Brief Journey of the Olympics: From 1896 to 2020

Team Udayavani, Jul 20, 2024, 12:13 PM IST

The 33rd edition of the Olympics is set to commence in Paris on July 26. Out of the 32 Olympics previously held, 3 were cancelled due to world wars. From the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896 to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 (held in 2021), a total of 29 Olympic Games have been successfully conducted. Here are brief details of each event.

1896: Athens

The first modern Olympics took place in Athens, Greece, in 1896. French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin was the pioneer. Only 241 athletes from 14 countries participated. The USA topped the medal tally with 11 golds, 7 silvers, and 2 bronzes, totaling 20 medals.
*India did not participate.

1900: Paris

The second Olympics were held in Paris, France. A total of 1,226 athletes competed in 19 sports. Women participated for the first time. France topped the medal tally with 27 golds, 39 silvers, and 37 bronzes, totaling 103 medals.
*India’s achievement: Norman Pritchard won 2 silvers.

1904: St. Louis

This was the first Olympics held outside Europe, and the third overall. Due to the Russo-Japanese war, many athletes from outside America could not reach St. Louis. The USA dominated with 76 golds, 78 silvers, and 77 bronzes, totaling 231 medals.
*India did not participate.

1908: London

The fourth Olympics were initially planned to be held in Rome but were moved to London due to financial difficulties. These Games lasted for 187 days. Great Britain won 56 golds, 51 silvers, and 39 bronzes, totaling 146 medals.
*India did not participate.

1912: Stockholm

2,408 athletes from 28 nations participated, including 48 women. Electronic timing was used for the first time in athletics. The USA topped the medal tally with 26 golds, 19 silvers, and 19 bronzes, totaling 64 medals.
*India did not participate.

1920: Antwerp

The 1916 Berlin Olympics were cancelled due to World War I. Countries related to the war, like Hungary and Germany, were banned. The USA topped the medal tally with 41 golds, 27 silvers, and 27 bronzes, totaling 95 medals.
*India’s participants: 5, no medals.

1924: Paris

Four nations participated, but Germany was not invited. Ecuador, Ireland, Lithuania, and Uruguay made their debut. The USA topped the medal tally with 45 golds, 27 silvers, and 27 bronzes, totaling 99 medals.
*India’s participants: 7, no medals.

1928: Amsterdam

The USA topped the medal tally with 56 medals (22 golds, 18 silvers, 16 bronzes). Women’s athletics and gymnastics were introduced. There were five women’s events, but the British women boycotted due to the limited number.
*India won its first hockey gold: The Indian hockey team started its golden journey, defeating the Netherlands 3-0 in the final.

1932: Los Angeles

The USA topped the medal tally with 110 medals (44 golds, 36 silvers, 30 bronzes). President Herbert Hoover did not attend, and Vice President Charles Curtis inaugurated the event. The first Olympic Village was built, and the victory podium was introduced.
*India retained its hockey gold, defeating the USA 24-1.

1936: Berlin

Germany topped the medal tally with 101 medals (38 golds, 31 silvers, 32 bronzes). This Olympics was led by Adolf Hitler. A stadium with a capacity of 100,000 was built. Radio broadcasts were made to 41 countries, and a documentary named “Olympia” was produced.
*India won its third consecutive hockey gold, defeating Germany 8-1. Dhyan Chand was the star player.

1948: London

The USA topped the medal tally with 84 medals (38 golds, 27 silvers, 19 bronzes). Two consecutive Olympics were cancelled due to World War II. The “Peace Relay” toured various countries, reviving the Olympics. The BBC broadcasted live.
*India won its first post-independence medal: a gold in hockey.

1952: Helsinki

The USA topped the medal tally with 76 medals (40 golds, 19 silvers, 17 bronzes). Israel and Indonesia made their debut. The People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union also participated for the first time.
*India won 2 medals: a fifth consecutive hockey gold, defeating the Netherlands 6-1 in the final, and K.D. Jadhav won a bronze in wrestling.

1956: Melbourne

The Soviet Union topped the medal tally with 98 medals (37 golds, 29 silvers, 32 bronzes). This was the first Olympics held outside Europe and North America. The divided German teams participated together. Nine countries boycotted for various reasons.
*India won its sixth consecutive hockey gold, defeating Pakistan 1-0 in the final.

1960: Rome

The Soviet Union topped the medal tally with 103 medals (43 golds, 29 silvers, 31 bronzes). The first Paralympics were held during this Olympics. Danish cyclist Knud Enemark Jensen died from heat exhaustion.
*India won a silver in hockey, losing to Pakistan in the final.

1964: Tokyo

The USA topped the medal tally with 90 medals (36 golds, 26 silvers, 28 bronzes). This was the first Olympics held in Asia. South Africa was banned due to apartheid. The theme song by Yūji Koseki became popular.
*India won a hockey gold, defeating Pakistan 1-0 in the final.

