The Summer Olympic Games have continued since they first appeared in Athens, Greece, while the Winter Olympics only began in 1925. They were both held in the same year until 1992. At this point, the Olympic Committee decided it would be best to hold them two years apart. They are still held every four years, but the events are staggered, and the Summer Olympics occur two years before the Winter Olympics. Here are some other differences between the two.
Summer Olympics is more popular
Over 204 countries take part in the Summer Olympics. This makes it a much larger event than the Winter Olympics, where about 88 countries participate. More fans watch the Summer Olympics from all over the world. The average of worldwide TV viewers has been about three billion since the Beijing 2008 games and has grown since then. The last Winter Games averaged about 2 billion viewers worldwide.
Gamblers have been betting on the Olympic Games since it first took place in Ancient Greece. Interest in betting on the Olympics has been growing in the U.S. since sports betting became legal. Americans could bet on the 2021 Tokyo games using a legal New Jersey sportsbook.
The seasons
As their names suggest, the two Olympic events take place at times of the year when the weather is most suitable for them. Summer games feature sports that normally take place outdoors and are usually held in August. The top athletes at the Summer Olympics have to prepare for high heat and humidity.
Athletes at the Winter Olympics have the opposite problem and must acclimatize to ice and snow. The games are usually held in February, and athletes must prepare for high winds and cold conditions.
The venues
The Summer Olympics events take place in open-air stadiums and arenas. The Winter Olympics take place in mountainous areas and cities with access to snowy areas. Ski slopes, outdoor snow tracks, or indoor ice rinks are common venues.
Variety of games
The Summer Olympics has a broader variety of games broken down into five main categories. Games include athletics, swimming, gymnastics, cycling, boxing, football, and hockey. There are 300 events overall and 28 different sports.
The Winter Olympics has fewer sports and then are broken down into three main categories. Events include figure skating, ski jumping, ice hockey, and snowboarding. There are 102 events overall and 15 sports.
Medal winners
The United States has the most medals in the Summer Olympics. It has won a total of 2985 medals. Germany, the United Kingdom, and France have all won over 900 medals. Michael Phelps is the world’s most decorated Olympian, with 28 medals in swimming.
Norway has won the most medals in the Winter Olympics. The United States, Germany, the Soviet Union, and Canada followed it. There is currently public support for Sweden to bid for the next Olympics.
Athletes competing
With the number of events and sports, the Summer Olympics has more athletes from across the world competing. At the 2021 event in Tokyo, there were 11,420 competitors, and nearly half were women. At the Winter Olympics in Beijing, there were 2,900 athletes from 91 different countries, and 1315 were women.
Sports added
The Summer Olympics consistently adds more sports, and in 2024, athletes will compete in skateboarding, breaking, sport climbing, and surfing in addition to the other sports. The rate at which sports are added to the Winter Olympics is slower. Ski mountaineering was a new winter sport approved in 2021.