A Brief History of the Olympics:

Photo by The palaestra at Olympia, where wrestlers and other athletes trained

• In 776 B.C. the first Olympics were held at a site in Southern Greece called Olympia. For over a thousand years these events continued to be held every four years.
• Beginning in 1896, countries throughout the world began to hold modern versions of these games.
• Olympic competition today brings together people throughout the world to compete for medals and glory.
• These modern Olympic Games occur every two years with competitions alternating between winter and summer sports.

Photo by Swiss ski racers Wendy Holdener and Michelle Gisin celebrate their wins in the 2022 Alpine Skiing Combined Race

The Winter Olympics:

• The Winter Olympics include a variety of competitions from different sporting disciplines.
• Popular Events:

• Figure skating
• Snowboarding
• Downhill skiing
• Cross country skiing
• Biathlon
• Bobsled
• Ice hockey
• Curling

• Athletes from all over the world come together every four years in the winter games to compete for gold medals and glory in each of these events which take place in a carefully selected city from around the globe.

Photo by Usain Bolt of Jamaica wins the 100-metre sprint just ahead of Justin Gatlin of the United States, Summer 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

How do we decide where to hold the Olympics?

1. A city decides to bid for the games
2. If more than one city in the same country bids, Olympic Committees in that country choose one city to bid for.
3. The International Olympic Committee decides where to host the games, depending on the benefits and challenges of having the games in that city.

Where were recent Olympic Games held?

• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Summer 2016
• PyeongChang, South Korea - Winter 2018
• Tokyo, Japan - Summer 2020
• Beijing, China - Winter 2022

How do we decide where to hold the Olympics?

1. A city decides to bid for the games
2. If more than one city in the same country bids, Olympic Committees in that country choose one city to bid for.
3. The International Olympic Committee decides where to host the games, depending on the benefits and challenges of having the games in that city.

Where were recent Olympic Games held?

• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Summer 2016
• PyeongChang, South Korea - Winter 2018
• Tokyo, Japan - Summer 2020
• Beijing, China - Winter 2022

Photo by 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City in the Olympics:

• Salt Lake City, Utah, was the host of the Winter 2002 Olympics.
• The United States Olympic Committee has recently committed to bid for Salt Lake City to host the Winter Olympic games again in either 2030 or 2034.
• If Salt Lake City decides to bid for the 2030 spot, it will likely compete against Barcelona, Spain; Vancouver, Canada; and Sapporo, Japan for the opportunity to host the games.

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