View source for Summer Olympic Games

{{Short description|Major international multi-sport event}}
{{Redirect2|Summer Olympics|Olympic Summer Games|the video game|Olympic Summer Games (video game){{!}}''Olympic Summer Games'' (video game)|the most recent event|2024 Summer Olympics}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2025}}
{{Olympic Games sidebar}}
{{Infobox recurring event
| name        = Summer Olympic Games
| image       = Vasque Olympique Jardin Tuileries - Paris I (FR75) - 2024-07-27 - 25.jpg
| image_size  = 200px
| caption     = The Olympic flame in [[Paris]] during the [[2024 Summer Olympics]]
| list_years  = yes
| list_sports = yes
}}

The '''Summer Olympic Games''', also known as the '''Summer Olympics''' or the '''Games of the Olympiad''', is a major international [[multi-sport event]] normally held once every four years. The [[1896 Summer Olympics|inaugural Games]] took place in 1896 in [[Athens]], then part of the [[Kingdom of Greece]], and the most recent was held in [[2024 Summer Olympics|2024]] in [[Paris]], France. This was the first international multi-sport event of its kind, organised by the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC) founded by [[Pierre de Coubertin]].<ref name="britannica.com">{{Cite web|date=2 August 2024|title=Summer Olympic Games {{!}} Dates, Locations, Facts, & Athletes {{!}} Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/sports/Summer-Olympic-Games|access-date=2 August 2024|website=britannica.com|language=en}}</ref> The tradition of awarding medals began in [[1904 Summer Olympics|1904]]; in each [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] event, [[gold medal]]s are awarded for first place, [[silver medal]]s for second place, and [[bronze medal]]s for third place. The [[Winter Olympic Games]] were created out of the success of the Summer Olympic Games, which are regarded as the largest and most prestigious multi-sport international event in the world.

The Summer Olympics have increased in scope from a 42-event competition programme in 1896 with fewer than 250 male competitors from 14 nations, to 339 events in 2021 ([[2020 Summer Olympics]]) with 11,319 competitors (almost half of whom were women) from 206 nations. The Games have been held in nineteen countries over five continents: four times in the [[United States at the Olympics|United States]] ([[1904 Summer Olympics|1904]], [[1932 Summer Olympics|1932]], [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984]], and [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996]]), three times in [[Great Britain at the Olympics|Great Britain]] ([[1908 Summer Olympics|1908]], [[1948 Summer Olympics|1948]], and [[2012 Summer Olympics|2012]]) and in [[France at the Olympics|France]] ([[1900 Summer Olympics|1900]], [[1924 Summer Olympics|1924]], and [[2024 Summer Olympics|2024]]), twice each in [[Greece at the Olympics|Greece]] ([[1896 Summer Olympics|1896]] and [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004]]), [[Germany at the Olympics|Germany]] ([[1936 Summer Olympics|1936]] and [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972]]), [[Australia at the Olympics|Australia]] ([[1956 Summer Olympics|1956]] and [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000]]), and [[Japan at the Olympics|Japan]] ([[1964 Summer Olympics|1964]] and [[2020 Summer Olympics|2020]]), and once each in [[Sweden at the Olympics|Sweden]] ([[1912 Summer Olympics|1912]]), [[Belgium at the Olympics|Belgium]] ([[1920 Summer Olympics|1920]]), the [[Netherlands at the Olympics|Netherlands]] ([[1928 Summer Olympics|1928]]), [[Finland at the Olympics|Finland]] ([[1952 Summer Olympics|1952]]), [[Italy at the Olympics|Italy]] ([[1960 Summer Olympics|1960]]), [[Mexico at the Olympics|Mexico]] ([[1968 Summer Olympics|1968]]), [[Canada at the Olympics|Canada]] ([[1976 Summer Olympics|1976]]), [[Russia at the Olympics|Russia]] ([[1980 Summer Olympics|1980]]), [[South Korea at the Olympics|South Korea]] ([[1988 Summer Olympics|1988]]), [[Spain at the Olympics|Spain]] ([[1992 Summer Olympics|1992]]), [[China at the Olympics|China]] ([[2008 Summer Olympics|2008]]), and [[Brazil at the Olympics|Brazil]] ([[2016 Summer Olympics|2016]]).

[[London]] and Paris have hosted three times, while [[Los Angeles]], Athens, and [[Tokyo]] have each hosted twice; Los Angeles will host the Games for the third time in [[2028 Summer Olympics|2028]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=IOC makes historic decision in agreeing to award 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games at the same time|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-makes-historic-decision-in-agreeing-to-award-2024-and-2028-olympic-games-at-the-same-time|date=11 July 2017|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref> Only three countries have won at least one medal in every Summer Olympic Games: Australia, France and Great Britain. Only Great Britain has won at least a gold medal in every edition. The United States leads the [[All-time Olympic Games medal table#Top ten medal rankings (combined NOCs)|all-time medal count for the Summer Olympics]] and has topped the [[All-time Olympic Games medal table#Medal leaders by year|medal table]] on 19 separate occasions, followed by the USSR (seven times, including the 1992 'Unified Team'), and France, Great Britain, Germany and China (once each).

==Hosting==
[[File:Summer Olympics.svg|thumb|Map of Summer Olympic Games locations – countries that have hosted one Summer Olympics are shaded green, while countries that have hosted two or more are shaded blue.]]

The [[United States at the Olympics|United States]] has hosted the Summer Olympic Games four times: the [[1904 Summer Olympics|1904 Games]] in [[St.&nbsp;Louis]], [[Missouri]]; the [[1932 Summer Olympics|1932]] and [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984]] Games in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], and the [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Games]] in [[Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. The [[2028 Summer Olympics|2028 Games]] in Los Angeles will mark the fifth occasion on which the Summer Olympics have been hosted by the U.S.

In [[1924 Summer Olympics|1924]], Paris became the first city to host the Summer Olympics twice, while in [[2012 Summer Olympics|2012]], London became the first to host three times. Paris hosted for the third time in [[2024 Summer Olympics|2024]], while Los Angeles will do so in 2028. Tokyo ([[1964 Summer Olympics|1964]] and [[2020 Summer Olympics|2020]]) and Athens ([[1896 Summer Olympics|1896]] and [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004]], excluding [[1906 Intercalated Games|1906]]) have each hosted two Summer Olympic Games.

[[Australia at the Olympics|Australia]], [[Germany at the Olympics|Germany]], [[Greece at the Olympics|Greece]] and [[Japan at the Olympics|Japan]] have all hosted the Summer Olympics twice (with Australia hosting for the third time in [[2032 Summer Olympics|2032]]). Tokyo was the first city outside the predominantly [[English-speaking countries|English-speaking]] and [[Europe]]an nations to have hosted twice;<ref>{{cite book|last1=Schaffer|first1=Kay|title=The Olympics at the Millennium: Power, Politics, and the Games|date=2000|page=271}}</ref> it is also the largest city ever to have hosted, [[Tokyo#1973-Present|having grown considerably since 1964]]. The other countries to have hosted the Summer Olympics are [[Belgium at the Olympics|Belgium]], [[Brazil at the Olympics|Brazil]], [[Canada at the Olympics|Canada]], [[China at the Olympics|China]], [[Finland at the Olympics|Finland]], [[Italy at the Olympics|Italy]], [[Mexico at the Olympics|Mexico]], [[Netherlands at the Olympics|Netherlands]], [[South Korea at the Olympics|South Korea]], [[Soviet Union at the Olympics|Soviet Union]], [[Spain at the Olympics|Spain]], and [[Sweden at the Olympics|Sweden]], with each of these countries having hosted on one occasion.

[[Asia]] has hosted four times: in Tokyo ([[1964 Summer Olympics|1964]] and [[2020 Summer Olympics|2020]]), [[Seoul]] ([[1988 Summer Olympics|1988]]), and [[Beijing]] ([[2008 Summer Olympics|2008]]).

The [[2016 Summer Olympics|2016 Games]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil, were the first Summer Olympics to be held in [[South America]] and the first that was held completely during the local "[[winter]]" season. The only two countries in the [[Southern Hemisphere]] to have hosted have been Australia ([[1956 Summer Olympics|1956]], [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000]], and again in [[2032 Summer Olympics|2032]]) and Brazil ([[2016 Summer Olympics|2016]]), with [[Africa]] having yet to host any Summer Olympics.

[[Stockholm]], Sweden, has hosted events at two Summer Olympics, having been the sole host of the [[1912 Summer Olympics|1912 Games]] while hosting the [[Equestrian at the 1956 Summer Olympics|equestrian events]] for the [[1956 Summer Olympics]] (which quarantine regulations prevented from being held in [[Melbourne]], Australia).<ref name="Games1956" /> [[Amsterdam]], Netherlands, has also hosted events at two Summer Olympic Games, having been the sole host of the [[1928 Summer Olympics|1928 Games]] while hosting two of the [[Sailing at the 1920 Summer Olympics|sailing races]] at the [[1920 Summer Olympics]]. At the [[2008 Summer Olympics]], [[Hong Kong]] provided the venues for the [[Equestrian at the 2008 Summer Olympics|equestrian events]], which took place in [[Sha Tin New Town|Sha Tin]] and [[Kwu Tung]].

Hosting the Games requires and accelerates large investments in city infrastructure.<ref name=jrs>{{Cite journal |last=Short |first=John R. |date=December 2008 |title=Globalization, cities and the Summer Olympics |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13604810802478888 |journal=City |language=en |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=321–340 |doi=10.1080/13604810802478888 |bibcode=2008City...12..321S |issn=1360-4813}}</ref> The Games now play a key role in city leaders' plans to strengthen their cities' global integration and economic competitiveness.<ref name=jrs/>

==History==
===Early years===
[[File:1906 Intercalated Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.jpg|thumb|The opening ceremony of the first modern Olympic Games in the [[Panathenaic Stadium]], Athens]]

The [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC) was founded in 1894 when [[Pierre de Coubertin]], a French [[pedagogue]] and historian, sought to promote international understanding through sporting competition. The first edition of The Olympic Games was held in [[1896 Summer Olympics|Athens in 1896]] and attracted just 245 competitors, of whom more than 200 were Greek, and only 14 countries were represented. Nevertheless, no international events of this magnitude had been organised before. Female athletes were not allowed to compete, though one woman, [[Stamata Revithi]], ran the marathon course on her own, saying, "If the committee doesn't let me compete, I will go after them regardless".<ref name=Revithi>{{cite journal|author = Tarasouleas, Athanasios|date =Summer 1993|title = The Female Spiridon Loues|journal = Citius, Altius, Fortius|volume = 1|issue = 3|pages = 11–12|url = http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv1n3/JOHv1n3e.pdf|access-date = 26 June 2012|archive-date = 25 June 2008|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080625162746/http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv1n3/JOHv1n3e.pdf|url-status = dead }}</ref> Women first participated officially in the 1900 Paris Games, with 22 women competing in five sports. Female participation has increased dramatically since then, with nearly half of the athletes in recent Games being women.<ref name="britannica.com"/>

The [[1896 Summer Olympics]], officially known as the Games of the Olympiad, was an international [[multi-sport event]] which was celebrated in [[Athens]], Greece, from 6 to 15&nbsp;April 1896. It was the first Olympic Games held in the [[modern era]]. About 100,000 people attended for the opening of the games. The athletes came from 14 nations, with most coming from Greece. Although [[Greece]] had the most athletes, the U.S. finished with the most champions; 11 Americans placed first in their events vs. the 10 from Greece.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Swifter, Higher, Stronger|last = Macy|first = Sue|publisher = National Geographic|year = 2004|isbn = 0-7922-6667-6|location = Washington D.C, United States|pages = [https://archive.org/details/swifterhigherstr00macy/page/16 16]|url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/swifterhigherstr00macy/page/16}}</ref> [[Ancient Greece]] was the birthplace of the Olympic Games, consequently Athens was perceived to be an appropriate choice to stage the inaugural modern Games. It was unanimously chosen as the host city during a congress organised by Pierre de Coubertin in Paris, on 23&nbsp;June 1894. The IOC was also established during this congress.

