List of Olympic Games host cities

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Map of host cities and countries of the modern summer (orange) and winter (blue) Olympics. * Tokyo hosted the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2021, postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the SVG file, tap or hover over a city to show its name (only on the desktop). Olympic games host cities.svg
Map of host cities and countries of the modern summer (orange) and winter (blue) Olympics. * Tokyo hosted the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2021, postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the SVG file, tap or hover over a city to show its name (only on the desktop).

The following is a list of host cities of the Olympic Games, both summer and winter, since the modern Olympics began in 1896. Since then, summer and winter games have usually celebrated a four-year period known as an Olympiad. From the inaugural Winter Games in 1924 until 1992, winter and summer Games were held in the same year. Since 1994, summer and winter Games have been held in staggered even years. There have been 30 Until 2024,the Summer Olympic Games held in 23 cities, and 24 Winter Olympic Games held in 21 cities. In addition, three summer and two winter editions of the games were scheduled to take place but were later cancelled due to war: Berlin (summer) in 1916; SapporoGarmisch-Partenkirchen (winter) and TokyoHelsinki (summer) in 1940; and Cortina d'Ampezzo (winter) and London (summer) in 1944. The 1906 Intercalated Olympics were officially sanctioned and held in Athens. However, in 1949, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to unrecognize the 1906 Games. [1] [2] The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were postponed for the first time in the Olympics history to summer 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the 2022 Winter Olympics being held roughly six months later in Beijing which also hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics. [3] [4]

Contents

Five cities and regions have been chosen by the IOC to host upcoming Olympic Games:For the first time on history,the 2026 Winter Olympics will be officialy shared between Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Olympics,a region will host the 2030 Winter Olympics,as they were shared by venues in 7 cities in the French Alps for the 2030 Winter Olympics, Brisbane will host the 2032 Summer Olympics, and Salt Lake City will host the 2034 Winter Olympics.

In 2022, Beijing became the first city to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics. By 2034, eleven cities will have hosted the Olympic Games more than once: Athens (1896 and 2004 Summer Olympics), Paris (1900, 1924 and 2024 Summer Olympics), London (1908, 1948 and 2012 Summer Olympics), St. Moritz (1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics), Lake Placid (1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics), Los Angeles (1932, 1984 and 2028 Summer Olympics), Cortina d'Ampezzo (1956 and 2026 Winter Olympics), Innsbruck (1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics), Tokyo (1964 and 2020 Summer Olympics), Beijing (2008 Summer Olympics and 2022 Winter Olympics) and Salt Lake City (2002 and 2034 Winter Olympics). Stockholm hosted the 1912 Summer Olympics and the equestrian portion of the 1956 Summer Olympics. London became the first city to have hosted three Games with the 2012 Summer Olympics. Paris is the second city to do so with the 2024 edition and will be followed by Los Angeles as the third in 2028.

As of 2024, a large majority of the Games (41 out of 54) have been hosted in western Europe, the United States, Canada, or Australia. Eight Games have been hosted in Asia (all in East Asia), three have been hosted in eastern Europe, and two have been hosted in Latin America. Africa has yet to host an Olympic Games. Other major geographic regions and subcontinents that have never hosted the Olympics include the Middle East, Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central America, Antarctica, and the Caribbean. Between the first Winter Olympics in 1924 and the last ones to be held in the same year as the Summer Olympics in 1992, the Summer and Winter Games took place in the same country three times.

Usually,the Games' host cities are selected by the IOC members with six to seven years in advance. [5]

Until the 2022 Winter Olympics,the selection process lasts approximately two years. In the first stage, any city in the world may apply to become a host city. After ten months, the Executive Board of the IOC decides which applicant cities will become official candidates based on the recommendation of a working group that reviews the applications. In the second stage, the candidate cities are investigated thoroughly by an Evaluation Commission, which then submits a final short list of cities for selection. The host city is then chosen by vote of the IOC session, a general meeting of IOC members. [6] There was a change in host selection process in the late 2010s to address several problems – including the costs of hosting and the disappointment felt by unsuccessful applicants. Called Olympic Agenda 2020, [7] this new process is focused on reducing the cost of Games, minimising wasteful single-use construction projects and increasing the benefits felt by host nations. Bids are now easier and less expensive to prepare. The 2032 Summer Games host city, was the first to be fully selected under this process but another elements and rules were introduced later.

Olympic Games host cities

Host cities for Summer and Winter Olympic Games

Key

   Cancelled
 §  Postponed

Host cities for multiple Summer and Winter Olympic Games

Number of Olympic Games by country

Nations that have hosted or will host the Olympics

10 times
7 times
4 times
3 times
2 times
1 time
Never held games Olympics Map.png
Nations that have hosted or will host the Olympics
  10 times
  7 times
  4 times
  3 times
  2 times
  1 time
  Never held games

Number of Olympic Games by region


Africa has never hosted any Olympics. Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco have been acknowledged as future possibilities, although it is noted that increased dialogue and developments are needed. [28]

In addition, the Middle East, though not a continent (with most of the region situated in Asia), has never hosted an Olympic Games. Several nations have been in talks as potential hosts, but the only city to enter a formal bid was Doha (see also List of bids for the Summer Olympics).

