In which year were the first modern Olympic Games held?

The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, from 6 to 15 April 1896. Athens was chosen to honour Greece as the home of the ancient Olympic Games, which were held at Olympia from 776 BCE until they were banned by the Roman emperor Theodosius I in 393 CE.

About the 1896 Games:

They were organised following the decision of the first Olympic Congress, held in Paris in June 1894, where the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded at the initiative of the French educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin.

Athletes from 14 countries took part; the number of athletes was about 241, all men.

There were 43 events in 9 sports: athletics, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, shooting, swimming, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.

The main venue was the Panathenaic Stadium, a restored ancient marble stadium.

James Connolly of the USA became the first Olympic champion of modern times, winning the triple jump.

The marathon was held for the first time, inspired by the legend of the Greek messenger Pheidippides. It was won by Spyridon Louis, a Greek water carrier, which made him a national hero.

Winners received a silver medal and an olive branch, and runners-up got a bronze medal; the gold-silver-bronze system began at the 1904 St. Louis Games.

Some other Olympic milestones:

• 1900 Paris: women took part for the first time.
• 1920 Antwerp: the Olympic flag and oath were used for the first time; India first sent a team (Norman Pritchard had competed for India in 1900).
• 1924 Chamonix: first Winter Olympics.
• 1928 Amsterdam: the Olympic flame was lit for the first time; India won its first hockey gold.
• 2028: Los Angeles; 2032: Brisbane.

Why not the other options?

• ✗1900 is the year of the Paris Games, when women first took part.
• ✗1892 is when Coubertin first publicly proposed reviving the Olympics.
• ✗1908 is the year of the London Games.