 412 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 1,272 (998 men, 274 women) from 49 [=NOCs=][[note]]British Virgin Islands, Egypt, Monaco, Puerto Rico and Senegal debut; Chile, Mexico, Morocco, North Korea, San Marino and Turkey return; ROC returns as Chinese Taipei[[/note]]\ |
| 413 | '''Mascot:''' Vučko the wolf[[note]]Symbolic of animals' desire to befriend humans. The IOC credits Vučko with helping to popularize the idea of the NobleWolf over their old repuatation of being {{Savage|Wolves}}.[[/note]]\ |
| 414 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Bojan Križaj[[note]]Slovenian alpine skier[[/note]] (Athletes) / Dragan Perović[[note]]Montenegrin alpine skiing referee[[/note]] (Judges)\ |
| 415 | '''Lighter of the Flame:''' Sanda Dubravčić[[note]]Croatian figure skater[[/note]] |
| 416 | -->British ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean skated to ''Bolero'' and promptly earned the only perfect set of marks ever given to anyone in the sport, and featured the first black African winter Olympian in the form of Senegalese skier Lamine Guèye. These Games had a tragic postscript years later when Yugoslavia broke up violently, and images of tanks parked in the rink where Torvill and Dean danced became iconic images of the conflict. |
| 417 | * '''XV -- 1988: Calgary, Alberta, Canada''' |
| 418 | -->'''Motto:''' "Come Together in Calgary"\ |
| 419 | '''Duration:''' February 13-28\ |
| 420 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 1,423 (1,122 men, 301 women) from 57 [=NOCs=][[note]]Fiji, Guatemala, Guam, Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles and United States Virgin Islands debut; Denmark, India, Luxembourg, Philippines and Portugal return; British Virgin Islands, Egypt and Senegal withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 421 | '''Mascots:''' Hidy and Howdy the polar bears[[note]]Both symbolize the spirit of Western Canadian generosity[[/note]]\ |
| 422 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Pierre Harvey[[note]]Cross-country skier and cyclist[[/note]] (Athletes) / Suzanne Morrow[[note]]1948 bronze medalist at figure skating and referee[[/note]] (Judges)\ |
| 423 | '''Carriers of the Torch and Lighter of the Flame:''' Cathy Priestner[[note]]1976 silver medalist at speed skating[[/note]] and Ken Read[[note]]Alpine skier and 5-time FIS World Cup champion[[/note]] (with cameo by Rick Hansen[[note]]Paralympian and 1980 bronze, 1980/1984 silver and 1980 and 2-time 1984 gold medalist at wheelchair athletics, as well as activist for spinal injury research[[/note]]) / ''Robyn Perry''[[note]]12-year-old schoolgirl[[/note]] |
| 424 | -->Canadian figure skater Elizabeth Manley is best remembered for her silver-winning performance in the long program. Also famous for Jamaica participating in the bobsled, where it was seen as unusual for a tropical country to be competing in a winter sport (the theory was that having sprinters on the team would get the sled off to a fast start, providing a competitive edge down the rest of the track). The highlights of the Games, though, were the triple-gold performances of Finnish ski jumper Matti Nykänen and Dutch speed-skater Yvonne van Gennip, as well as two from Italian alpine skier Alberto Tomba, en route to becoming the first in his sport to win medals on three consecutive Winter Games, and one from American speed skater Bonnie Blair. While Canada remained without (official) gold on its home Games (other than two on demonstration sports, including that by short-track speed-skater Sylvie Daigle), surplus revenue from viewers and sponsors, which more than compensated for these Games being the costliest to run (at C$829 million) at the time, helped turn Calgary into Canada's premier winter sports center -- and helped break its dry spell come Vancouver 2010. These are the last Winter Olympics - and Olympics, period - to be telecast in the United States by ABC. CBS - in partnership with Turner Sports - would televise the next three Winter Games. |
| 425 | * '''XVI -- 1992: Albertville, France''' |
| 426 | -->'''Motto:''' "At the Peak of Performance"\ |
| 427 | '''Duration:''' February 8-23\ |
| 428 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 1,801 (1,313 men, 488 women) from 64 [=NOCs=][[note]]Algeria, Bermuda, Brazil, Croatia, Honduras, Ireland, Slovenia and Swaziland debut; Soviet Union dissolves, with Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan forming the Unified Team; Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Senegal return; Fiji, Guam, Guatemala and Portugal withdraw; East Germany and West Germany reunite as Germany[[/note]]\ |
| 429 | '''Mascot:''' Magique the star-shaped imp\ |
| 430 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Surya Bonaly[[note]]Figure skater[[/note]] [Athletes] / Pierre Bornat[[note]]Alpine skiing referee[[/note]]\ |
| 431 | '''Lighters of the Flame:''' Michel Platini[[note]]Football superstar, 1976 Olympian and current president of UEFA[[/note]] and François-Cyrille Grange[[note]]9-year-old local boy and older brother of Jean-Baptiste Grange, 2007 silver and 2011-2015 gold medalist at the FIS World Championships[[/note]] |
| 432 | -->Last Winter Games held at the same year as the Summer Games. Most of the venues for these Games, including the ceremonies stadium, were temporary. The Games featured the Norwegians' domination of male cross-country skiing events, Alberto Tomba's second giant slalom gold, Bonnie Blair's two-gold-medal performance, and breakthrough medal finishes of the USA's Kristi Yamaguchi (gold), Japan's Midori Ito (silver), and New Zealand's Annelise Coberger (silver). Yamaguchi and Ito became the first figure skaters of Asian descent to win medals, while alpine skier Coberger became the first medalist from the Southern Hemisphere. The ceremonies were choreographed by Philip Decouffle and were very similar to that of Creator/CirqueDuSoleil, with acrobats performing on a very tall central mast along with many other dazzling feats. Creator/{{TBS}} and Creator/{{TNT}} supplemented CBS's coverage of these Games, making them the first American cable networks to broadcast Olympic events. |
| 433 | * '''XVII -- 1994: Lillehammer, Norway''' |
| 434 | -->'''Motto:''' "From The Heart -- Together With Love"\ |
| 435 | '''Duration:''' February 12-27\ |
| 436 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 1,737 (1,215 men, 522 women) from 67 [=NOCs=][[note]]Armenia, American Samoa, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Israel and Trinidad and Tobago debut; Unified Team dissolves into Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan; Fiji, Portugal and South Africa return; Algeria, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Honduras, India, Ireland, Lebanon, Morocco, Netherlands Antilles, North Korea, Philippines, Swaziland and Yugoslavia withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 437 | '''Mascots:''' Hakon and Kristin, dolls of children dressed in Viking costumes\ |
| 438 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Vegard Ulvang[[note]]1988 bronze, 1992-1994 silver and 3-time 1992 gold medalist at cross-country skiing[[/note]] [Athletes] / Kari Kåring[[note]]Speed skating referee[[/note]] [Judges]\ |
| 439 | '''Carriers of the Torch and Lighter of the Flame:''' Reidar Liaklev[[note]]1948 gold medalist at speed skating[[/note]] / Brit Pettersen Tofte [[note]]Lillehammer native and 1984 gold medalist at cross-country skiing[[/note]] / Stein Gruben[[note]]Downhill skier, in lieu of Ole Gunnar Fidjestøl, 1988 ski jumping bronze medalist, who injured himself during practice[[/note]] / Catherine Nottingnes[[note]]1994 Paralympic cross-country skier[[/note]] / ''Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway''[[note]]In honor of his father King Harald V and grandfather King Olav V, themselves Olympic sailors (the former a 1964-1972 competitor, the latter a 1928 gold medalist)[[/note]] |
| 440 | -->First Winter Games held in a different year from the Summer Games. Widely considered the best Winter Games, featuring an opening ceremony on a ski jump venue, whose climax was skier Stein Gruben going downhill with the Torch before the Cauldron was lit by Crown Prince Haakon, whose father, King Harald V, and grandfather, Olav V, were themselves Olympians. The Games featured the domination of women's cross-country events by Italy's Manuela Di Centa and Russia's Lyubov Yegorova, with 5 and 4 medals, respectively, a heartstopping victory of Italy over Norway in the men's 4×10km cross-country event by just 0.4 second, and American speed skater Dan Jansen, long considered a favorite but beleaguered by failure ever since 1988, when he had to compete even as he was mourning his older sister Jane, who died of leukemia hours before his first event, finally winning the 1000m event. A [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_of_Nancy_Kerrigan tabloid-friendly scandal]] involving rival American figure skaters Nancy Kerrigan and UsefulNotes/TonyaHarding provided fodder for comedians and sketch comedy shows for months; Harding never lived it down. A Norwegian-English {{mockumentary}} can be seen [[http://youtu.be/MESUvPydQvk here]], even though it has a "For all ages" rating in Norway is it NSFW. |
| 441 | * '''XVIII -- 1998: Nagano, Japan''' |
| 442 | -->'''Motto:''' "Coexistence with Nature"\ |
| 443 | '''Duration:''' February 7-22\ |
| 444 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 2,176 (1,389 men, 787 women) from 72 [=NOCs=][[note]]Azerbaijan, Kenya, Macedonia, Uruguay and Venezuela debut; India, Ireland, North Korea and Yugoslavia return; Iran returns as the Islamic Republic of Iran; American Samoa, Fiji, Mexico, San Marino and Senegal withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 445 | '''Mascots:''' The Snowlets (snowy owls)--Sukki, Nokki, Likki, and Tsukki[[note]]These represent the four major island groups of Japan (Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kyushu), and their names are a pun on "Snowlet"[[/note]]\ |
| 446 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Kenji Ogiwara[[note]]1992/1994 gold medalist at Nordic combined[[/note]] [Athletes] / Junko Hiramatsu[[note]]Figure skating referee[[/note]] [Judges]\ |
| 447 | '''Carriers of the Torch and Lighter of the Flame:''' Chris Moon[[note]]British landmine survivor and activist[[/note]], accompanied by children representing the participating nations / Masako Chiba[[note]]Runner and 1997 IAAF World Championships bronze medalist at the 10,000m[[/note]] / Reiichi Mikata, Takanori Kono and Kenji Ogiwara[[note]]1992 gold medalists at Nordic combined[[/note]] / Hiromi Suzuki[[note]]1997 IAAF World Championships gold medalist at the marathon[[/note]] / ''Midori Ito''[[note]]1992 silver medalist at figure skating[[/note]] |
