Cities That Have Hosted The Olympics
The first modern Summer Olympic Games were hosted in Athens, Greece, in 1896. They have continued to be held every four years in various cities around the world despite a few cancellations and one postponement. The 1916 games, due to be held in Germany, were canceled due to World War 1, while the 1940 and 1944 games were canceled due to World War 2. The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were notably postponed until the year after due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A separate Winter Olympic Games was added in 1924 and held every four years except for an 8-year hiatus due to World War 2. The first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France, and like their summer counterpart, they have been hosted in varying cities ever since. Cities are chosen in advance based on various criteria, mainly pertaining to financial standings, availability of sporting facilities and amenities for athletes/attendees, political stability, and climate (it's a good idea to have snow for the Winter Games).
In total, there have been 31 Summer Olympics in 21 different cities and 24 Winter Olympics in 21 cities. The next summer games will be held in Los Angeles, California, in 2028. The next Winter Olympic Games are due to be held in 2026 in Milan, Italy.
Some cities have been home to the Olympics more than others. Here are the cities that have seen the most Olympic Games (summer and winter combined), along with how many they've hosted and in what years:
Paris - 3
3 Summer Games (1900, 1924, 2024)
London - 3
3 Summer Games (1908, 1948, 2012)
Athens - 2
2 Summer Games (1896, 2004)
Los Angeles - 2
2 Summer Games (1932, 1984)
Tokyo - 2
2 Summer Games (1964, 2020)
Beijing - 2
1 Summer Games (2008)
1 Winter Game (2022)
A Complete List of Olympic Host Cities
The Olympics have taken place in all sorts of places around the world. From the frozen landscapes of Scandinavia to the sunny beaches of Brazil, here is a rundown of who has been host to this Games, dating back to when they started:
Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympics focus on a number of outdoor and indoor sports, including track and field, gymnastics, weightlifting, various races on land and water, target shooting, and much more. The number of events increased from 43 across 9 different sports in the first Athens games to an expansive 329 events across 32 different sports this year in Paris.
- 1896 - Athens, Greece
- 1900 - Paris, France
- 1904 - St. Louis, United States
- 1908 - London, England
- 1912 - Stockholm, Sweden
- 1916 (canceled) - Berlin, Germany
- 1920 - Antwerp, Belgium
- 1924 - Paris, France
- 1928 - Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 1932 - Los Angeles, United States
- 1936 - Berlin, Germany
- 1940 (canceled) - Tokyo, Japan
- 1940 (canceled) - Helsinki, Finland
- 1944 (canceled) - London, England
- 1948 - London, England
- 1952 - Helsinki, Finland
- 1956 - Melbourne, Australia
- 1960 - Rome, Italy
- 1964 - Tokyo, Japan
- 1968 - Mexico City, Mexico
- 1972 - Munich, Germany
- 1976 - Montreal, Canada
- 1980 - Moscow, Russia
- 1984 - Los Angeles, United States
- 1988 - Seoul, South Korea
- 1992 - Barcelona, Spain
- 1996 - Atlanta, United States
- 2000 - Sydney, Australia
- 2004 - Athens, Greece
- 2008 - Beijing, China
- 2012 - London, England
- 2016 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 2020 - Tokyo, Japan
- 2024 - Paris, France
Winter Olympics
Although not quite as big as the Summer Games, the Winter Games gave sports that require a cold environment a chance to be displayed to the world. Skiing, snowboarding, hockey, curling, speeding skating, and others have been mainstays for the Winter Games. The first time they were hosted in 1924 in Chamonix, there were 16 events across six sports, and the upcoming games in Milan will have 116 events across 16 different sports.
It should be noted that the 1994 Winter Olympics were the only Olympics to be held two years after the previous Olympic Games of the same kind. This was due to a decision by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) in 1986 (finally implemented in 1994) to ensure that the Summer Games and Winter Games were no longer held in the same year.
- 1924 - Chamonix, France
- 1928 - St. Moritz, Switzerland
- 1932 - Lake Placid, United States
- 1936 - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
- 1940 (canceled) - Sapporo, Japan
- 1944 (canceled) - Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
- 1948 - St. Moritz, Switzerland
- 1952 - Oslo, Norway
- 1956 - Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
- 1960 - Olympic Valley (formerly "Squaw Valley"), United States
- 1964 - Innsbruck, Austria
- 1968 - Grenoble, France
- 1972 - Sapporo, Japan
- 1976 - Innsbruck, Austria
- 1980 - Lake Placid, United States
- 1984 - Sarajevo, Yugoslavia
- 1988 - Calgary, Canada
- 1992 - Albertville, France
- 1994 - Lillehammer, Norway
- 1998 - Nagano, Japan
- 2002 - Salt Lake City, United States
- 2006 - Torino, Italy
- 2010 - Vancouver, Canada
- 2014 - Sochi, Russia
- 2018 - PyeongChang, South Korea
- 2022 - Beijing, China
As one of the most important sporting events in history, hosting the Olympics is a big challenge and a great honor. The Paris 2024 Olympics recently concluded successfully, and the world awaits the next Summer Olympics hosted by Los Angeles in 2028.
