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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
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*India’s achievement: Norman Pritchard won 2 silvers.
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*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.
*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.
*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