Games on: Eight of the world's most iconic Olympic locations

It is a favourite memory. I am at the start line, barefoot but light on talent. The imaginary gun goes and I "fly" down the track, picturing all who competed here back in the day. It would have been quite the sight, with the competitors all men, and all naked, competing in front of 40,000 spectators. It is hallowed ground, this track at ancient Olympia in Greece, where the games that started the Olympic movement began back in 776 BC, running for 12 centuries. The modern Olympics, resurrected from the ethos of Olympia by the sheer will and determination of one man, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, began in 1896, in Athens, with Paris following in 1900. Paris will once again be home to the event this year, July 26 to August 11. But before the games begin, let's have a look at some of the world's best Olympic moments you can soak up in the lead up.

There is something very special about ancient Olympia. The Altis - the sanctuary to the gods - has one of the highest concentrations of masterpieces from the ancient Greek world. In addition to temples, there are the remains of all the sports structures erected for the Olympic Games, as well as buildings that held pools, gyms, churches and mansions, including the House of Nero, where the Roman emperor stayed.

The lighting of the Olympic Torch - for Winter and Summer Games - still happens here at the Temple of Hera, flowing robes and all. Many sports that were hard fought then, are still in the Games today, including running, long jump, shot-put, javelin, boxing and discus. visitgreece.gr

The Swiss city is officially known as the Olympic Capital and has been the home of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for a century. The Olympic Museum was built in 1993 and renovated in 2013 to offer three floors, with 150 screens and 1500 objects looking at everything Olympic, including how Pierre de Coubertin managed to convince the world to bring back these ancient Games.

See the original Olympic Rings flag from 1913, the medals and Olympic torches from every Games of the modern era, and countless pieces of memorabilia, including Cathy Freeman's boots from her 400-metre gold-medal-winning run and the Bolero outfit worn by Torvill and Dean when they scored perfect 10s at the Sarajevo Olympics in 1984 to one of Dick Fosbury's shoes from Mexico in 1968 when he won using his famous Fosbury Flop.

Outside, view Lausanne's Olympic cauldron, the statue of Pierre de Coubertin and a host of Olympic sculptures and immersive experiences. olympics.com/museum; lausanne-tourisme.ch

Innsbruck has serious Olympic cred, hosting the Winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976, and the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012. One of the highlight sporting venues from the Games is the Bergisel, the hair-raising ski jump. The soaring structure was rebuilt in 2002 with a striking design by Zaha Hadid.

From the top of the jump tower you can see the city spread out below, and the steep runway that the athletes slide down before they become airborne. There is a viewing terrace and a cafe up the top, and a 28,000-seat stadium to watch the action from, the Olympic Rings and the two Olympic cauldrons down below. Bergisel hosts several ski jump tournaments, including the International Four Hills event.

If you want to go skiing or snowboarding in the ski tracks of legends, visit Patscherkofel, which hosted the men's Olympic downhill, and Axamer Lizum, which hosted the women's downhill events. innsbruck.info

This enduring stadium has been at the heart of two Olympic Games and will be the first stadium in the world to host a third when LA lines up again in 2028. The Coliseum was the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies at the Games of 1932 and 1984, as well as hosting the track and field events.

The 1932 Games were the first to set up an Olympic Village for athletes, and the first to feature the three-tiered ceremony podium. Some of the highlights of the 1984 Games were Carl Lewis winning four gold medals, emulating what Jesse Owens did at the Berlin Games of 1936, the Rocketman flying around the stadium during the opening ceremony in a jetpack, and Jon Sieben coming from the clouds to snatch the 200-metre butterfly gold for Australia from hot favourite Michael Gross. In the 2028 Games, cricket is back as an Olympic sport, so hopefully we have a great chance of nabbing two golds there.

In the meantime, you can explore the stadium and its history on a 75-minute guided tour or - come college football season - take in a match here, the Coliseum being the home ground of the University of Southern California's Trojans team. lacoliseum.com; la28.org; discoverlosangeles.com

We owe the 2002 Salt Lake City Games for the saying "doing a Bradbury", thanks to Steven Bradbury's unexpected come-from-behind victory - Australia's first-ever gold in the Winter Olympics. Our second followed two days later, with Alisa Camplin soaring to take gold in the aerials.

One of the major venues built for the Games was Utah Olympic Park in Park City, hosting ski jumping, bobsled, luge and skeleton as well as Nordic combined events.

It continues to be a major training site for current and prospective Olympians, and offers plenty of fun activities all year round including riding on a bobsled. The Games venues are set to be put to good use again in 2034, with Salt Lake City recently named the preferred host city by the IOC. visitsaltlake.com

Some of the most memorable moments of the Sydney Olympics - the "best Games ever" according to then IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch - involved Cathy Freeman. At that soul-stirring opening ceremony, Freeman stepped up to light the Olympic cauldron in a ring of fire, and 10 days later, she took the gold medal in the 400 metres, a remarkable feat considering she was carrying the weight of 19 million Australians on her shoulders.

You can still see the cauldron, located in Cathy Freeman Park at Sydney Olympic Park, which features 430 hectares of beautiful parklands with 35 kilometres of bike paths, and seven sporting venues that are also used for major events such as concerts and exhibitions. sydneyolympicpark.nsw.gov.au

The Olympic and Paralympic Games held in London in 2012 reminded the world what a great city London is, with tourism numbers rocketing up the following year. It was the third time London had hosted the Games, previously holding them in 1908 and 1948.

The opening ceremony of the Games was star-studded, with the late Queen Elizabeth II making her entry with James Bond (Daniel Craig), while Mr Bean was as funny as always and Coldplay let it rip. London 2012 was the first Olympic Games to have women competing in all the sports on the program.

Part of the planning for the Games was to transform East London and leave a lasting legacy, which it did. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park boasts beautiful open spaces and world-class venues including London Stadium, which has free tours, as well as a host of restaurants, sport and cultural offerings. Grab a selfie with the Olympic rings and, for the best view over the park, head up the ArcelorMittal Orbit, home to the world's longest and tallest tunnel slide, and the UK's highest freefall abseil. queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk

1. Women were not allowed to compete in the ancient Games, with the exception of the chariot race. If a woman owned a chariot, she could compete.

2. The first Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924.

3. The Winter and Summer Games used to be held in the same year up until 1992. But that changed with the Lillehammer Winter Olympics, which were held in 1994, two years after the Summer Olympics in Barcelona (1992) and two years before the ones in Atlanta (1996).

4. The Rome Olympics in 1960 was the first one to be broadcast live.

5. The Olympic Motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius - Communiter", or "Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together". The word "together" was added in 2021, a change to the original 1894 Motto.

6. Australia is one of only two countries - the other being Greece - to have sent athletes to every Olympic Games since 1896.

7. Paris will host the XXXIII Olympic Summer Games from July 26 to August 11, with 206 nations competing in 32 sports. In a first, the opening ceremony will not be held in a stadium, but in the city, along The Seine. The Paralympic Games will run from August 28 to September 8.

8. The next Winter Games will be in Milano-Cortina, Italy, in 2026

9. Australia will host its third Olympics in Brisbane in 2032. olympics.com.au

Read more on Explore: