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List of participating nations at the Summer Olympic Games

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience

Delegates from various countries marching at the Opening Ceremony of the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm.

This is a list of nations, as represented by National Olympic Committees (NOCs), that have taken part in the Summer Olympic Games from 1896 to 2024. As of the 2024 Games, all 206 current NOCs have joined in at least two Olympic events. Some countries, like Australia, France, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, and Switzerland, have been in every one of the thirty Summer Olympic Games so far. The Olympics bring together athletes from around the world to compete in many different sports, showing the strength and skill of each nation.

Participating nations at the opening ceremony of the 1912 Games in Stockholm

History

Early years

The first Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 had athletes from many nations, though records from that time were not very clear. Eleven nations are listed in reports from the Games, such as Australia, Austria, Denmark, Great Britain, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Some say Bulgaria and Chile also had one athlete each. Others mention Egypt, Italy, and the Turkish Empire too.

Participating nations at the opening ceremony of the 1908 Games in London

The 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris had athletes from many places, though the records were not always clear. The International Olympic Committee says 24 nations took part, but some lists show up to 28, including Haiti, Iran, Luxembourg, and Peru. The 1904 Games in St. Louis were the first outside Europe, with athletes from 12 to 15 nations. The Games of 1916 planned for Berlin were cancelled because of World War I.

Inter-war years

After World War I, the Olympics started again in Antwerp in 1920 with 29 nations, but some countries like Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, and Turkey were not invited because of the war. New countries like Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia took part for the first time.

The 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris had 44 nations, though Germany was still not invited. By the 1928 Games in Amsterdam, Germany joined again, making 46 nations. In Los Angeles for the 1932 Summer Olympics, athletes from 37 nations competed. The 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin had 49 nations, the most up to that time, but were affected by politics. The Games planned for 1940 in Tokyo or Helsinki and 1944 in London were cancelled because World War II started in 1939.

Post-war years and Cold War era

"Zulus" Marathon runners at 1904 Games in St. Louis

The 1948 Summer Olympics in London had competitors from 59 nations, but Germany and Japan were not invited. The 1952 Games in Helsinki had 69 nations, including the Soviet Union and People's Republic of China for the first time, and Germany and Japan returned.

In the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, 67 nations took part, but some boycotted the Games. Because of rules in Australia, the horse events happened earlier in Stockholm.

More nations from Africa and Latin America joined in the 1960s. The 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome had athletes from 84 nations, 1964 in Tokyo had 94, and 1968 in Mexico City had 112. In 1968, West Germany and East Germany competed separately for the first time.

The 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich had 121 nations, the most until then.

Participating nations at the opening ceremony of the 1952 Games in Helsinki

Recent Games

After the Soviet Union broke up, many new nations joined the Olympics as independent teams in the 1992 Games in Barcelona. The Centennial Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 had athletes from 197 nations, with many making their first appearance.

The number of nations kept growing: 199 in Sydney for the 2000 Summer Games, 201 in Athens for the 2004 Summer Olympics, and a record 204 in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The 2012 Games in London had 206 nations.

In the 2016 Summer Olympics, 206 nations took part, including South Sudan and Kosovo for the first time. There was also a team of refugees.

Even with the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Summer Olympics in 2021 had 206 teams, except North Korea which did not take part. Russian athletes competed separately because of rules about unfair actions.

List of nations

This list shows all the countries that have taken part in the Summer Olympic Games from 1896 to 2024. There are 206 countries that take part today, and each has joined in at least two Olympic Games.

Athletes from Australia, France, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, and Switzerland have been in every Summer Olympic Games so far.

The list includes not just current countries but also ones that no longer exist. For example, some countries changed names or joined together over time. The list uses both old and new names to show the full history of each team.

