Olympiad Sequencing
In antiquity, Greeks measured time in terms of four-year periods: the Olympiads. When the Olympic games were revived in modern times, the term "Olympiad" and its four-year cycle were were also revived to further link the modern Olympics to their ancient roots.
The Definition of an Olympiad
An Olympiad is a period of four years, the beginning of which is marked by the celebration of the Olympic games. Each Olympiad is designated by Roman numerals. The first modern Olympiad was celebrated by the 1896 Athens games. The 1996 Atlanta games, for instance, were "The Games of the XXVI Olympiad." The 2004 Athens Games will be The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad. The year in which the Olympic games are to be held cannot be changed. If the Games are canceled for any reason, the number of the Olympiad remains. Although World War I preempted the 1916 Games, the period from 1916 to 1920 remains the VI Olympiad of the modern era. The term Olympiad does not apply to the Olympic Winter Games. Only the so-called "summer" Games are the Games of the Olympiad. The Winter Games are referred to only by numeral. Thus, the 2002 Salt Lake City Games were the XIX Olympic Winter Games. The phrases Summer and Winter Olympics are commonly used, but they are technically incorrect references to the Games of the Olympiad and the Olympic Winter Games.
The following is a list of the Olympiads of the modern era and a list of the Olympic Winter Games.
The following is a list of the Olympiads of the modern era and a list of the Olympic Winter Games.
The Games of the Olympiads
I | 1896 Athens, Greece |
II | 1900 Paris, France |
III | 1904 St. Louis, U.S.A. |
IV | 1908 London, England |
V | 1912 Stockholm, Sweden |
VI | 1916 Canceled due to W.W.I |
VII | 1920 Antwerp, Belgium |
VIII | 1924 Paris, France |
IX | 1928 Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
X | 1932 Los Angeles, U.S.A. |
XI | 1936 Berlin, Germany |
XII | 1940 Canceled due to W.W. II |
XIII | 1944 Canceled due to W.W. II |
XIV | 1948 London, England |
XV | 1952 Helsinki, Finland |
XVI | 1956 Melbourne, Australia |
XVII | 1960 Rome, Italy |
XVIII | 1964 Tokyo, Japan |
XIX | 1968 Mexico City, Mexico |
XX | 1972 Munich, Germany |
XXI | 1976 Montreal, Canada |
XXII | 1980 Moscow, U.S.S.R. |
XXIII | 1984 Los Angeles, U.S.A. |
XXIV | 1988 Seoul, South Korea |
XXV | 1992 Barcelona, Spain |
XXVI | 1996 Atlanta, U.S.A. |
XIX | 1968 Mexico City, Mexico |
XX | 1972 Munich, Germany |
XXI | 1976 Montreal, Canada |
XXII | 1980 Moscow, U.S.S.R. |
XXIII | 1984 Los Angeles, U.S.A. |
XXIV | 1988 Seoul, South Korea |
XXV | 1992 Barcelona, Spain |
XXVI | 1996 Atlanta, U.S.A. |
XXVII | 2000 Sydney, Australia |
XXVIII | 2004 Athens, Greece |
XXIX | 2008 Beijing, China |
The Olympic Winter Games
I | 1924 Chamonix, France |
II | 1928 St. Moritz, Switzerland |
III | 1932 Lake Placid, U.S.A. |
IV | 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany |
1940 Canceled due to W.W. II | |
1944 Canceled due to W.W. II | |
V | 1948 St. Moritz, Switzerland |
VI | 1952 Oslo, Norway |
VII | 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy |
VIII | 1960 Squaw Valley, U.S.A. |
IX | 1964 Innsbruck, Austria |
XIII | 1980 Lake Placid, U.S.A. |
XIV | 1984 Sarajevo, Yugoslavia |
XV | 1988 Calgary, Canada |
XVI | 1992 Albertville, France |
XVII | 1994 Lillehammer, Norway |
XVIII | 1998 Nagano, Japan |
XIX | 2002 Salt Lake City, U.S.A. |
XX | 2006 Turin, Italy |
XXI | 2010 Vancouver, Canada |