| 448 | -->The first Winter Games featuring women's ice hockey, curling and snowboarding. It was also the first time NHL players were allowed to play in men's ice hockey. The bobsled track used for these games was notable for having a portion that sloped '''up'''hill. The Games featured 15-year-old American figure skater Tara Lipinski beating compatriot Michelle Kwan to become the youngest individual champion in the history of the Winter Olympics and Austrian skier Hermann Maier, who survived a hard fall days before the Games, winning the Super-G and giant slalom events. These are, to date, the last Winter Olympics - as well as Olympics, period - to be televised in the United States by a network other than NBC (in this case, CBS, in partnership with Turner Sports). |
| 449 | * '''XIX -- 2002: Salt Lake City, Utah, United States'''[[note]]Branded as Salt Lake 2002[[/note]] |
| 450 | -->'''Motto:''' "Light the Fire Within"\ |
| 451 | '''Duration:''' February 8-24\ |
| 452 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 2,399 (1,513 men, 886 women) from 78 [=NOCs=][[note]]Cameroon, Hong Kong, Nepal, Thailand and Tajikistan debut; Costa Rica, Fiji, Lebanon, Mexico and San Marino return; Luxembourg, North Korea, Portugal and Uruguay withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 453 | '''Mascots:''' Powder the hare, Copper the coyote, and Coal the black bear (Olympics)[[note]]These mascots are based on animals indigenous to Utah and are also named after important mineral resources in the state; in addition, the three animals play important roles in Native American mythologies, and also respectively symbolize the elements of the Olympic motto--"Citius" ("Faster"), "Altius" ("Higher"), and and "Fortius" ("Stronger").[[/note]] / Otto the otter (Paralympics)[[note]]Though created separately, Otto was specifically designed by the same artist to complement Powder, Copper and Coal.[[/note]]\ |
| 454 | '''Bearers of the Olympic Flag:''' John Glenn[[note]]American astronaut and former senator[[/note]] (Americas), Desmond Tutu[[note]]South African Anglican archbishop, human rights activist, and leader of the anti-apartheid movement alongside Nelson Mandela[[/note]] (Africa), Kazuyoshi Funaki[[note]]Japanese skier and 1998 two-time gold medalist[[/note]] (Asia), Lech Wałęsa[[note]]Former president of Poland and leader of the Solidarity movement which helped topple communism[[/note]] (Europe), Cathy Freeman (Oceania), Jean-Claude Killy[[note]]French skier and three-time 1968 gold medalist[[/note]] (Sport), Creator/StevenSpielberg (Culture) and Jean-Michel Cousteau[[note]]French environmentalist and son of legendary marine explorer Creator/JacquesCousteau[[/note]] (Environment)\ |
| 455 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Jimmy Shea[[note]]2002 gold medalist at skeleton and grandson of Jack Shea[[/note]] [Athletes] / Allen Church[[note]]Referee, alpine skiing[[/note]]\ |
| 456 | '''Carriers of the Torch and Lighters of the Flame:''' Dick Button[[note]]1948-1952 gold medalist at figure skating[[/note]] and Dorothy Hamill[[note]]1976 gold medalist at figure skating[[/note]] (Outside) / Peggy Fleming[[note]]1968 gold medalist at figure skating[[/note]] and Scott Hamilton[[note]]1984 gold medalist at figure skating[[/note]] / Phil Mahre[[note]]1984 gold medalist at slalom[[/note]] and Bill Johnson[[note]]1984 gold medalist at downhill skiing[[/note]] / Bonnie Blair[[note]]1988 bronze and 1988, 2-time 1992 and 2-time 1944 gold medalist at speed skating[[/note]] and Dan Jansen[[note]]1994 gold medalist at speed skating[[/note]] / Jimmy Shea and his father Jim Sr., in honor of Jack Shea, who died days earlier / Picabo Street[[note]]1998 gold medalist at alpine skiing[[/note]] and Cammi Granato[[note]]1998 gold medalist at ice hockey[[/note]] / ''The gold-winning 1980 US Olympic ice hockey team, led by team captain Mike Eruzione'' |
| 457 | -->Notable for a bribery controversy, the disclosure of which forced several IOC members to resign; the same scandal led to the appointment of a certain Boston-based financier named Mitt Romney to head the Organizing Committee, which he [[{{Pun}} leveraged]] into his run for Governor of Massachusetts and later the Presidency. The scores of a figure-skating judge were also thrown out, resulting in two couples being awarded gold medals for pairs skating. And American short track speed skater Apolo Ohno's first gold was awarded after South Korea's Kim Dong-sung was disqualified, resulting in over 16,000 threatening emails to the IOC's website, which shut the site down for almost nine hours (it also didn't help that Ohno is half-Japanese). Nevertheless, from a financial and sporting perspective, these Games were one of the most successful. These Games featured Canada's first men's ice hockey gold since 1952, Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen winning all four men's events, and short track speed skating providing the first gold medals for China, courtesy of Yang Yang (A) in women's competitions, and Australia (and, for that matter, the entire southern hemisphere), courtesy of Steven Bradbury's unlikely come-from-dead-last finish after everybody else crashed out on the final turn Also noteworthy for being the first games (outside of St. Moritz) to feature Skeleton, a sliding sport described as being "Like luge, but face-down and head-first". Also the first ever Olympics to feature Skeleton competing on the same track as bobsled and luge (St. Moritz had a separate skeleton track) US Men's Skeleton athlete Jimmy Shea took gold, being America's first ever third-generation Olympian. The opening ceremonies were notable for their inclusion of the American flag that flew at the World Trade Center on [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror September 11, 2001]], during the national anthem, in order to honor the victims of the attack which occurred just six months before. |
| 458 | * '''XX -- 2006: Turin (aka "Torino"), Italy''' |
| 459 | -->'''Motto:''' "Passion Lives Here"\ |
| 460 | '''Duration:''' February 10-26\ |
| 461 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 2,508 (1,548 men, 960 women) from 80 [=NOCs=][[note]]Albania, Ethiopia and Madagascar debut; Algeria, Luxembourg, Portugal, North Korea and Senegal return; Cameroon, Fiji, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago withdraw; Yugoslavia renamed Serbia and Montenegro[[/note]]\ |
| 462 | '''Mascots:''' Neve the snowball and Gliz the ice cube (Olympics)[[note]]Neve is a female red snowball representing softness, friendship and elegance, and Gliz is a male blue ice cube representing enthusiasm and joy.[[/note]] / Aster the snowflake (Paralympics)[[note]]Though created separately, Aster was specifically designed by the same artist to complement Neve and Gliz.[[/note]]\ |
| 463 | '''Bearers of the Olympic Flag:''' Creator/SophiaLoren[[note]]Italian actress and "Patroness of the Ceremonies"[[/note]], Creator/IsabelAllende[[note]]Chilean-American novelist and a pioneer of the magical realism genre[[/note]], Nawal el Moutawakel[[note]]Moroccan runner, IOC member, and the first Muslim woman to win a gold medal in 1984[[/note]], Susan Sarandon[[note]]American actress and liberal activist[[/note]], Wangari Maathai[[note]]Kenyan environmentalist and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner[[/note]], Manuela Di Centa[[note]]Italian skier and winner of 7 medals (2 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze)[[/note]], Maria Mutola[[note]]Mozambiquan runner, 2000 gold medalist, and one of the few Olympians to compete in six consecutive Games (1988-2008)[[/note]] and Somaly Mam[[note]]Cambodian women's rights activist[[/note]]\ |
| 464 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Giorgio Rocca[[note]]Alpine skier and 2006 athlete[[/note]] [Athletes] / Fabio Bianchetti[[note]]Member of the International Skating Union (ISU) Technical Committee[[/note]] [Judges]\ |
| 465 | '''Carriers of the Torch and Lighter of the Flame:''' Alberto Tomba[[note]]Alpine skier and winner of 3 golds and 2 silvers[[/note]] / Marco Albarello, Giorgio Vanzetta, Maurilio De Zolt and Silvio Fauner[[note]]1994 gold medalists at cross-country team relay[[/note]] / Piero Gros[[note]]1976 gold medalist at slalom[[/note]] / Deborah Compagnoni[[note]]alpine skier and winner of 3 golds and 1 silver[[/note]] / ''Stefania Belmondo''[[note]]1992-2002 skier and one of Italy's most decorated Olympians (2 gold, 3 silver, 5 bronze)[[/note]] |
| 466 | -->The Games featured Russian figure skater Evgeni Plushenko setting a world record for the largest margin of victory in his event (10 points), Apollo Ohno winning his second short track speed skating event (and this time without much controversy), and Italian cross-country skier Giorgio Di Centa, younger brother of Manuela, winning both the 4×10km and 50km events (the latter which held its medals ceremony at the closing ceremony, in the presence of his sister). The opening ceremony is notable for beginning with 1996 gymnastics gold medalist Yuri Chechi playing the role of a "shaman" striking at a fire-breathing anvil, a live F1 race car demonstration, and the final public performance of legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti, who performed "Nessun Dorma" at the end of the opening ceremony, less than a year before he died of pancreatic cancer. |
| 467 | * '''XXI -- 2010: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada''' |
| 468 | -->'''Motto:''' "With Glowing Hearts / Des plus brillants exploits"\ |
| 469 | '''Duration:''' February 12-28\ |
| 470 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 2,566 (1,522 men, 1,044 women) from 82 [=NOCs=][[note]]Cayman Islands, Colombia, Ghana, Pakistan, and Peru debut; Jamaica, Morocco and Mexico return; Comoros, Kenya, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Thailand, US Virgin Islands and Venezuela withdraw; Serbia and Montenegro now compete separately.[[/note]]\ |
| 471 | '''Mascots:''' Miga the mythical orca/kermode bear hybrid, Quatchi the sasquatch (Olympics), Sumi the thunderbird/bear hybrid (Paralympics), and Mukmuk the Vancouver Island marmot (sidekick)[[note]]They are the first Olympic and Paralympic mascots introduced in tandem; the former three are based on Native American mythologies, while the latter is based on a critically endangered species of rodents unique to Vancouver Island[[/note]]\ |
