Summer Olympics Competitions Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
Here’s some background information about the Summer Olympics, which is held every four years.
The 2020 Olympic Games were held July 23-August 8, 2021, in Tokyo. The Games were delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Paris is slated to be the host city for the 2024 Olympic Games.
The 2032 Olympic Games will be held in Brisbane, Australia.
Summer Olympics Facts and History
The first revival of the Olympics was held in Athens, Greece, from April 6, 1896, to April 15, 1896.
The first modern Summer Olympics champion was James Connolly (USA), who won the triple jump event.
Fourteen nations and 241 athletes (all men) competed in 43 events at the first modern Summer Olympics.
The Olympic Flame was first lit during the opening ceremony of the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.
The ancient Games were held between, at least, 776 BC and 393 AD.
Aquatics
1896 – Swimming is part of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens. The first events are freestyle and breaststroke.
1900 – Men’s water polo is added to the Olympic Games in Paris. Backstroke is added to the swimming events.
1904 – Diving is added to the Olympics in St. Louis.
1912 – Women’s swimming and diving are added to the Olympics in Stockholm.
1984 – Individual and duet synchronized swimming are added to the Olympics in Los Angeles.
1996 – Synchronized swimming is changed to team competition. Each team has eight members.
2000 – Synchronized diving and women’s water polo are added to the Olympics in Sydney. Synchronized swimming is altered again to include both team and duet competition.
2008 – A 10km swimming race, in open water rather than a pool, debuts at the Olympics. Both men and women compete.
Archery
1900 – Archery is added to the Olympic Games in Paris.
1912 – Archery is excluded from the Olympics in Stockholm.
1920 – The last time archery appears in the Olympics until 1972.
1972 – Archery is added back into the Olympic competition in Munich, Germany.
1988 – Team archery is added to the Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
1992 – The Olympic Round archery format is established at the Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
Athletics (Track & Field)
776 BC – Athletics are part of the first ancient Olympic Games in Greece.
1896 – Athletics are part of the first modern Olympics in Athens. Competitions included are 100m, 1,500m, 110m hurdles, Marathon, long jump, triple jump, pole vault, discus, shot put and high jump.
1924 – Women’s athletics events are added to the Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Competitions included are 100m, 800m, 4 x 100m, high jump and discus.
1984 – Women’s marathon is added to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
2008 – The women’s 3000m steeplechase debuts as an Olympic event.
Badminton
1972 – Badminton is a demonstration sport at the Olympics in Munich.
1992 – Badminton is officially added to the Olympics in Barcelona.
Baseball
1992 – Baseball is added to the Olympics in Barcelona.
2012 – Baseball is dropped from the Olympics in London.
2021 – Baseball and softball return for the Tokyo Games.
Basketball
1904 – Basketball is an exhibition event at the Olympics in St. Louis.
1936 – Men’s basketball is added to the Olympics in Berlin.
1976 – Women’s basketball is added to the Olympics in Montreal.
1992 – Participation rules are changed to allow professional basketball players to participate on the Olympic teams.
2021 – 3×3 basketball is officially added as an Olympic event.
Beach Volleyball
1996 – Men’s and women’s beach volleyball is added to the Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Boxing
688 BC – Boxing is added to the ancient Olympic Games.
1896 – A committee decides that boxing is too dangerous for the modern Olympic Games.
1904 – Boxing is added to the Olympic Games in St. Louis.
1912 – Boxing is eliminated from the Olympics in Stockholm due to a law banning boxing in Sweden.
1920 – Boxing is added again to the Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium.
2012 – Women’s boxing makes its debut at the London Olympics.
Breaking
2024 – Breaking will appear in the Paris Games.
Canoeing
1924 – Canoe/kayak flatwater racing is an exhibition event at the Olympics in Paris.
1936 – Men’s canoe/kayak flatwater racing is added to the Olympics in Berlin.
1948 – Women’s canoe/kayak flatwater racing is added to the Olympics in London.
1972 – Canoe/kayak slalom racing is added to the Olympics in Munich.
1992 – Canoe/kayak slalom racing is a competition in the Olympics in Barcelona for the first time since 1972.
Cycling
1896 – Cycling is part of the first modern Olympics in Athens. The two events are road race and track cycling.
1996 – Mountain bike racing debuts at the Atlanta Olympics.
2008 – Bicycle Moto Cross (BMX) debuts as an Olympic event, for both men and women.
