In which city was the ancient Olympic Games held in Greece?

The ancient Olympic Games were held at Olympia in Greece.

Olympia was a sanctuary in the western Peloponnese dedicated chiefly to Zeus. The games formed part of a religious festival and traditionally began in 776 BC, a date used by ancient Greek historians as the starting point for an Olympiad-based chronology. Competitors and spectators traveled from many Greek communities to attend the event.

Events included footraces, wrestling, boxing, pankration, discus, javelin, long jump, chariot racing, and the pentathlon. Athletes competed as individuals representing their cities rather than as modern national teams. Winners received an olive wreath, called a kotinos, rather than the gold, silver, and bronze medals used today.

The ancient games continued for centuries under changing political conditions. They were eventually ended in late antiquity, commonly associated with the Christian Roman emperor Theodosius I and the suppression of pagan cult practices. The modern Olympic Games began in Athens in 1896, but the modern event is an international revival rather than a continuous competition held since antiquity. Olympia remains an important archaeological site and the location of the modern Olympic flame-lighting ceremony.