25 Old-School Olympic Photos From Some of the First Modern Olympiads

Carly Tennes Published 08/04/2024 in wow

Long before the world's greatest athletes gathered in Paris for the ongoing XXXIII Olympiad, the Olympics have garnered star competitors — and captivated audiences — for over a century. Since their first modern iteration in 1896, the Olympics have served as a global touchstone for athletic excellence, one that comes with over 100 year's worth of stunning photographs.

From Michael Jordan repping Team USA to Nadia Comăneci nabbing that perfect 10, here are 25 old-school Olympic photos from some of the first modern Olympiads.

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1. “Johnny Weissmuller, left, and Duke Kahanamoku at the 1924 Paris Olympics.”
2. “Pistol dueling used to be an Olympic sport. [1909].”
3. “Timekeepers at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden.”
4. “London Olympics, 1908.”
5. “Mongolian athletics in Atlanta, 1996 Olympics.”
6. “The high jump at Olympics games in London, 1908.”
7. “Edwin Moses at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.”
8. “1936 Olympic swimming medalists Lenore Kight (left) and Alice Bridges (right) and a friend after a swim…”
9. “Michael Jordan in the 1984 Olympics wearing Converse shoes.”
10. “Jesse Owens running at the 1936 Olympics.”
11. “Swedish high jumper Gunhild Larking at the 1956 Olympic Games.”
12. “Muhammad Ali receiving his Olympic Gold Medal at the Rome Summer Olympics (1960).”
13. “1912 Olympic Shooting.”
14. “The 1992 USA men’s Olympic Basketball team, aka The Dream Team.”
15. “First modern Olympics in Athens 1896.”
16. “Jesse Owens of USA after winning gold in Summer Olympics … Germany 1936.”
17. “1936 - Jesse Owens practices aboard the SS Manhattan on the way to the Olympic games in Berlin.”
18. “Nadia Comaneci, a perfect 10 at the Olympics in Montreal, 1976.”
19. “The opening ceremony of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.”
20. “The British Women's Olympic freestyle swimming team won the gold at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics.”
21. “The opening ceremony at the 1924 summer Olympics in Paris.”
22. “The 110 kg weightlifting winners at the 1980 Olympics.”
23. “The 1988 Jamaican Bobsled Team, who were the underdogs representing a tropical nation in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. Immortalized in the 1993 film Cool Runnings.”
24. “Michael Jordan at the 1992 Olympics.”
25. “Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila won the gold medal at the Rome Olympics, on bare feet (1960).”

1. “Johnny Weissmuller, left, and Duke Kahanamoku at the 1924 Paris Olympics.”
2. “Pistol dueling used to be an Olympic sport. [1909].”
3. “Timekeepers at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden.”
4. “London Olympics, 1908.”
5. “Mongolian athletics in Atlanta, 1996 Olympics.”
6. “The high jump at Olympics games in London, 1908.”
7. “Edwin Moses at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.”
8. “1936 Olympic swimming medalists Lenore Kight (left) and Alice Bridges (right) and a friend after a swim…”
9. “Michael Jordan in the 1984 Olympics wearing Converse shoes.”
10. “Jesse Owens running at the 1936 Olympics.”
11. “Swedish high jumper Gunhild Larking at the 1956 Olympic Games.”
12. “Muhammad Ali receiving his Olympic Gold Medal at the Rome Summer Olympics (1960).”
13. “1912 Olympic Shooting.”
14. “The 1992 USA men’s Olympic Basketball team, aka The Dream Team.”
15. “First modern Olympics in Athens 1896.”
16. “Jesse Owens of USA after winning gold in Summer Olympics … Germany 1936.”
17. “1936 - Jesse Owens practices aboard the SS Manhattan on the way to the Olympic games in Berlin.”
18. “Nadia Comaneci, a perfect 10 at the Olympics in Montreal, 1976.”
19. “The opening ceremony of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.”
20. “The British Women's Olympic freestyle swimming team won the gold at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics.”
21. “The opening ceremony at the 1924 summer Olympics in Paris.”
22. “The 110 kg weightlifting winners at the 1980 Olympics.”
23. “The 1988 Jamaican Bobsled Team, who were the underdogs representing a tropical nation in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. Immortalized in the 1993 film Cool Runnings.”
24. “Michael Jordan at the 1992 Olympics.”
25. “Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila won the gold medal at the Rome Olympics, on bare feet (1960).”