Geography of the Olympic Games
Dateline: 09/21/00Although "over 200" countries are attending and participating in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, there are only 192 true countries on earth. So how are there 200 or more Olympic participants? The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says it best...
Although most National Olympic Committees (NOCs) are from nations, the IOC also recognises independent territories, commonwealths, protectorates and geographical areas.Of the 192 countries on earth, three (Kiribati, Marshall Islands, and the Vatican City) have no NOCs, which ensure that athletes from their respective nations attend the Olympic Games, so they won't be participating in Sydney. That results in 189 true countries with NOCs.
Add to that the twelve territories, commonwealths, and protectorates that have NOCs and can thus participate in the Olympics: American Samoa (U.S.), Aruba (Netherlands), Bermuda (U.K.), British Virgin Islands (U.K.), Cayman Islands (U.K.), Cook Islands (New Zealand), Guam (U.S.), Hong Kong (China), Netherlands Antilles (Netherlands), Palestine, Puerto Rico (U.S.), and the Virgin Islands (U.S.).
Though there are 201 NOCs recognized by the IOC, only 200 are eligible to participate in the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee suspended Afghanistan in October 1999. The IOC stated, "Since the Taleban forces took over the country in 1996 the recognised Olympic Committee has had no control over the country's sports."
While the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games are a few weeks away (September 15-October 1), it will be interesting to see whether or not all authorized 200 NOCs send athletes - if there are more than 197 NOCs represented, it'll set a new Olympic record (197 countries participated in Atlanta in 1996).
It's only been recently that almost all of the countries of the world have participated in the Olympic Games. From the 1976 Games in Montreal until the 1996 Games in Atlanta, the Olympics were a forum for political protest and boycotts (the most poorly attended Olympic Games since 1964 were the 1980 Games in Moscow, with only 81 countries participating due to a boycott against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan). Finally, four years ago in Atlanta and today in Sydney, the true spirit of the Olympics shines through, with widespread international participation.
Take a look at the following table to see the number of countries that attended each summer Olympic Games. Links lead to a history of each Games on the About.com 20th Century History site.
| Countries Participating in the Olympic Games |
| Year | Countries | Host | Year | Countries | Host | |
| 1896 | 13 | Athens | 1948 | 59 | London | |
| 1900 | 19 | Paris | 1952 | 69 | Helsinki | |
| 1904 | 12 | St. Louis | 1956 | 57 | Melbourne | |
| 1906 | 20 | Athens ("Unofficial") | 1960 | 83 | Rome | |
| 1908 | 22 | London | 1964 | 93 | Tokyo | |
| 1912 | 28 | Stockholm | 1968 | 112 | Mexico City | |
| 1916 | 0 | Not held | 1972 | 122 | Munich | |
| 1920 | 29 | Antwerp | 1976 | 88 | Montreal | |
| 1924 | 44 | Paris | 1980 | 81 | Moscow | |
| 1928 | 46 | Amsterdam | 1984 | 140 | Los Angeles | |
| 1932 | 37 | Los Angeles | 1988 | 159 | Seoul | |
| 1936 | 49 | Berlin | 1992 | 169 | Barcelona | |
| 1940 | 0 | Not held | 1996 | 197 | Atlanta | |
| 1944 | 0 | Not held | 2000 | "Over 200" | Sydney |
Future Olympic Games
In July 2001, the IOC will select one of the following ten cities as the host in 2008: Bangkok (Thailand), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Toronto (Canada), Beijing (China), Osaka (Japan), Cairo (Egypt), Paris (France), Havana (Cuba), Seville (Spain), and Istanbul (Turkey). The bid process is extensive, expensive, and very competitive - the city that wins the bid for an Olympic Games wins the attention of the world for several weeks, bringing with that attention tourism and investment funds.
TorontoSummerGames.com provides information and pros and cons about each of the key 2008 bids.
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