| 472 | '''Bearers of the Olympic Flag:''' Betty Fox[[note]]Mother of the late cancer research activist and runner Terry Fox[[/note]], Creator/DonaldSutherland[[note]]Veteran actor and narrator for some segments of the opening ceremony[[/note]], Jacques Villeneuve[[note]][=F1=] racer, the only Canadian [=F1=] World Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner[[/note]], Barbara Ann Scott[[note]]1948 gold medalist at figure skating and Canada's sole medalist in that sport[[/note]], Anne Murray[[note]]Singer and the first Canadian female solo singer to top USA song charts[[/note]], Roméo Dallaire[[note]]Retired general, humanitarian and leader of the ill-fated UN mission to Rwanda[[/note]], Bobby Orr[[note]]Ice hockey superstar and one of the youngest Hall of Fame inductees in 1979, aged 31[[/note]] and Julie Payette[[note]]Astronaut for both USA's NASA and Canada's CSA, and Governor-General of Canada 2017-2021[[/note]]\ |
| 473 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Hayley Wickenheiser[[note]]Ice hockey player, 1998 silver and 2002-2014 gold medalist[[/note]] [Athletes] / Michel Verrault[[note]]Short-track speed skating referee[[/note]] [Judges]\ |
| 474 | '''Carrier of the Torch and Lighters of the Flame:''' Rick Hansen / ''Catriona [=LeMay=] Doan''[[note]]Speedskater, 1998 bronze and 1998-2002 gold medalist, and Canada's first back-to-back gold medalist[[/note]]'', Steve Nash''[[note]]Basketball superstar and 2005-2006 NBA MVP[[/note]]'', Nancy Greene''[[note]]1968 silver-and-gold medalist at alpine skiing and then-current senator representing British Columbia[[/note]]'' and UsefulNotes/WayneGretzky''[[note]]Ice hockey superstar, 1996 World Cup of Hockey silver medalist, 4-time NHL Stanley Cup champion, and executive director for the gold-winning 2002 ice hockey team[[/note]][[labelnote:Added note]]While all four listed flame lighters were involved in the opening ceremony, there was actually a second cauldron that was lit minutes later. The IOC requires that the flame lighting be witnessed by attendees of the opening ceremony, which implies that it must be lit at the location of the ceremony. Another IOC rule recommends that the cauldron be viewable by residents of the host city. However, this was impossible because the opening ceremony was at BC Place -- which, at the time the Games took place, was an enclosed venue with a fixed air-supported roof. The local organizers built a second outdoor cauldron downtown, and Gretzky was chosen to light that flame.[[/labelnote]] |
| 475 | -->The Winter Games that ended Canada's dry spell when it comes to gold medals on Games it hosts, starting with Alexandre Bilodeau in men's moguls, followed by thirteen others, culminating in a heart-stopping overtime victory of the Canadian men's ice hockey team over the USA. This broke the record for most golds at a single games, which had been previously shared by Norway and the Soviet Union. Other notable events include USA winning its first bobsled gold since 1948, American skier Lindsey Vonn shrugging off injury to win gold at the women's downhill, and another American, Evan Lysacek, pipping out Plushenko for the men's figure skating gold. The Games, however, began with tragedy after Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed in a training accident mere hours before the opening ceremony. |
| 476 | * '''XXII -- 2014: Sochi, Russia''' |
| 477 | -->'''Motto:''' "Hot. Cool. Yours."\ |
| 478 | '''Duration:''' February 7-23\ |
| 479 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 2,873 from 88 [=NOCs=][[note]]Dominica, Malta, Paraguay, Tonga, Thailand, Togo and Zimbabwe debut; British Virgin Islands, Luxembourg, Philippines, US Virgin Islands and Venezuela return; Algeria, Colombia, Ethiopia, Ghana, North Korea and Senegal withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 480 | '''Mascots:''' Leopard, Hare (Zaika) and Polar Bear (Bely Mishka) (Olympics); Snowflake (Luchik) and Ray of Light (Snezhinka) (Paralympics)[[note]]First mascots chosen by public vote; the Bear is an obvious nod to Misha, the famous mascot of the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow[[/note]]\ |
| 481 | '''Bearers of the Olympic Flag:''' Chulpan Kamapova[[note]]Ethnic Tatar actress and philanthropist[[/note]], Lidiya Skoblikova[[note]]Speed skater and the first 6-time Winter Olympic gold medalist (2 in 1960, 4 in 1964)[[/note]], Anastasia Popova[[note]]Journalist during the Syrian Civil War[[/note]], Valentina Tereshkova[[note]]Cosmonaut and the first woman in space[[/note]], Viacheslav Fetisov[[note]]1980 silver and 1984-1988 gold medalist at ice hockey and one of the first Soviet players to enter the NHL[[/note]], Valery Gergiev[[note]]Conductor for the London Symphony Orchestra[[/note]], Alan Enileev[[note]]Professional gamer and 2006 World Cyber Games champion at the ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeedMostWanted'' category[[/note]] and Creator/NikitaMikhalkov[[note]]Filmmaker, actor, head of the Russian Cinematographers' Union and 1995 Oscars winner for Best Foreign Language Film[[/note]]\ |
| 482 | '''Olympic Oaths:''' Ruslan Zakharov[[note]]2014 gold medalist at speed skating[[/note]] [Athletes] / Vyacheslav Vedenin[[note]]1972 bronze, 1968 silver and 2-time 1972 gold medalist at cross-country skiing and referee[[/note]] [Judges] / Anastasia Popkova [Coaches]\ |
| 483 | '''Carriers of the Torch and Lighters of the Flame:''' Maria Sharapova[[note]]Tennis superstar, Grand Slam winner and 2012 silver medalist, as well as childhood resident of Sochi[[/note]] / Yelena Isinbayeva[[note]]2012 bronze and 2004-2008 gold medalist at pole vault[[/note]] / Aleksandr Karelin[[note]]2000 silver and 1988-1996 gold medalist at Greco-Roman wrestling[[/note]] / Alina Kabaeva[[note]]2004 gold medalist at gymnastics[[/note]] / ''Irina Rodnina''[[note]]1972-1980 gold medalist at figure skating and the only 3-time figure skating champion[[/note]]'' and Vladislav Tretiak''[[note]]1980 silver and 1972-1976/1984 gold medalist at ice hockey as well as one of the most formidable goalkeepers in the sport[[/note]] |
| 484 | -->An unusual choice for Winter Olympic host city, being both a winter ''and'' summer resort town. Also the first Games under current IOC president, 1976 fencing gold medalist Thomas Bach. While the runoff was fraught with controversy, due to allegations of corruption, outrage over anti-gay laws, and a staggering $51B cost (far surpassing Beijing 2008's $44B, which, as a summer edition, had more events and, all things said, is not terribly over-expensive), the main event itself went without a hitch. The Games featured a near-total domination of speed skating events by the Dutch, the Canadian men's ice hockey team making the first successful gold medal defense since the Soviet Union, promising American skier Mikaela Shiffrin becoming the youngest alpine skiing gold medalist at eighteen years old, childhood friends Meryl Davis and Charlie White winning the USA's first ice dancing gold, and Ole Einar Bjørndalen winning the 10km sprint and mixed relay, setting a record for most decorated Winter Olympian with eight golds, four silvers and one bronze. Years after these Games, host Russia has been mired in a massive scandal over allegations of state-sponsored doping and deliberately tampering with any incriminatory evidence, extending even onto Summer Games sports, resulting in thirteen medals revoked (though nine were ultimately returned after an appeal), the Russian track team for the 2016 Summer Games at Rio de Janeiro being almost entirely banned, and the outright suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee in 2017, resulting in athletes who can prove themselves clean having to compete as neutrals come the next Winter Games at Pyeongchang and the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo. |
| 485 | * '''XXIII -- 2018: [=PyeongChang=], South Korea''' |
| 486 | -->'''Motto:''' "Passion. Connected."\ |
| 487 | '''Duration:''' February 9-25\ |
| 488 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 2,922 (1,680 men, 1,242 women) from 94 [=NOCs=][[note]]Ecuador, Eritrea, Kosovo, Malaysia, Nigeria and Singapore debut; Bolivia, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, North Korea, Puerto Rico and South Africa return; Russian athletes to compete as neutral team unaffiliated to any NOC; British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Nepal, Paraguay, Tajikistan, United States Virgin Islands, Venezuela and Zimbabwe withdraw[[/note]]\ |
| 489 | '''Mascots:''' Soohorang the white tiger (Olympics) and Bandabi the black bear (Paralympics)[[note]]As in the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, the white tiger is an auspicious animal in Korean culture, while the bear is both an allusion to the Asiatic black bear common throughout the mountains of Gangwon, where [=PyeongChang=] is located, as well as a nod to the 1988 Summer Paralympic mascot[[/note]]\ |
| 490 | '''Bearers of the South Korean Flag:''' Kang Kwang-bae[[note]]Men's bobsled/luge/skeleton racer and national flag bearer at Vancouver 2010[[/note]], Jin Sun-yu[[note]]three-time gold medalist at women's short-track speedskating at Torino 2006[[/note]], Seri Pak[[note]]Golfer, five-time LPGA major tournament winner between 1996 and 2016, and coach of the women's team for Rio 2016[[/note]], Lee Seung-yuop[[note]]2000 bronze and 2008 gold medalist at baseball[[/note]], Hwang Young-cho[[note]]1992 gold medalist at men's marathon[[/note]], Seo Hyang-soon[[note]]1984 gold medalist at women's archery[[/note]], Lim O-kyeong[[note]]1996 and 2004 silver, and 1992 gold medalist at women's handball, and 1996 Handball Player of the Year[[/note]] and Ha Hyung-joo[[note]]1984 gold medalist at men's judo[[/note]]\ |
| 491 | '''Bearers of the Olympic Flag:''' Four veteran and four aspiring Olympians, in alternating order--Kang Chan-yong[[note]]Pioneering coach of South Korea's Nordic skiing team[[/note]], You Young[[note]]South Korea's youngest figure skating national champion in 2016 (as well as 2018) at age eleven[[/note]], Shin Hye-sook[[note]]1980 figure skater[[/note]], Lee Jun-seo[[note]]15-year-old junior hockey player[[/note]], Kim Yoon-man[[note]]1992 silver medalist at men's speed skating and South Korea's very first Winter Olympic medalist[[/note]], Jang Yu-jin[[note]]16-year-old freestyle skier and the only one of the prospective Olympians competing in these Games[[/note]], Kim Kui-jin[[note]]1964 and 1968 athlete at women's speed skating[[/note]] and Jung Seung-gi[[note]]18-year-old skeleton athlete[[/note]]\ |
| 492 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Mo Tae-bum[[note]]2010 gold medalist at speed skating[[/note]] — starting with this Games, the previously separate oaths for athletes, judges, and coaches have been combined into one, with one representative from each group reciting one line, and the athlete completing the oath\ |
