The Friday File: The largest sporting event in the world, by number of athletes, was the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics which included 11,237 athletes. Second was the 2015 African Games held in Brazzaville, Congo which counted 15,000 athletes, coaches, and officials. In third, the 2017 Maccabiah Games held in Jerusalem, Israel involving 10,000 athletes, while the 2014 Asian games in Inchon, South Korea where 9,501 athletes competed, holds fourth spot.