Do you know the history of the Olympic Games?

The Olympic Games take place every 4 years, being one of the main sporting events in the world. Thousands of athletes gather in a competition that only proves how valuable sports are, mainly due to the talent and dedication of these young people in different sports.

How about knowing a little more about this story? Check out important dates and interesting facts about the Olympics.

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1896 to 1920

1896

Athens (Greece)

The first Olympic Games of the Modern Era took place in the country that is considered to be the cradle of ancient games. The event's name even refers to its place of origin, the Greek city called Olympia.


According to mythology, this idea emerged around 2,500 BC in honor of the god Zeus. However, the actual records of the competition are somewhat more recent (776 BC). The number of participants and modalities played was very small compared to today. To give you an idea, the categories in 1896 were only athletics, shooting, cycling, gymnastics, weightlifting, fencing, swimming, tennis, and wrestling.

1900

Paris (France)

The second edition of the event took place in the French capital. A curiosity is that it was the first time that women were able to participate in the games, although with only 22 female representatives.


Another difference for today is that the entire schedule was diluted in approximately four months (from May to October), which is not the case anymore. Four years after the first time, the number of modalities grew to 19 and there were almost a thousand athletes involved.

1906

Athens (Greece)

This was a special edition of the Olympics, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the first event. Then, the games took place again in Greece, although it is not considered official by the International Olympic Committee.


The date breaks the four-year gap rule and became known as the 1906 Summer Olympics. France and the USA were the countries that most stood out in winning medals.

1916

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A remarkable fact in the timeline of the Olympics is the year 1916, as it was the first time that the event was canceled. The reason: World War I was taking place between the great powers of the time.


The city of Berlin had been chosen by the International Olympic Committee, but the conflict prevented the program from being carried out. The same would be repeated on account of the Second World War in the years 1940 and 1944.

1920 to 1948

1920

Antwerp (Belgium)

The milestone of this post-war phase for Brazil is the conquest of the first gold medal by a Brazilian athlete. Guilherme Paraense took the Olympic podium to receive his award in the sport shooting category. Before that, only silver and bronze medals had been won by one of our representatives.


Another curiosity of this edition was that the Olympic flag was raised for the first time. The image with the five rings appeared as a symbol of the union of the five continents at the event.

1936

Berlin (Germany)

This was the last Olympics before the "recess" (which lasted 12 years) of World War II took place in Germany itself, with all the pomp organized by Adolf Hitler. The Nazi leader's main objective was to see German supremacy in the competition, and his country was indeed the record holder for medals.


At that time, the games were broadcast only via radio, and that year the first televised transmission took place. There were almost 4,000 athletes from 49 countries and 22 sports.

1940 and 1944

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Once again, the programming was interrupted because of the war. The Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) were warring against the Allied powers (USA, USSR, UK, and China).


The countries' focus was on the great conflict, and it would be impossible to promote a peaceful sporting event in that context. In addition, people died, and many places were destroyed. In the year 1940, the games would be held in Tokyo, and in 1944 they would take place in London.

1916

—

A remarkable fact in the timeline of the Olympics is the year 1916, as it was the first time that the event was canceled. The reason: World War I was taking place between the great powers of the time.


The city of Berlin had been chosen by the International Olympic Committee, but the conflict prevented the program from being carried out. The same would be repeated on account of the Second World War in the years 1940 and 1944.

1948 to 1972

1948

London (England)

The Italians hosted the 17th edition after 52 years of having to give up holding the Olympics in 1908 because of the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius, which required resources to rebuild the affected area.


The unprecedented event that year was the start of the Paralympic Games. About 400 wheelchair athletes from 23 different countries participated in the competition. Since that time, the Paralympics take place days after the Olympic Games.

1960

Rome (Italy)

The Italians hosted the 17th edition after 52 years of having to give up holding the Olympics in 1908 because of the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius, which required resources to rebuild the affected area.


The unprecedented event that year was the start of the Paralympic Games. About 400 wheelchair athletes from 23 different countries participated in the competition. Since that time, the Paralympics take place days after the Olympic Games.

1972 to 2012

1972

Munich (Germany)

This is perhaps the saddest edition in the entire history of the Olympics. On September 5th, eleven members of the Israel team were taken hostage by a Palestinian terrorist group.


The attack on the Olympic village put the security of the event to the test and the result was the death of hostages, terrorists, and even a police officer who helped in the case. The Games continued after 34 hours of mourning, but it is undeniable that the event was marked as a great tragedy.

1996

Atlanta (USA)

This was one of the best participation from Brazil so far, with 15 Brazilian medals (3 golds, 3 silvers, and 9 bronzes). Beach volleyball entered as a sport, and two Brazilian women's duos competed in the final. That is, gold and silver were conquered.


The USA, which had already hosted the Olympic Games in Saint Louis and twice Los Angeles, now debuted a new stage. The 26th Olympics was opened by President Bill Clinton and had more than 10,000 athletes competing in 30 types of sports.

2016 to 2021

2016

Rio de Janeiro (Brasil)

Finally, Brazil hosted the Olympic Games and the capital of Rio de Janeiro was the chosen city. In the XXXI edition, in addition to the pleasure of receiving committees from other countries, we were fortunate to win 7 gold medals, 6 silver medals, and 6 bronze medals.


The opening ceremony took place on August 5 at Maracanã Stadium and featured names of famous Brazilians such as Gisele Bundchen, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Elza Soares, Ludmilla, and Anitta.

2020

Tokyo (Japan)

Without a doubt, the most relevant fact of the Tokyo Olympic Games was the postponement that occurred due to the pandemic. Everything was already programmed, but at the end of 2019, the coronavirus took the whole world by surprise.


So, the committee chose to hold the event the following year, between July and August 2021. This was a different issue to see so many people wearing masks and athletes who were unfortunately cut out for testing positive for COVID 19.

 

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