| 493 | '''Carriers of the Torch and Lighters of the Flame:''' Chun Lee-kyung[[note]]Speed skater and South Korea's most decorated Winter Olympian (four golds and one bronze) in 1994 and 1998, as well as 23-time World Championships medalist (nine golds, eleven silvers and three bronzes) between 1992 and 1998[[/note]] / Inbee Park [[note]]2016 gold medalist at women's golf and at the time winner of seven LPGA major tournaments[[/note]] / Ahn Jung-hwan[[note]]Football star famous for scoring South Korea's quarterfinals-qualifying "golden goal" against Italy at the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by South Korea and Japan[[/note]] / Jong Su-hyon and Park Jong-ah[[note]]ice hockey players from North and South Korea, respectively, and members of the two Koreas' unified women's team[[/note]] / ''Yuna Kim''[[note]]Figure skating superstar, 2010 gold and 2014 silver medalist, and six-time World Figure Skating Championships medalist in 2007-2011 and 2013 (two each of gold, silver and bronze)[[/note]] |
| 494 | -->The first Winter Olympics in Asia outside Japan. In the US, these Games were also the first to be hosted in primetime by Mike Tirico, who replaced long-time host Bob Costas. In light of the aforementioned doping scandal, Russia's NOC is suspended, while athletes proven clean participated as the neutral "Olympic Athletes from Russia" under the Olympic Flag. Also, for the first time since Torino 2006 the two Koreas marched under the Unification Flag at the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as fielded a unified women's ice hockey team. For the first time since Salt Lake 2002, winter powerhouse Norway dominated the medals board, with cross-country skier Marit Bjørgen winning five medals (two golds, one silver, and two bronzes) on her fifth and final Games to surpass her compatriot Ole Einar Bjørndalen from four years ago for most decorated Winter Olympian with eight golds, four silvers and three bronzes. These Games are famous for the American women's ice hockey team stunning four-time defending gold medalists Canada in the first Olympic hockey final game to go to penalty shots to win their first gold medals since the inaugural tournament in Nagano 1998, Nigeria and Jamaica fielding their very first women's bobsled teams (the former also a first for Africa), Canadian figure skating pair Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir becoming becoming the most decorated Olympians in their sport (three golds and two silvers each), the Czech Republic's Ester Ledecká making history as the first Winter Olympian to win gold in two different disciplines in a single Games (alpine skiing[[note]]where she stunningly won the super-G after many broadcasters had already checked out, believing Austria's Anna Veith would win[[/note]] and snowboarding), Mikaela Shiffrin adding another alpine skiing gold to tie Ted Ligety and Andrea Mead Lawrence for most decorated American alpine skier,[[note]]Not to mention that Ledecká won gold in the super-G on skis that Shiffrin had once used... though Ledecká's camp had acquired said skis about 18 months before the Games.[[/note]] Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu making the first successful gold medal defense in men's figure skating since the USA's Dick Button in 1952, a moment of peace between East Asian geopolitical rivals in the women's 500m speed skating final with gold medalist Nao Kodaira of Japan and silver medalist Lee Sang-hwa of South Korea sharing a lap of friendship after the former narrowly edged out the erstwhile two-time defending champion, the ragtag American men's curling team stunning world #1 Sweden to win their very first gold, with defending men's and women's champions Canada leaving almost empty-handed (the former lost to the USA in the semis, then missed out on a bronze to Switzerland, while the women fared worse, falling away as early as the group stage, even as the hosts managed a surprise silver behind Sweden) save for a gold at the newly-introduced mixed doubles event, and Jessie Diggins (paired with Kikkan Randall) blasting Stina Nilsson of Sweden (with Charlotte Kalla) and Maiken Caspersen Falla of defending champions Norway (with the aforementioned Bjørgen) to win the women's team sprint, claiming the USA's first-ever cross-country skiing gold, with Chad Salmela's SuddenlyShouting call on NBCSN[[note]]'''''HERE COMES DIGGINS! HERE COMES DIGGINS!'''''[[/note]] getting as much attention as the finish itself. |
| 495 | * '''XXIV -- 2022: Beijing, China''' |
| 496 | -->'''Motto:''' "Together for a Shared Future"\ |
| 497 | '''Duration:''' February 4-20\ |
| 498 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 2,861 (1,581 men, 1,290 women) from 91 [=NOCs=][[note]]Haiti and Saudi Arabia debut; American Samoa, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and United States Virgin Islands return; Russian athletes to compete as "ROC" (see the Tokyo 2020 section for details on that); FYR Macedonia renamed North Macedonia; Bermuda, Kenya, Singapore, South Africa, Togo, and Tonga withdraw; North Korea suspended[[/note]]\ |
| 499 | '''Mascots:''' Bing Dwen Dwen the panda (Olympics) and Shuey Rhon Rhon the lantern (Paralympics)[[note]]As in the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, the panda is one of the national animals of China, while the lantern is hung on Lunar New Year, which this year occurred on 1 February, days before the opening ceremony of the Olympics.[[/note]]\ |
| 500 | '''Bearers of the Olympic Flag:''' Luo Zhihuan[[note]]1963 World Speed Skating Championships gold medalist and China's first winter sports champion on international tournaments[[/note]], Li Jiajun[[note]]short-track speedskater and five-time medalist (two silvers and three bronzes) between Nagano 1998 and Torino 2006[[/note]], Shen Xue[[note]]figure skater and three-time medalist (a pair of bronzes at Salt Lake 2002 and Torino 2006, and a gold at Vancouver 2010), as well as one of China's first figure skating medalist[[/note]], Han Xiaopeng[[note]]freestyle skier, aerials gold medalist at Torino 2006, and national flagbearer at the opening ceremony of Vancouver 2010[[/note]], Zhang Hui[[note]]short-track speedskater and gold medalist at Vancouver 2010[[/note]], and Zhang Hong[[note]]speed skater, gold medalist at Sochi 2014, and reigning national record holder at the 500- and 1,000-meter categories[[/note]]\ |
| 501 | '''Olympic Oath:''' Wang Qiang[[note]]cross-country skiing[[/note]] and Liu Jiayu[[note]]freestyle skiing[[/note]] (Athletes) / Tao Yongchun[[note]]aerials[[/note]] (Judges) / Ji Xiao'ou[[note]]snowboard parallel giant slalom[[/note]] (Coaches)\ |
| 502 | '''Carriers of the Torch and Lighters of the Flame:''' Representatives of different decades in modern Chinese history: Zhao Weichang[[note]]speed skater and competitor at Lake Placid 1980[[/note]] (1950s) / Li Yan[[note]]short-track speedskater and silver medalist at Albertville 1992[[/note]] (1960s) / Yang Yang (A)[[note]]short-track speedskater and five-time medalist (a bronze and a pair each of silver and gold) between Nagano 1998 and Salt Lake 2002, as well as China's first Winter Olympic gold medalist[[/note]] (1970s) / Su Bingtian[[note]]runner, three-time Olympian (London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020), current Asian record holder for the 100m run, and first Asian runner to break the ten-second barrier at the 100m[[/note]] (1980s) / Zhou Yang[[note]]short-track speedskater and three-time gold medalist (two in Vancouver 2010, one in Sochi 2014)[[/note]] (1990s) / ''Dinigeer Yilamujiang''[[note]]ethnic Uyghur cross-country skier[[/note]]'' and Zhao Jiawen''[[note]]ethnic Han Nordic combined athlete[[/note]] (2000s) |
| 503 | -->Beijing becomes the very first Olympic city to host both summer and winter editions (at least, on ice events, with Yanqing County suburb and the winter resort city of Zhangjiakou in Hebei province to host snow events), after a two-horse race with Almaty, Kazakhstan. Already nicknamed "the Olympics nobody wants" because ''every'' candidate city in a democracy withdrew after voters demanded, and got, a referendum (Oslo, Norway made it the farthest) leaving only the two above. This led to the IOC creating a list of reforms called [[https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/Olympic_Agenda_2020/Olympic_Agenda_2020-20-20_Recommendations-ENG.pdf Olympic Agenda 2020]] around Christmas 2014. It will also be the third Asian city in a row to host an Olympic Games, following [=PyeongChang=] in 2018 and Tokyo in 2020. In July 2018, the IOC announced that the following seven events would be added to the program: mixed team events for freestyle skiing aerials, ski jumping, and snowboard cross; a mixed relay for short track speed skating; freestyle skiing big air for both men and women; and women's monobob[[note]]Literally one-person bobsled[[/note]]. Due to backlash over the Chinese government's human rights abuses, especially the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghur_genocide Uyghur Concentration camps]], many nations have opted for a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concerns_and_controversies_at_the_2022_Winter_Olympics#Human_rights_issues_and_calls_for_boycott diplomatic boycott]] of these games. Like the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Beijing has opted to hold the Winter Games without an audience to avoid a greater spread of COVID-19 and its significant variants. Since UsefulNotes/SuperBowl LVI (which NBC got the rights to that edition in 2019 thanks to a swap, which led to CBS getting LV) occurred during the start of the Games' final week, NBC decided to market their primetime coverage of the Games and the Super Bowl as ''Super Gold Sunday'' with NBC continuing their Games' coverage for the day after the Super Bowl ended instead of any of their entertainment offerings as a lead-out program. Despite this, the [[UsefulNotes/{{NationalFootballLeague}} NFL]] signed new broadcasting agreements (2023-33) with all of the Big Four television networks which led to NBC having to air the Super Bowl during Winter Olympic years. |
| 504 | * '''XXV -- 2026: Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo (aka "Milano Cortina"), Italy''' |
| 505 | -->'''Motto:''' Dreaming Together\ |
| 506 | '''Duration:''' 6-22 February\ |
| 507 | '''Mascots:''' Tina (Olympics) and Milo (Paralympics) the stoat siblings, plus a group of six snowdrops collectively called the Flo (sidekicks).[[note]]The stoat is common animal in Europe, and the siblings are named after their respective host cities. Reflecting his role as the Paralympic mascot, Milo is missing a leg and walks on his tail instead.[[/note]] First Winter Games hosted in Western Europe and Italy after 20 years, as well as first for 1956 host Cortina d'Ampezzo after 70 years, the very first for Milan, the second-largest city in Italy and the first Olympic Games to officially bill two separate host cities. The candidature was originally supposed to be a triple one with 2006 host city Turin returning as well, but withdrew before the bid could be officially presented. These will be the first Winter Games where ski mountaineering - a skiing discipline where competitors must climb a mountain either on skis or carrying them, then descend on skis - will be contested. Ski mountaineering was a part of the now-defunct winter sport of military patrol - seen as a predecessor to biathlon - when it was contested at the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix in 1924. |