Despite many obstacles and setbacks, the 1896 Olympics were regarded as a great success. The Games had the largest international participation of any sporting event to that date. [[Panathinaiko Stadium]], the first big stadium in the modern world, overflowed with the largest crowd ever to watch a sporting event.<ref>{{cite book|last=Young|first=David C.|year=1996|title=The Modern Olympics: A Struggle for Revival|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|isbn=978-0-8018-5374-6|page=144}}</ref> The highlight for the Greeks was the [[Marathon]] victory by their compatriot [[Spiridon Louis]], a water carrier. He won in 2&nbsp;hours, 58&nbsp;minutes and 50&nbsp;seconds, setting off wild celebrations at the stadium. The most successful competitor was German [[Sport wrestling|wrestler]] and [[gymnast]] [[Carl Schuhmann]], who won four gold medals.

Greek officials and the public were enthusiastic about the experience of hosting an Olympic Games. This feeling was shared by many of the athletes, who even demanded that Athens be the permanent Olympic host city. The IOC intended for subsequent Games to be rotated to various host cities around the world. The [[1900 Summer Olympics|second Olympics]] was held in Paris.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1896/|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200417042610/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1896/|url-status= dead|archive-date= 17 April 2020|title= 1896 Athina Summer Games|publisher= Sports Reference|access-date=31 January 2009}}</ref>

Four years later the [[1900 Summer Olympics]] in Paris attracted more than four times as many athletes, including 20 women, who were allowed to officially compete for the first time, in [[Croquet at the 1900 Summer Olympics|croquet]], [[Golf at the 1900 Summer Olympics|golf]], [[Sailing at the 1900 Summer Olympics|sailing]], and [[Tennis at the 1900 Summer Olympics|tennis]]. The Games were integrated with the [[Exposition Universelle (1900)|Paris World's Fair]] and lasted over five months. It has been disputed which exact events were ''Olympic'', as some events were for professionals, some had restricted eligibility, and others lacked international competitors.

[[File:Francis Field 1904.jpg|thumb|[[Francis Olympic Field]] of [[Washington University in St. Louis]] during the [[1904 Summer Olympics]]]]
[[File:Dorando Pietri 1908.jpg|thumb|[[Dorando Pietri]] finishes the modern marathon in [[1908 Summer Olympics|1908]] at the current distance.]]

Tensions caused by the [[Russo–Japanese War]] and the difficulty of travelling to St.&nbsp;Louis may have contributed to the fact that very few top-ranked athletes from outside the U.S. and Canada took part in the [[1904 Summer Olympics|1904 Games]], the first Games held outside Europe.<ref name=FactsheetGames>{{cite web|url=https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Olympic-Games/Factsheets/The-Games-of-the-Olympiad.pdf|title=Factsheet - The Games of the Olympiad|page=1|date=16 November 2021|publisher=International Olympic Committee|access-date=31 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210717170215/https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Olympic-Games/Factsheets/The-Games-of-the-Olympiad.pdf|archive-date=17 July 2021|url-status=live }}</ref>

The "[[1906 Intercalated Games|Second International Olympic Games in Athens]]", as they were called at the time, were held in 1906.<ref name="lennartz">{{Cite journal|url=http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv10n1/JOHv10n1i.pdf|journal=Journal of Olympic History|volume=10|date=December 2001|title=The 2nd International Olympic Games in Athens 1906|first=Karl|last=Lennartz|via=[[LA84 Foundation]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515105421/http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv10n1/JOHv10n1i.pdf|archive-date=15 May 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> The IOC does not currently recognise these games as being official Olympic Games, although many historians do and credit the 1906 games with preventing the demise of the Olympics. The 1906 Athens games were the first of an alternating series of games to be held in Athens in even non-Olympic years, but the series failed to materialise. The games were more successful than the 1900 and 1904 games, with over 850 athletes competing, and contributed positively to the success of future games.

The [[1908 Summer Olympics|1908 London Games]] saw numbers rise again, as well as the first running of the marathon over its now-standard distance of 42.195&nbsp; km (26 miles 385 yards). The first Olympic Marathon in 1896 (a male-only race) was raced at a distance of 40&nbsp; km (24 miles 85 yards). The new marathon distance was chosen to ensure that the race finished in front of the box occupied by the British royal family. Thus the marathon had been {{convert|40|km|1|abbr=on}} for the first games in 1896, but was subsequently varied by up to {{convert|2|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} depending on local conditions such as street and stadium layout. At the six Olympic games between 1900 and 1920, the marathon was raced over six distances. The Games saw [[Great Britain at the 1908 Summer Olympics|Great Britain]] winning 146 medals, 99 more than second-placed [[United States at the 1908 Summer Olympics|Americans]], its best result to this day.

At the end of the 1908 marathon, the Italian runner [[Dorando Pietri]] was first to enter the stadium, but he was clearly in distress and collapsed of exhaustion before he could complete the event. He was helped over the finish line by concerned race officials and later disqualified for that. As compensation for the missing medal, [[Queen Alexandra]] gave Pietri a gilded silver cup. [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] wrote a special report about the race in the ''[[Daily Mail]]''.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Lovesey, Peter|url=http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv10n1/JOHv10n1h.pdf|title=Conan Doyle and the Olympics|journal=Journal of Olympic History|volume=10|date=December 2001|pages=6–9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101016144350/http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv10n1/JOHv10n1h.pdf|archive-date=16 October 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Games continued to grow, attracting 2,504 competitors, to [[1912 Summer Olympics|Stockholm in 1912]], including the great all-rounder [[Jim Thorpe]], who won both the [[decathlon]] and pentathlon. Thorpe had previously played a few games of baseball for a fee, and saw his medals stripped for this 'breach' of [[Amateur sports#Olympics|amateurism]] after complaints from [[Avery Brundage]]. They were reinstated in 1983, 30 years after his death. The Games at Stockholm were the first to fulfil Pierre de Coubertin's original idea. For the first time since the Games started in 1896, all five inhabited continents were represented with athletes competing in the same stadium.

The scheduled [[1916 Summer Olympics]] were to be held in [[Berlin]], cancelled following the onset of [[World War I]].

===Interwar era===
The [[1920 Summer Olympics|1920 Antwerp Games]] in war-ravaged [[Belgium]] were a subdued affair, but again drew a record number of competitors. This record only stood until 1924, when the [[1924 Summer Olympics|Paris Games]] involved 3,000 competitors, the greatest of whom was Finnish runner [[Paavo Nurmi]]. The "[[Flying Finn]]" won three team gold medals and the individual 1,500- and 5,000-metre runs, the latter two on the same day.<ref>{{cite web|title=Paavo Nurmi – Life Story|url=https://paavonurmi.fi/en/life-story/|access-date=16 March 2020|publisher=The Sports Museum of Finland|website=paavonurmi.fi|url-status=live|archive-date=14 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114141920/https://paavonurmi.fi/en/life-story/ }}</ref>

Paris hosted the [[1924 Summer Olympics|1924 Games]], becoming the first two-time host city. The Games were the last held under the IOC presidency of [[Pierre de Coubertin]], father of the modern Olympics, and saw the introduction of the Olympic motto ''[[Citius, Altius, Fortius (Olympic motto)|Citius, Altius, Fortius]]'', the [[Olympic Village]], and the [[Winter Olympic Games|Winter Olympics]] as an “International Winter Sports Week.”

The [[1928 Summer Olympics|1928 Amsterdam Games]] was notable for being the first games which allowed females to compete at track & field athletics, and benefited greatly from the general prosperity of the times alongside the first appearance of [[Sponsor (commercial)|sponsorship]] of the games, from the [[Coca-Cola Company]]. The 1928 games saw the introduction of a standard medal design with the IOC, choosing [[Giuseppe Cassioli]]'s depiction of Greek goddess [[Nike (mythology)|Nike]] with a winner being carried by a crowd of people. This design was used up until 1972.

The [[1932 Summer Olympics|1932 Los Angeles Games]] were affected by the [[Great Depression]], which contributed to the low number of competitors.

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R82532, Berlin, Olympia-Stadion (Luftaufnahme).jpg|thumb|[[Olympiastadion (Berlin)|Olympiastadion]] in Berlin, during the [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Games]]]]

The [[1936 Berlin Games]] were seen by the German government as a golden opportunity to promote their ideology. The ruling [[Nazi Party]] commissioned film-maker [[Leni Riefenstahl]] to film the games. The result, ''[[Olympia (1938 film)|Olympia]]'', was widely considered to be a masterpiece, despite the infusion of [[Adolf Hitler]]'s theories of [[Aryan race|Aryan]] racial superiority. Individually, African-American sprinter and long jumper [[Jesse Owens]] won four gold medals, while the host nation won the most gold and overall medals. The 1936 Berlin Games also saw the introduction of the Torch Relay.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7330949.stm|title=The Olympic torch's shadowy past|work=BBC News|access-date=4 August 2008|date=5 April 2008|url-status=live|archive-date=12 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090112104421/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7330949.stm}}</ref>

Due to World War II, the [[1940 Summer Olympics|1940 Games]] (scheduled to be held in Tokyo and temporarily relocated to [[Helsinki]] upon the outbreak of [[Second Sino–Japanese War|the war]]) were cancelled. The [[1944 Summer Olympics|1944 Games]] were set to be held in London but were also cancelled; instead, London hosted the first games after the end of the war, in [[1948 Summer Olympics|1948]].

===After World War II===
The first post-war Games were held in [[1948 Summer Olympics|1948]] in London, with both Germany and Japan excluded.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/01/24/archives/germany-and-japan-are-banned-as-participants-in-48-olympics-other.html|title=Germany and Japan Are Banned As Participants in '48 Olympics; Other Enemy Countries, Including Italy, Are Likely to Receive Bids, However-- Organizing Group Reveals Plans|date=24 January 1947|newspaper=The New York Times|page=25|access-date=13 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-date=27 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327010440/https://www.nytimes.com/1947/01/24/archives/germany-and-japan-are-banned-as-participants-in-48-olympics-other.html}}</ref> Dutch sprinter [[Fanny Blankers-Koen]] won four gold medals on the track, emulating Owens' achievement in Berlin.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sundayobserver.lk/2022/01/23/sports/dutch-sprinter-fanny-blankers-koen-who-was-crowned-female-athlete-20th-century|title=Dutch sprinter Fanny Blankers-Koen who was crowned Female Athlete of the 20th Century|date=23 January 2022|last=Fernando|first=Shemal|newspaper=[[Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka)|Sunday Observer]]|access-date=13 August 2022|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320211907/https://www.sundayobserver.lk/2022/01/23/sports/dutch-sprinter-fanny-blankers-koen-who-was-crowned-female-athlete-20th-century}}</ref>