Equestrian
1900 – Jumping is added to the Olympic game in Paris.
1912 – Dressage and Eventing are added to jumping as the three areas of equestrian events at the Olympics in Stockholm.
1952 – Participation rules are changed to allow non-cavalry officers to compete in the Olympics.
Fencing
1896 – Fencing is part of the first modern Olympics in Athens.
Football (Soccer)
1896 – Football is an exhibition event at the first modern Olympics in Athens.
1908 – Football is added to the Olympic Games in London.
1984 – Participation rules are changed to allow professional football players to participate on the Olympic teams.
Golf
1900 – Golf makes its debut at the Olympics in Paris.
2016 – After a 112-year hiatus, golf is included at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Gymnastics
1896 – Men’s artistic gymnastics is part of the first modern Olympics in Athens. The men compete in six apparatus: horizontal bar, parallel bars, pommel horse, rings, vault, and rope climbing.
1928 – Women’s artistic gymnastics is added to the Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
1936 – Men’s artistic gymnastics individual events are changed to include floor exercises, side horse (pommel horse), rings, parallel bars, horizontal bar and long horse (vault) at the Olympics in Berlin.
1952 – Women’s artistic gymnastics individual events introduce the four-apparatus format: vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercises at the Olympics in Helsinki.
1984 – Rhythmic gymnastics is an exhibition event at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
1996 – Rhythmic gymnastics is added to the Olympics in Atlanta.
2000 – Trampoline is added to the Olympics in Sydney.
Handball
1936 – Handball is an exhibition event at the Olympic Games in Berlin.
1972 – Handball is added to the Olympics in Munich.
Hockey
1908 – Field hockey is added to the Olympics in London.
Judo
1964 – Men’s judo becomes the first Asian sport to be added to the Olympics in Tokyo.
1992 – Women’s judo is added to the Olympics in Barcelona.
Karate
2021 – Karate appears in the Tokyo Games.
Modern Pentathlon
The Modern pentathlon includes shooting, fencing, swimming, riding, and cross-country running.
708 BC – Ancient pentathlon is added in the ancient Olympic Games.
1912 – Men’s modern pentathlon is added to the Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden.
2000 – Women’s modern pentathlon is added to the Olympics in Sydney.
Rowing
1900 – Men’s rowing is added to the Olympics in Paris.
1976 – Women’s rowing is added to the Olympics in Montreal.
Rugby
2016 – Rugby sevens debuts at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Sailing
1900 – Sailing is added to the Olympics in Paris.
Shooting
1896 – Men’s shooting is part of the first modern Olympics in Athens.
1984 – Women’s shooting is added to the Olympics in Los Angeles.
Skateboarding
2021 – Skateboarding appears in the Tokyo Games.
Softball
1996 – Softball is added to the Olympics in Atlanta.
2012 – Softball is dropped from the Olympics in London.
2021 – Softball and baseball return for the Tokyo Games.
Sports Climbing
2021 – Sports climbing appears in the Tokyo Games.
Surfing
2021 – Surfing appears in the Tokyo Games.
Table Tennis
1988 – Table tennis is added to the Olympics in Seoul.
Taekwondo
1980 – The IOC officially recognizes taekwondo as an Olympic sport.
1988 and 1992 – Taekwondo is an exhibition event at the Olympic Games in Seoul and Barcelona.
2000 – Taekwondo is officially added to the Olympic Games in Sydney as a competitive event.
Tennis
1896-1924 – Tennis is included in the Olympic Games.
1984 – Tennis is an exhibition event at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
1988 – Tennis is reinstated at the Olympic Games in Seoul.
Triathlon
Participants swim 1500 meters, cycle 40 kilometers and run 10 km in succession.
1994 – The IOC officially recognizes the triathlon as an Olympic sport.
2000 – Triathlon is added to the Olympics in Sydney.
Volleyball
1964 – Men’s and women’s volleyball is added to the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Weightlifting
1896 – Weightlifting is part of the first modern Olympics in Athens.
2000 – Women’s weightlifting is added to the Olympics in Sydney.
Wrestling
776 BC – Wrestling is part of the first ancient Olympic Games in Greece.
1896 – Greco-Roman wrestling is part of the first modern Olympics in Athens.
1904 – Free style wrestling is included in the Olympics.
1908 – After a brief hiatus, Greco-Roman wrestling is reinstated in the Olympics.
2004 – Women’s free style wrestling is added to the Olympics in Athens.
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