| 508 | [[/folder]] |
| 509 | |
| 510 | !!Summer Youth Olympic Games |
| 511 | Instituted in 2010 for athletes aged between 14 and 18 years old; besides featuring the usual Olympic sports (with a few variations),[[note]]For example, basketball is 3x3 instead of full court; field hockey is 5-a-side (officially known as Hockey5s); futsal is played in place of regular association football; handball is played on the beach; and the only variation of volleyball is beach volleyball.[[/note]] these Games are unique for the inclusion of mixed-nation as well as educational events. Some Youth Olympians, such as Welsh taekwondo star Jade Jones, have gone on to win gold at the major Olympics after winning at the Youth Games. It's even happened in reverse; at the 2012 London Games, Lithuanian swimmer Rūta Meilutytė won gold in the women's 100-meter breaststroke in an upset. She was only 15. Two years later, at the second Summer Youth Games in Nanjing, China, Meilutytė won both the girls 50- and 100-meter breaststroke golds, having firmly established herself in the breaststroke discipline. |
| 512 | [[folder:The Summer Youth Olympic Games]] |
| 513 | * '''I -- 2010: Singapore''' |
| 514 | -->'''Motto:''' Blazing the Trail\ |
| 515 | '''Duration:''' August 14-26\ |
| 516 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 3,524 from 204 [=NOCs=] |
| 517 | -->The very first Youth Games and the first Olympic event held in Southeast Asia. |
| 518 | * '''II -- 2014: Nanjing, China''' |
| 519 | -->'''Motto:''' Share the Games, Share Our Dreams\ |
| 520 | '''Duration:''' August 16-28\ |
| 521 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 3,579 from 203 [=NOCs=] |
| 522 | * '''III -- 2018: Buenos Aires, Argentina''' |
| 523 | -->'''Motto:''' Feel the Future\ |
| 524 | '''Duration:''' October 6-18\ |
| 525 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 3,997 from 206 [=NOCs=] |
| 526 | * '''IV -- 2026: Dakar, Senegal''' |
| 527 | -->The very first Olympic event hosted in Africa. Originally scheduled for 2022, but was pushed back by an entire Olympiad cycle due to the economic costs of postponing the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo to 2021 due to the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic. |
| 528 | [[/folder]] |
| 529 | |
| 530 | !!Winter Youth Olympic Games |
| 531 | Similar to its Summer editions, the Winter Youth Olympic Games also feature traditional winter sports as well as educational events for athletes aged 14-18. |
| 532 | [[folder:The Winter Youth Olympic Games]] |
| 533 | * '''I -- 2012: Innsbruck, Austria''' |
| 534 | -->'''Motto:''' Be Part of It\ |
| 535 | '''Duration:''' January 13-22\ |
| 536 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 1,059 from 69 [=NOCs=] |
| 537 | -->The first Winter Youth Games, and thus making Innsbruck the first three-time Winter host city. |
| 538 | * '''II -- 2016: Lillehammer, Norway''' |
| 539 | -->'''Motto:''' Go Beyond. Create Tomorrow.\ |
| 540 | '''Duration:''' February 12-21\ |
| 541 | '''Participating Athletes:''' Around 1,100 from 71 [=NOCs=] |
| 542 | * '''III -- 2020: Lausanne, Switzerland''' |
| 543 | -->'''Motto:''' Start Now |
| 544 | -->'''Duration:''' January 9-22 |
| 545 | -->'''Participating Athletes:''' 1,788 from 79 [=NOCs=] |
| 546 | -->The first Winter Youth Games not held in a past Winter Olympic host city, as well as the first held at the very home city of the International Olympic Committee. |
| 547 | * '''IV -- 2024: Gangwon, South Korea''' |
| 548 | -->'''Motto:''' Let's Make It Together |
| 549 | -->'''Duration:''' January 19-February 2 |
| 550 | -->This marks a return to [=PyeongChang=], the host of the 2018 Winter Games. Most of the venues from those Games will be used. Should circumstances allow, Wonsan, North Korea, could host some alpine skiing events. A significant change is the scrapping of mixed team events, where competitors from different National Olympic Committees would team up against other such teams. |
| 551 | [[/folder]] |
| 552 | |
| 553 | !!Continental and Regional Games indirectly under the IOC |
| 554 | Though more local in scope, these Games are nevertheless under the indirect supervision of the International Olympic Committee by way of localized Olympic Committees. |
| 555 | [[folder:Pan American Games -- Panam Sport]] |
| 556 | The oldest of the five continental multi-sport events in the Olympic tradition. |
| 557 | * '''I -- 1951: Buenos Aires, Argentina''' |
| 558 | -->'''Duration:''' 25 February -- 9 March |
| 559 | -->The inaugural Pan American Games, and in whose honor Argentina always leads the athletes' parade in subsequent editions. So far also the southernmost host city. |
| 560 | * '''II -- 1955: Mexico City, Mexico''' |
| 561 | -->'''Duration:''' 12-26 March |
| 562 | -->First Games in North America. |
| 563 | * '''III -- 1959: Chicago, Illinois, United States''' |
| 564 | -->'''Duration:''' 27 August -- 7 September |
| 565 | -->First Games in the United States, first outside a national capital, and first outside the Spanish-speaking countries. |
| 566 | * '''IV -- 1963: São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil''' |
| 567 | -->'''Duration:''' 20 April -- 5 May |
| 568 | * '''V -- 1967: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada''' |
| 569 | -->'''Duration:''' 23 July -- 6 August |
| 570 | -->First Games in Canada as well the northernmost host city. |
| 571 | * '''VI -- 1971: Cali, Colombia''' |
| 572 | -->'''Duration:''' 30 July -- 13 August |
| 573 | * '''VII -- 1975: Mexico City, Mexico''' |
| 574 | -->'''Duration:''' 12-26 October |
| 575 | -->First Games held in a prior host city. |
| 576 | * '''VIII -- 1979: San Juan, Puerto Rico''' |
| 577 | -->'''Duration:''' 1-15 July |
| 578 | -->First Games on the Caribbean islands. |
| 579 | * '''IX -- 1983: Caracas, Venezuela''' |
| 580 | -->'''Duration:''' 14-29 August |
| 581 | * '''X -- 1987: Indianapolis, Indiana, United States''' |
| 582 | -->'''Duration:''' 7-23 August |
| 583 | * '''XI -- 1991: Havana, Cuba''' |
| 584 | -->'''Duration:''' 2-18 August |
| 585 | * '''XII -- 1995: Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina'''[[note]]The city of Buenos Aires was separated from the province of that name in 1880.[[/note]] |
| 586 | -->'''Duration:''' 12-26 March |
| 587 | * '''XIII -- 1999: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada''' |
| 588 | -->'''Duration:''' 23 July -- 8 August |
| 589 | * '''XIV -- 2003: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic''' |
| 590 | -->'''Duration:''' 1-17 August |
| 591 | * '''XV -- 2007: Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil''' |
| 592 | -->'''Slogan:''' Live This Energy!\ |
| 593 | '''Duration:''' 13-29 July |
| 594 | * '''XVI -- 2011: Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico''' |
| 595 | -->'''Slogan:''' The Party of the Americas\ |
| 596 | '''Duration:''' 14-30 October |
| 597 | -->First Games in Mexico held outside Mexico City. |
| 598 | * '''XVII -- 2015: Toronto, Ontario, Canada''' |
| 599 | -->'''Slogan:''' United We Play\ |
| 600 | '''Duration:''' 10-26 July |
| 601 | -->First Games in Canada outside Winnipeg. |
| 602 | * '''XVIII -- 2019: Lima, Peru''' |
| 603 | -->'''Slogan:''' Let's All Play\ |
| 604 | '''Duration:''' 26 July -- 11 August |
| 605 | * '''XIX -- 2023: Santiago, Chile''' |
| 606 | -->'''Slogan:''' Our Meeting Point\ |
| 607 | '''Duration:''' 6-22 October |
| 608 | * '''XX -- 2027: Lima, Peru'''[[note]]Originally set for Barranquilla, Colombia, but hosting rights were stripped after local and national authorities failed to meet contractual obligations.[[/note]] |
| 609 | -->'''Duration:''' 10–26 September |
| 610 | [[/folder]] |
| 611 | |
| 612 | [[folder:Asian Games -- Olympic Council of Asia]] |
| 613 | The largest and most prestigious of the five continental multi-sport events in the Olympic tradition, the Asian Games are also the second-largest after the Olympic Games themselves. As of 2018 the Asian Games also boast of having more events than even the Summer Olympics, due to the abundance of more local sports. In contrast to the other continental Games, the Asian Games are typically held on even-numbered, non-leap years, thus lying midway between Summer Games and coinciding with both the Winter Games and the FIFA World Cup. |
| 614 | ---- |
| 615 | * '''I -- 1951: Delhi, India''' |
| 616 | -->'''Duration:''' March 4-11\ |
| 617 | '''Participaitng Athletes:''' 489 from 11 [=NOCs=] |
| 618 | * '''II -- 1954: Manila, Philippines''' |
| 619 | -->'''Duration:''' May 1-9\ |
| 620 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 970 from 18 [=NOCs=] |
| 621 | * '''III -- 1958: Tokyo, Japan''' |
| 622 | -->'''Duration:''' May 24 - June 16\ |
| 623 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 1,820 from 16 [=NOCs=] |
| 624 | * '''IV -- 1962: Jakarta, Indonesia''' |
| 625 | -->'''Duration:''' August 24 - September 4\ |
| 626 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 1,460 from 12 [=NOCs=] |
| 627 | * '''V -- 1966: Bangkok, Thailand''' |
| 628 | -->'''Duration: December 9-20'''\ |
| 629 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 1,945 from 16 [=NOCs=] |
| 630 | * '''VI -- 1970: Bangkok, Thailand''' |
| 631 | -->'''Duration: December 9-20'''\ |
| 632 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 2,400 from 16 [=NOCs=] |
| 633 | * '''VII -- 1974: Tehran, Iran''' |
| 634 | -->'''Duration:''' September 1-16\ |
| 635 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 3,010 from 19 [=NOCs=] |
| 636 | * '''VIII -- 1978: Bangkok, Thailand''' |
| 637 | -->'''Duration:''' December 9-20\ |
| 638 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 3,842 from 19 [=NOCs=] |
| 639 | * '''IX -- 1982: New Delhi, India''' |
| 640 | -->'''Duration:''' November 19 - December 4\ |
| 641 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 3,411 from 23 [=NOCs=] |
| 642 | * '''X -- 1986: Seoul, South Korea''' |
| 643 | -->'''Duration:''' September 20 - October 5\ |
| 644 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 4,839 from 22 [=NOCs=] |
| 645 | * '''XI -- 1990: Beijing, China''' |
| 646 | -->'''Duration:''' September 22 - October 7\ |
| 647 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 6,122 from 36 [=NOCs=] |
| 648 | * '''XII -- 1994: Hiroshima, Japan''' |
| 649 | -->'''Slogan:''' Asian Harmony\ |
| 650 | '''Duration:''' October 2-16\ |
| 651 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 6,828 from 42 [=NOCs=] |
