Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Olympic Games
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images, Videos & Interactives
Lighting the Olympic flame
How Are Sports Chosen for the Olympics?
When were the first Olympic Games?
Olympic medals hang against a blurry background.
Ancient Olympic Games Wrestlers on an ancient Greek cup
Strange moments in Olympic history
Opening ceremony at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games Olympic Games Olympic torch relay
For Students
default image
Olympic Games summary
Quizzes
Silhouette of hand holding sport torch behind the rings of an Olympic flag, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; February 3, 2015.
The Olympics Quiz
Marble bust of Alexander the Great, in the British Museum, London, England. Hellenistic Greek, 2nd-1st century BC. Said to be from Alexandria, Egypt. Height: 37 cm.
Ancient Greece
Former U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program bobsledder Steven Holcomb, front, is greeted at the finish line after teaming with Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler and Curtis Tomasevicz to win the first Olympic bobsleigh gold medal in 62 years for Team USA ,(cont)
The Olympic Games
Usain Bolt of Jamaica reacts after breaking the world record with a time of 19.30 to win the gold medal as Churandy Martina (left) of Netherlands Antilles and Brian Dzingai of Zimbabwe come in after him in the Men's 200m Final at the National Stadium during Day 12 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 20, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Summer Olympics, track and field, athletics)
I Am the Greatest (Athlete)
Assorted sports balls including a basketball, football, soccer ball, tennis ball, baseball and others.
American Sports Nicknames
Related Questions

Olympic Games: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/Olympic-Games
Jackie Chan carries the Milan Cortina Olympic torch through the ruins of Pompeii • Dec. 22, 2025, 12:28 PM ET (AP)
U.S.-born Atle Lie McGrath takes World Cup slalom win from Olympic champion Clément Noël • Dec. 22, 2025, 10:01 AM ET (AP)
An uninhabited Scottish isle is home to the golden granite used in Olympic curling stones • Dec. 18, 2025, 7:18 AM ET (AP)
Olympic champ and new mom Lindsey Jacobellis will be in NBC booth, but she's not retiring • Dec. 17, 2025, 8:00 AM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As Olympiad
Notable Honorees Oscar De La Hoya • Ben Johnson • Andreas Linger • Wolfgang Linger • Butch Reynolds • Scott Moir • Tessa Virtue • Aldo Nadi • Harrison Dillard • Karen Josephson • Sarah Josephson • Eleanor Holm • Valerie Brisco-Hooks • Jacques Anquetil • Pablo Morales • Muhammad Ali • LeBron James • Lionel Messi • Russell Westbrook • Rafael Nadal • Kevin Durant • Bill Russell • Lisa Carrington • Brittney Griner • Serena Williams • Jayson Tatum • Simone Biles • Katie Ledecky • Dawn Staley • Yuto Horigome • Chris Paul • Devin Booker • Allyson Felix • Sue Bird • Carissa Moore • Emma McKeon • Sabrina Ionescu • Venus Williams • Spencer Haywood • Stephen Curry • Neeraj Chopra • Anna Meares • Jimmy Butler • Oleksandr Usyk • Mikaela Shiffrin • Michael Phelps • Suni Lee • James Harden • Emma Twigg • Ariarne Titmus • Megan Rapinoe • Kōhei Uchimura • Alex Morgan • Kobe Bryant • Carmelo Anthony • Ryan Lochte • Joan Benoit Samuelson • Candace Parker • Grant Hill • Usain Bolt • Dwyane Wade • Caeleb Dressel • Hayley Wickenheiser • Natalie du Toit • Michael Jordan • Yulimar Rojas • Diana Taurasi • Sha’Carri Richardson • Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce • Hamish Bond • Valerie Adams • Yelena Isinbayeva • Andre Agassi • Ye Shiwen • Mo Farah • Jessica Fox • Julie Foudy • Jim Thorpe • Lisa Fernandez • Magic Johnson • Andy Murray • Chris Hoy • Bart Conner • Meseret Defar • Nathan Adrian • Sally Pearson • Shaquille O’Neal • Cheryl Miller • Bradley Wiggins • Laurie Hernandez • Quan Hongchan • Arshad Nadeem • Jesse Owens • Babe Didrikson Zaharias • Nastia Liukin • Lennox Lewis • Michelle Akers • Wu Minxia • Hanyu Yuzuru • Scottie Pippen • Charles Barkley • Abby Wambach • Missy Franklin • Russell Coutts • Libby Trickett • Noureddine Morceli • Nancy Lieberman • Jackie Joyner-Kersee • Carolina Klüft • Ashton Eaton • Trinity Rodman • Misty May-Treanor • Fanny Blankers-Koen • Guo Jingjing • Carl Lewis • Michael Johnson • Pernell Whitaker • Gabby Douglas • Kerri Walsh Jennings • Anne Donovan • Karch Kiraly • Tirunesh Dibaba • Shi Tingmao • Joe Frazier • George Foreman • Sugar Ray Leonard • Sophia Smith • Donovan Bailey • Shirley Strickland de la Hunty • Michelle Smith • Inge de Bruijn • Věra Čáslavská • Sebastian Coe • Ben Ainslie • Dick Fosbury • Ferenc Puskás • Irena Szewińska • Sheryl Swoopes • Ian Thorpe • Rafer Johnson • Vitaly Scherbo • Peter Snell • Nadia Comăneci • Halil Mutlu • Abhinav Bindra • Teófilo Stevenson • Floyd Patterson • Emil Zátopek • Vasily Ivanovich Alekseyev • Dot Richardson • Paavo Nurmi • Arne Borg • Teresa Edwards • Paavo Yrjölä: The Farmhand • Iolanda Balas • Nino Benvenuti • Bill Bradley • Murray Rose • Gong Lijiao • Tommy Kono • Paul Elvstrøm • Caitlyn Jenner • Naim Süleymanoğlu • Mia Hamm • Sergey Bubka • Steven Holcomb • Gertrude Ederle • Karl Malone • Tracy Caulkins • Cynthia Cooper-Dyke • Kristin Otto • Harry Mallin • Mary Lou Retton • Evelyn Ashford • Oscar Robertson • Bob Richards • John Stockton • Christian d’Oriola • Abebe Bikila • Nedo Nadi: Following in Father’s Footsteps • Aleksandr Karelin • Suzanne Lenglen • Tommie Smith • Micheline Ostermeyer • Steve Ovett • Liu Xiang • Steven Redgrave • John J. Flanagan • Aileen Riggin • Pat McCormick • Jessica Ennis-Hill • Marie-José Pérec • Tani Ryōko • Eddie Eagan • Donna de Varona • Shane Gould • Tamara Press • Bob Mathias • Liu Shiying
Related Facts And Data Tokyo - Facts

