Summer Olympic Games

The first Summer Olympic Games (also known as the Games of the Olympiad) were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece, and featured 42 competitions with fewer than 250 male athletes.
Today, there are over 300 events with more than 11,000 competitors (male and female) from 206 countries. Since its inception, the Summer Games have been hosted by the United States four times, three times by Great Britain, and twice by Greece, France, Germany, and Australia.
The United States leads with the all-time medal count for the Summer Olympics with over 2,500 medals (Russia follows in second with just over 1,500).
First Summer Olympic Games: 1896 (Athens, Greece)
Most popular Summer Olympic Games sports:
- Category A (athletics, aquatics, and gymnastics)
- Category B (basketball, cycling, football, tennis, volleyball)
- Category C (archery, badminton, boxing, judo, rowing, shooting, table tennis, weightlifting)
Athletes with the most Summer Olympic Games medals:
- Michael Phelps (swimming) — 28 medals
- Larisa Latynina (gymnastics) — 18 medals
- Nikolai Andrianov (gymnastics) — 13 medals
- Boris Shakhlin (gymnastics) — 13 medals
- Edoardo Mangiarotti (fencing) — 13 medals
- Takashi Ono (gymnastics) — 13 medals
When is the next Summer Olympics? The 2024 Summer Olympics will be held in Paris, France, followed by the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Latest Summer Olympic Games News and Updates

WNBA's Brittney Griner Detained in Russia on Drug Charges — Wife Cherelle Deeply Worried

The Real Reason Why Bob Costas Isn't Hosting Olympic Coverage This Year

Find out the Symbolic Meaning Behind the Iconic Olympic Rings

Olympic Athletes Can Get Paid for Their Remarkable Athleticism, but It's Usually Not Much

When Will the Olympics Be in the USA Again? It's Been 20 Years Since the Games Were Here

What Country Is ROC in the Olympics? Athletes From Banned Country Compete

Rival Olympians Kim Meylemans and Nicole Silveira Are Dating! Inside Their Love Life

This Is What the Acronym 'S13' Refers to in the Context of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

Are the Paralympics Airing on TV? Here's How You Can Watch the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

Paralympic Triathlete Melissa Stockwell Talks Mental Health: "The Pressure Is There" (EXCLUSIVE)

B-Boys Talk Culture and the Significance of Breakdancing in the 2024 Summer Olympics (EXCLUSIVE)

What Happened to Olympic Horse Saint Boy? Foul Play at the Pentathlon

The Most Decorated Track Athlete, Allyson Felix, Reflects on How She's "Completely Evolved" (EXCLUSIVE)

If You’re Wondering Why MLB Players Aren’t in the Olympics, Here’s Why: $$$

No, Team USA Doesn’t Stink at Basketball — the World’s Just Catching Up

There's a Strategic Reason Why Race Walkers Wiggle Their Hips

Olympian Allyson Felix Has Her Own Shoe, Saysh One — Here's How to Get It

Athletes Alix Klineman and Teddy Purcell Got Engaged Shortly Before the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games

OK — so What Is the Point of the Steeplechase Again?

Soccer Star Carli Lloyd Opens up About Reconnecting With Her Estranged Family After 12 Years

What Country at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics Is Abbreviated SUI?

Mondo Duplantis Competes for Sweden Because the Country Really, Really Wanted Him

Olympic Medalist Raven Saunders' Mom Passed Away Days After Her Win

Haunting Photos of Abandoned Olympic Stadiums

No, It's Not a Fashion Statement: Here's Why Olympic Divers Wear Tape

Volleyball Players Celebrate After Every Point for Two Reasons

Jade Carey's Parents Have Coached Her for the Olympics Since She Was Little

Olympic Baseball Has a Few Noticeable Changes From the Game We All Know and Love

Why Do Fencers Bend Their Swords? Historical Context Is Key

Why Do Olympic Swimmers Slap Themselves and Splash Water Before Swimming?

Those Funny-Looking Water Polo Caps Serve an Important Purpose

Paralympic Swimmer Jessica Long Shares Her Adoption Story in Toyota’s “Upstream” Ad

The Cost to Compete in Olympic Dressage Is Higher Than You Think

Racewalking Is Not the Weirdest Sport to Have Ever Been at the Olympics

Sydney McLaughlin and Her Former NFL Player Boyfriend Share a Love for Sports and Spirituality

BMX Bikes May Be Small, but There's a Good Reason for It

Katie Ledecky Is Known for Her Swimming, but That Isn't the Only Thing That Defines Her

Are Olympic Diving Pools Really as Deep as the Length of a School Bus?