Contents:A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V Y Z Other Total
ACode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 AfghanistanAFG16
 AlbaniaALB10
 AlgeriaALGFranceFranceFrance15
 American SamoaASA10
 AndorraAND13
 AngolaANG11
 Antigua and Barbuda[ANT]ANT12
 ArgentinaARG26
 ArmeniaARMRussian EmpireSoviet UnionSoviet UnionEUN8
 ArubaARUAHOAHONetherlands Antilles10
 AustraliaAUSANZHH28
 Australasia [^]ANZ2
 AustriaAUT29
 AzerbaijanAZERussian EmpireSoviet UnionSoviet UnionEUN8
BCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 BahamasBAH18
 BahrainBRN11
 BangladeshBANIndiaIndiaPakistan11
 BarbadosBARBWI14
 BelarusBLRRussian EmpireSoviet UnionSoviet UnionEUNAIN7
 BelgiumBELH28
 Belize[BIZ]BIZ14
 Benin[BEN]BEN13
 BermudaBER20
 BhutanBHU11
 BoliviaBOL16
 Bosnia and HerzegovinaBIHYugoslaviaYugoslavia9
 BotswanaBOT12
 BrazilBRA[D]H24
 British Virgin IslandsIVB11
 BruneiBRU[Q]7
 BulgariaBUL[A]22
 Burkina Faso[BUR]BUR11
 BurundiBDI8
CCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 CambodiaCAM[M]11
 CameroonCMR[P]16
 CanadaCANH28
 Cape VerdeCPV8
 Cayman IslandsCAY12
 Central African RepublicCAF12
 ChadCHA14
 ChileCHI[B]25
 ChinaCHNROCROCROCH12
 Chinese Taipei[TPE] ( Taiwan)TPEJPNJapanROC18
 Republic of China [^]ROC3
 ColombiaCOL[E]21
 ComorosCOM8
 Republic of the CongoCGO14
 Democratic Republic of the Congo[COD]COD12
 Cook IslandsCOK10
 Costa RicaCRC17
 Ivory Coast[CIV]CIV15
 CroatiaCROAustria/HungaryYugoslaviaYugoslavia9
 CubaCUB22
 CyprusCYP12
 Czech RepublicCZEBohemiaCzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia8
 Bohemia [^]BOH3
 Czechoslovakia [^]TCH16
DCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 DenmarkDEN29
 DjiboutiDJI[Q]10
 DominicaDMA8
 Dominican RepublicDOM16
ECode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 EcuadorECU16
 Egypt[EGY]EGY[C][M][P]24
 El SalvadorESA13
 Equatorial GuineaGEQ11
 EritreaERIEthiopiaEthiopiaEthiopia7
 EstoniaESTRussian EmpireSoviet Union14
 Eswatini[SWZ]SWZ12
 EthiopiaETH15
FCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 FijiFIJ16
 FinlandFINRU1H27
 FranceFRAH[K]HH30
GCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 GabonGAB12
 The GambiaGAM11
 GeorgiaGEORussian EmpireSoviet UnionSoviet UnionEUN8
 GermanyGERHEUAGDR, FRG18
 Saar [^]SAA1
 United Team of Germany [^]EUA3
 East Germany [^]GDREUA5
 West Germany [^]FRGEUAH5
 Ghana[GHA]GHA16
 Great BritainGBRHHH30
 GreeceGREHH30
 GrenadaGRN11
 GuamGUM10
 GuatemalaGUA16
 GuineaGUI13
 Guinea-BissauGBS8
 Guyana[GUY]GUY19
HCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 HaitiHAI[F]17
 HondurasHON13
 Hong KongHKG18
 HungaryHUN28
ICode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 IcelandISL22
 IndiaIND26
 IndonesiaINA17
 IranIRI[G]18
 IraqIRQ16
 IrelandIRLGreat BritainGBR23
 IsraelISR18
 ItalyITA[R]H30
JCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 JamaicaJAMBWI19
 British West Indies [^]BWI1
 JapanJPNHH24
 JordanJOR12
KCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 KazakhstanKAZRussian EmpireSoviet UnionSoviet UnionEUN8
 KenyaKEN16
 KiribatiKIR6
 North KoreaPRKJPNJapan11
 South KoreaKORJPNJapanH19
 KosovoKOSSerbiaYugoslaviaYugoslaviaIOPSCGSRB3
 KuwaitKUW[^]14
 KyrgyzstanKGZRussian EmpireSoviet UnionSoviet UnionEUN8
LCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 LaosLAO11
