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. The last Olympic games were held in both Milan and Cortina, the first to ever be hosted by two cities, in February 2026. Through 2026, there have been 30 Summer Olympic Games, held in 23 cities, and 25 Winter Olympic Games, held in 22 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; Sapporo–Garmisch-Partenkirchen (winter) and Tokyo–Helsinki (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]

Four cities and regions have been chosen by the IOC to host upcoming Olympic Games: Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Olympics; the 2030 Winter Olympics will be the first Olympic Games to be hosted by a region (the French Alps—comprising 7 cities and towns); Brisbane will host the 2032 Summer Olympics; and Utah 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 and Paris have both hosted three Games, while Los Angeles will become the third city to gain that distinction in 2028.

As of 2026, a large majority of the Games (42 out of 55) have been hosted in Western Europe, the United States, Canada, or Australia. Eight Games have been hosted in Asia (all in East Asia), three in Eastern Europe, and two 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, 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 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 other elements and rules were introduced later.

Olympic Games host cities

Host cities for Summer and Winter Olympic Games

Key

 †  Cancelled  §  Postponed
City Country Year Region Summer Winter Opening ceremony Closing ceremony Ref.
Athens Greece 1896 Europe S005I 6 April 1896 15 April 1896
Paris France 1900 S005II 14 May 1900 28 October 1900
St. Louis[a] United States 1904 North America S005III 1 July 1904 23 November 1904
London[b] United Kingdom 1908 Europe S005IV 27 April 1908 31 October 1908
Stockholm Sweden 1912 S005V 6 July 1912 22 July 1912
† Berlin Germany 1916 S006VI Cancelled due to WWI [11]
Antwerp[c] Belgium 1920 S007VII 14 August 1920 12 September 1920 [12]
Chamonix France 1924 W001I 25 January 1924 5 February 1924 [13]
Paris S008VIII 5 July 1924 27 July 1924 [14]
St. Moritz  Switzerland 1928 W002II 11 February 1928 19 February 1928 [15]
Amsterdam Netherlands S009IX 28 July 1928 12 August 1928 [16]
Lake Placid United States 1932 North America W003III 4 February 1932 13 February 1932 [17]
Los Angeles S010X 30 July 1932 14 August 1932 [18]
Garmisch-Partenkirchen Germany 1936 Europe W004IV 6 February 1936 16 February 1936 [19]
Berlin S011XI 1 August 1936 16 August 1936 [20]
† Sapporo
Garmisch-Partenkirchen[d] 		Japan
Germany 		1940 Asia
Europe 		VW005a Cancelled due to WWII [11]
† Tokyo
Helsinki[e] 		Japan
Finland 		XII
† Cortina d'Ampezzo Italy 1944 Europe V
† London United Kingdom XIIIS013
St. Moritz  Switzerland 1948 W005cV 30 January 1948 8 February 1948
London United Kingdom S014XIV 29 July 1948 14 August 1948
Oslo Norway 1952 W006VI 14 February 1952 25 February 1952
Helsinki Finland S015XV 19 July 1952 3 August 1952
Cortina d'Ampezzo Italy 1956 W007VII 26 January 1956 5 February 1956
Melbourne
Stockholm[f] 		Australia
Sweden 		Oceania
Europe 		S016XVI 22 November 1956
10 June 1956 		8 December 1956
17 June 1956 		[22]
Squaw Valley[g] United States 1960 North America W008VIII 18 February 1960 28 February 1960
Rome Italy Europe S017XVII 27 August 1960 11 September 1960
Innsbruck Austria 1964 W009IX 29 January 1964 9 February 1964
Tokyo Japan Asia S018XVIII 10 October 1964 24 October 1964
Grenoble France 1968 Europe W010X 6 February 1968 18 February 1968
Mexico City Mexico North America S019XIX 12 October 1968 27 October 1968
Sapporo Japan 1972 Asia W011XI 3 February 1972 13 February 1972
Munich West Germany Europe S020XX 26 August 1972 11 September 1972[h]
Innsbruck[i] Austria 1976 W012XII 4 February 1976 15 February 1976
Montreal Canada North America S021XXI 17 July 1976 1 August 1976
Lake Placid United States 1980 W013XIII 13 February 1980 24 February 1980
Moscow Soviet Union[j] Europe S022XXII 19 July 1980 3 August 1980
Sarajevo Yugoslavia[k] 1984 W014XIV 8 February 1984 19 February 1984
Los Angeles United States North America S023XXIII 28 July 1984 12 August 1984
Calgary Canada 1988 W015XV 13 February 1988 28 February 1988
Seoul South Korea Asia S024XXIV 17 September 1988 2 October 1988
Albertville France 1992 Europe W016XVI 8 February 1992 23 February 1992
Barcelona Spain S025XXV 25 July 1992 9 August 1992
Lillehammer Norway 1994 W017XVII 12 February 1994 27 February 1994
Atlanta United States 1996 North America S026XXVI 19 July 1996 4 August 1996
Nagano Japan 1998 Asia W018XVIII 7 February 1998 22 February 1998
Sydney Australia 2000 Oceania S027XXVII 15 September 2000 1 October 2000
Salt Lake City United States 2002 North America W019XIX 8 February 2002 24 February 2002
Athens Greece 2004 Europe S028XXVIII 13 August 2004 29 August 2004
Turin Italy 2006 W020XX 10 February 2006 26 February 2006
Beijing[l] China 2008 Asia S029XXIX 8 August 2008 24 August 2008 [24]
Vancouver Canada 2010 North America W021XXI 12 February 2010 28 February 2010
London United Kingdom 2012 Europe S030XXX 27 July 2012 12 August 2012
Sochi Russia[j] 2014 W022XXII 7 February 2014 23 February 2014
Rio de Janeiro Brazil 2016 South America S031XXXI 5 August 2016 21 August 2016
Pyeongchang South Korea 2018 Asia W023XXIII 9 February 2018 25 February 2018
§ Tokyo Japan 2020 S032XXXII 23 July 2021[m] 8 August 2021[m]
Beijing China 2022 W024XXIV 4 February 2022 20 February 2022
Paris[n] France 2024 Europe S033XXXIII 26 July 2024 11 August 2024
Milan
Cortina d'Ampezzo 		Italy 2026 W025XXV 6 February 2026 22 February 2026
Los Angeles United States 2028 North America S034XXXIV 14 July 2028 30 July 2028
French Alps[o] France 2030 Europe W026XXVI 1 February 2030 17 February 2030
Brisbane Australia 2032 Oceania S035XXXV 23 July 2032 8 August 2032
Utah[p] United States 2034 North America W027XXVII 3 February 2034 19 February 2034

