The first official summer Olympics were held in Athens, Greece in 1896.  In summer Olympics history there were only 14 nations that competed in the games.  The first time the summer and winter Olympics were held in the same year was in 1924, from April 6th to the 15th.  These were the first games in summer Olympic history that were organized by the International Olympic Committee.  By today’s standards, there were not many athletes and nations that participated, but at the time it was the largest international sporting event that had ever taken place.  The first summer Olympics were a huge success with the public, even though many of the world’s best athletes did not compete.  One of the main highlights of the first Olympiad was the marathon victory of Spiridon Louis from Greece.  The success of the first Olympic games in Athens laid the foundation for the summer and winter Olympic games that occur every four years.

For more information on the first summer Olympic games visit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_Summer_Olympics

Athens over London

In summer Olympics history, Athens was selected over London as the venue for the first summer Olympics held in 1896.  At first, London was the city that several on the Olympic committee chose, but when Athens was brought up by the Greek delegate, it was seen to be a better choice since Greece was home of the original Olympic games.  The original Olympic games were first held in 776 BC.

Participating Nations

In summer Olympics history, the first Olympiad in 1896 had the fewest participating nations at 14.  There are different figures, as some say 12 or 13 nations participated, but the most agreed upon number of nations is 14.  The participating nations in 1896 were Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.  The United States won the most gold medals at the first Olympic summer games, but the host nation of Greece won the most overall medals with 46.

To learn more about the participating nations visit:

http://www.answers.com/topic/1896-summer-olympics

Events in the first summer Olympics

Much like the participating nations in summer Olympics history, the 1896 Olympics had the fewest events.  The events in the first Olympics were cycling, fencing, gymnastics, shooting, swimming, tennis, weightlifting, and wrestling.  There were only eight events in the first summer Olympics, and currently there are 28 sports and 302 events.

To learn more about the events of the first summer Olympics visit:

http://www.answers.com/topic/1896-summer-olympics