1968: Mexico City

The USA topped the medal tally with 107 medals (45 golds, 28 silvers, 34 bronzes). This was the first Olympics held in Latin America. The Olympic flame relay passed through the “New World” discovered by Christopher Columbus. East and West Germany competed separately.
*India won a bronze in hockey, defeating Germany 2-1 in the third-place match.

1972: Munich

The Soviet Union topped the medal tally with 99 medals (50 golds, 27 silvers, 22 bronzes). This was the second Olympics held in Germany and was marred by the “Black September” terrorist attack, which killed 11 Israeli athletes.
*India won a bronze in hockey, defeating the Netherlands 2-1 in the third-place match.

1976: Montreal

The Soviet Union topped the medal tally with 125 medals (49 golds, 41 silvers, 35 bronzes). This was a controversial Olympics as 29 countries, mostly African, boycotted due to New Zealand’s rugby tour of apartheid South Africa.
*India did not win any medals.

1980: Moscow

The Soviet Union topped the medal tally with 195 medals (80 golds, 69 silvers, 46 bronzes). This was the first Olympics held in the Soviet Union. Due to the Soviet-Afghan war, 66 countries, including the USA, boycotted the event.
*India won a hockey gold, defeating Spain 4-3. This remains India’s last hockey gold.

1984: Los Angeles

The USA topped the medal tally with 174 medals (83 golds, 61 silvers, 30 bronzes). The Soviet Union and 14 other countries boycotted. 140 countries participated, and for the first time, all athletes stayed in the same Olympic village.
*India did not win any medals.

1988: Seoul

The Soviet Union topped the medal tally with 132 medals (55 golds, 31 silvers, 46 bronzes). This was the second Olympics held in Asia. Women’s heptathlon and women’s judo were introduced. Table tennis also made its debut.
*India did not win any medals.

1992: Barcelona

The Unified Team topped the medal tally with 112 medals (45 golds, 38 silvers, 29 bronzes). This team consisted of 12 former Soviet republics. South Africa returned to the Olympics.
*India did not win any medals.

1996: Atlanta

The USA topped the medal tally with 101 medals (44 golds, 32 silvers, 25 bronzes). This was the centennial celebration of the Olympics. 10,320 athletes from 197 countries participated. Beach volleyball, mountain biking, and softball made their debut.
*Leander Paes won a bronze in tennis, ending India’s Olympics medal drought.

2000: Sydney

The USA topped the medal tally with 93 medals (37 golds, 24 silvers, 32 bronzes). This Olympics witnessed a record 300 events. 199 countries participated, with 80 winning medals.
*Karnam Malleswari made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal, a bronze in weightlifting (54 kg category).

2004: Athens

The USA topped the medal tally with 101 medals (36 golds, 39 silvers, 26 bronzes). This was the first Olympics held in Greece since the modern Olympics began in 1896. Women’s wrestling was introduced. The marathon followed the original route of 1896.
*Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won India’s first shooting medal, a silver in double trap event.

2008: Beijing

China topped the medal tally with 100 medals (48 golds, 22 silvers, 30 bronzes). This was the most expensive Olympics to date, costing $44 billion. 11,028 athletes from 204 countries participated. BMX cycling and marathon swimming made their debut.
*Abhinav Bindra won India’s first individual gold in shooting. Sushil Kumar won a bronze in wrestling, and Vijender Singh won a bronze in boxing.

2012: London

The USA topped the medal tally with 104 medals (46 golds, 28 silvers, 30 bronzes). This was the third Olympics held in London. Women’s boxing made its debut.
*India won a record 6 medals: 2 silvers (Sushil Kumar in wrestling, Vijay Kumar in shooting), and 4 bronzes (Mary Kom in boxing, Saina Nehwal in badminton, Yogeshwar Dutt in wrestling, Gagan Narang in shooting).

2016: Rio de Janeiro

The USA topped the medal tally with 121 medals (46 golds, 37 silvers, 38 bronzes). This was the first Olympics held in South America. Golf and rugby sevens made their debut.
*India won 2 medals: a silver (P.V. Sindhu in badminton) and a bronze (Sakshi Malik in wrestling).

2020: Tokyo (held in 2021)

The USA topped the medal tally with 113 medals (39 golds, 41 silvers, 33 bronzes). This Olympics was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first time the Games were postponed and held without spectators.
*India’s best-ever medal tally with a record 7 medals: a gold (Neeraj Chopra in javelin throw), 2 silvers (Mirabai Chanu in weightlifting, Ravi Kumar Dahiya in wrestling), and 4 bronzes (P.V. Sindhu in badminton, Lovlina Borgohain in boxing, Bajrang Punia in wrestling, men’s hockey team).

World wars: 3 Olympics cancelled 

The shadow of the world wars fell on the Olympics as well. As a result, three Olympic Games were cancelled. The 1916 Berlin, 1940 Tokyo, and 1944 London Games did not take place.

Translated from a Kannada article by H Premananda Kamath