Some of the standouts at the Seoul Games were world champion Serguei Bubka, winner of the pole vault; American swimmer Matt Biondi, winner of seven medals, including five gold; and Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, winner of the 100 meters with the incredible time of 9:79 seconds, a world record at the time. However, the athlete tested positive for using anabolic steroids and the gold medal went to the American, Carl Lewis. Brazilian Aurélio Miguel won a gold medal in the middle-weight judo category. Brazilians also brought home two silver and three bronze medals.

Number of countries: 159
Sports: 25

Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson: they were the main stars of the fabulous American basketball team, the greatest sensation of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. The team, nicknamed the Dream Team, was comprised of NBA stars.

Brazil won its first gold medal in team sports in Barcelona. This great feat was achieved by the men's volleyball team, which helped make the sport popular in the country. Judo provided the other Brazilian gold medal, this time with Rogério Sampaio, in the light-weight category. With the silver medal in the 100 meters freestyle, swimmer Gustavo Borges concluded the country's medal achievements in Barcelona.

Number of countries: 169
Sports: 28

At the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, all of the countries affiliated with the International Olympic Committee were represented for the very first time. This edition also saw 79 different countries win medals, another record. However, a bomb exploded at the Olympics, killing one and injuring 111 in a politically-motivated terrorist event. Nonetheless, the Games were a huge public and organizational success.

The biggest sports highlight was the performance by American Carl Lewis, who became the fourth athlete in history to win nine gold medals. Atlanta represented a leap forward in Brazil's performance: it won an unprecedented 15 medals - three gold, three silver and nine bronze. With beach volleyball now an Olympic sports, there was an all Brazilian final with the first ever women's Olympic medal going to Brazil. Jacqueline Silva and Sandra Pires won the gold over Mônica Rodrigues and Adriana Samuel. They were the country's first female medal winners. The other two gold medals in Atlanta were won in yachting with Robert Scheidt, in the Laser class, and Marcelo Ferreira and Torben Grael, in the Star class.

Number of countries: 197
Sports: 26

The joint parade of the South and North Korean delegations became one of the most unforgettable scenes at the Opening Ceremony for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Another highlight involved the four participants from East Timor who paraded under the Olympic Flag and competed as "individual Olympic athletes." The Aborigine Cathy Freeman was given the honor of lighting the Olympic pyre at the Games opening ceremony. Ten days later, Freeman won the gold medal in the 400 meters.

The Sydney edition saw two more great names: Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe, who at 17 proved his fame as a phenomenon and won three gold medals; and Dutch swimmer Inge de Bruijn, who also won three gold medals. The Brazilian delegation performed very well, winning six silver and six bronze medals.

Number of countries: 199
Sports: 28

The first Olympic Games of the new millennium returned to Athens, their birthplace, and celebrated the record participation of 201 nations. American swimmer Michael Phelps was the individual highlight. He won six gold and two bronze medals, tying the record held by gymnast Aleksandr Dityatin

Brazil won five gold, two silver and three bronze medals. The Brazilian gold medalists were Ricardo and Emanuel, in beach volleyball; Rodrigo Pessoa, in the individual show jumping event (after the first place horse was disqualified for doping); Robert Scheidt, in the yachting Laser class; Marcelo Ferreira and Torben Grael, in the yachting Star class; and the men's volleyball team. Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima's participation in the marathon was an unforgettable event. The athlete was leading the marathon on the last day of competition when an Irish priest broke through security and knocked the athlete down. Vanderlei was still able to return to the race and won the bronze, greatly cheered by the crowd. Because he decided not to protest the result, the Brazilian athlete was awarded the Baron de Coubertin medal for Olympic sportsmanship.

Number of countries: 201
Sports: 28

The 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games were the first to be held in Latin America. It was also the first time a woman, Mexican Norma Enriqueta Basilio, lit the Olympic Pyre at the opening ceremony.

American Bob Beamon was one of the edition's stars. He was the favorite to win the long jump competition but no one could ever imagine he would shatter the previous record by 55 centimeters, at 8.90 meters! Brazilian Nelson Prudêncio won the silver medal in the triple jump. The country also won two bronze medals in Mexico, in boxing, with flyweight Servílio de Oliveira, and in yachting, with Reinald Conrad and Bukhard Cordes, in the Flying Dutchman class.

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Number of countries: 112
Sports: 20

The 1972 Munich Olympic Games were sadly marked by a terrorist attack on the Olympic Village, which took the lives of 11 Israeli athletes.

In the scope of sports, the Munich Games were the stage for American swimmer Mark Spitz. He won an impressive seven gold medals, with seven world records, a unique achievement in the history of the Games, beaten only recently by fellow American Michael Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Games. For the first time, the Summer Olympic Games had a mascot: a dog named Waldi. Nelson Prudêncio, in the triple jump, and Chiaki Ishii, in the middle-weight category in judo, won bronze medals for Brazil.

