The Olympics have a rich history. Check out more information on their prolific past, promising present, future forecast, and more.

As the 2026 Winter Olympics command global attention in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, a quieter but historically charged moment is unfolding a few nations to the north. Denmark’s Bruun Rasmussen is bringing to auction a first-place silver medal from the 1896 Athens Games —the first Olympics of the modern era.

In February 1905, nine years after the first modern Olympic games were held in Athens, their founder Pierre de Coubertin met at the Vatican with a big sports fan: St. Pius X. Coubertin was seeking moral and institutional support for the games,

The word "Olympics" is rooted in ancient Greece. In Greek mythology, the gods would descend from Mount Olympus into the town of Olympia to gather and socialize with humans, according to Matthew Llewellyn, co-director of the Center for Sociocultural Sport and Olympic Research at California State University, Fullerton.

Here's a look back at the history of the Winter Olympics, including when the first games were held and where they've been hosted.

Olympians in winter sports have been displaying their athletic excellence for years.