The Associated Press (AP) was founded in 1846 in the USA at the initiative of six New York newspapers in order to collectively cope with the financial cost of covering all the events of the time, most notably the US War in Mexico (1846-1848).

Today it is the largest international news agency in the world with its photographic, television and journalism divisions operating in 250 locations worldwide.

Every day more than half of the world’s population watches the news produced by the agency.

The Athens Photo World hosts photos, courtesy of the AP, in its digital projections program from the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens until the Rio Olympics in 2016. A total of 63 photos were selected from AP’s huge and historical archive, depicting the most characteristic moments of the protagonists as well as the special moments over these 120 years.

Through the choice of images that we present, the viewer can see the evolution of humanity through sports but also the evolution of the photographic medium.

From archival black and white snapshots to the speed of the digital era:

The static shots of the 1896 Olympics in Athens.

The legendary American track and field athlete Jesse Owens in 1938 in Berlin, shortly before the outbreak of World War II.

The first Olympics of 1948 in London, after the catastrophic war, with the athletes starting on the dirt track.

The full stadiums of 1952 in Helsinki.

Athletes in steeplechase in Melbourne 1956.

The Lighting of the Olympic Flame in Ancient Olympia for Rome 1960.

Eighteen-year-old Cassius Clay –later Muhammad Ali– competing in the semi-finals of the 1960 Rome Olympics. Clay eventually won his one and only Olympic gold medal.

Snapshots from the torch relay for Tokyo 1964 and the decathlon athlete crossing the bar with one shoe.

The 200-meters finish of Tommie Smith and John Carlos in Mexico City 1968 and their raised black-gloved fists during the medal ceremony, one of the most important political reactions of athletes in the history of the Olympic Games.

Mark Spitz at Munich 1972 with his five gold medals in swimming, the first athlete to achieve this success.

The opening ceremony of Montreal 1976 and the absolute protagonist, the first perfect 10, the Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci.

Misha, the bear of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the most famous Olympic mascot.

Speedster Olympic medallist Carl Lewis, the admirable attempt of Swiss marathon runner Gabriela Andersen-Scheiss to finish while suffering a heatstroke and American diver Greg Louganis at Los Angeles 1984.

Pole vaulter Sergey Bubka, winning the gold medal in 1988 for the then Soviet Union.

NBA professionals making team sports history with their participation in the 1992 Barcelona Games. The best team ever, the so-called Dream Team with the two top-ranking athletes, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, won the gold medal.

A century after the first modern Olympics, Turkish weightlifter Naim Suleymanoglu and American Michael Johnson, are the absolute stars in Atlanta in 1996.

Cathy Freeman, in her stunning sportswear, being the last torchbearer to light the cauldron in Sydney in 2000.

The unforgettable opening ceremony of the Athens 2004 Olympics, the classic route of the Marathon with the unexpected incidents of the race, as well as the absolute protagonist of the games, the American swimmer Michael Phelps.

Jamaican Usain Bolt with his smashing victories and incredible records and pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva from Russia, the best athlete of the year, during Beijing 2008.

Kobe Bryant standing out with his impressive dunk shot, American gymnast Gabrielle Douglas and the women’s teams of synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics at London 2012

This photographic journey through time closes with images from track cycling, swimming and artistic gymnastics from the last Olympics held in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

Photos courtesy of Greg Baker, Mark Baker, Rebecca Blackwell, Luca Bruno, Gregory Bull, Victor R. Caivano, Lionel Cironneau, Richard Drew, Raoul Fornezza, Kevin Frayer, Morry Gash, Eric Gay, David Guttenfelder, Julie Jacobson, Lee Jin-man, Thomas Kienzle, Stephanie Maze, Lennox McClendon, Sadayuki Mikami, Doug Mills, Oliver Multhaup, Anja Niedringhaus, David J. Phillip, Micheal Probst, Susan Ragan, Eric Risberg, Koji Sasahara, Stephan Sevoia, David Tenenbaum, Mark J. Terrill, Suzanne Vlamis.