Photos and Videos

Lighting the Olympic flame
Ancient Olympic Games
Wrestlers on an ancient Greek cup
Opening ceremony at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games
Olympic Games
Olympic torch relay
Athens 1896 Olympic Games
American Olympic team members
St. Louis 1904 Olympic swimmers
Archers at the London 1908 Olympic Games
How Are Sports Chosen for the Olympics?
When were the first Olympic Games?
Olympic medals hang against a blurry background.
Strange moments in Olympic history
The 1936 Berlin Olympics and Nazi propaganda
See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Bob Knight
Bob Knight
American coach
Jerry Lucas
Jerry Lucas
American basketball player
Pierre, baron de Coubertin
Pierre, baron de Coubertin
French educator
Pat Summitt and members of the University of Tennessee's women's basketball team
Pat Summitt
American basketball coach
Diver Sammy Lee is presented with a gold medal at the 1948 Olympics in London
Sammy Lee
American diver
default image
Dezsö Gyarmati
Hungarian water polo player and coach
American wrestler Dan Gable
Dan Gable
American freestyle wrestler and coach
Avery Brundage
Avery Brundage
American sports administrator
default image
Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin
Irish author
Harold Abrahams
Harold Abrahams
British athlete

Related Quizzes

Marble bust of Alexander the Great, in the British Museum, London, England. Hellenistic Greek, 2nd-1st century BC. Said to be from Alexandria, Egypt. Height: 37 cm.
Ancient Greece
Former U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program bobsledder Steven Holcomb, front, is greeted at the finish line after teaming with Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler and Curtis Tomasevicz to win the first Olympic bobsleigh gold medal in 62 years for Team USA ,(cont)
The Olympic Games
Rich Harden no. 40 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers. July 31, 2008 at Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Cubs defeated the Brewers 11-4. Major League Baseball (MLB).
Sports Firsts Through the Ages Quiz
Assorted sports balls including a basketball, football, soccer ball, tennis ball, baseball and others.
American Sports Nicknames
Silhouette of hand holding sport torch behind the rings of an Olympic flag, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; February 3, 2015.
The Olympics Quiz
Olympic games in 1928 at Amsterdam, Holland. The finish of the 100 meter dash finals, won by Percy Williams.
Round 2: Olympic History Quiz
Former U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program bobsledder Steven Holcomb, left, and teammates Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler and Curt Tomasevicz bite their gold medals Saturday night at Whistler Medals Plaza after winning the Olympic four-man bobsled, 2010.
Round 1: Olympic History Quiz
Usain Bolt of Jamaica reacts after breaking the world record with a time of 19.30 to win the gold medal as Churandy Martina (left) of Netherlands Antilles and Brian Dzingai of Zimbabwe come in after him in the Men's 200m Final at the National Stadium during Day 12 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 20, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Summer Olympics, track and field, athletics)
I Am the Greatest (Athlete)
Marble bust of Alexander the Great, in the British Museum, London, England. Hellenistic Greek, 2nd-1st century BC. Said to be from Alexandria, Egypt. Height: 37 cm.
Ancient Greece
A person is shooting with recurve bow on a target during an archery competition. Focus on the targets. archery
Obscure Olympic Sports
Olympic games in 1928 at Amsterdam, Holland. The finish of the 100 meter dash finals, won by Percy Williams.
Summer Olympics Host Cities