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Weightlifting has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since the 1920 Summer Olympics, as well as twice before then. It debuted at the 1896 Summer Olympics, in Athens, Greece, and was also an event at the 1904 Games.

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At the 1896 Summer Olympics, two weightlifting events were contested. The top two places were won by the same two men in each event, though their order was reversed for the two events. The bronze medals were split by the two Greek weightlifters. A total of seven men from five nations competed.

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The weightlifting competition at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo consisted of seven weight classes, all for men only. It also counted as 1964 World Weightlifting Championships.

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Weightlifting at the 1980 Summer Olympics was represented by ten events, held between 20 and 30 July at the Izmailovo Sports Palace, situated alongside the Izmailovo Park.

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At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, fifteen events in weightlifting were contested, in eight classes for men and seven for women. Competition was held in the Nikaia Olympic Weightlifting Hall.

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Weightlifting competitions at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London were held from 28 July to 7 August in the ExCeL venue. Fifteen gold medals were awarded and 260 athletes took part.

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Weightlifting competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro took place from 6 to 16 August at the Pavilion 2 of Riocentro. 260 athletes competed in 15 different events according to their respective weight categories. Bulgaria and Russia were banned from participating in the sport for systematic doping.

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For the Summer Olympics, there are 25 venues that have been or will be used for weightlifting.