The first ancient Olympic Games were held in 776 BCE in Olympia, Greece.

Ancient Olympics

  • They began as a religious festival honoring Zeus and were held every four years in Olympia.
  • The Games continued for over a thousand years until they were abolished around 400 CE.

Modern Olympics

  • The first modern Olympic Games took place in Athens, Greece, in 1896 , organized by the newly formed International Olympic Committee.
  • Since then, the Summer Olympics have been held every four years (with a few wartime cancellations), and the Winter Olympics were added in 1924.

If you tell me which specific Olympics you mean (e.g., “Paris Olympics” or “Tokyo Olympics”), I can give the exact year and dates.