| 652 | -->First Asian Games held outside a national capital, and appropriately so, in Hiroshima, on the eve of the fiftieth anniversary of its atomic bombing at the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. |
| 653 | * '''XIII -- 1998: Bangkok, Thailand''' |
| 654 | -->'''Slogan:''' Friendship Beyond Frontiers\ |
| 655 | '''Duration:''' December 6-20\ |
| 656 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 6,554 from 41 [=NOCs=] |
| 657 | * '''XIV -- 2002: Busan, South Korea''' |
| 658 | -->'''Slogan:''' New Vision, New Asia\ |
| 659 | '''Duration:''' September 29 - October 14\ |
| 660 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 7,711 from 44 [=NOCs=] |
| 661 | -->First Asian Games where the two Koreas marched into the opening ceremony under the Unification flag. |
| 662 | * '''XV -- 2006: Doha, Qatar''' |
| 663 | -->'''Slogan:''' The Games of Your Life\ |
| 664 | '''Duration:''' December 1-15\ |
| 665 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 9,520 from 45 [=NOCs=] |
| 666 | -->First Asian Games held in the Arab world. |
| 667 | * '''XVI -- 2010: Guangzhou, China''' |
| 668 | -->'''Slogan:''' Thrilling Games, Harmonious Asia\ |
| 669 | '''Duration:''' November 12-27\ |
| 670 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 9,704 from 45 [=NOCs=] |
| 671 | * '''XVII -- 2014: Incheon, South Korea''' |
| 672 | -->'''Slogan:''' Diversity Shines Here\ |
| 673 | '''Duration:''' September 19 - October 4\ |
| 674 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 9,501 from 45 [=NOCs=] |
| 675 | * '''XVIII -- 2018: Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia''' |
| 676 | -->'''Slogan:''' Energy of Asia\ |
| 677 | '''Duration:''' August 18 - September 2\ |
| 678 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 11,300 from 45 [=NOCs=] |
| 679 | -->First Asian Games primarily staged in two different geographic regions--Jakarta in western Java and Palembang in southern Sumatra, 417 kilometers (259 miles) apart. |
| 680 | * '''XIX -- 2022: Hangzhou, China''' |
| 681 | -->'''Slogan:''' Heart to Heart, @Future\ |
| 682 | '''Duration:''' September 10-25 |
| 683 | * '''XX -- 2026: Nagoya, Japan''' |
| 684 | -->'''Duration:''' September 19 - October 4 |
| 685 | * '''XXI -- 2030: Doha, Qatar''' |
| 686 | * '''XXII -- 2034: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia''' |
| 687 | [[/folder]] |
| 688 | |
| 689 | [[folder:Pacific Games -- Oceania National Olympic Committees]] |
| 690 | * '''I -- 1963: Suva, Fiji''' |
| 691 | -->'''Duration:''' 29 August -- 8 September |
| 692 | * '''II -- 1966: Nouméa, New Caledonia''' |
| 693 | -->'''Duration:''' 8-18 September |
| 694 | * '''III -- 1969: Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea''' |
| 695 | -->'''Duration:''' 13-23 August |
| 696 | * '''IV -- 1971: Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia''' |
| 697 | -->'''Duration:''' 25 August -- 5 September |
| 698 | * '''V -- 1975: Tumon, Guam''' |
| 699 | -->'''Duration:''' 1-10 August |
| 700 | * '''VI -- 1979: Suva, Fiji''' |
| 701 | -->'''Duration:''' 28 August -- 8 September |
| 702 | * '''VII -- 1983: Apia, Western Samoa (now Samoa)''' |
| 703 | -->'''Duration:''' 5-16 September |
| 704 | * '''VIII -- 1987: Nouméa, New Caledonia''' |
| 705 | -->'''Duration:''' 8-20 December |
| 706 | * '''IX -- 1991: Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea''' |
| 707 | -->'''Duration:''' 7-21 September |
| 708 | * '''X -- 1995: Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia''' |
| 709 | -->'''Duration:''' 25 August -- 5 September |
| 710 | * '''XI -- 1999: Santa Rita, Guam''' |
| 711 | -->'''Duration:''' 29 May -- 12 June |
| 712 | * '''XII -- 2003: Suva, Fiji''' |
| 713 | -->'''Duration:''' 28 June -- 12 July |
| 714 | -->Suva becomes the first three-time host city. |
| 715 | * '''XIII -- 2007: Apia, Samoa''' |
| 716 | -->'''Slogan:''' Live the Dream!\ |
| 717 | '''Duration:''' 25 August -- 8 September |
| 718 | * '''XIV -- 2011: Nouméa, New Caledonia''' |
| 719 | -->'''Slogan:''' Pacifique Attitude\ |
| 720 | '''Duration:''' 27 August -- 10 September |
| 721 | * '''XV -- 2015: Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea''' |
| 722 | -->'''Duration:''' 4-18 July |
| 723 | * '''XVI -- 2019: Apia, Samoa''' |
| 724 | -->'''Slogan:''' One in Spirit\ |
| 725 | '''Duration:''' 8-20 July |
| 726 | * '''XVII -- 2023: Honiara, Solomon Islands''' |
| 727 | * '''XVIII -- 2027: Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia''' |
| 728 | [[/folder]] |
| 729 | |
| 730 | [[folder:Africa Games -- Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa]] |
| 731 | * '''I -- 1965: Brazzaville, Congo''' |
| 732 | -->'''Duration:''' 18-25 July |
| 733 | * '''''1969: Bamako, Mali''''' |
| 734 | -->Canceled due to a military coup. |
| 735 | * '''II -- 1973: Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria''' |
| 736 | -->'''Duration:''' 7-18 January |
| 737 | * '''III -- 1978: Algiers, Algeria''' |
| 738 | -->'''Duration:''' 13-28 July |
| 739 | * '''IV -- 1987: Nairobi, Kenya''' |
| 740 | -->'''Duration:''' 1-12 August |
| 741 | -->First African Games whose schedule was adjusted so as to precede the Summer Olympic Games. |
| 742 | * '''V -- 1991: Cairo, Egypt''' |
| 743 | -->'''Duration:''' 20 September -- 1 October |
| 744 | * '''VI -- 1995: Harare, Zimbabwe''' |
| 745 | -->'''Duration:''' 13-23 September |
| 746 | * '''VII -- 1999: Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa''' |
| 747 | -->'''Duration:''' 10-19 September |
| 748 | * '''VIII -- 2003: Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria''' |
| 749 | -->'''Duration:''' 5-17 October |
| 750 | * '''IX -- 2007: Algiers, Algeria''' |
| 751 | -->'''Duration:''' 11-23 July |
| 752 | * '''X -- 2011: Maputo, Mozambique''' |
| 753 | -->'''Duration:''' 3-18 September |
| 754 | * '''XI -- 2015: Brazzaville, Congo''' |
| 755 | -->'''Duration:''' 4-19 September |
| 756 | * '''XII -- 2019: Casablanca and Rabat, Morocco''' |
| 757 | -->'''Duration:''' 23 August -- 3 September |
| 758 | * '''XIII -- 2023: Accra, Ghana''' |
| 759 | -->'''Duration:''' 8–23 March 2024[[note]]Delayed due to failure to complete facilities on time and a dispute over marketing revenue.[[/note]] |
| 760 | * '''XIV -- 2027: Cairo, Egypt''' |
| 761 | [[/folder]] |
| 762 | |
| 763 | [[folder:European Games -- European Olympic Committees]] |
| 764 | The youngest of the five continental multi-sport events in the Olympic tradition, these Games were actually predated by the European Olympic Youth Festival, itself one of the precursors to the Youth Olympic Games. |
| 765 | ---- |
| 766 | * '''I -- 2015: Baku, Azerbaijan''' |
| 767 | -->'''Duration:''' 12-28 June [[note]][[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUi1_bGiJSg Beautiful opening ceremonies here]][[/note]]\ |
| 768 | '''Participating Athletes:''' 5,898 from 50 [=NOCs=] |
| 769 | * '''II -- 2019: Minsk, Belarus''' |
| 770 | -->'''Slogan:''' "Bright Year, Bright You!" \ |
| 771 | '''Duration:''' 21-30 June |
| 772 | * '''III -- 2023: Kraków, Poland''' |
| 773 | -->'''Slogan:''' "We are unity"\ |
| 774 | '''Duration:''' 21 June–2 July |
| 775 | * '''!V -- 2027: Istanbul, Turkey''' |
| 776 | [[/folder]] |
| 777 | |
| 778 | !!The UsefulNotes/ParalympicGames |
| 779 | -> ''"Mind, Body, Spirit" / "Spirit In Motion"'' |
| 780 | --> '''Mottos''' |
| 781 | |
| 782 | Like the Olympics, but for athletes with disabilities. Held after the Olympics, in the same venues. It is ''not'', however, organized by the IOC but by the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Paralympic_Committee International Paralympic committee]], founded 1989, and has its own logo - three arcs rather than five rings. The name means that they run ''parallel'' to the Olympic Games, not that it's for the paralysed. Do not confuse them with the Special Olympics, which is a competition for mentally handicapped athletes that's styled after the Olympics but unaffiliated. Also does not include either parachuting or paragliding which are events in the [[BlandNameProduct World Games]], which tries to be like the Olympics for non-Olympic sports.[[labelnote:*]]Plus non-Olympic disciplines within Olympic sports.[[/labelnote]] Most of the sports are about the same as the Olympics but there are a few that are exclusive to the Paralympics, such as boccia, wheelchair rugby, and goalball. Now has [[UsefulNotes/ParalympicGames its own page!]] |
| 783 | |
| 784 | !!Presidents of the International Olympic Committee |
| 785 | |
| 786 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demetrius_Vikelas Demetrius Vikelas]] (1835-1908; presided 1894-1896), Greek businessman appointed by De Coubertin to preside over the revival of the Games. |
| 787 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_de_Coubertin Pierre de Coubertin]] (1863-1937; presided 1896-1925), French teacher and founder of the modern Olympic Games. |
| 788 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godefroy_de_Blonay Godefroy de Blonay]] (1869-1937; presided 1916-1919), Swiss nobleman who presided over the IOC in lieu of De Coubertin, who was away on conscription during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. |
| 789 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_de_Baillet-Latour Henri de Baillet-Latour]] (1876-1942; presided 1925-1942), Belgian aristocrat. |
| 790 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigfrid_Edstr%C3%B6m Sigfrid Edström]] (1870-1964; presided 1942-1952), Swedish industrialist who helped the IOC weather through UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, which saw the 1940 and 1944 Games cancelled. |
| 791 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avery_Brundage Avery Brundage]] (1887-1975; presided 1952-1972), American engineer and the only non-European to become IOC president, known for his advocacy of amateurism. And much more controversially, for his overt racism. |
| 792 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Morris,_3rd_Baron_Killanin Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin]] (1914-1999; presided 1972-1980), British journalist and nobleman. |
| 793 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Antonio_Samaranch Juan Antonio Samaranch]] (1920-2010; presided 1980-2001), Spanish businessman under whose administration the Games saw increased commercial funding. |
| 794 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Rogge Jacques Rogge]] (1942-2021; presided 2001-2013), Belgian opthalmologist and former Olympic rower from 1968 to 1976, becoming the first actual Olympian to hold the post. His administration featured stricter anti-doping regulations and increased closeness to the athletes. |
