Olympic Games: A Comprehensive Overview

The modern Olympic Games began in 1896 with the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, inspired by the ancient Olympic Games (776 BC–393 AD). Revived by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who founded the IOC in 1894, the first Games featured 241 athletes from 14 nations competing in 43 events. The Winter Olympics started in 1924 in Chamonix, France, initially as a winter sports week tied to the 1924 Paris Summer Games. The IOC has since overseen the Games, with the Olympic Charter defining their structure. The Games have evolved to include professional athletes, Paralympics, Youth Olympics, and continental games, adapting to global economic, political, and technological changes.

Countries Where the Olympic Games Are Held (Host Countries)

The Olympic Games have been hosted by 47 cities in 23 countries across 28 Summer and 23 Winter editions (1896–2024), with future editions planned through 2034. The United States has hosted the most (8 times: 4 Summer, 4 Winter), followed by France (6 times: 3 Summer, 3 Winter). Below is a list of Summer and Winter Olympic host cities:

Summer Olympic Host Cities

Winter Olympic Host Cities

Key Notes: The United States and France dominate hosting, with Asia (Japan, China, South Korea) increasingly prominent since 1988. No African nation has hosted, despite bids from Egypt and South Africa. The 2016 Rio Games marked South America’s first hosting. Cancellations occurred in 1916, 1940, and 1944 due to world wars, and the 2020 Tokyo Games were postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19.

Which Games (Sports) Are Included?

The Olympic Games feature 35 sports (26 Summer, 15 Winter), 30 disciplines, and 408 events across Summer and Winter programs. Summer sports include athletics, swimming, and gymnastics, while Winter sports feature skiing, skating, and ice hockey. The program evolves through IOC revisions, with sports added or removed based on universality, popularity, and other criteria. Below is the current list of Olympic sports (2024 Paris Summer and 2022 Beijing Winter):

Summer Olympic Sports

1. Aquatics (Swimming, Artistic Swimming, Diving, Water Polo)

2. Archery

3. Athletics

4. Badminton

5. Basketball (5×5, 3×3)

6. Boxing

7. Breaking

8. Canoeing (Slalom, Sprint)

9. Cycling (BMX Freestyle, BMX Racing, Mountain Bike, Road, Track)

10. Equestrian (Dressage, Eventing, Jumping)

11. Fencing

12. Football

13. Golf

14. Gymnastics (Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampoline)

15. Handball

16. Hockey

17. Judo

18. Modern Pentathlon

19. Rowing

20. Rugby Sevens

21. Sailing

22. Shooting

23. Skateboarding

24. Sport Climbing

25. Surfing

26. Table Tennis

27. Taekwondo

28. Tennis

29. Triathlon

30. Volleyball (Indoor, Beach)

31. Weightlifting

32. Wrestling (Freestyle, Greco-Roman)

Winter Olympic Sports

1. Alpine Skiing

2. Biathlon

3. Bobsleigh

4. Cross-Country Skiing

5. Curling

6. Figure Skating

7. Freestyle Skiing

8. Ice Hockey

9. Luge

10. Nordic Combined

11. Short Track Speed Skating

12. Skeleton

13. Ski Jumping

14. Snowboard

15. Speed Skating

Mixed Events: Introduced to promote gender equality, mixed events include 13 events across 11 disciplines in the 2024 Summer Games (e.g., mixed team archery, mixed 4x400m relay in athletics, mixed doubles in table tennis).

Which Events Occurred in the Past but Not Now?

• Past (Discontinued) Events:

  • Baseball (1992–2008, 2020): Dropped after 2008 due to limited global participation; reinstated for 2020 but excluded from 2024.

  • Softball (1996–2008, 2020): Removed post-2008 for similar reasons; returned in 2020 but not in 2024.

  • Croquet (1900), Tug of War (1900–1920), Polo (1900–1936), Lacrosse (1904–1908): Early sports dropped due to low participation.

  • Jeu de Paume (1908), Rackets (1908), Motor Boating (1908): One-off events in early Games.

  • Cricket (1900), Rope Climbing (1896–1932), Standing Jumps (1900–1912): Discontinued due to outdated formats.

• Current Events (Recent Additions):

  • Breaking (2024): Debuted in Paris to attract younger audiences.

  • Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Surfing (2020–present): Added to reflect modern sports trends.

