The
1896 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the
Games of the I Olympiad, was a
multi-sport event held in
Athens, Greece, from 6 to 15 April 1896. It was the first international Olympic Games held in the
Modern era. Because
Ancient Greece was the birthplace of the
Olympic Games, Athens was considered to be an appropriate choice to stage the inaugural modern Games. It was unanimously chosen as the host city during a congress organised by
Pierre de Coubertin, a French
pedagogue and historian, in Paris, on 23 June 1894. The
International Olympic Committee (IOC) was also instituted during this congress.