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The modernOlympic Games (Olympics;French:Jeux olympiques) are the world's leading internationalsporting events. They feature summer andwinter sports competitions in which thousands ofathletes from around the world participate in avariety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered the world's foremost sports competition, with more than 200 teams, representing sovereign states and territories, participating. By default, the Games generally substitute for anyworld championships during the year in which they take place (however, each class usually maintains its own records). The Olympics are staged every four years. Since1994, they have alternated between theSummer andWinter Olympics every two years during the four-yearOlympiad.
Their creation was inspired by theancient Olympic Games, held inOlympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD.Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded theInternational Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, leading to the first modern Games inAthens in1896. The IOC is the governing body of theOlympic Movement, which encompasses all entities and individuals involved in the Olympic Games. TheOlympic Charter defines their structure and authority.
The evolution of the Olympic Movement during the 20th and 21st centuries has resulted in numerous changes to the Olympic Games. Some of these adjustments include the creation of the Winter Olympic Games for snow and ice sports, theParalympic Games for athletes with disabilities, theYouth Olympic Games for athletes aged 14 to 18, the five Continental Games (Pan American,African,Asian,European, andPacific), and theWorld Games for sports that are not contested in the Olympic Games. The IOC also endorses theDeaflympics and theSpecial Olympics. The IOC has adapted to a variety of economic, political, and technological advancements. Theabuse of amateur rules prompted the IOC to shift away from pureamateurism, as envisioned by Coubertin, to the acceptance ofprofessional athletes participating at the Games. The growing importance of mass media has created the issue ofcorporate sponsorship and general commercialisation of the Games. World WarsI andII led to the cancellation of the1916,1940, and1944 Olympics; large-scale boycotts during theCold War limited participation in the1980 and1984 Olympics; and the2020 Olympics were postponed until 2021 because of theCOVID-19 restrictions.
In the early years, Australia's athletes did poorly; only two athletes placed in the top half of their events before 1976, while the vast majority placed in the bottom quarter, including some who finished last. This lack of success was attributed to the Australian culture, climate and lack of snow, as well as the lack of support for the athletes—sports administrators regarded investment in winter sports as futile.
After the appointment ofGeoff Henke—who had been unable to compete in 1956 after the administrators neglected to endorse his ice hockey team's application—as team manager in 1976, the results slowly began to improve, and by the 1990s, some Australians were regarded as medal prospects. The upturn in performance was accompanied by increased government funding for winter sports, the creation of theOlympic Winter Institute of Australia and the purchase of an alpine training base inAustria.
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| Credit: Walter Van der Ven |
The1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as theGames of the VII Olympiad, were celebrated in 1920 inAntwerp, Belgium. The 1920 Games were awarded to Antwerp to honor the suffering that had been inflicted on the Belgian people during the war.
| “ | I have always had a dream to take part in an Olympic Games, and losing my leg didn't change anything. | ” |
| — Natalie du Toit,South African swimmer, a Paralympians who compete at the2008 Summer Olympics | ||
He began his career as a distinguished junior ice hockey player, named to theWestern Hockey League (WHL) West Second All-Star Team and the Western Conference roster for the 1998 WHL All-Star Game (although he missed the game due to injury). Drafted in the first round, fifth overall by theNew York Islanders in the1997 NHL entry draft, Brewer has spent parts of his sixteen-year NHL career with the Islanders, theEdmonton Oilers, theSt. Louis Blues,Tampa Bay Lightning,Anaheim Ducks and Maple Leafs, andcaptained the Blues for two years. He has also suited up for thePrince George Cougars of the WHL and theLowell Lock Monsters of theAmerican Hockey League (AHL). In 1999, Brewer was selected for the Prince George Cougars' all-time team in aCanadian Hockey League promotion.
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The2026 Winter Olympics (Italian:Olimpiadi invernali del 2026), officially theXXV Olympic Winter Games and commonly known asMilano Cortina 2026, is an upcoming internationalmulti-sport event scheduled to take place from 6 to 22 February 2026 at sites acrossLombardy andNortheast Italy.
A joint bid byMilan andCortina d'Ampezzo was awarded the 2026 Winter Olympics at the134th IOC Session on 24 June 2019, beating a bid byStockholm andÅre, Sweden; they will be the first Olympic Games to officially be co-hosted by multiple cities, with Milan primarily hosting ice events, and the remaining events being hosted in clusters around Cortina, and theValtellina andFiemme valleys. They will mark the third Winter Olympics, and fourth overall, to be hosted by Italy; Cortina d'Ampezzo had previously hosted the1956 Winter Olympics.
The Games will feature the debut ofski mountaineering as a Winter Olympic event, and will be the first Olympic Games under theIOC presidency ofKirsty Coventry.
Separate current and precursor NOCs (records not combined):
| No. | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States (USA) | 1,219 | 1,000 | 876 | 3,095 |
| 2 |  Soviet Union (URS) | 473 | 376 | 355 | 1,204 |
| 3 |  China (CHN) | 325 | 258 | 221 | 804 |
| 4 |  Germany (GER) | 317 | 318 | 320 | 955 |
| 5 |  Great Britain (GBR) | 310 | 344 | 360 | 1,014 |
| 6 |  France (FRA) | 280 | 320 | 354 | 954 |
| 7 |  Italy (ITA) | 271 | 244 | 284 | 799 |
| 8 |  Sweden (SWE) | 216 | 232 | 242 | 690 |
| 9 |  Norway (NOR) | 213 | 187 | 176 | 576 |
| 10 |  Japan (JPN) | 206 | 191 | 221 | 618 |
The2028 Summer Olympics, officially theGames of the XXXIV Olympiad and commonly known asLos Angeles 2028 orLA28, is an upcoming internationalmulti-sport event scheduled to take place from July 14–30, 2028, in theUnited States.Los Angeles will be thehost city, with various events also scheduled to be held at other cities spread across theGreater Los Angeles area, plus two subsites inOklahoma City.
Los Angeles had originallybid for the2024 Summer Olympics. Following multiple withdrawals, theInternational Olympic Committee (IOC) approved a process to concurrently award the 2024 and 2028 Games to LA and Paris as the two remaining candidates; Paris was preferred as host for 2024, while Los Angeles agreed to host in 2028. Los Angeles was formally awarded the Games at the131st IOC Session inLima, Peru, on September 13, 2017. They will mark the fifth Summer Olympics, and ninth Olympics overall to be hosted by the United States; having previously hosted the Summer Olympics in1932 and1984, Los Angeles becomes the third three-time host city afterLondon (1908,1948,2012) and Paris (1900,1924,2024), and the first non-European city to do so. They will be the first Summer Olympics held under theIOC presidency ofKirsty Coventry.
After debuting in2020 as optional events,skateboarding,sport climbing, andsurfing have been promoted to the Summer Olympics' core event program. The Games will feature the debut offlag football andsquash as optional sports, joined by the return ofbaseball/softball,cricket (for the first time since 1900) andlacrosse (for the first time as a medal event since 1908). The modern pentathlon is expected to feature an updated format replacingshow jumping withobstacle course racing.
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