At the [[1952 Summer Olympics|1952 Helsinki Games]], the [[Soviet Union at the Olympics|USSR team]] competed for the first time and quickly emerged as one of the dominant teams, finishing second in the number of gold and overall medals won. Their immediate success might be explained by the advent of the state-sponsored "full-time amateur athlete". The USSR entered teams of athletes who were all nominally students, soldiers, or working in a profession, but many of whom were in reality paid by the state to train on a full-time basis, hence violating amateur rules.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,976117-1,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090902183140/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,976117-1,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 September 2009|title=Traditions Pro Vs. Amateur|last=Benjamin|first=Daniel|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=18 March 2009|date=27 July 1992}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Schantz|first=Otto|title=The Olympic Ideal and the Winter Games Attitudes Towards the Olympic Winter Games in Olympic Discourses – from Coubertin to Samaranch|publisher=Comité International Pierre De Coubertin|url=http://www.coubertin.ch/pdf/schantz.pdf|website=coubertin.ch|access-date=13 September 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505052232/http://www.coubertin.ch/pdf/schantz.pdf|archive-date=5 May 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1980/0415/041531.html|title=How the Russians break the Olympic rules|journal=[[The Christian Science Monitor]]|date=15 April 1980|last=Vinokur|first=Boris|url-status=live|archive-date=31 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331200107/https://www.csmonitor.com/1980/0415/041531.html}}</ref><ref name="A Real Pro">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/21/archives/soviet-amateur-athlete-a-real-pro-dr-john-nelson-washburn-is-an.html|title=Soviet Amateur Athlete: A Real Pro|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|author=J. N. Washburn|date=21 July 1974|page=2|url-status=live|archive-date=19 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419153414/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/21/archives/soviet-amateur-athlete-a-real-pro-dr-john-nelson-washburn-is-an.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-07-22-sp-30740-story.html|title=Sports in Soviet Union Only for Elite : There Are Top Athletes, and Then There Are Those Who Sunbathe and Watch Drawbridges Go Up|date=22 July 1986|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first=Bob|last=Oates|url-status=live|archive-date=12 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412113717/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-07-22-sp-30740-story.html}}</ref> Finland made a legend of an amiable [[Czechoslovak Army]] lieutenant named [[Emil Zátopek]], who was intent on improving on his single gold and silver medals from 1948. Having first won both the 10,000- and 5,000-metre races, he also entered the marathon, despite having never previously raced at that distance. Pacing himself by chatting with the other race leaders, Zátopek led from about halfway, slowly dropping the remaining contenders to win by two and a half minutes, and completed a trio of wins.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://worldathletics.org/news/feature/emil-zatopek-olympic-treble-helsinki-1952|title=Marking the centenary of the birth of Zatopek|date=19 September 2022|last=Turnbull|first=Simon|work=[[World Athletics]]|access-date=2 July 2023|archive-date=27 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227032616/https://worldathletics.org/news/feature/emil-zatopek-olympic-treble-helsinki-1952|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[1956 Summer Olympics|1956 Melbourne Games]], the first in the [[Southern Hemisphere]], were largely successful, with the exception of a [[Blood in the Water match|water polo match]] between [[Hungary at the Olympics|Hungary]] and the Soviet Union, which ended in a pitched battle between the teams on account of the [[Soviet invasion of Hungary]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-14575260|title=Blood in the water: Hungary's 1956 water polo gold|last=Reid|first=Kirsty|date=20 August 2011|website=BBC News|access-date=13 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-date=13 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013081617/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-14575260}}</ref> The equestrian events were held in Stockholm because of a [[foot-and-mouth disease]] outbreak in Britain at the time and the strict [[quarantine]] laws of Australia.

At the [[1960 Summer Olympics|1960 Rome Games]], a young light-heavyweight boxer named Cassius Clay, later known as [[Muhammad Ali]], arrived on the scene. Ali would later throw his gold medal away in disgust after being refused service in a [[Jim Crow laws|whites-only]] restaurant in his home town of [[Louisville, Kentucky]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Wallechinsky|first=David|author2=Jamie Loucky|year=2008|title=The Complete Book of the Olympics, 2008 Edition|publisher=[[Aurum Press]]|isbn=978-1-84513-330-6|pages=453–454 }}</ref> He was awarded a new medal 36 years later at the [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Olympics]] in Atlanta.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcsports.com/olympic/news/muhammad-ali-olympic-gold-medal-boxing|title=Why Muhammad Ali received a second Olympic gold medal in 1996|date=4 May 2020|website=[[NBC Olympic broadcasts]]|access-date=13 August 2022|author=OlympicTalk|url-status=live|archive-date=3 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703091942/https://www.nbcsports.com/olympic/news/muhammad-ali-olympic-gold-medal-boxing}}</ref> Other notable performers in 1960 included [[Wilma Rudolph]], a gold medallist in the 100&nbsp;metres, 200&nbsp;metres, and 4&nbsp;×&nbsp;100 metres relay events.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://worldathletics.org/news/feature/wilma-rudolph-1960-olympics-100m-usa|title=Sixty years since historic Olympic triple, Rudolph's legacy lives on|date=2 September 2020|last=Mulkeen|first=Jon|work=[[World Athletics]]|access-date=13 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-date=2 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200902205735/https://worldathletics.org/news/feature/wilma-rudolph-1960-olympics-100m-usa}}</ref>

The [[1964 Summer Olympics|1964 Tokyo Games]] were the first to be held in Asia and to be broadcast worldwide on television, enabled by the recent advent of communication satellites.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.teamusa.org/News/2019/January/08/How-The-1964-Games-Brought-Live-Olympic-Sports-To-The-United-States-For-The-First-Time|title=How the 1964 Games brought live Olympic Sports to the United States for the first time|date=8 January 2019|last=Kortemeier|first=Todd|website=[[United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee|Team USA]]|access-date=13 August 2022|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407173559/https://www.teamusa.org/News/2019/January/08/How-The-1964-Games-Brought-Live-Olympic-Sports-To-The-United-States-For-The-First-Time}}</ref> These Games marked a turning point in the global visibility and popularity of the Olympics and are credited for heralding the modern age of telecommunications. [[Judo at the Summer Olympics|Judo]] debuted as an official sport, and Dutch judoka [[Anton Geesink]] caused a stir when he won the final of the open weight division, defeating [[Akio Kaminaga]] in front of his home crowd.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ijf.org/news/show/tokyo-1964-the-first-chapter|title=Tokyo 1964: The First Chapter|date=8 July 2021|last=Messner|first=Nicolas|website=[[International Judo Federation|IJF.org]]|access-date=13 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-date=22 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022132920/https://www.ijf.org/news/show/tokyo-1964-the-first-chapter}}</ref>

[[File:Opening Ceremony Mexico 87 University Stadium.jpg|thumb|Opening ceremony for the [[1968 Summer Olympics|1968 Games]] in Mexico City, the first held in Latin America]]

Performances at the [[1968 Summer Olympics|1968 Games]] in Mexico City were affected by the altitude of the host city.<ref name=Games1968/> These Games introduced the now-universal [[Fosbury flop]], a technique which won American high jumper [[Dick Fosbury]] the gold medal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://worldathletics.org/news/feature/dick-fosbury-flop|title=50 years since the day Dick Fosbury revolutionised the high jump|date=20 October 2018|last=Minshull|first=Phil|work=[[World Athletics]]|access-date=13 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-date=20 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320220445/https://worldathletics.org/news/feature/dick-fosbury-flop}}</ref> In the medal award ceremony for the men's 200-metre race, [[black American]] athletes [[Tommie Smith]] (gold medal winner) and [[John Carlos]] (bronze medal winner) took a stand for [[civil rights]] by raising their [[1968 Olympics Black Power salute|black-gloved fists]] and wearing black socks in lieu of shoes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/black-power-salute-1968-50-years-olympics-tommie-smith-john-carlos-racism-mexico-city-a8587811.html|title=Black Power salute 50 years on: Iconic Olympics protest by Tommie Smith and John Carlos remembered|date=24 April 2019|last=Parfitt|first=Tom|website=The Independent|access-date=13 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-date=9 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109034505/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/black-power-salute-1968-50-years-olympics-tommie-smith-john-carlos-racism-mexico-city-a8587811.html}}</ref> The two athletes were subsequently expelled from the Games by the IOC. [[Věra Čáslavská]], in protest against the [[Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia|1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia]], and the controversial decision by the judges on the [[balance beam]] and [[Floor (gymnastics)|floor]], turned her head down and away from the [[Soviet flag]] while the [[State Anthem of the Soviet Union|national anthem]] was played during the medal ceremony.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/45900544|title=Vera Caslavska and the forgotten story of her 1968 Olympics protest|date=20 October 2018|last=Reynolds|first=Tom|website=BBC Sport|access-date=13 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-date=22 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022024057/https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/45900544}}</ref> She returned home as a heroine of the Czechoslovak people but was made an outcast by the Soviet-dominated government.

[[File:Trauerfeier für die Opfer des Attentats in München (Kiel 53.824).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Olympic flag]] at halfmast in Kiel (host city of the sailing events), after the [[Munich massacre]] at 1972 Games]]

Politics again intervened at the [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Games]] in Munich, but this time with [[Munich massacre|lethal consequences]]. A Palestinian terrorist group named [[Black September (group)|Black September]] invaded the Olympic village and broke into the apartment of the [[Israel at the 1972 Summer Olympics|Israeli delegation]]. They killed two Israelis and held nine others as hostages, demanding that Israel release numerous prisoners. When the Israeli government refused the terrorists' demands, the situation developed into a tense stand-off while negotiations continued. Eventually, the captors, still holding their hostages, were offered safe passage and taken to an airport, where they were ambushed by German security forces. In the ensuing firefight, 15 people were killed, including the nine captive Israeli athletes and five of the terrorists.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/may/02/50-stunning-olympic-moments-munich-72|title=50 stunning Olympic moments No 26: The terrorist outrage in Munich in 1972|date=2 May 2012|last=Burnton|first=Simon|work=The Guardian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219001325/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/may/02/50-stunning-olympic-moments-munich-72|archive-date=19 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> After much debate, the decision was taken to continue the Games, but the proceedings were understandably dominated by these events.<ref name=Games1972/> Some memorable athletic achievements did occur during these Games, notably the winning of a then-record seven gold medals by United States swimmer [[Mark Spitz]], Finland's [[Lasse Virén]] taking back-to-back gold medals in the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres, and the winning of three gold medals by Soviet gymnastic star [[Olga Korbut]], who achieved a historic backflip off the [[high bar]]. In the [[1972 Olympic men's basketball final|final of the men's basketball]], the [[United States men's national basketball team|United States]] lost to the [[Soviet Union men's national basketball team|Soviet Union]] in what is widely considered as the most controversial game in international basketball history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usabasketball.com/history/moly_1972.html|title= USA Basketball|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070822182059/http://www.usabasketball.com/history/moly_1972.html|archive-date=22 August 2007}}</ref> In a close-fought match, the U.S. team appeared to have won by a score of 50–49. However, the final three seconds of the game were replayed three times by judges until the Soviet team came out on top and claimed a 51–50 victory.<ref>{{cite web|title=120 years, 120 stories (Part 15) : Soviets beat the Americans amidst controversies involving communist judges|date=3 March 2016|url=http://sports-nova.com/2016/03/04/120-years-120-stories-part-15-soviets-beat-americans-amidst-controversies-involving-communist-judges/|access-date=4 March 2016|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225062628/https://www.sports-nova.com/2016/03/04/120-years-120-stories-part-15-soviets-beat-americans-amidst-controversies-involving-communist-judges/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Ultimately the U.S. team refused to accept their silver medals.