See also

Notes

  1. Originally awarded to Chicago, but moved to St. Louis to coincide with the World's Fair. [8] [9]
  2. Originally awarded to Rome, but moved to London after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. [10]
  3. The sailing events in 1920 were held in Ostend, Belgium and in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
  4. The 1940 Winter Olympics were originally awarded to Sapporo, Japan, but the commencement of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 caused them to be relocated to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Nazi Germany, before being cancelled in 1939 because of World War II.
  5. The 1940 Summer Olympics were originally awarded to Tokyo, Japan, but the commencement of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 caused them to be relocated to Helsinki, Finland, before being cancelled in 1939 because of World War II.
  6. Equestrian events were held in Stockholm, Sweden, due to Australian quarantine laws. Stockholm had to bid for the equestrian competition separately; it received its own Olympic flame and had its own formal invitations and opening and closing ceremonies as per the regular Summer Olympics. [21]
  7. Originally awarded to Denver, Colorado, US, in 1970, but in 1972, after a failed referendum, Denver withdrew. The IOC eventually decided to relocate the Games to Innsbruck, Austria.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Russia (like the former Soviet Union) spans the continents of Europe and Asia. However, the Russian Olympic Committee is part of the European Olympic Committees and has its official seat in Moscow (this was also the case for the former Soviet Olympic Committee). Also, Moscow is on the European side of the most commonly recognized boundary between Europe and Asia (Sochi is in Asia per the usual geographic boundary, being just south of the Greater Caucasus' western end; but political approximations of the continental boundary place it in Europe).
  9. 1 2 Located in present day-Bosnia and Herzegovina, in what was then the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  10. Equestrian events were held in Hong Kong. [23] Although Hong Kong's separate NOC conducted the equestrian competition, it was an integral part of the Beijing Games: unlike the 1956 Stockholm equestrian competition, it was not conducted under a separate Hong Kong bid, separate flame, etc.
  11. 1 2 The 2020 Summer Olympics were originally scheduled for 24 July to 9 August 2020, but were postponed to 2021 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 4-year Olympiad cycle. [3]
  12. Surfing events were held in France's overseas collectivity of French Polynesia, where there is a separate NOC but not a member of the International Olympic Committee. [25]
  13. The 2016 Summer Olympics were the first Olympics to be held in South America. [27]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Olympic Committee</span> Governing body of Olympic sports

The International Olympic Committee is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The IOC is the authority responsible for organizing the Summer, Winter, and Youth Olympics. The IOC also is the governing body of the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and of the worldwide Olympic Movement, the IOC's term for all entities and individuals involved in the Olympic Games. As of 2020, 206 NOCs officially were recognized by the IOC. The IOC president has been Thomas Bach since 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympic Games</span> Major international multi-sport event

The modern Olympic Games are the world's leading international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered the world's foremost sports competition, with more than 200 teams, representing sovereign states and territories, participating. By default, the Games generally substitute for any world championships during the year in which they take place. The Olympic Games are held every four years. Since 1994, they have alternated between the Summer and Winter Olympics every two years during the four-year Olympiad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summer Olympic Games</span> Major international multi-sport event

The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, Greece, and the most recent was held in 2024 in Paris, France. This was the first international multi-sport event of its kind, organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) founded by Pierre de Coubertin. The tradition of awarding medals began in 1904; in each Olympic event, gold medals are awarded for first place, silver medals for second place, and bronze medals 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winter Olympic Games</span> Major international multi-sport event

The Winter Olympic Games is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held in Chamonix, France. The modern Olympic Games were inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, from 776 BCE to 394 CE. The Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) 1,500 years later in 1894, leading to the first modern Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 1896. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority. The original five Winter Olympic Sports were bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, Nordic skiing, and skating. The Games were held every four years from 1924 to 1936, interrupted in 1940 and 1944 by World War II, and resumed in 1948. Until 1992, the Summer Olympic Games and the Winter Olympic Games were held in the same year. A decision to change this was made in 1986, when during the 91st International Olympic Committee session, IOC members decided to alternate the Summer Olympic Games and the Winter Olympic Games on separate four-year cycles in even-numbered years. Also, at that same congress it was decided that 1992 Winter Olympics would be the last to be held in the same year as the Summer Games and that to change the rotation, the games that would be held in 1996 would be brought forward by two years, being scheduled to 1994. After those games, the next were to be held in 1998 when the four-year Olympic Cycle resumed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paralympic Games</span> Major international sport event for people with disabilities

The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, have been held shortly after the corresponding Olympic Games. All Paralympic Games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 Summer Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in Atlanta, US

