Games History

Discover the fascinating history of the Olympic Games, from ancient origins to modern competitions. Read about how the Games have evolved, iconic moments, and the stories behind Olympic traditions.

1896 Athens Olympics

King George I of Greece proclaimed the Olympic Games reborn on 6th April 1896, some 1,502 years after Christian Emperor Theodosius I had abolished the ancien...

Olympics 1900 to 1920

Women made their Olympic debut at the Paris Games in 1900, although only 19 of the 1,225 athletes were female. British tennis player Charlotte Cooper became...

Olympics 1924 to 1940

The Games returned to Paris in 1924 and the 3,092 athletes were accommodated in an Olympic village for the first time. Unlike the poorly attended event of 19...

Olympics 1948 to 1960

London was given the unenviable task of reviving the Olympic Games after the Second World War. The 1948 Games were the first global sporting event since the...

Olympics 1964 to 1980

The first Olympic Games to be held in Asia were in Tokyo in 1964. The city had been selected to host the 1940 Games, but World War II had intervened. Yoshino...

Olympics 1984 to 2000

The USSR blamed anti-communist demonstrations in America for their non-participation at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, claiming the safety of Soviet athletes...

Olympics: 2004 to 2012

In 2004, the Games returned to Greece, home of the ancient Olympics and host of the first modern Olympics 108 years earlier. As in 1896, Athens was the host...

The Ancient Games

The origin of the ancient Games has not been dated precisely, but official Olympic chronology began in 776BC. At that time, similar celebrations of athletics...

The Modern Olympic Games

By the time of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, the idea was already more than 100 years old. The French Revolutionaries had considered rein...