The Real Reason the Netherlands' Athletes Wear Orange at the Olympics Is Quite Interesting

Gymnasts Rely on a Range of Tricks to Reduce Friction on Uneven Bars — Some of Which Involve Molasses

The Reason That Rory McIlroy Isn't Wearing a Hat at the Olympics Is Pretty Hilarious

Horse Enthusiasts Claim Dressage Is Either the Best or Worst Sport in the World

Gold Medalist Suni Lee Is the First Hmong American to Represent Team USA

What Do the Acronyms "OR" and "WR" Mean in the Context of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020?

What Does It Mean to "Scratch" a Match in Swimming? We Have the Answers You Need

Why You Need to Follow Viral Olympic Rugby Player Ilona Maher on TikTok

Simone Biles Says She Has the "Twisties" but What Does That Mean?

This Is the Real Reason Sky Brown Is Repping Team G.B. at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

The Air Horns We Heard During the 2020 Olympics Swimming Events Were Totally "Obnoxious"

Hong Kong Has Its Own Olympics Team Due to a Complicated History With China

Why Do Olympic Swimmers Wear Two Caps? Your Swimming Questions, Answered

Some Olympic Medalists Bite Their Medals During Medal Ceremonies — Why?

MyKayla Skinner's Olympic Gymnastics Journey May Not Be Over Just Yet

Jade Carey Once "Snubbed" Team USA Gymnastics Offer: Here's Why

Simone Biles Gets Silver Medal After Leaving Olympics Final for Mental Health

Paralympian Hunter Woodhall Gave up His Division I Track Scholarship to Go Pro

Will Simone Biles Compete in the Individual All-Around at the 2020 Olympics? Find out What She Said

Serena Williams Has a Really Good Reason for Skipping the Tokyo Olympics

What Is a 'Libero' in Volleyball? Why One Player Wears a Different Color Jersey

Jade Carey Will Replace Simone Biles in the All-Around Final

These Athletes Are Sharing an Inside Look at the Olympic Village on TikTok

The Reason Puerto Rico Has Its Own Olympic Team Essentially Boils Down to Bureaucracy

Where Are Former USA Gymnastics Coaches Bela and Martha Karolyi Now?

Those Sprays of Water on the Olympic Diving Pools Are More Important Than You Realize

Where Is Gymnast Kerri Strug Since Winning Gold at the 1996 Atlanta Games?

Some Viewers Think They See Lady Gaga Competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Simone Biles' Olympic Stumble Isn't the Real Reason She Withdrew From the Games

Simone Biles Is Already the Gymnastics GOAT, but Is Her Career Almost Over?

Caeleb Dressel and His Wife Meghan Have Been Together Since High School

Tom Daley and His Husband Have a Very Adorable Family Life

Breakdancing Will Make its Olympic Debut at the 2024 Games

Gymnasts Simone Biles and Alec Yoder's Friendship Started on Twitter!

Simone Biles May Be the GOAT, but One Event Stands Out Above the Rest

Olympic Swimmer Katie Ledecky's Relationship Status Revealed

Olympian John John Florence Woke up One Day and Decided He Wanted to Marry His Girlfriend

Simone Biles and Her Many Siblings Had a Complicated Childhood

Olympic Gold Medalist Swimmer Caeleb Dressel Has Several Tattoos — What Do They Stand For?

Olympians Must Adhere to a Strict Code of Conduct While Participating in the Tokyo Games

Three-Time Olympian Sam Mikulak Is Engaged to Get Married on New Year's Eve 2021

Several Athletes Have Tested Positive for COVID-19 Inside the Olympic Village — Find out Who

Olympian Cat Osterman and Her Husband Have the Most Adorable Love Story

The Reason Why Team USA Gymnasts Are Rocking Different-Colored Leotards

One TikTok User Decided to Go for the Gold by Setting His Tinder Location to the Olympic Village

Get to Know NBC’s Primetime Olympics Host Mike Tirico

Olympic Gold Medalist and Soccer Star Mia Hamm Is Doing Just Fine

Controversial Gymnast MyKayla Skinner Set to Make Olympic Debut in Tokyo

Confused About How Skateboarding at the Olympics Works? Park vs. Street Skating, Explained

The Age of the Youngest Olympic Athlete Will Make You Feel Incompetent

This Australian Equestrian Will Be the Oldest Competitor at the 2021 Olympics

This Sneaker Manufacturer Probably Loves the Olympic Medal Design

Who Will Be Performing at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 Opening Ceremony? Here's What We Know

The 2021 Olympics Are Referred to as the 'Tokyo 2020' Games for a Simple Reason

Everything You Need to Know About the Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony

21 Olympic Jokes for Kids to Celebrate the Summer Games

Yes, Athletes Will Still Get Condoms Despite Sex Ban at Tokyo Olympics

What Happens to the Olympic Village After the Games? It Depends on the City

Michael Phelps Will Be at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo as a Broadcaster for NBC

Team USA Surfer Carissa Moore Had a Lovely Island-Themed Wedding in 2017

Becca Meyers' Parents Speak Out on Daughter's Decision to Withdraw From Paralympics
