The Top 10 Olympic and Paralympic Games of All Time

The Olympics in 1896 were super important as they kickstarted the modern Olympic Games. Taking all the good parts from the ancient games and adding in some fresh new ideas helped to give the Olympics a completely new look. Going back to where it all started in Athens, James Connolly won the first ever Olympic gold medal in the triple jump. Plus the Greek runner, Spyridon Louis, won the marathon to make the host nation proud. To top it all off, the Greek capital hosted the first ever closing ceremony to wrap up a successful first Olympics Games.

There was a lot of uncertainty in the world when the 1936 Berlin Olympics came around, and many people were still treated unfairly simply because of the colour of their skin. Despite this, Jesse Owens pulled off a stunning Olympic performance to win four gold medals at the games. This was one of the most iconic moments in the history of the Olympics as it showed that it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, if you do your best and show true spirit, you can become a champion.

The first Paralympic Games were held in 1960 in Rome, and featured 400 athletes from 23 different countries. There were 8 sports on the programme which were deemed the most suitable for athletes with injury. These included archery, Para athletics, ‘dartchery’ (a combination of archery and darts), snooker, Para swimming, table tennis, wheelchair fencing and wheelchair basketball. Dr. Ludwig Guttmann, the original founder of the Games, summed up the first Paralympic event by saying, “The vast majority of competitors and escorts have fully understood the meaning of the Rome Games as a new pattern of reintegration of the paralysed into society, as well as the world of sport,” marking a new age of accessibility in sport.

In 1998, the Winter Olympics returned to Japan after 26 years. This year, a record-breaking 72 nations participated in the games, and new sports were added to the programme, including snowboarding, curling, and women’s ice hockey. Austria’s Hermann Maier made history after he unfortunately lost control during his downhill ski at over 120 km/h and was catapulted off the course. Miraculously, he walked away with only a few bruises and returned just days later to win gold in both the Super-G and giant slalom. His strength and resilience earned him the nickname “The Herminator”.

The Australian athletes shone on home soil at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, but it wasn’t just the wins that made the whole country proud. These games also brought together lots of Australian athletes from different backgrounds to show the importance of diversity in sports. These are remembered as a success, not just for a sunny summer Olympic Games in Sydney, but for also showing the true Olympic spirit of diversity, unity, and respect.

With dazzling opening and closing ceremonies, and iconic venues like the Bird’s Nest Stadium, the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be remembered as one of the best ever. Hosting their first ever Olympic Games, China put on a spectacular show which was backed up with several record-breaking performances by the Chinese athletes. It was also memorable for Usain Bolt bursting onto the scene with some speedy new world records in sprinting, and Michael Phelps winning a historic eight gold medals in swimming.

The 2012 London Olympics are fondly remembered for bringing the nation together to celebrate British culture and sporting excellence. Against the backdrop of famous landmarks like the London Eye and Big Ben, who can forget Mo Farah’s double gold in long-distance running and Usain Bolt keeping his title as ‘the fastest man alive’? With so many other memorable moments, these Olympics are remembered for inspiring the next generation of young athletes.
Let’s not forget the London 2012 Paralympic Games, where para-athlete Jonnie Peacock brought home the gold for the T44 100m race, and set a new Paralympic record in the process. With so many other memorable moments, these Olympics are remembered for inspiring the next generation of young athletes.

The 2016 Rio games will go down in history for its support toward the Paralympic Movement. With record TV audiences, noting over 2.1 million spectators, The Rio games hosted 4,328 Para athletes from 160 countries. During the 12-day event, 220 world and 432 Paralympic records were broken. Six National Paralympic Committees made their debut, and canoe and Para triathlon were added to the programme. Italy’s Beatrice ‘Bebe’ Vio also made history as the then 19 year-old had her debut at the Games. Being the only wheelchair user without arms and legs, she took home the gold for wheelchair fencing. Of her victory, Bebe has said, “You just need to believe in yourself. Just go ahead – do whatever you want”.

In Pyeongchang, South Korea, the 2018 Winter Olympics featured 102 events over 15 disciplines, a record number of events, making it the first Winter Games to have over 100 medal events. Four new winter sports were added, and six countries made their debut: Singapore, Ecuador, Eritrea, Kosovo, Malaysia, and Nigeria. Nigeria made dual history that year, as their women’s bobsled team were the first athletes to represent Nigeria in the Winter Olympics, and the first female athletes to represent any African nation at the Games. The bobsleigh team captured global attention and support as they crowdfunded their dreams to attend the Winter Olympics. Although they didn’t secure a medal, their main goal was to represent their country and continent on the global stage.

With France making their debut as a host country for the Games in 2024, it’s no surprise that this was a year of historic wins at the Paralympics for many athletes and countries. Mariam Bolaji secured bronze in women’s Para badminton, becoming not only the first Nigerian, but also the first African athlete to win a medal in badminton at either the Olympic or Paralympic Games. Zakia Khudadadi earned bronze in Para taekwondo on the first day, the first-ever medal for the Refugee Paralympic Team. To the west, now dubbed the ‘Golden Couple’, USA Paralympic sprinter Hunter Woodhall claimed his first gold medal in the T62 400m race, only weeks after his wife, Tara Davis-Woodhall won her first Olympic gold in the women’s long jump. Lastly, France brought home their first Paralympic gold medal for blind football under the lights of the Eiffel Tower, thus breaking Brazil’s 5-year winning streak.

That wraps up our list of the top 10 Olympic and Paralympic Games of all time. We hope you’ve learned something about past Olympic locations, inspiring athletes, and the true spirit of the Olympic Games. If you’re looking to bring the fun of the Olympics home, then check out these fun Olympic games for kids to get you started and if you want more information on the Olympics and Paralympics check out our Team GB and ParalympicsGB Hub.

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