2004 — Athens, Greece

One hundred and eight years after the first modern Olympiad, the 2004 Games returned to their birthplace, Athens, and were notable for an impressive leap forward in performances from Asian nations.

2000 — Sydney, Australia

After the commercial orgy at Atlanta the Olympic movement could not have chosen a host more dedicated purely to sport rather than the money flushing round it.

1996 — Atlanta, USA

The choice of Atlanta caused quite a stir, many believing Athens should have hosted them while during the event there was criticism of rampant consumerism and overt partisanship from the US public.

1992 — Barcelona, Spain

At Barcelona in 1992 the Olympic movement profitted from the end of the Cold War that had so divided nations politically and provoked several disappointing boycotts.