A Geographic History of the Olympic Games

This map was created to show the locations of the past, present, and future locations of the Olympic Games.  Ideally I was hoping to have this piece published while the Winter Olympics were in session but time and other projects were in the way.  While I'm not super late on this, I hope it is something that people are interested in.  Clicking on the markers on the map will give you more details about the Games at that location. While some data is missing, the majority of this data is sourced from Olympic Games website. I am not affiliated with the Olympics, just a GIS girl interested in mapping the history of the Games. Enjoy! (I am trying to grow my skills in web mapping, I hope the controls are easy to use and the information is easily obtainable). The legend is located at the bottom right hand corner, indicating what each colored marker means. You can click and drag the map to change the perspective of the Earth.


Shout out to the Ancient Greeks for creating the Olympic Games. While the world's Olympics started in 1896, the Ancient Greeks had the games for centuries. Hosted in Olympia over 2,700 years ago, the games were held in honor of the Zeus who was known as the king of the gods. Typically there were wars going on in Ancient Greece, so there was a month's truce so that athletes from all over were able to compete. These athletes were highly trained and strong competitors. The Olympics focused on the men while the women had their own games. Chariot racing however, both men and women competed together. Other events include wresting, boxing, javlin, and so forth. The games lasted until 392 A.D.

The modern day Olympics came back into existence in 1896, with Greece starting it off in Athens. From April 6th to April 15th, 241 male athletes from 14 countries competed for the silver medal in 43 events. When the modern games started, first place winners weren't competing for a gold medal, but a silver medal with Zeus on the front and the Acropolis on the back. Additionally they would receive an olive branch and a diploma. Second place winners would receive a copper medal, a branch of laurel and a diploma. Sadly it does not look like anyone who came in third place won anything.  It was until the third Olympic Games in 1904 where the first, second, and third place winners would receive a gold, silver, or bronze medal.

The Olympic Games made their second appearance in 1900 during the World's Fair in Paris, France. The games spanned five months (May 14th to October 28th) and some were not even aware that they were even competing in the Olympics at all. There were almost 1,000 athletes from 24 countries. This was also the year where the games were open to women (woohoo!!). There were 22 women that competed compared to the 975 but hey it's at least better than the first games where there was none. There has always been an inequality with the amount of women who competed in the Olympics compared to men. It is actually astonishing to see the numbers. It is only until recent years where the amount of women to men is almost even and not to be bias but I am really excited to see more strong women compete! This past Olympics was almost even so who knows what the future will hold for the Summer XXXII Games in Tokyo.

The data is from the official Olympics website. Numbers may not be exact and some data has still not been published.

So how do they pick the location of the Olympic Games? That's a little bit complicated so I'll try to sum it up as best as I can. Currently the goal of International Olympic Committee (IOC) is ebncourage legacy and sustainability of the host city. The group wants to make sure that Games will be in line with a city's long-term development. If it will not benefit a city or is not feasible, that city should not be considered. The candidate cities will develop concepts, plans, and find stakeholders will support the games if selected in their city. Next, there is a video conference between the potential host cityies and the IOC. This gives all cities an equal opportunity to discuss their plans, intent and any challenges they are determined to overcome if selected to become a host city. Stage 2, is looking to make sure that the finances are available and that everything is up to legal code for them to host. During Stage 3, the IOC goes over the documentations and analyzes the best possible option for games. Cities will showcase their project and present their case. From there, a secret ballot is opened up and IOC members vote to select the host city. For a more descriptive breakdown of the process, click here.

Below are graphs of Olympic winner hosts by city and by country. London has been the most popular host city but the United States has been the most popular host country. These numbers are for hosting both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Data is from the official Olympics website.

Data is from the official Olympics website.

For some host cities, the Olympic Stadium remain in ruins but for others, they have stayed alive becoming more of a public park. The Olympic track in Melbourne, Australia for instance is open for public use. It is near many other stadiums such as the Tennis Court used for the Australian Open. The track has a few statues and is at the end of the day is a track (which has been redeveloped since 1956). So if you want an "easy" spot to see, Melbourne is where it's at.  The stadiums are open for regular use and are all in one spot close together.

Designed by Mitch Mitchell, the Sportsmanship statue immortalizes the moment when John Landy (Australia) stopped to help a fallen Ron Clarke(Australia) during the 1956 Australian National Championships.  During the 1500 metres final, Landy stopped and backtracked to check on Clarke when Clarke was clipped on the heel by another runner in the third lap.  Clarke was able to get back up and keep running while Landy made up time during the last two laps to win it all.

Olympic Park Track with the AAMI Stadium in the background.

So are you antsy for the next Olympic Games? Check the countdown below to see how long we're waiting for the Summer XXXII Olympics in Tokyo!!