When were the first modern Olympic held?

1896 in Athens, Greece.

The very first modern Olympic Games opened in the first week of April 1896 in Athens, Greece.

Since the Greek government had been unable to fund construction of a stadium, a wealthy Greek architect, GeorgiOS Averoff, donated one million drachmas (over $100,000) to restore the Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 330 BCE, with white marble for the Olympic Games.

The Games were not well publicized internationally, contestants were not nationally chosen but rather came individually and at their own expense. Some contestants were tourists who happened to be in the area during the Games. Athletes wore their athletic club uniform rather than a national team one.

Pole vaulting, sprints, shot put, weight lifting, swimming, cycling, target shooting, tennis, marathon and gymnastics were all events at the first Olympics. Approximately 300 athletes participated, representing thirteen countries.

Histories of the Olympic Games:

1896 - Athens

1900 - Paris

1904 - St. Louis

1906 - Athens ("Unoffficial")

1908 - London

1912 - Stockholm

1916 - Not held

1920 - Antwerp

1924 - Paris

1928 - Amsterdam

1932 - Los Angeles

1936 - Berlin

1940 - Not held

1944 - Not held

1948 - London

1952 - Helsinki

1956 - Melbourne

1960 - Rome

1964 - Tokyo

1968 - Mexico City

1972 - Munich

1976 - Montreal

1980 - Moscow

1984 - Los Angeles

1988 - Seoul

1992 - Barcelona

1996 - Atlanta

2000 - Sydney

2004 - Athens

2008 - Beijing

2012 - London

2016 - Rio de Janeiro

2020 - Tokyo

2024 - Paris

2028 - Los Angeles