Summer Olympics

The Summer Olympic Games are athletic competitions that are held every four years during the summer season. According to the Olympic Charter, the games are organized by the International Olympic Committee to foster peace and understanding between the nations of the world through the use of sporting events played fairly.¹

Fast Facts

1. 2008 Olympics location: Beijing, China
2. First modern Olympics held in 1896 in Athens, Greece²
3. Greece won the most medals (47) at the first summer games²
4. 202 countries participated in the 2004 Olympics²
5. The 1960 Olympics were the first games covered by U.S. television²
6. U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame was established in 1983²

Origins

The first Olympic Games were held in Ancient Greece from 776 BC until 393 AD. The modern Olympic games were established in 1896 by the International Olympic Committee and currently include both summer and winter games.³

Sports

A total of 42 sports have been included in the Summer Olympics. The current number of sports is 28. After the 2008 Olympics, baseball and softball will be removed, leaving 26 sports for the 2012 Games.⁴ Discontinued Olympic sports include cricket, croquet, rugby, lacrosse and tug of war.⁵

Summer Events

• Archery
• Athletics
• Badminton
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Boxing
• Canoeing
• Cycling
• Diving
• Equestrian
• Fencing
• Field Hockey
• Football (soccer)
• Gymnastics
• Handball
• Judo
• Modern Pentathlon
• Rowing
• Sailing
• Shooting
• Softball
• Swimming
• Synchronized Swimming
• Table Tennis
• Takewondo
• Tennis
• Triathlon
• Volleyball
• Water Polo
• Weightlifting
• Wrestling

Related Pages on Mahalo

Summer Olympics 2008 | 2010 Winter Olympics | Beijing | Beijing Air Quality | China | China Censorship | China Human Rights | Hong Kong | Michael Phelps | Olympic Torch | Spielberg Boycotts Olympics | Winter Olympics | Olympic Triathlon | Shawn Johnson Gold

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