Why Are The Olympic Games Held After Every 4 Years?

7 Min Read

With the active participation of over 200 countries and over 400 events, the Olympic Games are often hailed as the world’s oldest and truly global athletic competition that features multiple sports. The inaugural Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece in 1896 and the upcoming edition of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games that commenced from 26 July 2024 and continued till 11 August 2024, witnessed an active participation from a total of 206 nations and 10,714 athletes.

Since its inception in 1896, the Olympic Games have been played at an interval of four years. Do you know why?

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In this article we will take a look at the major reasons why the Olympic Games are always held after an interval of four years.

The Olympic Games Held After Every “4 Years”

Olympic Games

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The Ancient History of Olympic Games

Since the Olympic Games originated in “Olympia”, a city in Ancient Greece, the format of the tournament has been greatly inspired by their traditions. The ancient Olympic Games that took place in Olympia from 8th century BC to 4th century AD were considered as a festival to honor the king of the Greek gods, Zeus. These ancient Olympic Games took place every four years. That’s how the tradition of the “Olympiad” came into existence.

“Olympiad” and the Modern-Day Olympics

French educator and historian Pierre de Coubertin established the International Olympic Committee (IOC), 130 years ago, on 23 June 1894, and successfully revived the ancient concept of “Olympic Games” with the inaugural 1896 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

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Since the idea of the Olympic Games was inspired by the ancient tradition, the co-founder of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Pierre de Coubertin, honored the Ancient Greek schedule and took the decision to continue the centuries-old ancient tradition of the “Olympiad” and therefore the “four-year” cycle continued even in the modern-day Olympic Games.

Summer Olympic Games

An anecdote of the Summer Olympic Games as of January 2025 is provided below:

YearHost CityDates
1896Athens, GreeceApril 6 – April 15
1900Paris, FranceMay 14 – October 28
1904St. Louis, USAJuly 1 – November 23
1908London, UKApril 27 – October 31
1912Stockholm, SwedenMay 5 – July 22
1920Antwerp, BelgiumApril 20 – September 12
1924Paris, FranceMay 4 – July 27
1928Amsterdam, NetherlandsMay 17 – August 12
1932Los Angeles, USAJuly 30 – August 14
1936Berlin, GermanyAugust 1 – August 16
1948London, UKJuly 29 – August 14
1952Helsinki, FinlandJuly 19 – August 3
1956Melbourne, AustraliaNovember 22 – December 8
1960Rome, ItalyAugust 25 – September 11
1964Tokyo, JapanOctober 10 – October 24
1968Mexico City, MexicoOctober 12 – October 27
1972Munich, GermanyAugust 26 – September 11
1976Montreal, CanadaJuly 17 – August 1
1980Moscow, Soviet UnionJuly 19 – August 3
1984Los Angeles, USAJuly 28 – August 12
1988Seoul, South KoreaSeptember 17 – October 2
1992Barcelona, SpainJuly 25 – August 9
1996Atlanta, USAJuly 19 – August 4
2000Sydney, AustraliaSeptember 15 – October 1
2004Athens, GreeceAugust 13 – August 29
2008Beijing, ChinaAugust 8 – August 24
2012London, UKJuly 27 – August 12
2016Rio de Janeiro, BrazilAugust 5 – August 21
2021Tokyo, JapanJuly 23 – August 8
2024Paris, FranceJuly 26 – August 11

Winter Olympic Games

An anecdote of the Winter Olympic Games as of January 2025,  is provided below:

YearHost CityDates
1924Chamonix, FranceJanuary 25 – February 5
1928St. Moritz, SwitzerlandFebruary 11 – February 19
1932Lake Placid, USAFebruary 4 – February 15
1936Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GermanyFebruary 6 – February 16
1948St. Moritz, SwitzerlandJanuary 30 – February 8
1952Oslo, NorwayFebruary 14 – February 25
1956Cortina d’Ampezzo, ItalyJanuary 26 – February 5
1960Squaw Valley, USAFebruary 18 – February 28
1964Innsbruck, AustriaJanuary 29 – February 9
1968Grenoble, FranceFebruary 6 – February 18
1972Sapporo, JapanFebruary 3 – February 13
1976Innsbruck, AustriaFebruary 4 – February 15
1980Lake Placid, USAFebruary 13 – February 24
1984Sarajevo, YugoslaviaFebruary 8 – February 19
1988Calgary, CanadaFebruary 13 – February 28
1992Albertville, FranceFebruary 8 – February 23
1994Lillehammer, NorwayFebruary 12 – February 27
1998Nagano, JapanFebruary 7 – February 22
2002Salt Lake City, USAFebruary 8 – February 24
2006Turin, ItalyFebruary 10 – February 26
2010Vancouver, CanadaFebruary 12 – February 28
2014Sochi, RussiaFebruary 7 – February 23
2018Pyeongchang, South KoreaFebruary 9 – February 25
2022Beijing, ChinaFebruary 4 – February 20

Additionally, the ancient tradition of the “four-year” Olympiad has also played a major role in maintaining the credo of the world’s oldest multi-sport tournament, as it allows adequate time for the athletes to train hard in order to represent their countries at the highest level of international competition and clinch the most coveted Olympic medals.