The Greeks had tried to keep the Olympics in Greece but the IOC had decided not to keep the Olympics in any one country. But the IOC had suggested games between each Olympics there would be smaller games to get people excited for the upcoming Olympic games (at that time every Olympic games were 4 years apart and the intercalated games were to be held two years after each Olympics). The games took place in Athens so that each intercalated games would be in Greece. But the intercalated games did not continue after these games but they had a major effect on the way the games continued afterward.