The Cost
Olympic host cities take on millions or billions of dollars of financial responsibility to build stadiums, infrastructure, communication facilities and more. That cost has grown considerably since the first modern Games in 1896.
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The Volunteers
The first formal group of Olympic volunteers came together at the 1980 Winter Games. They were students, teachers, housewives, merchants, doctors and lawyers. They formed what is now known as the Olympic Organizing Committee.
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The Torch
The first Olympic torch relay brought the ceremonial flame from Olympia, Greece, to Berlin, Germany, in 1936. The tradition has endured.
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Credit: NBC/Cynthia Andrews
Source: A Look at Olympic Costs; Chinahumanrights.org; Olympic.orgNote: Financial data for 1900, 1904 and 1920 was not available.