Host cities for multiple Summer and Winter Olympic Games

List of cities that hosted multiple editions of the Olympic Games
Total City Country Region Summer Olympics Winter Olympics
3 London United Kingdom Europe 3 (1908, 1948, 2012)
Los Angeles United States North America 3 (1932, 1984, 2028)
Paris France Europe 3 (1900, 1924, 2024)
2 Albertville 2 (1992, 2030[29])
Athens Greece 2 (1896, 2004)
Beijing China Asia 1 (2008) 1 (2022)
Cortina d'Ampezzo Italy Europe 2 (1956, 2026)
Innsbruck Austria 2 (1964, 1976)
Lake Placid United States North America 2 (1932, 1980)
Salt Lake City 2 (2002, 2034)
St. Moritz  Switzerland Europe 2 (1928, 1948)
Tokyo Japan Asia 2 (1964, 2020)

Number of Olympic Games by country

List of countries ranked by the number of times they hosted or will host the Olympic Games
Total Country Region First
year 		Last
year 		Summer Olympics Winter Olympics
10 United States North America 1904 2034 5 (1904, 1932, 1984, 1996, 2028) 5 (1932, 1960, 1980, 2002, 2034)
7 France Europe 1900 2030 3 (1900, 1924, 2024) 4 (1924, 1968, 1992, 2030)
4 Italy 1956 2026 1 (1960) 3 (1944, 1956, 2006, 2026)
Japan Asia 1964 2020 2 (1940, 1964, 2020) 2 (1940, 1972, 1998)
3 Australia Oceania 1956 2032 3 (1956, 2000, 2032)
Canada North America 1976 2010 1 (1976) 2 (1988, 2010)
Germany Europe 1936 1972 2 (1916, 1936, 1972) 1 (1936, 1940)
United Kingdom 1908 2012 3 (1908, 1944, 1948, 2012)
2 Austria 1964 1976 2 (1964, 1976)
China Asia 2008 2022 1 (2008) 1 (2022)
Greece Europe 1896 2004 2 (1896, 2004)
Norway 1952 1994 2 (1952, 1994)
Russia[j] 1980 2014 1 (1980) 1 (2014)
South Korea Asia 1988 2018 1 (1988) 1 (2018)
 Switzerland Europe 1928 1948 2 (1928, 1940, 1948)
1 Belgium 1920 1920 1 (1920)
Bosnia and Herzegovina[k] 1984 1984 1 (1984)
Brazil South America 2016 2016 1 (2016)
Finland Europe 1952 1952 1 (1940, 1952)
Mexico North America 1968 1968 1 (1968)
Netherlands Europe 1928 1928 1 (1928)
Spain 1992 1992 1 (1992)
Sweden 1912 1912 1 (1912)

