Which city is known as the birthplace of the Olympic Games?

Olympia is the ancient Greek site traditionally known as the birthplace of the Olympic Games.

The sanctuary of Olympia stood in the western Peloponnese and was dedicated primarily to Zeus. Ancient athletic contests were held there as part of religious festivals, with the earliest traditionally recorded Olympic festival dated to 776 BCE. The games were staged at Olympia rather than in a city-state such as Athens or Sparta.

The ancient festival was one of several pan-Hellenic competitions in Greece. Events included running, wrestling, boxing, pankration, chariot racing, and the pentathlon. Winners received an olive wreath rather than the modern gold, silver, and bronze medal arrangement.

The ancient games ended in late antiquity. The modern Olympic Games began in Athens in 1896 after an international revival led by Pierre de Coubertin. Thus Athens hosted the first modern Olympics, but Olympia is the ancient birthplace and the source of the Olympic name.