ABSTRACT
The modern Olympic Games draws selectively on recollections of the classical festival, which have been imaginatively constructed and reconstructed over time. This chapter reviews the principal phases in the development of what are now known as the Summer Olympic Games from their reintroduction in Athens 1896 through to Tokyo 2020. In doing so, we focus on three phases. The first, lasting from 1896 to1906, was characterized by revival and initial innovation. The second (1908–1956) was marked by steady evolution and consolidation of the Games, with local Organizing Committees (OCOGs) devoting increasing resources to preparing stadia and associated facilities. The third phase (1960–present) has seen the relationship between the Summer Olympics and their host cities actively and continually reinvented, with the themes of legacy and, somewhat less transparently, sustainability coming to the fore.