  • Rugby Sevens (2016–present), Golf (2016–present): Reintroduced after long absences.

  • Mixed Events: Expanded significantly (e.g., mixed triathlon relay, mixed judo team) for gender balance.

Key Notes: The IOC limits Summer Games to 28 sports and 10,500 athletes. Baseball and softball may return in 2028 due to U.S. popularity. Rhythmic gymnastics remains women-only, while Nordic combined is men-only in Winter Games.

Till Now, India’s Position

India has participated in 26 Summer Olympics (1900, 1920–present) and 8 Winter Olympics (1964–1988, 1998, 2002, 2022), ranking 54th in the all-time Summer Olympic medal table (as of 2024 Paris):

• Medals: 10 Gold, 9 Silver, 16 Bronze (Total: 35).

• Highlights: India’s best performance was in 2020 Tokyo (7 medals: 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 4 Bronze). Field hockey dominates with 8 Golds (1928–1956, 1964, 1980). Neeraj Chopra’s javelin gold (2020) was India’s first athletics medal. Wrestling (7 medals) and shooting (4 medals) are strong areas. In 2024 Paris, India won 6 medals (1 Silver, 5 Bronze).

All-Time Top 10 Summer Olympic Medal Table (as of 2024):

Winter Olympics: India has no Winter Olympic medals, with limited participation due to lack of snow sports infrastructure.

Members (Participating Nations) with Website Links

As of 2024, 207 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) are recognized by the IOC, including 195 sovereign states, 8 dependencies, 3 IOC-specific teams (Refugee Olympic Team, Individual Neutral Athletes, Mixed Teams), and 1 state with limited recognition (Chinese Taipei). Five nations (Australia, France, Great Britain, Greece, Switzerland) have competed in all Summer Olympics. Below are the NOCs with their official websites (where available):

• Afghanistan: Afghanistan National Olympic Committee

• Albania: Albanian National Olympic Committee

• Algeria: Algerian Olympic Committee

• American Samoa: American Samoa National Olympic Committee

• Andorra: Andorran Olympic Committee

• Angola: Angolan Olympic Committee

• Antigua and Barbuda: Antigua and Barbuda National Olympic Committee

• Argentina: Argentine Olympic Committee

• Armenia: National Olympic Committee of Armenia

• Aruba: Aruban Olympic Committee

• Australia: Australian Olympic Committee

• Austria: Austrian Olympic Committee

• Azerbaijan: National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan

• Bahamas: Bahamas Olympic Committee

• Bahrain: Bahrain Olympic Committee

• Bangladesh: Bangladesh Olympic Association

• Barbados: Barbados Olympic Association

• Belgium: Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee

• Belize: Belize Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association

• Benin: Benin National Olympic and Sports Committee

• Bermuda: Bermuda Olympic Association

• Bhutan: Bhutan Olympic Committee

• Bolivia: Bolivian Olympic Committee

• Bosnia and Herzegovina: Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Botswana: Botswana National Olympic Committee

• Brazil: Brazilian Olympic Committee

• British Virgin Islands: BVI Olympic Committee

• Brunei Darussalam: Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Committee

• Bulgaria: Bulgarian Olympic Committee

• Burkina Faso: Burkina Faso National Olympic and Sports Committee

• Burundi: Burundi Olympic Committee

• Cambodia: National Olympic Committee of Cambodia

• Cameroon: Cameroon Olympic and Sports Committee

• Canada: Canadian Olympic Committee

• Cape Verde: Cape Verde Olympic Committee

• Cayman Islands: Cayman Islands Olympic Committee

• Central African Republic: Central African Olympic Committee

• Chad: Chadian Olympic and Sports Committee

• Chile: Chilean Olympic Committee

• China: Chinese Olympic Committee

• Chinese Taipei: Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee

• Colombia: Colombian Olympic Committee

• Comoros: Comoros Olympic and Sports Committee

• Congo: Congo Olympic and Sports Committee

• Cook Islands: Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee

• Costa Rica: Costa Rican Olympic Committee

• Croatia: Croatian Olympic Committee

• Cuba: Cuban Olympic Committee

• Cyprus: Cyprus Olympic Committee

• Czech Republic: Czech Olympic Committee

• Democratic Republic of the Congo: DR Congo Olympic Committee

• Denmark: National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark

• Djibouti: Djibouti Olympic Committee

• Dominica: Dominica Olympic Committee

• Dominican Republic: Dominican Republic Olympic Committee

• Ecuador: Ecuadorian Olympic Committee

• Egypt: Egyptian Olympic Committee

• El Salvador: El Salvador Olympic Committee

• Equatorial Guinea: Equatorial Guinea Olympic Committee

• Eritrea: Eritrean National Olympic Committee

• Estonia: Estonian Olympic Committee

• Eswatini: Eswatini Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association