| 795 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bach Thomas Bach]] (b. 1953; presided 2013-present), German lawyer, former Olympic fencer and member of the gold-winning 1976 men's foil team, and head of the German Olympic Committee until his election to this post, making him the first Olympic medalist (''and'' a gold medalist) to hold this position. |
| 796 | |
| 797 | |
| 798 | ---- |
| 799 | |
| 800 | [[folder:The Olympics in Fiction]] |
| 801 | * '''Features the Ancient Olympics''': |
| 802 | ** ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}} [[Recap/AsterixAtTheOlympicGames at the Olympic Games]]'' ([[Film/AsterixAtTheOlympicGames film adaptation]] included) |
| 803 | ** An episode of ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'' has him invent the Greek Olympics, with the usual AnachronismStew including a modern Olympic torch. |
| 804 | * '''Features fictional or nonspecific installments of the Modern Olympics''': |
| 805 | ** ''Film/DownhillRacer'' features Creator/RobertRedford as a skier determined to win at a non-specific Winter Olympics. |
| 806 | ** ''[[Literature/{{Spenser}} The Judas Goat]]'' (published in 1978), has a decent chunk of the last third set at the Olympics in Canada. (Mostly because of "terrorists" that want to make a statement -- similar to the 1936 events -- that 'whites are better', and the Olympics involve a large gathering.) |
| 807 | ** ''Pierre et Isa'', a [[WesternAnimation French animated series]] about Winter Olympics. |
| 808 | ** ''WesternAnimation/LaffALympics'', a '70s SaturdayMorningCartoon show pitting three teams of Creator/HannaBarbera characters in mock-Olympic events. |
| 809 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{Animalympics}}'' a 1980 animation originally broadcast its Winter Games segment on NBC TV, but the summer edition was canceled after the boycott. Later reorganized into a film, but the summer half still suffered from the lack of completed animation. |
| 810 | ** ''VideoGame/{{QWOP}}'' has you playing as an athlete for a small nation striving to compete in the Olympics. "Ideally you will run 100 metres... but our training program was under-funded." By "under-funded", the game means that the titular athlete struggles with ''basic walking.'' |
| 811 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "The Old Man And The 'C' Student" had an episode where Springfield is awarded the Olympic Games, until an offensive comedy act by Bart sees the town stripped of them. [[CallBack Years later]] a sign gag read "SPRINGFIELD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: Built For the Olympics We Didn't Get". |
| 812 | ** ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' takes place during the run-up to the then-far-future 2020 Neo-Tokyo Olympic Games, with the Olympic Stadium built directly above the site where Akira was stored as a HumanPopsicle. (By coincidence, Tokyo was later selected as the site of the 2020 Games in real life.) |
| 813 | ** ''Manga/{{Nononono}}'' features a woman trying to become an Olympic ski-jumper... back before 2014, when the event was still males-only. |
| 814 | ** An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TotallySpies'' had the main characters investigating a very ''unusual'' cheating scandal at the Winter Olympics, where one nation's athletes had unknowingly been given cybernetic brain implants that enhanced their performance. |
| 815 | ** Also see {{Pseudolympics}} for when works make references to silly Olympic-like events. |
| 816 | * '''Features the 1896 Athens Games''': |
| 817 | ** 1962's ''Film/ItHappenedInAthens'' is a completely fictional (but filmed entirely in Greece) depiction of Spyridon Louis' 1896 victory, complete with Jayne Mansfield offering herself in marriage to whomever wins, and an adorable CanineCompanion. |
| 818 | ** The 1984 MiniSeries ''The First Olympics: Athens 1896'' |
| 819 | * '''Features the 1904 St. Louis Games''': |
| 820 | ** Notably, ''not'' featured in ''Film/MeetMeInStLouis'', despite it taking place in St. Louis in 1903-04. Instead, the movie is centered around the 1904 World's Fair, which overshadowed the 1904 Olympics in RealLife as well. |
| 821 | ** There's an episode in season 2 of ''WebVideo/PuppetHistory'' on the 1904 Olympics, "The Disastrous 1904 Olympic Marathon". |
| 822 | * '''Features the 1912 Stockholm Games''': |
| 823 | ** Depicted in the 1951 biopic ''Jim Thorpe — All-American'' starring Creator/BurtLancaster. The opening ceremony is actually StockFootage of the 1948 London Games. |
| 824 | * '''Features the 1924 Paris Games''': |
| 825 | ** ''Film/ChariotsOfFire'', about British runners Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell (technically not fiction, but they did take a few liberties ...). |
| 826 | * '''Features the 1932 Los Angeles Games''': |
| 827 | ** ''Million Dollar Legs'', a largely forgotten W.C. Fields classic, is all about getting {{Ruritania}}n citizens to participate in the 1932 Olympics. |
| 828 | * '''Features the 1936 Berlin Games''': |
| 829 | ** The 1937 ''Film/CharlieChan'' film ''Charlie Chan at the Olympics'' |
| 830 | ** ''Film/AceOfAces'', a 1982 French-German comedy in which the trainer of the French olympic boxing team (Creator/JeanPaulBelmondo) helps a Jewish family that's tormented by UsefulNotes/TheGestapo. |
| 831 | ** ''Film/{{Race}}'', a 2016 {{biopic}} about Jesse Owens. |
| 832 | ** ''Champions'', a 2008 Hong Kong film about China's first Olympic team. |
| 833 | ** The fan-made ''VideoGame/Portal2'' game ''VideoGame/PortalStoriesMel'', whose eponymous protagonist was a competitor (though in this universe the 1936 games were apparently held in Nuremberg). |
| 834 | ** ''Film/{{Olympia}}'', a documentary of the Berlin games by Creator/LeniRiefenstahl, a filmmaker best known for the Nazi propaganda flick ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill''. ''Olympia'' is largely free of Nazi propaganda except for some bits in the intro. It's still considered to be a TropeMaker as far as documenting sporting events go. |
| 835 | ** ''Film/{{Unbroken}}'' focuses on Louie Zamperini, who competed for the U.S. at these Olympics and was later captured by the Japanese during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. |
| 836 | ** ''Film/{{Wunschkonzert}}'': This 1940 Nazi propaganda film features the StarCrossedLovers meeting at the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. StockFootage of Adolf Hitler at the games is included. |
| 837 | ** ''Literature/Timeline191'' features the 1936 games held in Richmond, Virginia. In this AlternateHistory the Confederate States become ANaziByAnyOtherName. |
| 838 | ** ''Literature/RedsARevolutionaryTimeline'' features the [[ChummyCommies UASR]] sending Jesse Owens and the Jewish athletes [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marty_Glickman Marty Glickman]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Stoller Sam Stoller]] (who were controversially excluded from the games in OTL) to compete as a massive middle finger to Nazi Germany. |
| 839 | ** ''Film/TheBoysInTheBoat'', a 2023 film (based on a 2013 book) about the University of Washington rowing team as they make their way to the Olympics. |
| 840 | * '''Features the 1948 London Games''': |
| 841 | ** The ''Literature/RiversOfLondon'' short story "Home Crowd Advantage" is set during London 2012, with an extended flashback to London 1948. |
| 842 | ** The 2018 UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} film ''Gold'' is about India winning its first gold medal as an independent nation during these Olympics. |
| 843 | * '''Features the 1952 Helsinki Games''': |
| 844 | ** A sixth-season ''Series/{{MASH}}'' episode has the 4077th staff celebrating the '52 Helsinki Games (and getting in shape) by holding their own "Olympics" competition. |
| 845 | * '''Features the 1960 Rome Games''': |
| 846 | ** The 1977 Made-for-TV movie ''Wilma'', a biopic on track star Wilma Rudolph, chronicling her life as she overcame polio to win three golds in Rome. |
| 847 | * '''Features the 1964 Tokyo Games''': |
| 848 | ** ''Film/TokyoOlympiad'', an acclaimed documentary of the 1964 Tokyo games by Creator/KonIchikawa. |
| 849 | ** The 1966 comedy film ''Film/WalkDontRun'' is set at the '64 Tokyo Games and features Creator/CaryGrant in his last film role. |
| 850 | ** ''VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames: Tokyo 2020'' features a retro throwback mode where the characters are reverted to their 2D 8-bit and 16-bit selves and the Olympic setting is returned to the last time the Games were in Tokyo. |
| 851 | ** ''Film/RunningBrave'', Canadian film featuring [[UsefulNotes/NativeAmericans Sioux]] runner Billy Mills' path to winning the gold medal for the 10,000m race at the 1964 Olympics. |
| 852 | * '''Features the 1972 Munich Games''': |
| 853 | ** Steven Spielberg's ''Film/{{Munich}}'' depicts the Munich 1972 massacre and the retaliation by the Israeli secret services. |
| 854 | ** ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'': One skit parodied ''Film/{{Munich}}'' and the ''WesternAnimation/LaffALympics''. In it, the Really Rottens kidnap and kill the rival team. This is followed by the heroic Creator/HannaBarbera characters hunting them down and killing them. |
| 855 | * '''Features the 1980 Moscow Games''': |
| 856 | ** An episode of the popular Soviet cartoon series ''Animation/NuPogodi'' finds the Wolf and the Hare, a WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry-style chaser-and-chasee duo, at the Olympics engaging in their usual antics. It opens with the Wolf, a smoker, [[BlowingSmokeRings blowing the Olympic Rings]] with cigarette smoke. |
| 857 | ** The 1979 sci-fi flick ''{{Film/Goldengirl}}'' is about a [[BioAugmentation genetically-enhanced woman]] who competes for the U.S. at [[NextSundayAD the then-future 1980 Moscow games]]. Of course, the whole movie later became dated as a result of the U.S. boycotting the Moscow games in RealLife. |
| 858 | * '''Features the 1980 Lake Placid Games''': |
| 859 | ** ''Film/{{Miracle}}'', about the US hockey team and the "Miracle on Ice". |
| 860 | ** ''Going for the Gold'' by Emma Lathen is set at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. |
| 861 | * '''Features the 1984 Sarajevo Games''': |
| 862 | ** The sequels for ''Film/TheCuttingEdge'' RetCon its ending as taking place here (yes, even before the opening of the original story), ignoring [[SarcasmMode the near-identical similarities between the French Alps and Communist Sarajevo]], thus moving the beginning to 1980 Lake Placid... which would mean Doug would already have received a gold medal in hockey and be a national legend. Best not to think about it much. |
| 863 | * '''Features the 1984 Los Angeles Games''': |
| 864 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Lisa's First Word" features Krusty Burger running a promotion with a scratchcard game which sees the customer win a free burger if the USA wins a gold medal in that event. It had been rigged to feature only sports that "Communists never lose" - before learning that they were boycotting the games (based on the real UsefulNotes/McDonalds "When the USA Wins, You Win" promo game). |