There was no such tragedy at the [[1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Montreal Games]], but bad planning and fraud led to the cost of these Games far exceeding the budget. Costing $1.5&nbsp;billion (equivalent to ${{Inflation|CA|1.5|1976|r=2}}&nbsp;billion in {{Inflation-year|CA}}),<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/will-canada-ever-host-another-olympics-if-not-dont-blame-the-1976-montreal-games|title=Will Canada ever host another Olympics? If not, don't blame the 1976 Montreal Games|date=25 February 2019|last=Forrester|first=Nicole W.|newspaper=[[National Post]]|agency=The Canadian Press|access-date=14 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-url= https://archive.today/20240506231806/https://nationalpost.com/news/will-canada-ever-host-another-olympics-if-not-dont-blame-the-1976-montreal-games|archive-date=6 May 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/19/world/canada-montreal-olympic-legacy/index.html|title=Olympics worth the price tag? The Montreal Legacy|date=19 July 2012|last=Newton|first=Paula|website=[[CNN]]|access-date=14 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-date=6 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306090945/https://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/19/world/canada-montreal-olympic-legacy/index.html}}</ref> the 1976 Summer Games were the most expensive in Olympic history (until the [[2014 Winter Olympics]]) and it seemed, for a time, that the Olympics might no longer be a viable financial proposition. In retrospect, it is believed that contractors (suspected of being members of the Montreal Mafia) skimmed large sums of money from all levels of contracts while also profiting from the substitution of cheaper building materials of lesser quality, which may have contributed to the delays, poor construction, and excessive costs. In 1988, one such contractor, Giuseppe Zappia "was cleared of fraud charges that resulted from his work on Olympic facilities after two key witnesses died before testifying at his trial".<ref>{{cite book|last=Schneider|first=Stephen H.|year=2009|title=Iced: The Story of Organized Crime in Canada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZO8jKSn25DAC&pg=PA551|page=551|isbn=978-0-470-83500-5|publisher=John Wiley & Sons Ltd}}</ref> The 1976 Games were boycotted by many African nations as a protest against [[1976 New Zealand rugby union tour of South Africa|a recent tour]] of [[apartheid]]-run South Africa by the [[New Zealand national rugby union team]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://montrealgazette.com/sports/montreal-olympics-photo-flashback-african-boycott-targeted-new-zealand-and-apartheid-south-africa|title=Montreal Olympics photo flashback: Boycott targeted New Zealand, South Africa|date=18 July 2016|last=Riga|first=Andy|newspaper=[[Montreal Gazette]]|access-date=13 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-date=21 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121050323/https://montrealgazette.com/sports/montreal-olympics-photo-flashback-african-boycott-targeted-new-zealand-and-apartheid-south-africa}}</ref> Romanian gymnast [[Nadia Comăneci]] made history when she won the women's individual all-around gold medal with two of four possible perfect scores. She won two other individual events, with two perfect scores in the balance beam and all perfect scores in the uneven bars.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gymnastics/2019/09/25/moment-time-18-july-1976-nadia-comanecis-perfect-10/|title=Moment in Time: 18 July, 1976 - Nadia Comaneci's perfect 10|date=25 September 2019|last=Bowman|first=Verity|website=The Telegraph|access-date=14 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-date=2 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002015903/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gymnastics/2019/09/25/moment-time-18-july-1976-nadia-comanecis-perfect-10/}}</ref> Lasse Virén repeated his double gold in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres, making him the first athlete to ever win the distance double twice.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sundayobserver.lk/2022/05/22/sports/finnish-lasse-viren%E2%80%99s-olympic-gold-double-double-munich-1972-and-montreal-1976|title=Finnish Lasse Viren's Olympic Gold Double-Double at Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976|date=22 May 2022|last=Fernando|first=Shemal|newspaper=[[Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka)|Sunday Observer]]|access-date=14 August 2022|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601191153/https://www.sundayobserver.lk/2022/05/22/sports/finnish-lasse-viren%E2%80%99s-olympic-gold-double-double-munich-1972-and-montreal-1976}}</ref>
<!--Deleted image removed: [[File:1980 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|right|Closing Ceremony of the [[1980 Summer Olympics]], in Moscow, [[Soviet Union]], with bear cub [[Misha]], the mascot of that year's games, flying into the sky.]] -->

===End of the 20th century===
Following the Soviet Union's 1979 invasion of [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan|Afghanistan]], 66 nations, including the United States, Canada, West Germany, and Japan, [[1980 Summer Olympics boycott|boycotted]] the [[1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Games]] held in Moscow. Eighty nations were represented at the Moscow Games – the smallest number since 1956. The boycott contributed to the 1980 Games being a less publicised and less competitive affair, which was dominated by the host country.

According to British journalist [[Andrew Jennings]], a [[KGB]] colonel stated that the agency's officers had posed as anti-doping authorities from the IOC to undermine [[doping test]]s and that Soviet athletes were "rescued with [these] tremendous efforts".<ref name=DG2011>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=E6QIYvAQMDUC|title= Drug Games: The International Olympic Committee and the Politics of Doping|first= Thomas M.|last= Hunt|year= 2011|publisher= University of Texas Press|isbn= 978-0-292-72328-3|page= 66 }}</ref> On the topic of the [[1980 Summer Olympics]], an Australian study in 1989 said "There is hardly a medal winner at the Moscow Games, certainly not a gold medal winner, who is not on one sort of drug or another: usually several kinds. The Moscow Games might as well have been called the Chemists' Games."<ref name= DG2011/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/the-1980-moscow-olympics-rank-as-the-cleanest-in-history-athletes-recall-how-the-u-s-s-r-cheated-the-system-/30741567.html|title=The 1980 Olympics Are The 'Cleanest' In History. Athletes Recall How Moscow Cheated The System.|last1=Aleksandrov|first1=Alexei|last2=Aleksandrov|first2=Grebeniuk|last3=Runets|first3=Volodymyr|publisher=|date=22 July 2020|website=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|access-date=26 December 2021|url-status=live|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225193733/https://www.rferl.org/a/the-1980-moscow-olympics-rank-as-the-cleanest-in-history-athletes-recall-how-the-u-s-s-r-cheated-the-system-/30741567.html}}</ref>

Documents obtained in 2016 revealed the Soviet Union's plans for a statewide doping system in track and field in preparation for the [[1984 Summer Olympics]] in Los Angeles. Dated prior to the country's decision to boycott the Games, the document detailed the existing steroids operations of the programme, along with suggestions for further enhancements.<ref name=NYT160813>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/sports/olympics/soviet-doping-plan-russia-rio-games.html|title=The Soviet Doping Plan: Document Reveals Illicit Approach to '84 Olympics|last=Ruiz|first=Rebecca R.|date= 13 August 2016|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=3 September 2016|url-status=live|archive-date=1 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160901184700/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/sports/olympics/soviet-doping-plan-russia-rio-games.html}}</ref> The communication, directed to the Soviet Union's head of track and field, was prepared by Dr. Sergei Portugalov of the Institute for Physical Culture. Portugalov was also one of the main figures involved in the implementation of the Russian doping programme prior to the 2016 Summer Olympics.<ref name=NYT160813/>

In 1984, the Soviet Union and [[Eastern Bloc|13 Soviet allies]] retaliated by [[1984 Summer Olympics boycott|boycotting]] the [[1984 Summer Olympics]] in Los Angeles. [[Socialist Republic of Romania|Romania]] and [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]], notably are the only two countries from the Eastern Bloc that did attend the 1984 Olympics. These games were perhaps the first games of a new era to make a profit. Although a boycott led by the Soviet Union depleted the field in certain sports, 140 National Olympic Committees took part, which was a record at the time.<ref name=Games1984/> The Games were also the first time mainland China (People's Republic) participated.

The [[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Games]], in Seoul, was very well planned but the games were tainted when many of the athletes, most notably men's 100 metres winner [[Ben Johnson (Canadian sprinter)|Ben Johnson]], failed mandatory drug tests. Despite splendid drug-free performances by many individuals, the number of people who failed screenings for performance-enhancing chemicals overshadowed the games.

The [[1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Barcelona Games]] featured the admittance of players from one of the North American top leagues, the [[NBA]], exemplified by but not limited to U.S. basketball's "[[1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team|Dream Team]]". The 1992 games also saw the reintroduction to the Games of several smaller European states which had been [[Occupation of the Baltic states|annexed into the Soviet Union]] during World War II. At these games, gymnast [[Vitaly Scherbo]] set an inaugural medal record of five individual gold medals at a Summer Olympics, and equaled the inaugural record set by [[Eric Heiden]] at the [[1980 Winter Olympics]].

By then the process of choosing a location for the Games had become a commercial concern; there were widespread allegations of corruption potentially affecting the IOC's decision process.

At the Atlanta [[1996 Summer Olympics]], the highlight was [[200 metres]] runner [[Michael Johnson (sprinter)|Michael Johnson]] annihilating the world record in front of a home crowd. Canadians savoured [[Donovan Bailey]] recording a gold medal run in the 100-metre dash. This was generally felt to be an appropriate recompense for the previous national disgrace involving Ben Johnson. There were also emotional scenes, such as when Muhammad Ali, clearly affected by [[Parkinson's disease]], lit the Olympic torch and received a replacement medal for the one he had discarded in 1960. The latter event took place in the basketball arena. The atmosphere at the Games was marred, however, when a [[Centennial Olympic Park bombing|bomb exploded]] during the celebration in Centennial Olympic Park. In June 2003, the principal suspect in this bombing, [[Eric Robert Rudolph]], was arrested.

[[File:2000 Sydney Women's long jump final.jpg|thumb|The [[2000 Summer Olympics]] in Sydney, Australia, were known as the "Games of the New Millennium".]]

The [[2000 Summer Olympics]], held in Sydney, Australia, showcased individual performances by locals favorites [[Ian Thorpe]] in the pool and [[Cathy Freeman]], an [[Indigenous Australian]] whose triumph in the [[400 metres]] united a packed stadium. Briton [[Steve Redgrave]] who won a rowing gold medal in an unprecedented fifth consecutive Olympics, and [[Eric Moussambani|Eric "the Eel" Moussambani]], a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea, received wide media coverage when he completed the 100-metre freestyle swim in by far the slowest time in Olympic history. He nevertheless won the heat as both his opponents had been disqualified for false starts. His female compatriot [[Paula Barila Bolopa]] also received media attention for her record-slow and struggling but courageous performance. The Sydney Games also saw the first appearance of a joint North and South Korean contingent at the opening ceremonies, though they competed in all events as different teams. Controversy occurred in the Women's Artistic Gymnastics when the vaulting horse was set to the wrong height during the All-Around Competition.

===Start of the 21st century===
In [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004]], the Olympic Games returned to their birthplace in Athens, Greece. At least $7.2&nbsp;billion was spent on the 2004 Games, including $1.5&nbsp;billion on security. [[Michael Phelps]] won his first Olympic medals, tallying six gold and two bronze medals. [[Pyrros Dimas]], winning a bronze medal, became the most decorated weightlifter of all time with four Olympic medals, three gold and one bronze. Although unfounded reports of potential terrorism drove crowds away from the preliminary competitions at the first weekend of the Olympics (14–15&nbsp;August 2004), attendance picked up as the Games progressed. A third of the tickets failed to sell,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2008-07-28-olympics-tickets_N.htm|work=USA Today|title=Tickets to Olympic events in Beijing sold out|date=28 July 2008|access-date=24 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305040248/https://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2008-07-28-olympics-tickets_N.htm|archive-date=5 March 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> but ticket sales still topped figures from the Seoul and Barcelona Olympics ([[1988 Summer Olympics|1988]] and [[1992 Summer Olympics|1992]]). IOC President [[Jacques Rogge]] characterised Greece's organisation as outstanding and its security precautions as flawless.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics_2004/3609818.stm|work=[[BBC Sport]]|title=Rogge hails Athens success|date=29 August 2004|access-date=19 August 2016|url-status=live|archive-date=30 August 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040830022624/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/3609818.stm}}</ref> All 202 NOCs participated at the Athens Games with over 11,000 participants.

The [[2008 Summer Olympics]] was held in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Several new events were held, including the new discipline of [[BMX]] for both men and women. Women competed in the [[Steeplechase (athletics)|steeplechase]] for the first time. The fencing programme was expanded to include all six events for both men and women; previously, women had not been able to compete in team foil or sabre events, although women's team épée and men's team foil were dropped for these Games. Marathon swimming events were added, over the distance of {{convert|10|km|1|abbr=on}}. Also, the doubles events in table tennis were replaced by team events.<ref name=2008program>{{cite news|title=Beijing 2008: Games Program Finalized|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/ioc/news/beijing-2008-games-programme-finalised|date=27 April 2006|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref> American swimmer Michael Phelps set a record for gold medals at a single Games with eight, and tied the record of most gold medals by a single competitor previously held by both Eric Heiden and Vitaly Scherbo. Another notable star of the Games was Jamaican sprinter [[Usain Bolt]], who became the first male athlete ever to set world records in the finals of both the 100 and 200&nbsp;metres in the same Games. Equestrian events were held in Hong Kong.

London held the [[2012 Summer Olympics]], becoming the first city to host the Olympic Games three times. In his closing address, Jacques Rogge described the Games as "Happy and glorious". The host nation won 29 gold medals, the best haul for Great Britain since the [[1908 Summer Olympics|1908 Games]] in London. The United States returned to the top of the medal table after China dominated in 2008. The IOC had removed [[baseball]] and [[softball]] from the 2012 programme. The London Games were successful on a commercial level because they were the first in history to completely sell out every ticket, with as many as one million applications for 40,000 tickets for both the Opening Ceremony and the 100m Men's Sprint Final. Such was the demand for tickets to all levels of each event that there was controversy over seats being set aside for sponsors and National Delegations which went unused in the early days. A system of reallocation was put in place so the empty seats were filled throughout the Games.