Number of Olympic Games by region

Total Region First
year 		Last
year 		Summer Olympics Winter Olympics
33 Europe 1896 2030 17 (1896, 1900, 1908, 1912, 1916, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1936, 1940, 1944, 1948, 1952, 1960, 1972, 1980,[j] 1992, 2004, 2012, 2024) 16 (1924, 1928, 1936, 1940, 1944, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1968, 1976, 1984, 1992, 1994, 2006, 2014,[j] 2026, 2030)
14 North America 1904 2034 7 (1904, 1932, 1968, 1976, 1984, 1996, 2028) 7 (1932, 1960, 1980, 1988, 2002, 2010, 2034)
8 Asia 1964 2022 4 (1940, 1964, 1988, 2008, 2020) 4 (1940, 1972, 1998, 2018, 2022)
3 Oceania 1956 2032 3 (1956, 2000, 2032)
1 South America 2016 2016 1 (2016)[q]
0 Africa – –

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.[31]

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. Now Olympic Valley.
  8. Originally scheduled to end on 10 September 1972, but was postponed by one day after events had been suspended for 34 hours because of the Munich massacre, which happened after day 9.
  9. 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.
  10. 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).
  11. Located in present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, in what was then the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  12. 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.
  13. 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]
  14. Surfing events were held in France's overseas collectivity of French Polynesia, where there is a separate NOC that is not a member of the International Olympic Committee.[25]
  15. The Olympic Host Contract officially designates the regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur as the hosts of the 2030 Winter Olympics.[26]
  16. The Olympic Host Contract officially designates the state of Utah as the host of the 2034 Winter Olympics. Despite the branding, most of the events will take place in Salt Lake City.[27]
  17. The first Olympics to be held in South America.[30]

References

  1. Findling, John E.; Pelle, Kimberly D. (2004). Encyclopedia of the Modern Olympic Movement. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-313-32278-5.
  2. Karl Lennartz. "The 2nd International Olympic Games In Athens 1906" (PDF). Journal of Olympic History. No. Dec. 2001–Jan. 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 December 2013.
  3. "IOC, IPC, Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and Tokyo Metropolitan Government Announce New Dates for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020". International Olympic Committee. 30 March 2020. Archived from the original on 30 March 2020.
  4. "Tokyo 2020: Olympic Games organisers 'agree postponement'". BBC Sport. 24 March 2020. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020.
  5. Group, Taylor Francis (2003). The Europa World Yearbook. Taylor and Francis Group. p. 247. ISBN 978-1-85743-227-5. Archived from the original on 23 August 2024.
  6. "Choice of the Host City". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 19 June 2008.
  7. "The history of the process to elect Olympic Hosts". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024.
  8. "St Louis 1904". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 13 April 2008.
  9. "St. Louis gets Olympic Games; International Committee Sanctions the Change for the World's Fair in 1904" (PDF). The New York Times. No. 12 February 1903. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 July 2021.
  10. "Rome Games moved to London". realclearsports.com. 2008. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015.
  11. Durántez, Conrado (April–May 1997). "The Olympic Movement, a twentieth-century phenomenon" (PDF). Olympic Review. XXVI (14): 56–57. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2008.
  12. "Antwerp 1920 Summer Olympics – Athletes, Medals & Results". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021.
  13. "Chamonix 1924 Winter Olympics – Athletes, Medals & Results". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 20 August 2024.
  14. "Paris 1924 Summer Olympics – Athletes, Medals & Results". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022.
  15. "St. Moritz 1928 Winter Olympics – Athletes, Medals & Results". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 19 August 2024.
  16. "Amsterdam 1928 Summer Olympics – Athletes, Medals & Results". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022.
  17. "Lake Placid Winter Olympics – Athletes, Medals & Results". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 20 August 2024.
  18. "Los Angeles 1932 Summer Olympics – Athletes, Medals & Results". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022.
  19. "Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 Winter Olympics – Athletes, Medals & Results". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 19 August 2024.
  20. "Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics – Athletes, Medals & Results". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021.
  21. "Stockholm/Melbourne 1956". Swedish Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 9 October 2008.
  22. "Melbourne 1956 Summer Olympics – Athletes, Medals & Results". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022.
  23. Pile, Tim (25 June 2008). "Hong Kong saddles up for the Olympics". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 20 August 2008.
  24. "Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics – Athletes, Medals & Results". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022.
  25. Mather, Victor; Minsberg, Talya (6 March 2020). "For Paris Olympics, Surfing Will Head to Tahiti's 'Wall of Skulls'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022.
  26. "Olympic Host Contract – Principles" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. 2024.
  27. "Olympic Host Contract – Principles" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. 24 July 2024.
  28. "Winter Olympics 2030 in the French Alps". blue News. Archived from the original on 27 July 2024.
  29. 2030 Winter Olympics will be hosted by French Alps with some events in Albertville (luge, skeleton, bobsleigh, ski jumping, alpine skiing, nordic combined).
  30. Butcher, Rosina (26 July 2024). "Where did the Olympics originate? A complete history of the host cities". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 July 2024.
  31. "Will Africa ever host the Olympic Games as Egypt prepares 2036 bid?". BBC Sport. 17 April 2024. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024.