#
|
Years
|
City
|
10
|
1924, 1928, 1932, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1976, 1980, 1984, 2028
|
Los Angeles
|
9
|
(1908), 1924, 1936, 1940, 1944, 1960, 2004, 2020, 2024
|
Rome
|
7
|
1944, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972
|
Detroit
|
6
|
1916, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1952, 1992
|
Amsterdam
|
6
|
1916, 1920, 1936, 1944, 1960, 2024
|
Budapest
|
6
|
1900, 1924, 1992, 2008, 2012, 2024
|
Paris
|
5
|
2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2020
|
Istanbul
|
5
|
1940, 1960, 1964, 2016, 2020
|
Tokyo
|
4
|
1896, 1944, 1996, 2004
|
Athens
|
4
|
1924, 1936, 1940, 1992
|
Barcelona
|
4
|
1908, 1916, 1936, 2000
|
Berlin
|
4
|
1936, 1956, 1968, 2004
|
Buenos Aires
|
4
|
(1904), 1952, 1956, 2016
|
Chicago
|
4
|
1936, 1940, 1944, 1952
|
Helsinki
|
4
|
1936, 1944, 1948, 1960
|
Lausanne
|
4
|
1908, 1944, 1948, 2012
|
London
|
4
|
1972, 2012, 2016, 2020
|
Madrid
|
4
|
1944, 1956, 1972, 1976
|
Montreal
|
4
|
1920, 1948, 1952, 1956
|
Philadelphia
|
4
|
1936, 2004, 2012, 2016
|
Rio de Janeiro
|
3
|
1916, 1960, 1964
|
Brussels
|
3
|
1920, 2008, 2012
|
Havana
|
3
|
1956, 1960, 1968
|
Mexico City
|
3
|
1948, 1952, 1956
|
Minneapolis
|
3
|
1976, 1980, 2012
|
Moscow
|
2
|
1916, 1936
|
Alexandria
|
2
|
1920, 1996
|
Atlanta
|
2
|
2016, 2020
|
Baku
|
2
|
2000, 2008
|
Beijing
|
2
|
1992, 1996
|
Belgrade
|
2
|
1992, 2032
|
Brisbane
|
2
|
1916, 1920
|
Cleveland
|
2
|
2016, 2020
|
Doha
|
2
|
1920, 1968
|
Lyon
|
2
|
1996, 2000
|
Manchester
|
|
#
|
Years
|
City
|
2
|
1956, 1996
|
Melbourne
|
2
|
1908, 2000
|
Milan
|
2
|
1924, 2016
|
Prague
|
2
|
2004, 2008
|
Seville
|
2
|
1912, 2004
|
Stockholm
|
2
|
1996, 2008
|
Toronto
|
1
|
1920
|
Antwerp
|
1
|
1948
|
Baltimore
|
1
|
2008
|
Bangkok
|
1
|
1992
|
Birmingham
|
1
|
2000
|
Brasilia
|
1
|
2008
|
Cairo
|
1
|
2004
|
Cape Town
|
1
|
1936
|
Cologne
|
1
|
1936
|
Dublin
|
1
|
1936
|
Frankfurt
|
1
|
2024
|
Hamburg
|
1
|
2008
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
1
|
2012
|
Leipzig
|
1
|
2004
|
Lille
|
1
|
1936
|
Montevideo
|
1
|
1972
|
Munich
|
1
|
1988
|
Nagoya
|
1
|
2012
|
New York City
|
1
|
1936
|
Nuremberg
|
1
|
2008
|
Osaka
|
1
|
2004
|
Saint Petersburg
|
1
|
1956
|
San Francisco
|
1
|
2004
|
San Juan
|
1
|
1988
|
Seoul
|
1
|
1904
|
St. Louis
|
1
|
2000
|
Sydney
|
1
|
2000
|
Tashkent
|
1
|
1964
|
Vienna
|
|
Optimism for the future mofos!
Besides that, athletes denounced shortcomings in the organization (crowded apartments in the olympic village, low quality of the catering, etc. And of course, the fact that there was a terrorist bombing that killed two didn't help to the games' popularity.
Interesting that in 1936 when Berlin hosted there were 4 German cities in the bidding - Hitler couldn't lose!
So, its possible that there was an internal voting to choose which city would represent Germany (something that has been done in many situations where several cities in a country propose a bid: picking only one means all available resources go behind only one unified bid). And, since the "final list" is a murky mess, all the German cities ended there.
Los Angeles went to win the rights to host in 2028, despite losing an internal voting to Boston, simply because when Boston dropped its bid, LA's City Council were quick to vote unanimously to back a new bid.
Maybe Londoners will contradict me and say London 2012 was a big success, but the trend seems to be toward smaller (as in not gigantic) cities or cities in authoritarian countries.
We're not talking about the quality of the athletics here. No spectators travelled to Tokyo and the Olympics were held during a state of emergency against the wishes of many if not most Japanese people. Dick Pound even said that the government of Japan didn't have the right to cancel or postpone the Olympics. The IOC looked like complete bullies and Tokyo paid for the pleasure of a fan-less Olympics, how is that a success?
London and Rome are just flat-out BID CRAZY!!!
Central and Eastern European nations/cities, except for Moscow...well, due to politics, they probably knew they weren't going to get it. I think that after the wars, Budapest, as gorgeous as it is, just wasn't in shape, I don't think. I can really understand Prague bidding in 1924, but the politics were really going to be strict on that one.
Belgrade in 1992 and 1996 makes sense in terms of attention-getting and anger at the falling-apart of their country. The Yugoslavian dream crumbled tragically just beforehand.
(more)
India really should get a shot, too. Delhi would be sentimentally wonderful for that, but their pollution is worrying. With all their recent growth and new-wave talent, Bangalore and Hyderabad could conceivably pull it off by some time mid century also, I think. Mumbai would obviously come to mind, but as dense as it is - not so sure. Don't know if they have the infrastructure.
I can't believe I forgot to guess Toronto! Slapping my forehead for that one!
One reiteration - it's really a shame that Buenos Aires never got to host it. It was the biggest city in the whole Southern Hemisphere for quite a while, and it is quite beautiful! But with so much of the rest of the world coming up so quickly, they might not get to host them for quite a long time.