===Recent Games===
[[File:Drones durante a abertura das Olimpíadas de Tóquio.jpg|thumb|The [[2020 Summer Olympics]] in Tokyo, Japan, had few attendees as a result of excluding public spectators amid the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].]]

[[Rio de Janeiro]] in Brazil hosted the [[2016 Summer Olympics]], becoming the first South American city to host the Olympics, the second Olympic host city in Latin America, after [[Mexico City]] in [[1968 Summer Olympics|1968]], as well as the third city in the Southern Hemisphere to host the Olympics after Melbourne, Australia, in [[1956 Summer Olympics|1956]] and [[Sydney]], Australia, in [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000]]. The preparation for these Games was overshadowed by [[Concerns and controversies at the 2016 Summer Olympics|controversies]], including political instability and an economic crisis in the host country, health and safety concerns surrounding the [[Zika virus]], and significant pollution in the [[Guanabara Bay]]. However, these concerns were superseded by a [[Doping in Russia|state-sponsored doping scandal]] involving [[Russia at the 2014 Winter Olympics|Russian athletes at the Winter Olympics held two years earlier]], which affected the participation of its athletes in these Games.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympic_games/8282518.stm|title=Rio to stage 2016 Olympic Games|work=BBC Sport|date=2 October 2009|access-date=28 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-date=4 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004101815/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympic_games/8282518.stm}}</ref>

The [[2020 Summer Olympics]] were originally scheduled to take place from 24&nbsp;July to 9&nbsp;August 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. The city was the fifth in history to host the Games twice and the first Asian city to have this title. Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the then-Japanese Prime Minister [[Shinzo Abe]], the IOC and the Tokyo Organising Committee announced that the 2020 Games were to be delayed until 2021, marking the first time that the Olympic Games have been postponed. This was the first time since 1900 that the games were not held in a [[leap year]], and were instead hosted on a [[Common year|non-leap year]]. Unlike previous Olympics, these Games took place [[Behind closed doors (sport)|without spectators]] because of concerns over COVID-19 and a state of emergency imposed in the host city.<ref name=postponement>{{cite web|title=Tokyo 2020: Olympic and Paralympic Games postponed because of coronavirus|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/52020134|work=BBC Sport|date=24 March 2020|access-date=24 March 2020|url-status=live|archive-date=13 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413131543/https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/52020134}}</ref><ref name=postponement2>{{Cite web|last1=McCurry|first1=Justin|last2=Ingle|first2=Sean|title=Tokyo Olympics postponed to 2021 due to coronavirus pandemic|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/mar/24/tokyo-olympics-to-be-postponed-to-2021-due-to-coronavirus-pandemic|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=24 March 2020|access-date=24 March 2020|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|url-status=live|archive-date=29 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329173934/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/mar/24/tokyo-olympics-to-be-postponed-to-2021-due-to-coronavirus-pandemic}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last1=Ingle|first1=Sean|last2=McCurry|first2=Justin|date=8 July 2021|title=Spectators banned from most Olympic events as Covid emergency declared|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/08/tokyo-to-be-put-under-state-of-emergency-for-duration-of-2020-olympic-games|access-date=8 July 2021|work=The Guardian|language=en|url-status=live|archive-date=17 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210717130447/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/08/tokyo-to-be-put-under-state-of-emergency-for-duration-of-2020-olympic-games}}</ref> Nevertheless, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games featured many memorable moments and feats of technical excellence. One star of the Games, U.S. gymnast [[Simone Biles]], gracefully bowed out to focus on her mental health, but later returned to claim an individual bronze medal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2021/08/08/tokyo-olympics-game-changer-athletes-and-mental-health/5523250001/|title=Will Tokyo Olympics be a game-changer in how we view athletes' mental health?|first=Josh|last=Peter|website=[[USA Today]]|date=8 August 2021|url-status=live|archive-date=28 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828111252/https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2021/08/08/tokyo-olympics-game-changer-athletes-and-mental-health/5523250001/}}</ref> Norway's [[Karsten Warholm]] smashed his own world record in the 400m hurdles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/news/norway-s-karsten-warholm-breaks-world-record-to-win-gold-in-men-s-400m-hurdles|title=Norway's Karsten Warholm breaks world record to win gold in men's 400m hurdles|date=27 June 2023|website=Olympics.com|access-date=28 March 2023|url-status=live|archive-date=3 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703092517/https://olympics.com/en/news/norway-s-karsten-warholm-breaks-world-record-to-win-gold-in-men-s-400m-hurdles}}</ref>

The [[2024 Summer Olympics]] were held in Paris, France, making it the second city after London to host the Summer Olympics three times (the other times being [[1900 Summer Olympics|1900]] and [[1924 Summer Olympics|1924]], marking a centenary since the later). This is the first of any Olympic Games after the pandemic to allow spectators to attend. In a first, the opening ceremonies were staged outside the main stadium with the athletes parading down boats along the [[Seine|Seine River]]. Following this, the open water swimming competitions also occurred in the River.<ref>{{Cite web|date=31 January 2024|title=France halves crowd numbers for Olympics opening ceremony on River Seine|url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240131-france-crops-crowd-numbers-for-olympics-opening-ceremony|access-date=1 February 2024|website=France 24|language=en|archive-date=31 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240131130653/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240131-france-crops-crowd-numbers-for-olympics-opening-ceremony|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Future Games===

The [[2028 Summer Olympics]] will be held in Los Angeles, California, United States, making it the third city (after Paris ([[1900 Summer Olympics|1900]],[[1924 Summer Olympics|1924]], [[2024 Summer Olympics|2024]]) and London ([[1908 Summer Olympics|1908]], [[1948 Summer Olympics|1948]], [[2012 Summer Olympics|2012]])) to host the Games three times (the other times being [[1932 Summer Olympics|1932]] and [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984]]), with the U.S. hosting the Summer Olympics for the fifth time.<ref>{{Cite web|date=30 April 2019|title=Los Angeles 2028 releases "privately-funded, balanced budget" for Olympic and Paralympic Games|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1078621/los-angeles-2028-releases-privately-funded-balanced-budget-for-olympic-and-paralympic-games|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211015105932/https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1078621/los-angeles-2028-releases-privately-funded-balanced-budget-for-olympic-and-paralympic-games|archive-date=15 October 2021|access-date=5 January 2021|website=insidethegames.biz}}</ref>

The [[2032 Summer Olympics]] will be held in Brisbane, Australia, which is the third city to host the Games in Australia and the fourth south of the [[equator]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Snape|first=Jack|date=10 September 2021|title=Billion-dollar Brisbane Cricket Ground redevelopment that 'almost lost' 2032 Games bid at heart of new Olympics funding fight|language=en-AU|work=ABC News|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-11/brisbane-olympics-2032-gabba-redevelopment-funding/100453934|access-date=5 August 2023}}</ref>

==Sports==
{{Main|Olympic sports}}
There has been a total of 42 sports, spanning 55 disciplines, included in the Olympic programme at one point or another in the history of the Games. The schedule has comprised 33 sports for the recent Summer Olympics ([[2020 Summer Olympics|2020]]), with 32 sports planned for the next Summer Olympics ([[2024 Summer Olympics|2024]]).

The various Olympic Sports federations are grouped under a common umbrella association, called the [[Association of Summer Olympic International Federations]] (ASOIF).

{{legend inline|white|Current sport}}&nbsp;&nbsp;
{{legend inline|#D3D3D3|No longer included}}
{|cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|-
|valign="top"|
{|class="sortable wikitable"
|-
! Sport||Years
|-
|[[3x3 basketball at the Summer Olympics|3x3 Basketball]]||Since 2020
|-
|[[Archery at the Summer Olympics|Archery]]||1900–1908, 1920, since 1972
|-
|[[Artistic swimming at the Summer Olympics|Artistic swimming]]||Since 1984
|-
|[[Athletics at the Summer Olympics|Athletics]]||All
|-
|[[Badminton at the Summer Olympics|Badminton]]||Since 1992
|-
|[[Baseball at the Summer Olympics|Baseball]]||1992–2008, 2020, 2028
|-
|[[Basketball at the Summer Olympics|Basketball]]||Since 1936
|-
|style="background: #D3D3D3;"|[[Basque pelota at the 1900 Summer Olympics|Basque pelota]]||style="background: #D3D3D3;"|1900
|-
|style="background: #D3D3D3;"|[[Breaking at the 2024 Summer Olympics|Breaking]]||style="background: #D3D3D3;"|2024
|-
|[[Boxing at the Summer Olympics|Boxing]]||1904, 1908, since 1920
|-
|[[Canoeing at the Summer Olympics|Canoeing]]||Since 1936
|-
|[[Cricket at the Summer Olympics|Cricket]]||1900, 2028
|-
|style="background: #D3D3D3;"|[[Croquet at the 1900 Summer Olympics|Croquet]]||style="background: #D3D3D3;"|1900
|-
|[[Cycling at the Summer Olympics|Cycling]]||All
|-
|[[Diving at the Summer Olympics|Diving]]||Since 1904
|-
|[[Equestrian at the Summer Olympics|Equestrian]]||1900, since 1912
|-
|[[Fencing at the Summer Olympics|Fencing]]||All
|-
|[[Field hockey at the Summer Olympics|Field hockey]]||1908, 1920, since 1928
|-
|[[Flag football at the Summer Olympics|Flag football]]||2028
|-
|[[Football at the Summer Olympics|Football]]||1900–1928, since 1936
|-
|[[Golf at the Summer Olympics|Golf]]||1900, 1904, since 2016
|-
|[[Gymnastics at the Summer Olympics|Gymnastics]]||All
|-
|[[Handball at the Summer Olympics|Handball]]||1936, since 1972
|-
|style="background: #D3D3D3;"|[[Jeu de paume at the 1908 Summer Olympics|Jeu de paume]]||style="background: #D3D3D3;"|1908
|-
|[[Judo at the Summer Olympics|Judo]]||1964, since 1972
|-
|style="background: #D3D3D3;"|[[Karate at the Summer Olympics|Karate]]||style="background: #D3D3D3;"|2020
|-
|[[Lacrosse at the Summer Olympics|Lacrosse]]||1904, 1908, 2028
|-
|[[Modern pentathlon at the Summer Olympics|Modern pentathlon]]||Since 1912
|-
|style="background: #D3D3D3;"|[[Polo at the Summer Olympics|Polo]]||style="background: #D3D3D3;"|1900, 1908, 1920, 1924, 1936
|-
|style="background: #D3D3D3;"|[[Rackets at the 1908 Summer Olympics|Rackets]]||style="background: #D3D3D3;"|1908
|-
|style="background: #D3D3D3;"|[[Roque at the 1904 Summer Olympics|Roque]]||style="background: #D3D3D3;"|1904
|-
|[[Rowing at the Summer Olympics|Rowing]]||Since 1900
|-
|style="background: #D3D3D3;"|[[Rugby union at the Summer Olympics|Rugby union]]||style="background: #D3D3D3;"|1900, 1908, 1920, 1924
|-
|[[Rugby sevens at the Summer Olympics|Rugby sevens]]||Since 2016
|-
|[[Sailing at the Summer Olympics|Sailing]]||1900, since 1908
|-
|[[Shooting at the Summer Olympics|Shooting]]||1896, 1900, 1908–1924, since 1932
|-
|[[Skateboarding at the Summer Olympics|Skateboarding]]||Since 2020 
|-
|[[Softball at the Summer Olympics|Softball]]||1996–2008, 2020, 2028
|-
|[[Sport climbing at the Summer Olympics|Sport climbing]]||Since 2020
|-
|[[Squash at the Summer Olympics|Squash]]||2028
|-
|[[Surfing at the Summer Olympics|Surfing]]||Since 2020
|-
|[[Swimming at the Summer Olympics|Swimming]]||All
|-
|[[Table tennis at the Summer Olympics|Table tennis]]||Since 1988
|-
|[[Taekwondo at the Summer Olympics|Taekwondo]]||Since 2000
|-
|[[Tennis at the Summer Olympics|Tennis]]||1896–1924, since 1988
|-
|[[Triathlon at the Summer Olympics|Triathlon]]||Since 2000
|-
|style="background: #D3D3D3;"|[[Tug of war at the Summer Olympics|Tug of war]]||style="background: #D3D3D3;"|1900–1920
|-
|[[Volleyball at the Summer Olympics|Volleyball]]||Since 1964
|-
|style="background: #D3D3D3;"|[[Water motorsports at the 1908 Summer Olympics|Water motorsports]]||style="background: #D3D3D3;"|1908
|-
|[[Water polo at the Summer Olympics|Water polo]]||Since 1900
|-
|[[Weightlifting at the Summer Olympics|Weightlifting]]||1896, 1904, since 1920
|-
|[[Wrestling at the Summer Olympics|Wrestling]]||1896, since 1904
|}
|}

