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
Sports Olympic Controversy: Will Jordan Chiles Be Forced to Return Her Bronze Medal?
The Olympic judges are getting dragged after a ruling determined that Jordan Chiles did not win her bronze medal.Sports Olympic Skateboarder Shows Off Tarnished Bronze Medal -- "Not Meant for the Send"
"They are apparently not as high quality as you would think."Sports North Korea Was Once Banned From the Olympics — How Are They Part of the 2024 Summer Games?
North Korea sent more than a dozen athletes to Paris for the Olympics.Sports Noah Lyles Revealed After the 200m Final That He Had COVID, but Why Did He Race?
He did not disclose that he had tested positive until after the event.Sports Noah Lyles Got a Yellow Card During the 200 Meter Final, but What Was the Card For?
Noah Lyles got a yellow card for "improper conduct" during the 200 meter final.Sports Paralympian Hunter Woodhall Gave up His Division I Track Scholarship to Go Pro
Hunter Woodhall was the first ever double amputee to receive an NCAA Division I track scholarship.Sports Alysha Newman Has Zero Regrets About the Twerking Celebration at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Alysha Newman won her first bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics.Influencers YouTuber and Disability Advocate Shane Burcaw's Olympics Video Led to Outpouring of Vile Comments
After hopping on a fun social media trend, Shane and Hannah Burcaw faced an avalanche of ugly comments.Sports Meet the Champions Behind Aaron Brooks’s Success — His Loving Parents
The parents of Olympic wrestler Aaron Brooks are his biggest support system, and they have been in his corner for years.Sports Wait, How Much Is Snoop Dogg Making at the Olympics Per Day? Hint: It's So Much
Snoop has done more than just chill with the likes of Caeleb Dressel's wife and child, August, whom he nicknamed Auggie Dogg.Sports Quincy Hall Repped Team USA When He Won Gold at the Olympics — Where Is He From?
Quincy's win was the first for Team USA since 2008.Sports Is Kenneth Rooks Married? The Olympic Steeplechaser Is the Second-Fastest American Ever
"I'm super grateful to share this experience with my family, my wife..."Sports Quincy Hall Already Has Gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics — But the Medal Is Nice Too
Wait, why does Quincy Hall have a gold grill?Sports Raven Saunders Has Become Known for Donning a Mask During Olympic Competitions
One of Raven's past masks gave them the nickname of "Hulk."Sports What's in That Mysterious Box That Olympic Medalists Receive on the Podium?
And the real question: Can we have what's inside?Sports Why Do Olympic Divers Have Little Towels? Explaining the Routine
The little towels serve a more important purpose than you'd think at the Olympics.Sports Gabby Thomas Is Proud to Have Her Boyfriend in Her Corner
Gabby ran over and took a selfie with her boyfriend immediately after winning the gold medal.Sports Why Did Anna Cockrell Raise Her Hand? "I Was Within My Rights To Do That"
"There was kind of a discussion about what was going on. I have a lot of respect for the officials out there," Anna said.Sports Here's Why Olympic Divers Wear Tape — It's Not a Fashion Statement
At it turns out, this tape is called kinesiology therapeutic tape, or “KT tape," and it serves a very important purpose.Sports Olympic Pole Vaulter Anthony Ammirati Was Offered an Porn Deal Following His Viral Moment
The French pole vaulter has not addressed the now-viral incident.Sports Why Gabby Thomas Wears an Arm Sleeve: The Science Behind It
Gabby Thomas's arm sleeve is stylish and functional — here's the reason why she rocks the band!Sports An Olympic Rule Change Caused Drama for Sha’Carri Richardson — Here’s What Went Down!
Sha'Carri Richardson was denied entry into the Olympic stadium — but only through one specific gate.Sports Jordan Chiles's Score Changed Earned Her a Bronze Medal for Her Floor Routine
"I honestly didn't expect this like whatsoever," Jordan said of the score change.Sports Marlon Humphrey's Comments About Simone Biles Quickly Backfired on Social Media
Marlon called Simone's support of Rebeca Andrade's win at the Olympic floor finals "literally disgusting."Sports Why Did Everyone Fall off the Beam — Including Simone Biles?
"Who put wax on the balance beam?" a fan wondered.Sports The Reason Mondo Duplantis, a Louisiana Native, Competes for Sweden and Not the U.S.
