The 1996 Olympics were hosted by the city of ATLANTA, USA. ATLANTA is the capital and most populous city in the state of Georgia, located in the southeastern United States. It is the cultural and economic center of the ATLANTA metropolitan area, home to 5.9 million people and the ninth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event that was held from July 19 to August 4, 1996 in ATLANTA, Georgia. It was the first Olympics to be held in the Southern United States.