| 865 | ** The original ''VideoGame/TrackAndField'' and its followup ''Hyper Sports'' take place during the 1984 Olympics. In Japan, both games were officially licensed and used the games' logo in advertising. |
| 866 | * '''Features the 1988 Calgary Games''': |
| 867 | ** ''Film/CoolRunnings'': A highly fictionalized account of the first Jamaican bobsled team. |
| 868 | ** ''Film/EddieTheEagle'': A {{Biopic}} bout the eponymous British ski jumper. |
| 869 | ** ''Series/TheGoldbergs'' has an episode where Barry is inspired by Eddie the Eagle to try and become a champion athlete. (It's probably not a coincidence that it aired at about the same time as the above-listed {{biopic}}.) |
| 870 | ** The opening scenes of ''Film/TheCuttingEdge'' take place here. |
| 871 | * '''Features the 1988 Seoul Games''': |
| 872 | ** ''Konami 88'', the sequel to ''VideoGame/TrackAndField'', uses the 1988 Olympics as its main setting. The same would carry over to ''Track and Field II'' on the Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem. |
| 873 | ** The 1994 DirectToVideo film ''Pentathlon'' stars Creator/DolphLundgren as an East German gold-medal-winning pentathlete who defects to the US and is pursued by his DrillSergeantNasty ex-coach. |
| 874 | * '''Features the 1992 Albertville Games''': |
| 875 | ** Although ''Film/ITonya'' mostly concerns the 1994 Games, it also includes some events from 1992. |
| 876 | ** ''Film/TheCuttingEdge'': A RomanticComedy about a pairs skater teaming up with a former hockey player switching to figure skating as each other's last shot for Olympic gold. It made use of a decent chunk of ArtisticLicenseSports, to say the least; no US pairs team was in contention for the gold--or any medal--at the '92 Games (no US pair has won a medal at the Games since 1988), spotlight lighting is not used in competition, and the move that they perform to win is not only impossible, it's illegal in competition. Also, having been filmed in 1991 for a 1992 release, the movie fell victim to FailedFutureForecast and inaccurately portrays the Soviet Union as still being intact (and in competition) as of the '92 Olympics. |
| 877 | * '''Features the 1992 Barcelona Games''': |
| 878 | ** ''The Final Game (2022)'', a dramatization of the Spanish water polo team's run in the Olympic games of Barcelona. |
| 879 | * '''Features the 1994 Lillehammer Games''': |
| 880 | ** ''Film/ITonya'', a dramedy {{biopic}} about figure skater UsefulNotes/TonyaHarding and the scandal she was involved in. |
| 881 | * '''Features the 1996 Atlanta Games''': |
| 882 | ** The 2019 film ''Film/RichardJewell'' concerns the Centennial Olympic Park bombing. |
| 883 | ** ''VideoGame/IzzysQuestForTheOlympicRings'': A platform video game starring the 1996 Mascot "Izzy" on a quest to recover the Olympic flame before the Atlanta games are cancelled. |
| 884 | * '''Features the 1998 Nagano Games''': |
| 885 | ** It's right in the title of the ''Series/DharmaAndGreg'' episode "The Official Dharma & Greg Episode of the 1998 Winter Olympics". |
| 886 | * '''Features the 2000 Sydney Games''': |
| 887 | ** ''Literature/RainbowSix'' involves a plot to start a global plague via the air conditioning at the Sydney opening ceremony. Clancy failed to realize the games actually took place in the late winter/early spring of Australia. |
| 888 | ** Miranda Frost in ''Film/DieAnotherDay'' won a gold medal at Sydney by default when her opponent died of a steroids overdose arranged by Gustav Graves. |
| 889 | ** A ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'' storyline was set at the "[[BlandNameProduct Sydney World Games]]". The story involved the former Arrowette entering the archery competition, and Zandia (an island nation whose population consists entirely of supervillains taking advantage of its lack of extradition laws) entering, so Cassie was competing against [[ComicBook/GreenArrow Merlyn]] and [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica Artemis]]. |
| 890 | * '''Features the 2002 Salt Lake Games''': |
| 891 | ** The 2002 DirectToVideo film ''Getting There'' involves Creator/MaryKateAndAshleyOlsen trying to get to Salt Lake City to watch the Olympics. |
| 892 | * '''Features the 2006 Torino Games''': |
| 893 | ** ''The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold''. An [[Creator/{{Freeform}} ABC Family]] film that's essentially a remake of its 1992 parent film, right down to the impossible winning move the team pulls off. Additionally, the female protagonist is the daughter of the couple from the first film, but is at least five years older than she could possibly be (a {{retcon}} sets the ending of the first film in 1984 instead of 1992). |
| 894 | ** ''Literature/GinbanKaleidoscope'' is about a Japanese figure skater whose Olympic journey hits a snag when she finds herself possessed by the ghost of a Canadian stunt pilot. |
| 895 | ** 2005's ''Film/IcePrincess'' ends with newbie figure skater Casey Carlyle coming from behind to win silver at the junior sectionals competition, to which commentator Michelle Kwan wonders if she could make the then-upcoming 2006 Olympics. |
| 896 | * '''Features the 2008 Beijing Games''': |
| 897 | ** ''VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames'' |
| 898 | ** The second-season finale of ''Series/ThirtyRock'' included a storyline in which Kenneth tries to become a page at the Beijing Olympics. In the second episode of the third season, it's revealed that NBC's coverage of the same Olympics invented some fictional events, including "synchronized running" and "octuples tennis", so that Americans could win more medals. |
| 899 | * '''Features the 2010 Vancouver Games''': |
| 900 | ** ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games]]'' |
| 901 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': "Boy Meets Curl" involves Homer and Marge teaming up with Principal Skinner and his mom to represent Team USA in curling. |
| 902 | * '''Features the 2012 London Games''': |
| 903 | ** The ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E11FearHer "Fear Her"]] is set around the (then-future) 2012 Opening Ceremonies. (In real life, Creator/DavidTennant [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Summer_Olympics_opening_ceremony#There_Is_a_Light_That_Never_Goes_Out_.2800:24.E2.80.9300:38.29 was not involved]], but [[Creator/MattSmith a different]] [[TheNthDoctor doctor]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU8Djtv2N4w did carry the torch for a leg.]]) |
| 904 | ** ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games]]'' |
| 905 | ** The ''Literature/RiversOfLondon'' short story "Home Crowd Advantage" is set during London 2012, with an extended flashback to London 1948. |
| 906 | ** ''Spooks: Code 9'' starts with a nuclear attack during the Opening Ceremony. |
| 907 | ** The sixth episode of 2031-set {{mockumentary}} ''Series/TimeTrumpet'' briefly discusses what happened at the (then future) 2012 Olympics. Apparently, the UK getting the rights to it would have turned out to be a big prank by Justin Lee Collins, with the actual rights having gone to Paris instead. Thankfully, this did not happen in real life. |
| 908 | * '''Features the 2014 Sochi Games''': |
| 909 | ** ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Winter Games]]'' |
| 910 | * '''Features the 2016 Rio Games''': |
| 911 | ** ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games]]'' |
| 912 | ** A storyline in the comic ''ComicStrip/SafeHavens'' involves Dave competing for Team USA on the basketball team-which causes him some consternation as he made his career in Italy, and Team Italy is made of his former teammates who are familiar with his unusual play style. [[spoiler: It was a close match, but thanks to Dave making more...let's go with mundane passes, Team USA beat team Italy, and went on to win gold. Dave did rub it in that this is one achievement his wife Samantha would ''never'' be able to get (she gave up playing sports when she started concentrating on her genetics career).]] |
| 913 | ** ''Series/{{Superstore}}'' had an Olympic-themed episode that aired during the Rio Games. |
| 914 | ** ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' had an event that was obviously themed around the Olympics, but [[WritingAroundTrademarks used the more lawyer-friendly "Summer Games" term as well as a logo of red, green, and blue fireworks]]. Players could earn and buy special Summer Games Loot Boxes that could potentially drop appropriately-themed [[AndYourRewardIsClothes skins]], voice lines, victory poses, and the like. The associated special Brawl had Lucio, the game's resident Brazilian charcacter, as the focus of the mode, with teams of three Lucios each playing what was basically UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball but with blasters. |
| 915 | ** ''Film/WhiteBlessing'': A young Mongolian woman becomes a judoka and wins silver in Rio. |
| 916 | * '''Features the 2018 Pyeongchang Games''' |
| 917 | ** ''Movie/OlympicDreams'' (2019), filmed in the actual Olympic village in Pyeongchang. |
| 918 | * '''Features the 2020 Tokyo Games''': |
| 919 | ** While the Google Doodle game ''VideoGame/DoodleChampionIslandGames'' doesn't feature the Olympics ''per se'', it is themed around a combination of Olympic sports and Japanese mythology from the host city, and was featured on the site while the Games were running. |
| 920 | ** ''Manga/{{Haikyuu}}'': The final two chapters show a glimpse of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (taking place in 2021), with [[spoiler:many of the characters -- including protagonists Hinata and Kageyama-- being a part of Japan's volleyball team ''and'' Oikawa being a part of the opposing Argentina team]]. |
| 921 | ** ''VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames: Tokyo 2020'' |
| 922 | ** ''VideoGame/IdolManager'': In story mode, Fujimoto's brothel was preventatively shut down in response to a crackdown on illegal activities, which was itself caused by Tokyo being chosen to host the 2020 Summer Games. An event later in the game proper has the PlayerCharacter apply to have their IdolSinger group sing at the closing ceremony of rescheduled Tokyo Summer Games, as they didn't happen in 2020 due to "world events". |
| 923 | * CyclicNationalFascination: It's a long-running joke with deep roots in fact that, every Winter Olympic Games, Americans rediscover and fall in love with the strange, regional sport of curling all over again, then immediately forget it until the next Winter Olympics. |
| 924 | [[/folder]] |
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