• Ethiopia: Ethiopian Olympic Committee

• Fiji: Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee

• Finland: Finnish Olympic Committee

• France: French National Olympic and Sports Committee

• Gabon: Gabonese Olympic Committee

• Gambia: Gambia National Olympic Committee

• Georgia: Georgian National Olympic Committee

• Germany: German Olympic Sports Confederation

• Ghana: Ghana Olympic Committee

• Great Britain: British Olympic Association

• Greece: Hellenic Olympic Committee

• Grenada: Grenada Olympic Committee

• Guam: Guam National Olympic Committee

• Guatemala: Guatemalan Olympic Committee

• Guinea: Guinea National Olympic Committee

• Guinea-Bissau: Guinea-Bissau Olympic Committee

• Guyana: Guyana Olympic Association

• Haiti: Haitian Olympic Committee

• Hong Kong, China: Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong

• Hungary: Hungarian Olympic Committee

• Iceland: National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland

• India: Indian Olympic Association

• Indonesia: Indonesian Olympic Committee

• Iran: National Olympic Committee of Iran

• Iraq: National Olympic Committee of Iraq

• Ireland: Olympic Federation of Ireland

• Israel: Olympic Committee of Israel

• Italy: Italian National Olympic Committee

• Jamaica: Jamaica Olympic Association

• Japan: Japanese Olympic Committee

• Jordan: Jordan Olympic Committee

• Kazakhstan: National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan

• Kenya: National Olympic Committee of Kenya

• Kiribati: Kiribati National Olympic Committee

• Kosovo: Kosovo Olympic Committee

• Kuwait: Kuwait Olympic Committee

• Kyrgyzstan: National Olympic Committee of Kyrgyzstan

• Laos: National Olympic Committee of Laos

• Latvia: Latvian Olympic Committee

• Lebanon: Lebanese Olympic Committee

• Lesotho: Lesotho National Olympic Committee

• Liberia: Liberia National Olympic Committee

• Libya: Libyan Olympic Committee

• Liechtenstein: Liechtenstein Olympic Committee

• Lithuania: Lithuanian National Olympic Committee

• Luxembourg: Luxembourg Olympic and Sporting Committee

• Madagascar: Malagasy Olympic Committee

• Malawi: Malawi Olympic Committee

• Malaysia: Olympic Council of Malaysia

• Maldives: National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Maldives

• Mali: Mali National Olympic and Sports Committee

• Malta: Malta Olympic Committee

• Marshall Islands: Marshall Islands National Olympic Committee

• Mauritania: Mauritania Olympic Committee

• Mauritius: Mauritius Olympic Committee

• Mexico: Mexican Olympic Committee

• Micronesia: Federated States of Micronesia National Olympic Committee

• Moldova: National Olympic Committee of Moldova

• Monaco: Monaco Olympic Committee

• Mongolia: Mongolian National Olympic Committee

• Montenegro: Montenegrin Olympic Committee

• Morocco: Moroccan National Olympic Committee

• Mozambique: Mozambique National Olympic Committee

• Myanmar: Myanmar Olympic Committee

• Namibia: Namibia National Olympic Committee

• Nauru: Nauru Olympic Committee

• Nepal: Nepal Olympic Committee

• Netherlands: Dutch Olympic Committee

• New Zealand: New Zealand Olympic Committee

• Nicaragua: Nicaraguan Olympic Committee

• Niger: Niger Olympic Committee

• Nigeria: Nigeria Olympic Committee

• North Macedonia: Olympic Committee of North Macedonia

• Norway: Norwegian Olympic Committee

• Oman: Oman Olympic Committee

• Pakistan: Pakistan Olympic Association

• Palau: Palau National Olympic Committee

• Palestine: Palestine Olympic Committee

• Panama: Panamanian Olympic Committee

• Papua New Guinea: Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee

• Paraguay: Paraguayan Olympic Committee

• Peru: Peruvian Olympic Committee

• Philippines: Philippine Olympic Committee

• Poland: Polish Olympic Committee

• Portugal: Olympic Committee of Portugal

• Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico Olympic Committee

• Qatar: Qatar Olympic Committee

• Romania: Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee

• Rwanda: Rwanda National Olympic and Sports Committee

• Saint Kitts and Nevis: St. Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee

