Guide Note

Every four years, the nations of the world compete in various sporting events in a particular host country. Collectively, these events are known as the Olympics. The first Olympic Games were held in Ancient Greece from 776 B.C. until 393 A.D.. The modern Olympic games were established in 1896 by the International Olympic Committee, and currently include both summer and winter games.

According to the Official Olympic Web site, the goal of the Olympics is to foster peace and understanding between the nations of the world through the use of sporting events played fairly.¹

Fast Facts

1. First Olympics: Athens, Greece
2. 2008 Olympics location: Beijing, China
3. 2010 Winter Olympics Location: Vancouver Canada
4. 202 countries participated in the 2004 Olympics
5. First Winter Olympics: 1924

The Olympics were originally a summer-only event. The first Winter Olympics were held in 1924, in Chamonix, France. For the first years of the games' history, the summer and winter games were held in the same year every four years. In 1994, the games were staggered so that one set of Olympic games, summer or winter, alternates every two years.² The host city for the games is determined by the International Olympic Committee.

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