Olympic Games
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Number of Sports at the Olympic Games
At the first Olympic Games in 1896 there were nine sports contested: Artistic Gymnastics,
Athletics
Cycling (Road & Track),
Fencing,
Shooting,
Swimming,
Tennis,
Weightlifting,
Greco-Roman Wrestling. Since that time many sports have been added (and some removed too) from the program. The sport counts from different sources do not always correspond, as some disciplines are soemtimes counted as separate sports, such as swimming, diving, water polo being counted as aquatics, road and track cycling as cycling. In 2012 there will be 26 sports contested, with two more added for 2016. See our list of Olympic Sports Changes.
| Olympiad | Year | Host City, Country | no. of sports |
|---|---|---|---|
| XXXI | 2016 | Rio, Brazil | 28 |
| XXX | 2012 | London, England | 26 |
| XXIX | 2008 | Beijing, China | 28 |
| XXVIII | 2004 | Athens, Greece | 28 |
| XXVII | 2000 | Sydney, Australia | 28 |
| XXVI | 1996 | Atlanta, USA | 26 |
| XXV | 1992 | Barcelona, Spain | 25 |
| XXIV | 1988 | Seoul, South Korea | 23 |
| XXIII | 1984 | Los Angeles, USA | 21 |
| XXII | 1980 | Moscow, USSR | 21 |
| XXI | 1976 | Montreal, Canada | 21 |
| XX | 1972 | Munich, Germany | 21 |
| XIX | 1968 | Mexico City, Mexico | 18 |
| XVIII | 1964 | Tokyo, Japan | 19 |
| XVII | 1960 | Rome, Italy | 17 |
| XVI | 1956 | Melbourne, Australia | 17 |
| XV | 1952 | Helsinki, Finland | 17 |
| XIV | 1948 | London, Great Britain | 17 |
| XI | 1936 | Berlin, Germany | 19 |
| X | 1932 | Los Angeles, USA | 14 |
| IX | 1928 | Amsterdam, Holland | 14 |
| VIII | 1924 | Paris, France | 17 |
| VII | 1920 | Antwerp, Belgium | 22 |
| V | 1912 | Stockholm, Sweden | 14 |
| IV | 1908 | London, Great Britain | 22 |
| 1906 | Athens, Greece | 13 | |
| III | 1904 | St Louis, USA | 16 |
| II | 1900 | Paris, France | 19 |
| I | 1896 | Athens, Greece | 9 |
Related Pages
- about each sport at the Olympics
- What is the most popular Olympic Sport?
- How sports are selected for the Olympics
- Summer Olympic Home