• Saint Lucia: Saint Lucia Olympic Committee

• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: St. Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee

• Samoa: Samoa Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee

• San Marino: San Marino National Olympic Committee

• São Tomé and Príncipe: São Tomé and Príncipe Olympic Committee

• Saudi Arabia: Saudi Olympic Committee

• Senegal: Senegalese Olympic and Sports Committee

• Serbia: Olympic Committee of Serbia

• Seychelles: Seychelles Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association

• Sierra Leone: National Olympic Committee of Sierra Leone

• Singapore: Singapore National Olympic Council

• Slovakia: Slovak Olympic and Sports Committee

• Slovenia: Slovenian Olympic Committee

• Solomon Islands: Solomon Islands National Olympic Committee

• Somalia: Somali Olympic Committee

• South Africa: South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee

• South Korea: Korean Sport & Olympic Committee

• South Sudan: South Sudan Olympic Committee

• Spain: Spanish Olympic Committee

• Sri Lanka: National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka

• Sudan: Sudan Olympic Committee

• Suriname: Suriname Olympic Committee

• Sweden: Swedish Olympic Committee

• Switzerland: Swiss Olympic Association

• Syria: Syrian Olympic Committee

• Tajikistan: National Olympic Committee of Tajikistan

• Tanzania: Tanzania Olympic Committee

• Thailand: National Olympic Committee of Thailand

• Timor-Leste: National Olympic Committee of Timor-Leste

• Togo: Togo National Olympic Committee

• Tonga: Tonga Sports Association and National Olympic Committee

• Trinidad and Tobago: Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee

• Tunisia: Tunisian Olympic Committee

• Turkey: Turkish Olympic Committee

• Turkmenistan: National Olympic Committee of Turkmenistan

• Tuvalu: Tuvalu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee

• Uganda: Uganda Olympic Committee

• Ukraine: National Olympic Committee of Ukraine

• United Arab Emirates: UAE National Olympic Committee

• United States: United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee

• Uruguay: Uruguayan Olympic Committee

• Uzbekistan: National Olympic Committee of Uzbekistan

• Vanuatu: Vanuatu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee

• Venezuela: Venezuelan Olympic Committee

• Vietnam: Vietnam Olympic Committee

• Virgin Islands, US: Virgin Islands Olympic Committee

• Yemen: Yemen Olympic Committee

• Zambia: National Olympic Committee of Zambia

• Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe Olympic Committee

• Refugee Olympic Team: IOC Refugee Olympic Team

• Individual Neutral Athletes: No dedicated website (IOC-managed)

Notes:

• Links are current as of October 24, 2025, sourced from IOC directories (olympics.com/ioc/national-olympic-committees).

• Russia’s NOC is suspended (2023–present); athletes compete as Individual Neutral Athletes under strict conditions.

• Non-sovereign NOCs (e.g., Hong Kong, Puerto Rico) are permitted due to IOC’s flexible criteria for “independent states recognized by the international community.”

All Games in Olympic Games: Regulatory Bodies and Official Links (National/International)

Each Olympic sport is governed by an International Federation (IF) for global rules, with regional confederations and national federations (e.g., India) managing local events. Below is the list of Olympic sports with their regulatory bodies and links (international and Indian national as an example).

Notes:

• Links are current as of October 24, 2025, sourced from IOC/IF websites and national federation directories.

• For sports like breaking, canoeing, gymnastics, modern pentathlon, and triathlon, where Indian federations lack dedicated websites, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) link is used: sportsauthorityofindia.nic.in.

• Winter sports in India are managed by the Winter Games Federation of India or Ice Skating Association of India due to limited infrastructure.

• For other countries’ national federations, refer to respective NOC websites or IOC’s directory: olympics.com/ioc/national-olympic-committees.