===Qualification===
Qualification rules for each of the Olympic sports are set by the [[Sports governing body|International Sports Federation]] (IF) that governs that sport's international competition.<ref>{{cite web|title=International Sports Federations|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/ioc/international-federations|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>

For individual sports, competitors typically qualify by attaining a certain place in a major international event or on the IF's ranking list. There is a general rule that a maximum of three individual athletes may represent each nation per competition. National Olympic Committees (NOCs) may enter a limited number of qualified competitors in each event, and the NOC decides which qualified competitors to select as representatives in each event if more have attained the benchmark than can be entered.<ref>{{cite web|title=National Olympic Committees|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/ioc/national-olympic-committees|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>

Nations most often qualify teams for team sports through continental qualifying tournaments, in which each continental association is given a certain number of spots in the Olympic tournament. Each nation may be represented by no more than one team per competition; a team consists of just two people in some sports.

Some [[National Olympic Committee]]s, whose nations are underrepresented after qualifications, may be granted wild card quotas, which are termed ''Universality Places'', in some eligible sports.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/news/what-are-universality-places-and-who-can-obtain-one|title=What are Universality Places and who can obtain one?|date=10 May 2024|first=Matthew|last=Nelson|website=Olympics.com|access-date=3 August 2024}}</ref>

===Popularity of Olympic sports===
The IOC divides Summer Olympic sports into five categories (A – E) based on popularity, gauged by six criteria: television viewing figures (40%), internet popularity (20%), public surveys (15%), ticket requests (10%), press coverage (10%), and number of national federations (5%). The category of a sport determines the share of Olympic revenue received by that sport's International Federation.<ref>{{cite news|title=Athletics to share limelight as one of top Olympic sports|url=http://www.qt.com.au/news/atheltics-share-limelight-one-top-olympic-sports/1889097/|newspaper=The Queensland Times|date=31 May 2013|access-date=18 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Winners Include Gymnastics, Swimming – and Wrestling – as IOC Announces New Funding Distribution Groupings|work=[[Association of Summer Olympic International Federations|ASOIF]]|url=http://asoif.com/News/News_Article.aspx?ID=3392|date=29 May 2013|access-date=18 July 2013|last=Murray|first=Callum|location=St Petersburg|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714225220/http://asoif.com/News/News_Article.aspx?ID=3392|archive-date=14 July 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Sports that were new to the 2016 Olympics (rugby and golf) have been placed in Category E.

The current categories are:
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Cat. !! No. !! Sport
|-
|align=center|A||align=center|3||athletics, aquatics,{{ref label|a|a}} gymnastics
|-
|align=center|B||align=center|5||basketball, cycling, football, tennis, volleyball
|-
|align=center|C||align=center|8||archery, badminton, boxing, judo, rowing, shooting, table tennis, weightlifting
|-
|align=center|D||align=center|9||canoe/kayaking, equestrian, fencing, handball, field hockey, sailing, taekwondo, triathlon, wrestling
|-
|align=center|E||align=center|3||modern pentathlon, golf, rugby
|-
|align=center|F||align=center|6||baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing
|-
|}

<span style="font-size:95%">{{note label|a|a}}Aquatics encompasses artistic swimming, diving, swimming, and water polo.</span>

==All-time medal table==
{{main|All-time Olympic Games medal table}}
The table below uses official data provided by the [[International Olympic Committee|IOC]].

{{legend|BurlyWood|'''Defunct nation'''}}''<small>status after the 2024 Summer Olympics</small>''
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="width:75%; font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
|-
!No. !!Nation !! style="background-color:gold;"|Gold !! style="background-color:silver;"|Silver !! style="background-color:#c96;"|Bronze !!Total !!Games 
|-
!1
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|USA}}||1105||879||780||2764||29
|-
!2
|style="background:BurlyWood; text-align:left;"|{{flagIOC|URS}}||395||319||296||1010||9
|-
!3
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|CHN}}||303||226||198||727||12
|-
!4
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|GBR}}||298||340||343||981||30
|-
!5
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|FRA}}||239||277||299||815||29
|-
!6
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|ITA}}||229||201||228||658||29
|-
!7
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|GER}}||213||220||255||688||18
|-
!8
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|JPN}}||189||162||191||542||24
|-
!9
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|HUN}}||187||161||182||530||28
|-
!10
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|AUS}}||182||192||226||600||28
|-
!11
|style="background:BurlyWood; text-align:left;"|{{flagIOC|GDR}}||153||129||127||409||5
|-
!12
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|SWE}}||151||181||182||514||28
|-
!13
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|RUS}}||147||126||150||423||6
|-
!14
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|NED}}||110||112||134||356||28
|-
!15
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|KOR}}||109||100||111||320||19
|-
!16
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|FIN}}||101||85||119||305||27
|-
!17
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|ROU}}||93||101||123||317||23
|-
!18
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|CUB}}||86||70||88||244||22
|- 21 68 84 132 284
!19
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|CAN}}||80||117||156||353||28
|-
!20
|align="left"|{{flagIOC|POL}}||73||93||142||308||23
|-
|}

===Medal leaders by year===
{|class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
|style="background:gold;text-align:center;"|[[File:Olympic rings.svg|30px]] '''Summer Olympics [[All-time Olympic Games medal table|medal table]] [[List of Olympic teams by medals won#Summer Olympics|leaders by year]]'''
|-
|
{{div col|small=yes|colwidth=20em}} 
{{plainlist}}
* [[1896 Summer Olympics medal table|1896]]: {{flag IOC|USA|1896 Summer}}
* [[1900 Summer Olympics medal table|1900]]: {{flag IOC|FRA|1900 Summer}}
* [[1904 Summer Olympics medal table|1904]]: {{flag IOC|USA|1904 Summer}}
* [[1908 Summer Olympics medal table|1908]]: {{flag IOC|GBR|1908 Summer}}
* [[1912 Summer Olympics medal table|1912]]: {{flag IOC|USA|1912 Summer}}
* [[1920 Summer Olympics medal table|1920]]: {{flag IOC|USA|1920 Summer}}
* [[1924 Summer Olympics medal table|1924]]: {{flag IOC|USA|1924 Summer}}
* [[1928 Summer Olympics medal table|1928]]: {{flag IOC|USA|1928 Summer}}
* [[1932 Summer Olympics medal table|1932]]: {{flag IOC|USA|1932 Summer}}
* [[1936 Summer Olympics medal table|1936]]: {{flag IOC|GER|1936 Summer}}
* [[1948 Summer Olympics medal table|1948]]: {{flag IOC|USA|1948 Summer}}
* [[1952 Summer Olympics medal table|1952]]: {{flag IOC|USA|1952 Summer}}
* [[1956 Summer Olympics medal table|1956]]: {{flag IOC|URS|1956 Summer}}
* [[1960 Summer Olympics medal table|1960]]: {{flag IOC|URS|1960 Summer}}
* [[1964 Summer Olympics medal table|1964]]: {{flag IOC|USA|1964 Summer}}
* [[1968 Summer Olympics medal table|1968]]: {{flag IOC|USA|1968 Summer}}
* [[1972 Summer Olympics medal table|1972]]: {{flag IOC|URS|1972 Summer}}
* [[1976 Summer Olympics medal table|1976]]: {{flag IOC|URS|1976 Summer}}
* [[1980 Summer Olympics medal table|1980]]: {{flag IOC|URS|1980 Summer}}
* [[1984 Summer Olympics medal table|1984]]: {{flag IOC|USA|1984 Summer}}
* [[1988 Summer Olympics medal table|1988]]: {{flag IOC|URS|1988 Summer}}
* [[1992 Summer Olympics medal table|1992]]: {{flag IOC|EUN|1992 Summer}}
* [[1996 Summer Olympics medal table|1996]]: {{flag IOC|USA|1996 Summer}}
* [[2000 Summer Olympics medal table|2000]]: {{flag IOC|USA|2000 Summer}}
* [[2004 Summer Olympics medal table|2004]]: {{flag IOC|USA|2004 Summer}}
* [[2008 Summer Olympics medal table|2008]]: {{flag IOC|CHN|2008 Summer}}
* [[2012 Summer Olympics medal table|2012]]: {{flag IOC|USA|2012 Summer}}
* [[2016 Summer Olympics medal table|2016]]: {{flag IOC|USA|2016 Summer}}
* [[2020 Summer Olympics medal table|2020]]: {{flag IOC|USA|2020 Summer}}
* [[2024 Summer Olympics medal table|2024]]: {{flag IOC|USA|2024 Summer}}
{{div col end}}
{{endplainlist}}
|}

'''Number of occurrences'''
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%;"
|-
!Rank
!Country
!Number of games
|-
|1||style="text-align:left;|{{flagIOC|USA}}||19 times
|-
|2||style="text-align:left;|{{flagIOC|URS}}||6 times
|-
|rowspan=5|3||style="text-align:left;|{{flagIOC|CHN}}||rowspan=5| 1 time
|-
|style="text-align:left;|{{flagIOC|FRA}} 
|-
|style="text-align:left;|{{flagIOC|GBR}}
|-
|style="text-align:left;|{{flagIOC|GER}}
|-
|style="text-align:left;|{{flagIOC|EUN}}
|-
|}

