The
Olympic Games, or
Olympics, are an international
multi-sport event taking place every four years and comprising summer and winter games. Originally held in
ancient Greece, they were revived before 1612 by English Captain and Attorney
Robert Dover in
Chipping Campden as a protest against
Puritanism. British nobleman William Penny Brookes revived them again in 1850 in Much Wenlock before a French nobleman,
Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin started the current Olympics in the late 19th century. The
Summer Olympics (
Games of the Olympiad) have been held every fourth year starting in 1896, except in 1916, 1940, and 1944 due to the
First and
Second World Wars. A special edition for
winter sports, the
Olympic Winter Games, was first held in 1924. The first winter Olympics competitions were held as a non-Olympic sports festival, but were declared to be official Games by the
International Olympic Committee in 1925. Originally these were held in the same year as the Summer Olympics, but from 1994 onwards the Winter Games and the Summer Games have been held two years apart. The most recent games were Sochi 2014 (Winter) and London 2012 (Summer)