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Number of countries: 121
Sports: 23

The 1976 Montreal Olympic Games were Nadia Comaneci's stage. At the age of 14, the Romanian gymnast enchanted the world and scored the first perfect "10" in the history of artistic gymnastics. She would go on to get six more perfect scores and finished the Games with three gold medals, one silver and one bronze.

Women began to compete in basketball, handball and rowing in Montreal. Brazil once again won two bronze medals: with João Carlos de Oliveira, a.k.a. João do Pulo, in the triple jump, and yachtsmen Reinaldo Conrad and Peter Ficker, in the Flying Dutchman class.

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Number of countries: 92
Sports: 21

The 1980 Moscow Olympic Games were affected by the Cold War, which was at its peak at that time. Political disputes led to a boycott of the event by the United States. Because the Americans asked other countries not to send athletes to Moscow, the number of participating nations at the Games fell to 80, the lowest since 1956. One of the edition's stars was its charismatic mascot, Mischa the bear, who cried goodbye during the wonderful display at Moscow Olympic Stadium.

Russian Aleksandr Dityatin won medals in all of the men's artistic gymnastics events and was the only athlete to win eight medals in a single edition of the Games (three gold, four silver and one bronze). Brazil won a gold medal in yachting, with Alexandre Welter and Lars Bjorkstrom in the Tornado class, and Marcos Pinto Rizzo Soares and Eduardo Penido in the 470 class. João do Pulo won his second bronze medal in the triple jump and the other Brazilian bronze medal was won by the men's four x 200 meters freestyle swimming relay team.

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Number of countries: 80
Sports: 21

Four years after the boycott led by the United States at the Moscow Games, the Communist Bloc did not attend the event held in Los Angeles. China did not adhere to the boycott and had a successful debut at the Olympic Games: 15 gold medals, eight silver and nine bronze.

At the Los Angeles Games, American Carl Lewis etched his name into the history books by equaling the feat achieved by his countryman Jesse Owens and winning four gold medals in track and field: 100 meters, 200 meters, four x 100 meters relay and long jump. Brazil had an excellent performance with five silver and two bronze medals with the highlight going to Joaquim Cruz's gold medal in the 800 meters.

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Number of countries: 140
Sports: 23

Still depressed by the World War II bombing raids, London once again held the Olympic Games in 1948, twelve years after the previous Berlin edition. The English capital, although still partially destroyed and lacking funding for organization, was able to accommodate all the athletes and efficiently carried out the task of hosting the Games. The 1948 Games were also the first to be broadcast on television.

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Number of countries: 59
Sports: 17

Held at the outset of the Cold War, this edition was marked by the introduction of the Soviet Union, which would rival the United States for Olympic supremacy. The most memorable feat of the Helsinki Games was achieved by Czechoslovakian runner Emil Zapotek. He became the only person in history to win the 5000 meters, the 10,000 meters (an event he had won in London in 1948) and the marathon during one Games edition.

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Number of countries: 69
Sports: 17

The first time the Olympic Games were held in the Southern Hemisphere was in 1956 in the Australian city of Melbourne. One of the Games' peculiarities was the equestrian events, which were not held in Australia. The country's quarantine laws were very strict regarding the authorization for foreign horses entering the country and the solution found by the organizers was to transfer the equestrian events to Stockholm, Sweden, a few months prior to the beginning of the Games.

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Number of countries: 72
Sports: 17

For the second consecutive time, the Rome Olympic Games saw the Soviet Union defeat the United States in medals. The Italian capital was also the birthplace of a boxing phenomenon: American Cassius Clay, who would later be immortalized as Muhammad Ali, his Muslim name. The boxer was the heavy-weight Olympic champion.

Another athlete who etched his name in the Games' history book was Ethiopian Abebe Bikila. Running barefoot, he won the marathon in 40ºC heat, breaking the world record, and becoming the first African Olympic champion. The athlete was a member of Emperor Haile Selassie's personal guard, and he repeated his achievement four years later. Brazil won two bronze medals with swimmer Manuel dos Santos Júnior, in the 100 meters freestyle, and with the men's basketball team.

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Number of countries: 83
Sports: 17

The Japanese hosted the first Olympic Games on the Asian continent in Tokyo. Large investments were made to build gymnasiums and sports complexes and to improve the city's public transportation. Judo and volleyball, the first women's team sport, became part of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Australian Dawn Fraser won her third consecutive gold medal in the 100 meters freestyle, becoming the first woman swimmer to win a total of eight medals (four gold and four silver) at three editions of the Games. Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina added six new medals to her incredible collection: she won nine gold, five silver and four bronze medals at three Olympic Games, for a total of 18 medals. The Brazilian men's basketball team won its third Olympic bronze medal.

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Number of countries: 93
Sports: 19

After eight years without competitions due to World War I, the world once again celebrated sports the Olympic Games in Antwerp in 1920.

The Olympic flag, created by the Baron de Coubertin, was introduced in 1920. It was designed with five rings symbolizing the union of five continents. It was also the first time an athlete took the Olympic oath.