==List of Summer Olympic Games==
The IOC has never decided which events of the early Games were "Olympic" and which were not.<ref name=KLWT>{{cite book|first1=Karl|last1=Lennartz|first2=Walter|last2=Teutenberg|title=Olympische Spiele 1900 in Paris|publisher=Agon-Sportverlag|location=Kassel, Germany|page=147|year=1995|isbn=3-928562-20-7|quote=In many works, it is read that the IOC later met to decide which events were Olympic and which were not. This is not correct and no decision has ever been made. No discussion of this item can be found in the account of any Session.}}</ref> The founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin, ceded that determination to the organisers of those Games. 
{|class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 100%; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; text-align:center;"
! rowspan="2"|<!--Please DO NOT change this to year. The year is part of the Date column, and is the same as this column only for the most part. This column says 2020 is the Olympiad and the Date column says they were held in July-August 2021.-->Olympiad
! rowspan="2"|{{abbr|No.|Number of Olympiad}}
! rowspan="2"|Host
! rowspan="2"|Games dates /<br/>Opened by
! rowspan="2"|Sports<br/>(Disciplines)
! colspan="3"|Competitors
! rowspan="2"|Events
! rowspan="2"|Nations
! rowspan="2"|Top nation
|-
! Total
! Men
! Women
|-
|1896<ref name=Games1896/>
|{{sort|01|[[1896 Summer Olympics|I]]}}
|align=left data-sort-value="Greece (Athens)"|{{flagicon|Kingdom of Greece|state}} [[Athens]]
|6–15 April 1896<br/>[[List of kings of Greece|King]] [[George I of Greece]]
|9 (10)||241||241||0||43||14{{efn|name=Mixed Team|The IOC site for the [https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/athens-1896 1896], [https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/paris-1900 1900] and [https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/st-louis-1904 1904] Summer Olympic Games does not include [[Mixed team at the Olympics|Mixed teams]] (teams of athletes from different nations) as a separate "nation" when counting participating nations. At the same time, the IOC shows Mixed teams in the results of competitions where these teams competed. Thus, specified number of national teams plus Mixed teams participated in the Games.}}
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1896 Summer}}
|-
|1900<ref name=Games1900/>
|{{sort|02|[[1900 Summer Olympics|II]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|French Third Republic}} [[Paris]]
|14 May – 28 October 1900<br/>[[Pierre de Coubertin|Baron Pierre de Coubertin]]
|19 (21)||1,226||1,202||24{{efn|At an earlier time the IOC database for the 1900 Summer Olympics listed 85 medal events, 24 participating countries and 997 athletes (22 women, 975 men).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.olympic.org/content/results-and-medalists/eventresultpagegeneral/?athletename=&country=&sport2=&games2=1900%2f1&event2=&mengender=true&womengender=true&mixedgender=true&goldmedal=true&silvermedal=true&bronzemedal=true&worldrecord=true&olympicrecord=false&teamclassification=true&individualclassification=true&winter=true&summer=true|title=Olympic Games Medals, Results, Sports, Athletes {{!}} Médailles, Résultats, Sports et Athlètes des Jeux Olympiques|access-date=18 February 2014|archive-date=24 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140224150828/http://www.olympic.org/content/results-and-medalists/eventresultpagegeneral/?athletename=&country=&sport2=&games2=1900%2f1&event2=&mengender=true&womengender=true&mixedgender=true&goldmedal=true&silvermedal=true&bronzemedal=true&worldrecord=true&olympicrecord=false&teamclassification=true&individualclassification=true&winter=true&summer=true|url-status=dead }}</ref> The Olympic historian and author, [[Bill Mallon]],<ref name="Mallon">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=inAwCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA25|author = Mallon, Bill|year = 1998|title = The 1900 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary|publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc.|location = Jefferson, North Carolina|pages=25–28|isbn = 978-0-7864-4064-1}}</ref> whose studies have shed light on the topic, suggested the number 95 events satisfying all four retrospective selection criteria (restricted to amateurs, international participation, open to all competitors and without handicapping) and now should be considered as Olympic events. In July 2021, the IOC upgraded its complete online database of all Olympic results explicitly to incorporate the data of the Olympic historians website, ''Olympedia.org'', thus accepting Mallon's recommendation (based on four applied criteria) for events of the 1900 Olympic Games. The eleven events, the results of which had nevertheless been shown within the earlier IOC database, have been added over the former total of 85. Оne shooting event (20 metre military pistol, which was an event for professionals) have been removed. Acceptance of Mallon's recommendation increased the number of events to 95, and also entailed increasing the number of participating countries up to 26 and athletes up to 1226. After upgrading of the IOC online database the IOC web site results section contains 95 events.<ref name=IOC1900Results /> The IOC webpage for the 1900 Summer Olympics shows a total of 95 medal events, 26 participating countries and 1226 athletes.<ref name=Games1900 /> Furthermore, the IOC factsheet "The Games of the Olympiad" of November 2021 refers to 95 events, but still refers to old numbers of participating countries (24) and athletes (997).<ref name=FactsheetGames/>}}||95||26{{efn|name=Mixed Team}}{{efn|According to the International Olympic Committee, 26 nations sent competitors to this edition.<ref name=Games1900 /> The concept of "national teams" chosen by [[National Olympic Committee]]s did not exist at this point in time. When counting the number of participating countries in the early Olympic Games, the IOC does not take into account otherwise unrepresented countries whose citizens competed for other countries. Modern research shows<ref name="Mallon"/> that at the 1900 Olympics, the athletes of at least four otherwise unrepresented countries ([[Canada at the 1900 Summer Olympics|Canada]], [[Luxembourg at the 1900 Summer Olympics|Luxembourg]], [[Colombia at the 1900 Summer Olympics|Colombia]], New Zealand) competed for other countries in both individual and team sports. The IOC website lists all of them in the results section under their nationalities,<ref name=IOC1900Results>{{cite web|title=Paris 1900 Results|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/paris-1900/results|publisher=International Olympic Committee|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref> but does not include their countries among the 26 participating countries.<ref name=Games1900 />}}
|align=left|{{flagIOC|FRA|1900 Summer}}
|-
|1904<ref name=Games1904/>
|{{sort|03|[[1904 Summer Olympics|III]]}}
|align=left data-sort-value="USA (St. Louis)"|{{flagicon|United States|1896}} [[St. Louis]]
|1 July – 23 November 1904<br/>[[List of governors of Missouri|Governor]] [[David R. Francis]]
|16 (18)||651||645||6||95{{efn|The IOC webpage for the 1904 Summer Olympics<ref name=Games1904/> sets the number at 95 events, while at one time the IOC webpage<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympic.org/st-louis-1904|archive-date=2 June 2016|title=St. Louis 1904 (archived)|publisher=Olympic.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602114217/https://www.olympic.org/st-louis-1904|access-date=11 December 2020}}</ref> listed 91. The figure of 91 is sourced to a work by Olympic historian and author, [[Bill Mallon]],<ref>{{cite book|url = https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll16/id/1/|author = Mallon, Bill|year = 1999|title = The 1904 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary|page=16|publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc.|location = Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn = 9781476621609}}</ref> whose studies have shed light on the topic. Events satisfying all four of these retrospective selection criteria of the early 20th century — restricted to amateurs, allowing international participation, open to all competitors and without handicapping — are now regarded as Olympic events.}}||12{{efn|name=Mixed Team}}
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1904 Summer}}
|-
|1908<ref name=Games1908/>
|{{sort|04|[[1908 Summer Olympics|IV]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}} [[London]]
|27 April – 31 October 1908<br/>[[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|King]] [[Edward VII]]
|22 (25)||2,008||1,971||37||110||22
|align=left|{{flagIOC|GBR|1908 Summer}}
|-
|1912<ref name=Games1912/>
|{{sort|05|[[1912 Summer Olympics|V]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Stockholm]]
|6–22 July 1912<br/>[[Monarchy of Sweden|King]] [[Gustaf V]]
|14 (18)||2,407||2,359||48||102||28
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1912 Summer}}
|-
! 1916
! {{sort|06|[[1916 Summer Olympics|VI]]}}{{efn|name=Cancelled Games|Although the Games of 1916, 1940, and 1944 were cancelled, the Roman numerals for those Games were still applied because the official titles of the Summer Games count the [[Olympiad]]s, not the Games themselves, per the Olympic Charter.<ref>{{cite book|title=Now You Know Big Book of Sports|first=Doug|last=Lennox|author-link=Doug Lennox|year=2009|page=[https://archive.org/details/nowyouknowbigboo0000lenn_j6r9/page/223 223]|publisher=[[Dundurn Press]]|isbn=978-1-55488-454-4|url=https://archive.org/details/nowyouknowbigboo0000lenn_j6r9|url-access=registration }}</ref> This contrasts with the Winter Olympics, which ignore the cancelled Winter Games of 1940 and 1944 in their numeric count.}}
! colspan="10" data-sort-value="Germany (Berlin)"|''Awarded to Germany ([[Berlin]]). Cancelled due to [[World War I]]''
|-
|1920<ref name=Games1920/>
|{{sort|07|[[1920 Summer Olympics|VII]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|Belgium}} [[Antwerp]]
|14 August – 12 September 1920<br/>[[Monarchy of Belgium|King]] [[Albert I of Belgium]]
|22 (29)||2,626||2,561||65||156{{efn|The IOC webpage for the 1920 Summer Olympics<ref name=Games1920/> gives the figure of 156 events, while at one time the IOC webpage<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olympic.org/antwerp-1920|title=Antwerp 1920 (archived)|publisher=Olympic.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602125827/http://www.olympic.org/antwerp-1920|access-date=11 December 2020|archive-date=2 June 2016 }}</ref> listed 154 (difference was two sailing events in [[Amsterdam]]).}}||39
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1920 Summer}}
|-
|1924<ref name=Games1924/>
|{{sort|08|[[1924 Summer Olympics|VIII]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|French Third Republic}} [[Paris]]
|5–27 July 1924<br/>[[President of France|President]] [[Gaston Doumergue]]
|17 (23)||3,089||2,954||135||126||44
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1924 Summer}}
|-
|1928<ref name=Games1928/>
|{{sort|09|[[1928 Summer Olympics|IX]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Amsterdam]]
|28 July – 12 August 1928<br/>[[Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
|rowspan="2"|14 (20)||2,883||2,606||277||109||46
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1928 Summer}}
|-
|1932<ref name=Games1932/>
|{{sort|10|[[1932 Summer Olympics|X]]}}
|align=left data-sort-value="USA (Los Angeles)"|{{flagicon|United States|1912}} [[Los Angeles]]
|30 July – 14 August 1932<br/>[[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Charles Curtis]]
|1,332||1,206||126||117||37
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1932 Summer}}
|-
|1936<ref name=Games1936/>
|{{sort|11|[[1936 Summer Olympics|XI]]}}
|align=left data-sort-value="Germany (Berlin)"|{{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Berlin]]
|1–16 August 1936<br/>[[Chancellor of Germany|Chancellor]] [[Adolf Hitler]]
|19 (25)||3,963||3,632||331||129||49
|align=left|{{flagIOC|GER|1936 Summer}}
|-
! 1940
! {{sort|12|[[1940 Summer Olympics|XII]]}}{{efn|name=Cancelled Games}}
! colspan="10" data-sort-value="Japan (Tokyo)"|''Originally awarded to Japan ([[Tokyo]]), then awarded to Finland ([[Helsinki]]). Cancelled due to [[World War II]]''
|-
! 1944
! {{sort|13|[[1944 Summer Olympics|XIII]]}}{{efn|name=Cancelled Games}}
! colspan="10" data-sort-value="United Kingdom (London)"|''Awarded to United Kingdom ([[London]]). Cancelled due to World War II''
|-
|1948<ref name=Games1948/>
|{{sort|14|[[1948 Summer Olympics|XIV]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[London]]
|29 July – 14 August 1948<br/>[[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|King]] [[George VI]]
|rowspan="4"|17 (23)||4,104||3,714||390||136||59
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1948 Summer}}
|-
|1952<ref name=Games1952/>
|{{sort|15|[[1952 Summer Olympics|XV]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|Finland}} [[Helsinki]]
|19 July – 3 August 1952<br/>[[President of Finland|President]] [[Juho Kusti Paasikivi]]
|4,955||4,436||519||149||69
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1952 Summer}}
|-
|1956<ref name=Games1956/>
|{{sort|16|[[1956 Summer Olympics|XVI]]}}
|align=left data-sort-value="Australia (Melbourne)"|{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Melbourne]]
|22 November – 8 December 1956<br/>[[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]]
|3,314||2,938||376||151{{efn|The IOC webpage for the 1956 Summer Olympics<ref name=Games1956/> gives a total of 151 events (145 events in Melbourne and six [[Equestrian at the 1956 Summer Olympics|equestrian events]] in [[Stockholm]]).}}||72{{efn|Owing to Australian quarantine laws, six equestrian events were held in Stockholm for the 1956 Summer Olympics several months before the other events in Melbourne; five of the 72 nations that competed in the equestrian events in Stockholm did not attend the main Games in Melbourne.}}
|align=left|{{flagIOC|URS|1956 Summer}}
|-
|1960<ref name=Games1960/>
|{{sort|17|[[1960 Summer Olympics|XVII]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|Italy}} [[Rome]]
|25 August – 11 September 1960<br/>[[President of Italy|President]] [[Giovanni Gronchi]]
|5,338||4,727||611||150||83
|align=left|{{flagIOC|URS|1960 Summer}}
|-
