How many Olympics have there been?
By Brad Weiss
How many Summer Olympics have there been?
The 2016 Rio Olympics are set to kick off on August 5, 2016, and just like at every Summer Games, the eyes of the world will be focused on the competition. This has been the case for the last 120 years, ever since the first modern Olympics back in 1896. The games have changed a lot since then, but the spirit of competition has remained the same.
Rio will be hosting the 31st Summer Olympics, and they will be the first South American country to do so. Rio beat out Chicago, Illinois, Madrid Spain, and Tokyo, Japan, and will now get to host both the Summer Games, and the Summer Paralympics.
The first Olympics occurred in 1896 in Athens, Greece, after the thought of having the Summer Games began in 1894. The International Olympic Committee was formed that year, and they still govern the Games. The Olympics were inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD.
In 1904, the tradition of giving out gold, silver, and bronze medals began for first, second, and third place. Since then, the United States has won the most medals in competition.
In total, 18 countries have hosted the games, including Great Britain, who hosted the 2012 London Olympics. The United States have hosted the most Games, as they have had the host city for the Olympics in 1904, 1932, 1984, and 1996.
Due the popularity and growth of the Summer Games, the IOC created the Winter Olympics, which has also been an incredible spectacle.
The 2020 Summer Olympics will be held in Tokyo, Japan, and they will be hosting their second Olympics. Tokyo played host to the Summer Games in 1964, and beat out Istanbul, Turkey to host for a second time.
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