The Olympic Games
The 1896 Olympics Games, held in Athens, were a smashing success, and plans were immediately laid for another Olympiad in four years. The athletes preferred to keep the games in Greece every year, but the International Olympic Committee, with an eye on international fundraising and participation, chose to rotate the host city. Paris, the jewel of Europe, was an obvious choice for the second Games. This would coincide with the World's Fair, which was thought to be a major convenience.
Instead, it was a disaster, as the Fair overwhelmed the Games, which struggled for attention among that summer's myriad other exhibitions. Chicago was considered the prohibitive favorite for the 1904 Games, but strident opposition from the Confederate delegation under David Francis of Kentucky scuttled that. Francis threatened to hold a separate series of games at the Atlanta World's Fair that year. The IOC solved the problem by awarding the Games to neither country, but to Berlin instead. These games went off largely without a hitch, as did the 1908 Games in London.
The US finally got its wish in 1912, when New York was awarded the games. (Governor Theodore Roosevelt, himself an enthusiastic sportsman, was omnipresent at this event).
The 1916 Games, due to be held in Brussels, were cancelled due to the outbreak of the Great War. The 1920 Games proved a thorny issue, as neither the Entente nations nor the Alliance wanted them held in the territory of a former enemy. They were consequently held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and were followed in 1924 by the Rome Games.
In 1926, the IOC created the Winter Games, which were held in Stockholm, Sweden. In addition to satisfying the demands of winter athletes, doubling the number of games allowed the IOC to break the deadlock between Alliance and Entente nations, allowing for easy rotation of host nations (with neutrals thrown in for good measure). Berlin was awarded the 1928 Summer Olympics, followed by the 1930 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.
Both the USA (Los Angeles) and CSA (Richmond) made strong pitches for the 1932 Games, which were the last to be decided before the Collapse. With tensions over the war subsiding, it was expected that the impasse could be broken, but in the end they awarded to another neutral: Barcelona, Spain. The IOC, at its next plenary session, awarded the 1934 Winter Olympics to Lake Placid, United States, while the 1936 Olympic Games were to be held in Richmond.
This proved to be an embarrassment, as the Freedom Party rose to power a few years after the vote. But there was no precedent to revoke a host city's award, and any attempt to do so was blocked by the British and French delegations. The IOC did balk at Featherston's demand to ban black athletes from participating. (Ironically, the Richmond Olympics are now considered the organizational model by the national committees.)
With the Entente-Alliance deadlock seemingly a thing of the past, Chamonix, France hosted in 1938, followed by Vienna in 1940. However, 1942 and 1944 were both canceled due to the Second Great War. The 1942 Winter Games had been scheduled for Munich, Germany, and the 1944 Summer Games were to return to Paris, France, which will not be holding any events soon.
The 1946 Winter Games were held in Munich, to make amends for 1942. The 1948 Summer Olympics were held in Athens (a move to unify the IOC), and Los Angeles won the 1952 Games, succeeding where they had failed twenty years earlier. For the foreseeable future, it is unlikely that any Entente nations, save perhaps Japan, will be hosting the Olympics.
The leading contenders for the 1956 Summer Olympics include Istanbul, Budapest, and Rio de Janeiro (which is hoping to host the first Latin American games). The United States, which does not seriously expect to be awarded, will put forward Habana, Cuba.
As of 1949, Germany leads all nations in medals, followed by France and the United States.
Summer Games
1896: Athens
1900: Paris
1904: Berlin
1908: London
1912: New York
1916: Brussels (cancelled)
1920: Amsterdam
1924: Rome
1928: Berlin
1932: Barcelona
1936: Richmond
1940: Vienna
1944: Paris (cancelled)
1948: Athens
1952: Los Angeles (scheduled)
Winter Games:
1926: Stockholm
1930: Sapporo
1934: Lake Placid
1938: Chamonix
1942: Munich (cancelled)
1946: Munich
1950: Sarajevo (scheduled)
Last edited:
