How often are the Olympics held?
The Olympic Games are held every 4 years.
Both the Summer and Winter Olympics occur every 4 years but as they are now separate events and alternate, there are Olympics on every 2 years.
The facts surrounding the timing of the Olympics are fascinating.
And were certainly news to me.
Read on to find out more.
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So how often are the Olympics?
The Olympics are held every 4 years.
The reason for the Olympics being held every 4 years goes back to the origin of the Olympic games.
So about 3000 years ago!
Our Modern Olympics are actually based on the ancient games hosted every 4 years in Olympia, Ancient Greece.
And held in the honour of the Greek god Zeus.
The period between the games, an Olympiad, is said to have actually been used to track time.
An Olympiad refers to a period of time of 4 years between the ancient Olympic games and was widely used as a reference point, kind of like an adjunct to a calendar by the Ancient Greeks.
The modern Olympic games, started in the late 19th century and are based on the ancient games.
Modern Olympics
After a few attempts at reviving the ancient games, the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece in 1896.
And generally, every 4 years after this. But there have been some exceptions (see below).
The Summer and Winter games used to be held in the same year but since the end of the 20th century (year 1992 to be exact), they were separated.
These days, each occurs independently of the other, and because each occurs at 4 year intervals, we actually have the Summer or Winter versions on every 2 years.
Along with the FIFA World Cup, the Olympics are the most popular sporting events in the world.
Have the Olympics always been held 4 years apart?
There are some notable exceptions to the 4 year rule.
Firstly, World War I caused the cancellation of the 1916 games.
World War II also affected the Olympic games and so there were no 1940 and 1944 Olympics.
The 2020 Tokyo Games were also postponed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The next Olympic Games
Host cities of the next few Olympics will be:
Beijing, China – 2022 Winter Olympics
Paris, France – 2024 Summer Olympics
Milan, Italy – 2026 Winter Olympics
Los Angeles, USA – 2028 Summer Olympics
Brisbane, Australia – 2032 Summer Olympics
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