This was the first Games in which Brazil participated, with 21 athletes making the trip to Belgium. The country won three medals: gold, silver and bronze, all in the shooting competitions. The first Brazilian gold medal belongs to Guilherme Paraense, who won the rapid-fire pistol event (25 meters).

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Number of countries: 29
Sports: 22

Paris made major infrastructure investments to host the 1924 Olympic Games. The organizers built an Olympic Village to accommodate athletes (a never before seen initiative). Athletes from 44 countries attended, and 1,000 journalists travelled to cover the event, making it the biggest in the world.

One of the stars of the Paris edition was American swimmer Johnny Weissmuller, who took home three gold medals - 100 and 400 meters Freestyle and four x 100 meters relay. Later, he would star in 14 Hollywood movies playing the role of Tarzan. A notable feat was also accomplished by Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi, who won the gold for the 1500 meters, only to hit the track 55 minutes later and win the 5000 meters.

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Number of countries: 44
Sports: 17

One of the greatest symbols of the Games debuted in 1928: the Olympic flame was lit for the first time in history. Athletes from 28 countries won medals in Amsterdam, a record that would last for 40 years. Female athletes, whose number was more than the double that of the previous Games, also started participating in track and field and artistic gymnastic events.

The Amsterdam Olympic Games were held in peace and harmony. A curious and much remembered fact of this edition was the gesture of Australian Henry Pearce who, during the quarter-finals of a rowing event, stopped to let a family of ducks cross his lane. The noble gesture brought him praise and even greater applause when he would later win the gold medal.

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Number of countries: 46
Sports: 14

The horrible economic depression that shook up the world after the Crash of 1929 made the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games at the time the shortest ever. Although the number of athletes was also affected, the level of competition was extremely high and 18 world records were either broken or tied. Electronic timing devices were officially introduced, and for the first time the winners could watch as their countries' flags were hoisted and hear their national anthems during the award ceremonies.

The Brazilian delegation recorded an important victory: Maria Lenk swam the 100 meters freestyle, 100 meters backstroke, 200 meters breaststroke, and was the first Latin American woman to compete in the Olympic Games.

Japanese swimmer Kusuo Kitamura set a record in 1932 that still stands today. At age 14, he won the 1500 meters freestyle and became the youngest man to win a gold medal in individual swimming event in the history of the Games.

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Number of countries: 37
Sports: 14

The Berlin Olympic Games marked the beginning of the Olympic Torch Relay from Olympia, Greece, to the site of the Games. In order to reach Germany, the torch traveled more than three thousand kilometers, across seven countries. The 1936 Games were also the first to be broadcast live: 25 large screens were installed throughout Berlin so people could watch the events for free.

American Jesse Owens was, without any doubt, the star of the Games. He won four gold medals in the most traditional track and field events: 100 meters, 200 meters, four x 100 meters relay and long jump.

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Number of countries: 49
Sports: 19

Women's sports debuted in 1900, when the Olympic Games were held in Paris. A total of 22 women participated, and English tennis player Charlotte Cooper made history as the first woman ever to win an Olympic event. The Games were part of the Paris World's Fair and ended up lasting more than five months.

American Ray Ewry was the biggest star of the Paris Games: he won three standing jump (a track and field event that is no longer held) events on the same day. The athlete had contracted polio as a young boy and it was believed he would never walk again. Ewry decided to exercise on his own and he overcame the disease and went on to compete in future Olympics, becoming one of the most accomplished Olympians ever.

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Number of countries: 24
Sports: 18

The 1904 Olympic Games were also part of the Saint Louis World's Fair and extended over four and a half months. They marked the beginning of the awarding of gold, silver and bronze medals. The competition also witnessed the debut of African athletes in the marathon and decathlon, as well as in boxing competitions.

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Number of countries: 12
Sports: 17

The London Olympic Games was the longest edition in the history of the Games, extending over a six month period.

This fourth edition of the Games was highlighted by the remarkable performance of the American athlete, Ray Ewry, who won two gold medals in the standing jump, for a total of eight over the three editions of the Games, a record that was only broken at the 2008 Beijing games in individual competitions. The organizing committee for the London Games set the marathon distance at 42.195km for the first time and the event was won by the American John Joseph Hayes. This became the official distance for the event starting at the 1924 Games.

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Number of countries: 22
Sports: 22

The 1912 Olympic Games were the first to use electronic devices to time the events. This timing was unofficial and served as a test for future Games. The Stockholm Games were the first to witness participation from all five continents, thanks to the unprecedented participation of Japan, and they were considered a model of efficiency.

Another new aspect of the Games was the participation of women in swimming competitions. The biggest star of these Games was Jim Thorpe a Native American-American athlete, who won the pentathlon and the decathlon. At the award ceremony, the Swedish King referred to Thorpe as the world's greatest athlete.

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Number of countries: 28
Sports: 14