Host Nations and Cities
The host city for an Olympic Games is usually chosen seven to eight years ahead of their celebration. The process of selection is carried out in two phases that span a two-year period. The prospective host city applies to its country's National Olympic Committee; if more than one city from the same country submits a proposal to its NOC, the national committee typically holds an internal selection, since only one city per NOC can be presented to the International Olympic Committee for consideration. Once the deadline for submission of proposals by the NOCs is reached, the first phase (Application) begins with the applicant cities asked to complete a questionnaire regarding several key criteria related to the organization of the Olympic Games. In this form, the applicants must give assurances that they will comply with the Olympic Charter and with any other regulations established by the IOC Executive Committee. The evaluation of the filled questionnaires by a specialized group provides the IOC with an overview of each applicant's project and their potential to host the Games. On the basis of this technical evaluation, the IOC Executive Board selects the applicants that will proceed to the candidature stage.
Once the candidate cities are selected, they must submit to the IOC a bigger and more detailed presentation of their project as part of a candidature file. Each city is thoroughly analyzed by an evaluation commission. This commission will also visit the candidate cities, interviewing local officials and inspecting prospective venue sites, and submit a report on its findings one month prior to the IOC's final decision. During the interview process the candidate city must also guarantee that it will be able to fund the Games. After the work of the evaluation commission, a list of candidates is presented to the General Session of the IOC, which must assemble in a country that does not have a candidate city in the running. The IOC members gathered in the Session have the final vote on the host city. Once elected, the host city bid committee (together with the NOC of the respective country) signs a Host City Contract with the IOC, officially becoming an Olympic host nation and host city.
By 2016, the Olympic Games will have been hosted by 44 cities in 23 countries, but by cities outside Europe and North America on only eight occasions. Since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, the Olympics have been held in Asia or Oceania four times, a sharp increase compared to the previous 92 years of modern Olympic history. The 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro will be the first Olympics for a South American country. No bids from countries in Africa have succeeded.
The United States has hosted eight Olympic Games, four Summer and four Winter, more than any other nation. The British capital London holds the distinction of hosting three Olympic Games, all Summer, more than any other city.
The other nations hosting the Summer Games twice are Germany, Australia, France and Greece. The other cities hosting the Summer Games twice are Los Angeles, Paris and Athens.
In addition to the United States, nations hosting multiple Winter Games are France with three, while Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Japan, Canada and Italy have hosted twice. Among host cities, Lake Placid, Innsbruck and St. Moritz have played host to the Winter Olympic Games more than once, each holding that honor twice. The most recent Winter Games were held in Vancouver, Canada's third Olympics overall. The next Winter Games will be in Sochi in 2014, Russia's first Winter Olympics and second Olympics overall.
Year | Summer Olympic Games | Winter Olympic Games | Youth Olympic Games | |||
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Olympiad | Host city | No. | Host city | No. | Host City | |
1896 | I | Athens, Greece | ||||
1900 | II | Paris, France | ||||
1904 | III | St. Louis, United States | ||||
1906 | Intercalated | Athens, Greece | ||||
1908 | IV | London, United Kingdom | ||||
1912 | V | Stockholm, Sweden | ||||
1916 | VI | Berlin, Germany → Cancelled because of World War I |
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1920 | VII | Antwerp, Belgium | ||||
1924 | VIII | Paris, France | I | Chamonix, France | ||
1928 | IX | Amsterdam, Netherlands | II | St. Moritz, Switzerland | ||
1932 | X | Los Angeles, United States | III | Lake Placid, United States | ||
1936 | XI | Berlin, Germany | IV | Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany | ||
1940 | XII | Tokyo, Japan → Helsinki, Finland → Cancelled because of World War II |
V | Sapporo, Japan → St. Moritz, Switzerland → Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany → Cancelled because of World War II |
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1944 | XIII | London, United Kingdom → Cancelled because of World War II |
V | Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy → Cancelled because of World War II |
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1948 | XIV | London, United Kingdom | V | St. Moritz, Switzerland | ||
1952 | XV | Helsinki, Finland | VI | Oslo, Norway | ||
1956 | XVI | Melbourne, Australia + Stockholm, Sweden |
VII | Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy | ||
1960 | XVII | Rome, Italy | VIII | Squaw Valley, United States | ||
1964 | XVIII | Tokyo, Japan | IX | Innsbruck, Austria | ||
1968 | XIX | Mexico City, Mexico | X | Grenoble, France | ||
1972 | XX | Munich, West Germany | XI | Sapporo, Japan | ||
1976 | XXI | Montreal, Canada | XII | Denver, United States → Innsbruck, Austria |
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1980 | XXII | Moscow, Soviet Union | XIII | Lake Placid, United States | ||
1984 | XXIII | Los Angeles, United States | XIV | Sarajevo, Yugoslavia | ||
1988 | XXIV | Seoul, South Korea | XV | Calgary, Canada | ||
1992 | XXV | Barcelona, Spain | XVI | Albertville, France | ||
1994 | XVII | Lillehammer, Norway | ||||
1996 | XXVI | Atlanta, United States | ||||
1998 | XVIII | Nagano, Japan | ||||
2000 | XXVII | Sydney, Australia | ||||
2002 | XIX | Salt Lake City, United States | ||||
2004 | XXVIII | Athens, Greece | ||||
2006 | XX | Turin, Italy | ||||
2008 | XXIX | Beijing, China | ||||
2010 | XXI | Vancouver, Canada | I (Summer) | Singapore | ||
2012 | XXX | London, United Kingdom | I (Winter) | Innsbruck, Austria | ||
2014 | XXII | Sochi, Russia | II (Summer) | Nanjing, China | ||
2016 | XXXI | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | II (Winter) | Lillehammer, Norway | ||
2018 | XXIII | Pyeongchang, South Korea | III (Summer) | To be determined | ||
2020 | XXXII | To be determined | III (Winter) | To be determined | ||
2022 | XXIV | To be determined | IV (Summer) | To be determined | ||
2024 | XXXIII | To be determined | IV (Winter) | To be determined |
Notes
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Famous quotes containing the words host, nations and/or cities:
“Thrust, my daughter or son, to escape, there is none, none, none,
Nor when all ponderous heavens host of waters breaks.”
—Dylan Thomas (19141953)
“Two nations between whom there is no intercourse and no sympathy; who are as ignorant of each others habits, thoughts, and feelings, as if they were dwellers in different zones, or inhabitants of different planets.... The rich and the poor.”
—Benjamin Disraeli (18041881)
“Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land,
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.”
—Emma Lazarus (18491887)