The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, commonly known as Atlanta 1996, and also referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games, was an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The fourth Summer Olympics to be hosted by the United States, these Games marked the centennial of the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens—the inaugural edition of the modern Olympic Games. This was the first Summer Olympics since 1924 to be held in a different year from a Winter Olympics, under a new IOC practice implemented in 1994 to hold the Summer and Winter Games in alternating, even-numbered years. This is also the last Summer Olympics to be held in North America until 2028, when Los Angeles will host the games for the third time.