Special Report
The Paris Olympics
Prepare yourself for the Paris Olympics with this comprehensive guide to the history, science, arts and thrills of the worldwide celebration
Will the Bistro Save France's Rural Villages?
Because these social hubs are the glue holding communities together, a growing movement seeks to protect them on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list
The Paris Games' Mascot, the Olympic Phryge, Boasts a Little-Known Revolutionary Past
The Phrygian cap, also known as the liberty cap, emerged as a potent symbol in 18th-century America and France
How the 1904 Marathon Became One of the Weirdest Olympic Events of All Time
Athletes drank poison, dodged traffic, stole peaches and even hitchhiked during the 24.85-mile race in St. Louis
Recent Coverage
This Rare Gold Medal From the 1904 Olympics Sold for More Than $500,000
The artifact, from the first Games held in the United States, reaped the third-highest price ever fetched for an Olympic medal at auction
Paris Mayor Wants to Keep the Olympic Rings on the Eiffel Tower
Critics worry that the symbol will tarnish the iconic structure’s historic character
Can a City Known for Its Freeways and Gridlock Deliver a Car-Free Olympics? Los Angeles Thinks So
To make good on its promise, the 2028 host city is in a four-year sprint to ready its public transportation for the onslaught of athletes, coaches and spectators
Breaking Just Made Its Olympic Debut. Will It Return in 2032?
The event won’t be featured at the Los Angeles Games in 2028, but that doesn’t mean its Olympic journey is over
These Olympic Gold Medalists Get to Ring a Bell Bound for Notre-Dame
The bell was built for the Games, but it will soon get a second life in one of Paris’ most beloved landmarks
How the Olympic Village Evolved From Makeshift Cabins to a City Within a City
The athletes’ accommodations have come a long way in the last 100 years, expanding into modern global hubs
Poetry Was an Official Olympic Event for Nearly 40 Years. What Happened?
Pierre de Coubertin hoped the modern Games would encourage the ancient Greek notion of harmony between “muscle and mind”
Olympians Finally Got to Swim in the Seine River
After months of uncertainty, the women’s and men’s triathlon events kicked off with a dip in the long-polluted waterway that runs through the heart of Paris
French Performance Artist Seals Himself in a Giant Bottle for Ten Days Outside Paris’ Olympic Stadium
Abraham Poincheval has become a living message in a bottle, exploring themes of privacy and public space
At the 1960 Olympics, American Athletes Recruited by the CIA Tried to Convince Their Soviet Peers to Defect
Al Cantello, a star of the U.S. track and field team, arranged a covert meeting between a government agent and a Ukrainian long jumper
From the Archives
A History of Gymnastics, From Ancient Greece to Tokyo 2020
The beloved Olympic sport has evolved drastically over the past 2,000 years
How Wheaties Became the 'Breakfast of Champions'
Images of Olympians and other athletes on boxes helped the cereal maintain a competitive edge
This Graphic Artist's Olympic Pictograms Changed Urban Design Forever
Having lived through Germany's Nazi regime, Otl Aicher went on to pioneer democratic design
How the 1988 Olympics Helped Spark a Global Kimchi Craze
The Summer Games in Seoul introduced a new international audience to the delicious and stinky staple
The Little-Known History of How the Modern Olympics Got Their Start
Acclaimed sportswriter Frank Deford connects the modern Games to their unlikely origin—in rural England
Four Olympic Stadiums With Unexpected Afterlives
What happens to old Olympics facilities after the medals have all been awarded?
The Rise of the Modern Sportswoman
Women have long fought against the assumption that they are weaker than men, and the battle isn’t over yet
Sports History Forgot About Tidye Pickett and Louise Stokes, Two Black Olympians Who Never Got Their Shot
Thanks to the one-two punch of racism and sexism, these two women were shut out of the hero’s treatment given to other athletes
Synchronized Swimming Has a History That Dates Back to Ancient Rome
Before it reached the Olympics, the sport was a spectacle of the circus and vaudeville
What You Don’t Know About Olympian Tommie Smith’s Silent Gesture
The simple act of civil disobedience, thrusting a black-gloved fist in the air, produced shock waves across the nation
Who Really Composed NBC's Olympic Theme? Not Who You Think
Music for the Olympic Games has a long and complicated history—and John Williams, the Star Wars composer, is only part of it
How Chuck Taylor Taught America How to Play Basketball
A shoe-in for the first ever basketball game in the Olympics, Converse All Stars have a long history both in and out of sport
The Ancient History of Cheating in the Olympics
Punishment for cheating and bribery in the Olympics of Ancient Greece could include fines, public flogging and statewide bans from competition
How Fanny Blankers-Koen Became the 'Flying Housewife' of the 1948 London Games
Voted female athlete of the 20th century, the runner won four gold medals while pregnant with her third child