Summer Games

plural noun

1. Olympic Games held every fourth summer and including swimming, diving, track and field, boxing, and basketball.

Example Sentences

Famous examples include a shaking but determined Muhammad Ali at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, or the seven teenage athletes who were hand-picked by Team GB Olympic medalists at the 2012 Summer Games in London.

From Quartz

Almost exactly one year after the Tokyo Olympics were due to start had they taken place in 2020, the delayed Summer Games are finally getting underway.

From Time

With no spectators allowed at the Tokyo Olympics, robots might be the only ones on hand to witness the athletic feats at this year's Summer Games.

From Axios

That’s a significant increase from the 56 out LGBTQ athletes Outsports counted at the 2016 Rio Games, and the 23 out Olympians in the 2012 Summer Games.

From Time

The city became the first in the world to be selected to host both the Summer and Winter Games, in what seemed like a recognition of the success of the 2008 Summer Games.

From Quartz

More About Summer Games

What are the Summer Games?

The Summer Games are the summer version of the Olympic Games, an international athletic competition featuring multiple sporting events between athletes  representing their country.

The Olympic Games are commonly called the Olympics, and the Summer Games are commonly called the Summer Olympics.

There are two related but separate events called the Olympic Games: one hosted in summer, called the Summer Games, and one hosted in winter, called the Winter Games.

The Summer Games feature traditionally warm weather and indoor sports, like track and field, gymnastics, swimming, and basketball, among many others.

When are the Summer Games?

The 2024 Summer Games are scheduled for July 26–August 11, 2024. They will be held in Paris, France.

The Olympics are now usually staggered so that there is two years between the Summer Games and the Winter Games, with each being held every four years (usually in even-numbered years). The Summer Games are usually in July and August and the Winter Games are usually held in February.

More information and context on the Summer Games

The modern Olympic Games are based on an ancient Greek festival and competition (also referred to as the Olympic Games) that featured a range of athletic competitions as well as patriotic and religious rituals. The ancient Olympic Games are thought to have been first held in 776 b.c.e., and they were held regularly—often every four years—until the 4th century c.e. They were held in a place known as Olympia, the plain of Mount Olympus, which in Greek mythology was believed to be the realm of the gods.

In 1892, French scholar Pierre de Coubertin began a movement to reinstate the Olympic Games as a global event. In 1896, the first global modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece. Some of the athletic competitions featured in the ancient games are events in the modern Summer Games, such as discus.

The Summer Games and the Winter Games used to be held in the same year, but they started to be staggered in the 1990s. Today, both events host thousands of athletes from more than 90 countries. They are organized by the International Olympic Committee with the goal of gathering the world’s best athletes and creating global connections and peace between nations.

The Summer Games and the Winter Games are both known for having elaborate opening and closing ceremonies that celebrate the culture of the host country.

Here is list of some of the events in the Summer Games:

• archery
• basketball
• cycling
• gymnastics
• rowing
• swimming
• diving
• volleyball
• decathlon
• long jump
• triple jump
• hurdles
• relay
• marathon

What are some terms that often get used in discussing the Summer Games?

• Olympics
• Olympic Games
• Winter Games
• Olympiad
• Olympian
• gold medal
• silver medal
• bronze medal
• opening
• closing
• ceremony

How are the Summer Games discussed in real life?

The Summer Games are typically considered the more popular version of the Olympic games, especially due to popular events like gymnastics, track and field, swimming, and basketball.

On this date in 1936, American track and field athlete Jesse Owens wins the gold medal in the 100-meter dash at the Berlin Olympics. He will win a record setting total of four gold medals during the Summer Games. #ChronAm #otdhttps://t.co/MLVeZ5DdRW pic.twitter.com/ZjUB4LZPGQ

— Library of Congress (@librarycongress) August 3, 2020

Australia to take 472 athletes to #TokyoOlympics, the country's second largest team for an overseas Summer Games; 254 women and 218 men will compete in 33 sports pic.twitter.com/7d2DlPMazM

— DD News (@DDNewslive) July 5, 2021

Skateboarding will debut at the Summer Games later this month, and two out skaters will represent Team USA https://t.co/LMDoaqEwGI

— Outsports (@outsports) July 8, 2021

Try using Summer Games!

True or False?

Some of the events featured in the Summer Games date back to the ancient Greek Olympic Games.