|1964<ref name=Games1964/>
|{{sort|18|[[1964 Summer Olympics|XVIII]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|Japan|1870}} [[Tokyo]]
|10–24 October 1964<br/>[[Emperor of Japan|Emperor]] [[Hirohito]]
|19 (25)||5,151||4,473||678||163||93
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1964 Summer}}
|-
|1968<ref name=Games1968/>
|{{sort|19|[[1968 Summer Olympics|XIX]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Mexico City]]
|12–27 October 1968<br/>[[President of Mexico|President]] [[Gustavo Díaz Ordaz]]
|18 (24)||5,516||4,735||781||172||112
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1968 Summer}}
|-
|1972<ref name=Games1972/>
|{{sort|20|[[1972 Summer Olympics|XX]]}}
|align=left data-sort-value="Germany (Munich)"|{{flagicon|West Germany}} [[Munich]]
|26 August – 11 September 1972{{efn|The 1972 Summer Olympics was originally scheduled to end on 10&nbsp;September 1972, but was postponed by one day, to 11&nbsp;September, after events had been suspended for 34&nbsp;hours because of the [[Munich massacre]], which happened after day&nbsp;9.}}<br/>[[President of Germany|President]] [[Gustav Heinemann]]
|21 (28)||7,134||6,075||1,059||195||121
|align=left|{{flagIOC|URS|1972 Summer}}
|-
|1976<ref name=Games1976/>
|{{sort|21|[[1976 Summer Olympics|XXI]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Montreal]]
|17 July – 1 August 1976<br/>[[Monarchy of Canada|Queen]] [[Elizabeth II]]
|rowspan="2"|21 (27)||6,084||4,824||1,260||198||92
|align=left|{{flagIOC|URS|1976 Summer}}
|-
|1980<ref name=Games1980/>
|{{sort|22|[[1980 Summer Olympics|XXII]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|Soviet Union}} [[Moscow]]
|19 July – 3 August 1980<br/>[[List of heads of state of the Soviet Union|Chairman of the Presidium]] [[Leonid Brezhnev]]{{efn|IOC records state Brezhnev opened the Moscow Games as "President", a title used at that time by the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, or ''de jure'' head of state. (The office of [[President of the Soviet Union]] was not created until 1990, a year before the nation [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|broke up]].)<ref name=FactsheetSOG>{{cite web|url=https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Olympic-Games/Factsheets/The-opening-ceremony-of-the-Games-of-the-Olympiad.pdf|title=Factsheet – Opening Ceremony of the Games of the Olympiad|pages=4–5|date=6 October 2021|access-date=31 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723212924/https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Olympic-Games/Factsheets/The-opening-ceremony-of-the-Games-of-the-Olympiad.pdf|archive-date=23 July 2021|url-status=live }}</ref>}}
|5,179||4,064||1,115||203||80
|align=left|{{flagIOC|URS|1980 Summer}}
|-
|1984<ref name=Games1984/>
|{{sort|23|[[1984 Summer Olympics|XXIII]]}}
|align=left data-sort-value="USA (Los Angeles)"|{{flagicon|United States}} [[Los Angeles]]
|28 July – 12 August 1984<br/>[[President of the United States|President]] [[Ronald Reagan]]
|21 (29)||6,829||5,263||1,566||221||140
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1984 Summer}}
|-
|1988<ref name=Games1988/>
|{{sort|24|[[1988 Summer Olympics|XXIV]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|South Korea|1984}} [[Seoul]]
|17 September – 2 October 1988<br/>[[President of South Korea|President]] [[Roh Tae-woo]]
|23 (31)||8,391||6,197||2,194||237||159
|align=left|{{flagIOC|URS|1988 Summer}}
|-
|1992<ref name=Games1992/>
|{{sort|25|[[1992 Summer Olympics|XXV]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|Spain}} [[Barcelona]]
|25 July – 9 August 1992<br/>[[Monarchy of Spain|King]] [[Juan Carlos I]]
|25 (34)||9,356||6,652||2,704||257||169
|align=left|{{flagIOC|EUN|1992 Summer}}
|-
|1996<ref name=Games1996/>
|{{sort|26|[[1996 Summer Olympics|XXVI]]}}
|align=left data-sort-value="USA (Atlanta)"|{{flagicon|United States}} [[Atlanta]]
|19 July - 4 August 1996<br/>[[President of the United States|President]] [[Bill Clinton]]
|26 (37)||10,318||'''6,806'''||3,512||271||197
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1996 Summer}}
|-
|2000<ref name=Games2000/>
|{{sort|27|[[2000 Summer Olympics|XXVII]]}}
|align=left data-sort-value="Australia (Sydney)"|{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Sydney]]
|15 September – 1 October 2000<br/>[[Governor-General of Australia|Governor-General Sir]] [[William Deane]]
|rowspan="2"|28 (40)||10,651||6,582||4,069||300||199
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|2000 Summer}}
|-
|2004<ref name=Games2004/>
|{{sort|28|[[2004 Summer Olympics|XXVIII]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|Greece}} [[Athens]]
|13–29 August 2004<br/>[[President of Greece|President]] [[Konstantinos Stephanopoulos]]
|10,625||6,296||4,329||301||201 
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|2004 Summer}}
|-
|2008<ref name=Games2008/>
|{{sort|29|[[2008 Summer Olympics|XXIX]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|China}} [[Beijing]]
|8–24 August 2008<br/>[[President of China|President]] [[Hu Jintao]]
|28 (41)||10,942||6,305||4,637||302||204
|align=left|{{flagIOC|CHN|2008 Summer}}
|-
|2012<ref name=Games2012/>
|{{sort|30|[[2012 Summer Olympics|XXX]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[London]]
|27 July – 12 August 2012<br/>[[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|Queen]] [[Elizabeth II]]
|26 (39)||10,768||5,992||4,776||302||204
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|2012 Summer}}
|-
|2016<ref name=Games2016/>
|{{sort|31|[[2016 Summer Olympics|XXXI]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Rio de Janeiro]]
|5–21 August 2016<br/>[[President of Brazil|Acting President]] [[Michel Temer]]
|28 (42)||11,238||6,179||5,059||306||'''207'''
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|2016 Summer}}
|-
|2020<ref name=Games2020/><!--Please DO NOT change this to 2021; note the word "Olympiad", not "Year", is the column heading.-->
|{{sort|32|[[2020 Summer Olympics|XXXII]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|Japan}} [[Tokyo]]
|23 July – 8 August 2021{{efn|Originally scheduled for 24 July – 9&nbsp;August 2020, the Games were postponed by one year due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. However, the event was still referred to as the 2020 Summer Olympics (marking the 32nd [[Olympiad]]) to preserve the four-year Olympiad cycle.<ref name=postponement/>}}<br/>[[Emperor of Japan|Emperor]] [[Naruhito]]
|33 (50)||'''11,476'''||5,982||'''5,494'''||339||206
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|2020 Summer}}
|-
|2024<ref name=Games2024/>
|{{sort|33|[[2024 Summer Olympics|XXXIII]]}}
|align=left|{{flagicon|France}} [[Paris]]
|26 July – 11 August 2024<br/>[[President of France|President]] [[Emmanuel Macron]] 
|32 (48)||10,714{{efn|Number of athletes are an equal number of gender participants.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/ioc/news/gender-equality-and-youth-at-the-heart-of-the-paris-2024-olympic-sports-programme|title=Gender equality and youth at the heart of the Paris 2024 Olympic Sports Programme|date=7 December 2020|website=olympics.com|publisher=[[International Olympic Committee]]|access-date=2 August 2020|quote=The 10,500-athlete quota set for Paris 2024, including new sports, will lead to an overall reduction in the number of athletes}}</ref>}}||5,357||5,357||329||206
|align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|2024 Summer}} 
|-
|-
|''2028''<ref name=Games2028/>
|{{sort|34|''[[2028 Summer Olympics|XXXIV]]''}}
|align=left data-sort-value="USA (Los Angeles)"|{{flagicon|USA}} ''[[Los Angeles]]''
|''14–30 July 2028''<br/>TBA
|'''36 (51)'''||''11,198''{{efn|name=LA28quota|The LA28 programme maintains the core athlete quota of 10,500, with an extra 698 quota places allocated for the five optional sports proposed by the LA28 Organizing Committee, for 5,167 male athletes and 5,333 female. This will be the first Olympics to feature more female than male athletes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympics.com/ioc/news/la28-event-programme-marks-strong-commitment-towards-innovation-and-gender-equality|title=LA28 event programme marks strong commitment towards innovation and gender equality|date=9 April 2025|website=olympics.com|publisher=[[International Olympic Committee]]}}</ref>}}||''5,167''{{efn|name=LA28quota}}||''5,333''{{efn|name=LA28quota}}||'''353'''||{{N/a|TBA}}
|{{N/a|TBA}}
|-
|''2032''<ref name=Games2032/>
|{{sort|35|''[[2032 Summer Olympics|XXXV]]''}}
|align=left data-sort-value="Australia (Brisbane)"|{{flagicon|Australia}} ''[[Brisbane]]''
|''23 July – 8 August 2032''<br/>TBA
|{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}
|{{N/a|TBA}}
|-
|''2036''<ref name=Games2032/>
|{{sort|36|''[[2036 Summer Olympics|XXXVI]]''}}
|{{N/a|TBA}}
|''TBA 2036''<br/>TBA
|{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}||{{N/a|TBA}}
|{{N/a|TBA}}
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Olympic Games}}
{{Div col|colwidth=27em}}
* [[List of participating nations at the Summer Olympic Games]]
* [[List of Olympic Games scandals and controversies]]
* [[Lists of Olympic medalists]]
* [[Olympic Games ceremony]]
* [[Olympic Stadium]]
* [[Summer Paralympic Games]]
* [[Paralympic Games]]
* [[Winter Olympic Games]]
{{Div col end}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=Games1896>{{cite web|title=Athens 1896|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/athens-1896|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1900>{{cite web|title=Paris 1900|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/paris-1900|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1904>{{cite web|title=St.Louis 1904|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/st-louis-1904|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1908>{{cite web|title=London 1908|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/london-1908|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1912>{{cite web|title=Stockholm 1912|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/stockholm-1912|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1920>{{cite web|title=Antwerp 1920|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/antwerp-1920|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1924>{{cite web|title=Paris 1924|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/paris-1924|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1928>{{cite web|title=Amsterdam 1928|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/amsterdam-1928|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1932>{{cite web|title=Los Angeles 1932|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/los-angeles-1932|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1936>{{cite web|title=Berlin 1936|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/berlin-1936|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1948>{{cite web|title=London 1948|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/london-1948|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1952>{{cite web|title=Helsinki 1952|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/helsinki-1952|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1956>{{cite web|title=Melbourne 1956|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/melbourne-1956|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1960>{{cite web|title=Rome 1960|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/rome-1960|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1964>{{cite web|title=Tokyo 1964|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/tokyo-1964|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1968>{{cite web|title=Mexico City 1968|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/mexico-city-1968|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1972>{{cite web|title=Munich 1972|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/munich-1972|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1976>{{cite web|title=Montreal 1976|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/montreal-1976|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1980>{{cite web|title=Moscow 1980|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/moscow-1980|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1984>{{cite web|title=Los Angeles 1984|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/los-angeles-1984|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1988>{{cite web|title=Seoul 1988|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/seoul-1988|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1992>{{cite web|title=Barcelona 1992|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/barcelona-1992|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games1996>{{cite web|title=Atlanta 1996|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/atlanta-1996|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2000>{{cite web|title=Sydney 2000|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/sydney-2000|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2004>{{cite web|title=Athens 2004|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/athens-2004|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2008>{{cite web|title=Beijing 2008|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/beijing-2008|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2012>{{cite web|title=London 2012|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/london-2012|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2016>{{cite web|title=Rio 2016|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/rio-2016|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2020>{{cite web|title=Tokyo 2020|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/tokyo-2020|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2024>{{cite web|title=Paris 2024|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/paris-2024|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2028>{{cite web|title=Los Angeles 2028|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/los-angeles-2028|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
<ref name=Games2032>{{cite web|title=Brisbane 2032|website=IOC|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/brisbane-2032|access-date=31 January 2022}}</ref>
}}

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[[Category:Summer Olympic Games|Summer Olympic Games]]
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