This essay considers the artefacts produced by the modern Olympic movement as artefacts worthy of analysis on their own terms. It is the first in a series of ten such analyses which consider the material production of all the Olympics going back to the late 19th century. The essays consider different typologies in an attempt chart the progress of the Olympics and vitally to account for its enduring popularity. Vitally it considers material production as a means of understanding how those hosting and participating in the Olympics have understood and interpreted the Games and used them for their own ends.