The 1996 Summer Olympics known officially as the Games
of the XXVI Olympiad and
unofficially as the Centennial Olympic Games, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Atlanta, Georgia, United
States, from July 19 to August 4, 1996. A record 197 nations, all current
IOC member
nations, took part in the Games, comprising 10,318 athletes. The International
Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which
had been held in the same year since 1924, and place them in alternating
even-numbered years, beginning in 1994. The 1996 Summer Games were the first to
be staged in a different year from the Winter Games. Atlanta became the sixth
American city to host the Olympic Games and
the third to hold a Summer
Olympic Games.
The
modern Olympic
Games or Olympics are
the leading international sporting event featuring summer and winter sports
competitions in which thousands of athletes from
around the world participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic
Games are considered to be the world's foremost sports competition with more
than 200 nations participating. The Olympic Games are held every four
years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternating
by occurring every four years but two years apart.
Their creation was inspired by the ancient
Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century
BC to the 4th century AD. Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded
the International
Olympic Committee (IOC)
in 1894. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement, with the Olympic
Charter defining
its structure and authority.
The evolution of the Olympic Movement during
the 20th and 21st centuries has resulted in several changes to the Olympic
Games. Some of these adjustments include the creation of the Winter
Olympic Games for
ice and winter sports, the Paralympic Games for
athletes with a disability, and the Youth Olympic Games for
teenage athletes. The IOC has had to adapt to a variety of economic, political,
and technological advancements. As a result, the Olympics has shifted away from
pure amateurism,
as envisioned by Coubertin, to allowing participation of professional athletes.
The growing importance of mass media created the issue of corporate sponsorship
and commercialization of the Games. World wars led to the cancellation of the
1916, 1940, and 1944 Games. Large boycotts during the Cold
War limited
participation in the 1980 and 1984 Games.
The
Olympic Movement consists of international sports federations (IFs), National
Olympic Committees (NOCs),
and organizing committees for each specific Olympic Games. As the
decision-making body, the IOC is responsible for choosing the host city for
each Games, and organizes and funds the Games according to the Olympic Charter.
The IOC also determines the Olympic program, consisting of the sports to
be contested at the Games. There are several Olympic rituals and symbols, such
as the Olympic
flag and torch,
as well as the opening
and closing ceremonies. Over 13,000 athletes compete at the Summer and Winter
Olympic Games in 33 different sports and nearly 400 events. The first, second,
and third-place finishers in each event receive Olympic
medals: gold, silver, and bronze, respectively.
The Games have grown so much that nearly
every nation is now represented. This growth has created numerous challenges
and controversies,
including boycotts, doping,
bribery, and a terrorist
attack in 1972. Every two years the Olympics and its media exposure provide
unknown athletes with the chance to attain national and sometimes international
fame. The Games also constitute an opportunity for the host city and country to
showcase themselves to the world.
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