Technically, Duplantis holds dual citizenship in Sweden, but that isn’t what drew him to compete for Sweden rather than the U.S.Sports Armand "Mondo" Duplantis's Girlfriend, Desiré Inglander, Is a Big Deal in Sweden
Mondo kissed his girlfriend while celebrating his gold medal at the Paris Olympics.Sports Why Kaylia Nemour Competes for Algeria: The Story Behind Her Olympic Switch
Forget France -- Kaylia Nemour decided to compete for Algeria at the 2024 Paris Olympics and won big time!Sports Serena Williams Slams the Peninsula Paris for Denying Access to Her and Her Daughters
"I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in an empty restaurant of nicer places, but never with my kids," Serena said on X.Sports Olympic Runner Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Missed the 100-meter Semi-Final — What Happened?
"There is no truth that she was not allowed to enter the stadium."Sports In the Olympics, Why Do They Run 1500 Meters Instead of a Mile?
"In the mile, I always knew where I stood in relation to the rest of the race, and how far I had come and had yet to go. But the 1,500 was always disorienting," wrote Oliver Staley.Sports A Speedy Love Story: Noah Lyles and Junelle Bromfield's Relationship Timeline Explained
The athletic power couple have been together since Aug. 5, 2022.Sports Why Do Female Beach Volleyball Players Wear Bikinis — Not Functional Performance Wear?
"They don’t view it as swim wear or anything like a fashion statement," USA Volleyball's Corinne Calabro said.Sports Olympic Pole Vaulter Anthony Ammirati Is the Whole Package When It Comes to Dating
Anthony Ammirati's viral pole vaulting video has people talking.Sports Simone Biles on Her Goat Necklace: "[Some] People Love It, Some People Hate It"
We LOVE it, Simone.Sports Table Tennis Players Have Some Unique Habits, From Touching the Table to Stomping — Why Do They Do That?
Lots of sports have their quirks.Sports "We Are Warriors": Flavia Saraiva Helps Team Brazil Make Olympics History Despite Injury
The Brazilian gymnast helped Team Brazil win its first Olympic medal for women's gymnastics.Sports Equestrian Show Jumper Federico Fernandez Survived a Horrific Plane Crash as a Teen
“Since that day I learned to not be worried about things that don’t matter."Sports Here's How Horses Are Transported to the Olympics, and It's Not on "Air Horse One"
Horses carry a lot of baggage when traveling for the Olympic Games.Sports Simone Biles's Tooth Gems Are the Talk of the Town
It's not just Simone's leotard that sparkles.Sports The Olympics' Chocolate Muffins Have Gone Viral — Bakers Have Figured out How to Make Them
Here's how you can make the viral treat.Sports Everything To Know About Angela Carini and Imane Khelif's 46 Second Olympic Boxing Match
Imane Khelif was previously disqualified from a competition with the 2023 World Boxing Championships.Sports Why Does Australia Wear Green and Gold in the Olympics? The Color Combo's History Explained
There's a reason Australia chose these specific colors.Sports Olympic Golf Works Slightly Differently Than Regular Golf, Especially Where Cuts Are Involved
Not to be confused with "cut shots," another golfing term.Sports Olympic Shooter Yusuf Dikeç Has Gone Viral: "Did Turkey Send a Hitman to the Olympics?"
"He would've lit a cigarette if he could."Sports Chase Jackson Clears up Olympic Uniform Controversy, Calls It an "Admin Error"
Chase has advocated for body positivity since gaining fame as an Olympic champion.Sports Why Are Gymnasts So Short? Are Short People Just Better at Gymnastics, or Does It Stunt Growth?
"Because I'm a lot shorter of a gymnast, it helps me move around a lot better — especially vault," Asher Hong said.Sports Where Does Simone Biles Live? The Gymnastics GOAT Has Her Heart in One Place
"A home is made with love and dreams," Simone said.Sports Gymnast Giorgia Vill Is Living the Dream as a Sponsor for Parmesan Cheese
"Since I was a child I have always loved this fantastic product, a symbol of Italian excellence and culture."Sports Simone Biles Said She Had the "Twisties," but What Does That Mean?
Simone Biles withdrew from events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics because of the "twisties." Here's what it means.