The Olympics are held every four years, but there is some nuance: the Summer Olympics are every four years, the Winter Olympics are every four years, and they alternate so that some form of the Games happens every two years.

How Often Are the Olympics Held? 🏅

Meta description: Wondering “olympics how often”? Here’s a clear breakdown of how frequently the Summer and Winter Games are held, why it’s every four years, and what the modern schedule looks like.

Quick Scoop

  • The Olympic Games follow a four-year cycle called an Olympiad.
    • [3][7][1]
  • Summer Olympics: every four years.
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  • Winter Olympics: every four years.
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  • Since 1994, Summer and Winter Games are staggered, so there is an Olympic Games every two years (Summer, then Winter, then Summer, etc.).
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  • The four‑year rhythm comes from ancient Greece, where the original Games were held every four years in Olympia.
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“Think of the Olympics like a heartbeat of world sport: every four years for each type of Games, but a pulse every two years for fans.”

How Often Are the Olympics? (Simple Answer)

  1. Summer Olympics: Held every four years.
    2. [1][5]
  2. Winter Olympics: Held every four years.
    3. [5][3]
  3. Overall schedule: Because Summer and Winter are staggered, the world gets an Olympic Games every two years.
    4. [9][3][5]

Example: After the Summer Games, you typically wait two years for the Winter Games, then another two years for the next Summer Games, and so on.

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Why Every Four Years?

  • Ancient tradition: The original Olympic Games in ancient Greece, starting in 776 BCE, were held every four years at Olympia as part of a religious festival honoring Zeus.
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  • The “Olympiad”: The four‑year period between Games was so important that Greeks used it as a way to measure time, calling it an Olympiad.
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  • Modern revival: When the modern Olympics were brought back in 1896, organizers kept the four‑year cycle to respect that tradition and to allow time for cities to prepare and athletes to train.
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This four‑year spacing also helps keep the Games feeling like a rare, big global moment rather than a routine event.

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Summer vs. Winter: How the Schedule Changed

Originally, Summer and Winter Olympics were held in the same year; that changed in the late 20th century.

[5][1][3] [1][3][5] [5][1] [3][5] [3][5] [9][5][3] [7][3] [3] [5][9][3]
Period Summer Games Winter Games Overall Pattern
1924–1992Every 4 years, e.g., 1924, 1928, 1932, ...Every 4 years, in the same year as Summer Games.Huge “double” Olympic years, then 4‑year gaps.
Since 1994Every 4 years (first year of an Olympiad).Every 4 years (third year of the same Olympiad).One Olympic Games every 2 years (Summer and Winter alternating).

At a 1986 meeting, the International Olympic Committee decided to separate Summer and Winter Games into alternating even years, leading to the first “off‑cycle” Winter Games in Lillehammer in 1994.

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Recent and Upcoming Context (As of 2026)

The Games have continued to follow the staggered, every‑two‑years pattern, with occasional disruptions like the pandemic delay of Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021) but still counted as part of the usual four‑year cycle.

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  • Tokyo “2020”: Held in 2021 due to COVID‑19 but still treated as the 2020 Summer Games.
    • [1]
  • Modern trend: Each edition has grown into a global multimedia event with billions of viewers, heavy social media presence, and intense debates about costs, sustainability, and legacy.
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Forum-Style Take: What People Usually Ask

“Wait, I feel like the Olympics are ‘on’ all the time now—isn’t it every two years?”

Common forum clarifications:

  • “Every four years” refers to each type of Games (Summer or Winter) individually.
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  • “Every two years” is what fans experience overall, because Summer and Winter alternate.
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  • Historically, big disruptions (world wars, pandemics) have led to cancellations or delays, but the four‑year cycle remains the guiding rule.
    • [1][5][9]

TL;DR

  • Summer Olympics: every four years.
    • [5][1]
  • Winter Olympics: every four years.
    • [3][5]
  • Staggered schedule: an Olympic Games of some kind every two years.
    • [9][3][5]
  • All rooted in an ancient four‑year tradition called the Olympiad.
    • [7][1]

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.