The 1996 Summer Olympics were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. These were the fourth Summer Olympics to be hosted by the United States, making it the first country to have three different cities host the Summer Olympics. It also marked the 100th anniversary of the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, the inaugural edition of the modern Olympic Games. These were also the first Summer Olympics to be held in a different year than the Winter Olympics since the Winter Olympics commenced in 1924, as part of a new IOC practice implemented in 1994 to hold the Summer and Winter Games in alternating, even-numbered years. The 1996 Games were the first of the two consecutive Summer Olympics to be held in a predominantly English-speaking country, preceding the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. These were also the last Summer Olympics to be held in North America until 2028, when Los Angeles will host the games for the third time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1964 Summer Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in Tokyo, Japan

The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVIII Olympiad and commonly known as Tokyo 1964, were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki due to Japan's invasion of China, before ultimately being cancelled due to World War II. Tokyo was chosen as the host city during the 55th IOC Session in West Germany on 26 May 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1960 Summer Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in Rome, Italy

The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad and commonly known as Rome 1960, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awarded the administration of the 1908 Summer Olympics, but following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906, the city had no choice but to decline and pass the honour to London. The Soviet Union won the most gold and overall medals at the 1960 Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1956 Summer Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in Melbourne, Australia

The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which were held in Stockholm, Sweden, in June 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1992 Winter Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in Albertville, France

The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Albertville '92, were a winter multi-sport event held from 8 to 23 February 1992 in and around Albertville, France. Albertville won the bid to host the Winter Olympics in 1986, beating Sofia, Falun, Lillehammer, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Anchorage, and Berchtesgaden. The 1992 Winter Olympics were the last winter games held in the same year as the Summer Olympics. The Games were the fifth Olympic Games held in France and the country's third Winter Olympics, after the 1924 Winter Games in Chamonix and the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble. This games was the first of two consecutive Olympic games to be held in Western Europe, preceding the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1920 Summer Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in Antwerp, Belgium

The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad and commonly known as Antwerp 1920, were an international multi-sport event held in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympic medal</span> Award given to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games

An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold, silver, and bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respectively. The granting of awards is laid out in detail in the Olympic protocols.

A demonstration sport, or exhibition sport, is a sport which is played to promote it, rather than as part of standard medal competition. This occurs commonly during the Olympic Games, but may also occur at other sporting events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bids for the Olympic Games</span> Bids to host the Olympic Games

National Olympic Committees that wish to host an Olympic Games select cities within their territories to put forth bids for the Olympic Games. The staging of the Paralympic Games is automatically included in the bid. Since the creation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, which successfully appropriated the name of the Ancient Greek Olympics to create a modern sporting event, interested cities have rivaled for selection as host of the Summer or Winter Olympic Games. 51 different cities have been chosen to host the modern Olympics: three in Eastern Europe, five in East Asia, one in South America, three in Oceania, nine in North America and all the others in Western Europe. No Central American, African, Central Asian, Middle Eastern, South Asian, or Southeast Asian city has ever been chosen to host an Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youth Olympic Games</span> International multi-sport event

Youth Olympic Games is an international multi-sport event for athletes aged 15 to 18 years old. Organized by the International Olympic Committee, the Games are held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consistent with the current Olympic Games format, though in reverse order with the Olympic Winter Games held in leap years instead of the Games of the Olympiad. The first summer version was held in Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010 while the first winter version was held in Austria from 13 to 22 January 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokyo bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics</span> Bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics

The Tokyo bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics was an unsuccessful bid, first recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on September 14, 2007. The IOC shortlisted four of the seven applicant cities—Chicago, United States; Madrid, Spain; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Tokyo, Japan; over Baku, Azerbaijan; Doha, Qatar; and Prague, Czech Republic—on June 4, 2008 during a meeting in Athens, Greece. This was followed by an intensive bidding process which finished with the election of Rio de Janeiro at the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen, Denmark, on October 2, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympic Games ceremony</span> Ceremonial events of the ancient and modern Olympic Games

The Olympic Games ceremonies of the ancient Olympic Games were an integral part of the games; modern Olympic Games have opening, closing, and medal ceremonies. Some of the elements of the modern ceremonies date back to the ancient games from which the modern Olympics draw their ancestry. An example of this is the prominence of Greece in both the opening and closing ceremonies. During the 2004 Summer Olympics, the medal winners received a crown of olive branches, which was a direct reference to the ancient games, in which the victor's prize was an olive wreath. The various elements of ceremonies are mandated by the Olympic Charter, and cannot be changed by the host nation. Host nations are required to seek the approval of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for ceremony elements, including the artistic portions of the opening and closing ceremonies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bids for the 2020 Summer Olympics</span> Selection of the host for the 2020 Summer Olympics

There were six bids initially submitted for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Tokyo was ultimately elected as the host city at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 7 September 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokyo bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics</span> Bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics

Tokyo 2020 was a successful bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics by the city of Tokyo and the Japanese Olympic Committee. On September 7, 2013 at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Tokyo won their bid to host the games. Tokyo previously hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics. On August 3, 2016 it was reported that the IOC approved the addition of five sports to the program of the 2020 Olympics including the return of baseball and softball. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Summer Olympics ended up being rescheduled from 24 July 2020 to 23 July 2021.

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