Summer Olympic Games 1906 Athens games were the first of an alternating series of games to be held in Athens, but the series failed to materialise. The games were more successful than the 1900 and 1904 games, with over 900 athletes competing, and contributed positively to the success of future games. The 1908 London Games saw numbers rise again, as well as the first running of the marathon over its now-standard distance of 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards). The first Olympic Marathon in 1896 (a male-only race) was raced at a distance of 40 km (24 miles 85 yards). The new marathon
Madrid bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics Madrid bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics Madrid 2020 was a bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics by the city of Madrid and the Spanish Olympic Committee. The last time the Olympic Games were hosted in Spain was in 1992 when Barcelona hosted the XXV Olympiad. This was the only time the Olympic Games were staged in Spain. Madrid was nominated by the Spanish Olympic Committee on June 1, 2011. It was then approved by the government a month later. On September 8, 2011 it was announced that Alejandro Blanco, president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, would preside the Madrid