 LatviaLATRussian EmpireSoviet Union13
 LebanonLBN19
 LesothoLES13
 LiberiaLBR[Q]14
 LibyaLBA[Q]12
 LiechtensteinLIE19
 LithuaniaLTURussian EmpireSoviet Union11
 LuxembourgLUX[H]26
MCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 MadagascarMAD14
 MalawiMAW12
 MalaysiaMASMAL, NBOMAL, NBOMAL, NBO15
 Malaya [^]MAL2
 North Borneo [^]NBO1
 MaldivesMDV10
 MaliMLI15
 MaltaMLT18
 Marshall IslandsMHL5
 MauritaniaMTN11
 MauritiusMRI11
 MexicoMEXH25
 Federated States of MicronesiaFSM7
 MoldovaMDARussian EmpireRomaniaSoviet UnionEUN8
 MonacoMON22
 MongoliaMGL15
 MontenegroMNEYugoslaviaYugoslaviaIOPSCG5
 MoroccoMAR[P]16
 MozambiqueMOZ12
 Myanmar[MYA]MYA19
NCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 NamibiaNAMRSASouth Africa9
 NauruNRU8
 NepalNEP15
 NetherlandsNEDH[M]28
 Netherlands Antilles [^]AHO[^]13
 New ZealandNZL[I]ANZ25
 NicaraguaNCA14
 NigerNIG14
 NigeriaNGR18
 North Macedonia[MKD]MKDSerbiaYugoslaviaYugoslaviaIOP8
 NorwayNOR[L]28
OCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 OmanOMA11
PCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 PakistanPAKIndiaIndia19
 PalauPLW7
 PalestinePLE8
 PanamaPAN19
 Papua New GuineaPNG12
 ParaguayPAR14
 PeruPER[J]20
 PhilippinesPHI24
 PolandPOLRU1, AUT23
 PortugalPOR26
 Puerto RicoPUR20
QCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 QatarQAT11
RCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 RomaniaROU23
 RussiaRUSRussian EmpireSoviet UnionSoviet UnionEUNROCAIN6
 Russian Empire [^]RU13
 Soviet Union [^]URSHEUN9
 Unified Team [^]EUN1
 ROC [^]ROC1
 Individual Neutral Athletes [^]AIN1
 RwandaRWA11
SCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 Saint Kitts and NevisSKN8
 Saint LuciaLCA8
 Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesVIN10
 Samoa[SAM]SAM11
 San MarinoSMR16
 São Tomé and PríncipeSTP8
 Saudi ArabiaKSA13
 SenegalSEN16
 SerbiaSRBYugoslaviaYugoslaviaIOPSCG6
 Yugoslavia [^]YUG16
 Independent Olympic Participants [^]IOP1
 Serbia and Montenegro [^]SCG3
 SeychellesSEY11
 Sierra LeoneSLE13
 SingaporeSGP[O]18
 SlovakiaSVKBohemiaCzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia8
 Czechoslovakia [^]TCH16
 SloveniaSLOAustria/HungaryYugoslaviaYugoslavia9
 Solomon IslandsSOL11
 SomaliaSOM11
 South AfricaRSA[S]21
 South SudanSSDSudanSudanSudan[^]3
 SpainESP[M]H25
 Sri Lanka[SRI]SRI19
 SudanSUD14
 SurinameSUR[Q]14
 SwedenSWEH29
 SwitzerlandSUI[M]30
 SyriaSYR[N]15
TCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 TajikistanTJKRussian EmpireSoviet UnionSoviet UnionEUN8
 Tanzania[TAN]TAN15
 ThailandTHA18
 Timor-LesteTLSIndonesia[^]6
 TogoTOG12
 TongaTGA11
 Trinidad and TobagoTTOBWI19
 British West Indies [^]BWI1
 TunisiaTUN[P]16
 TurkeyTUR24
 TurkmenistanTKMRussian EmpireSoviet UnionSoviet UnionEUN8
 TuvaluTUV5
UCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 UgandaUGA17
 UkraineUKRRussian EmpireSoviet UnionSoviet UnionEUN8
 United Arab EmiratesUAE11
 United StatesUSAHHHH29
 UruguayURU23
 UzbekistanUZBRussian EmpireSoviet UnionSoviet UnionEUN8
VCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 VanuatuVAN10
 VenezuelaVEN20
 VietnamVIE17
 Virgin IslandsISV14
YCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 YemenYEMYAR, YMDYAR, YMDNorth Yemen, South Yemen9
 North Yemen [^]YAR2
 South Yemen [^]YMD1
ZCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 Zambia[ZAM]ZAM15
 Zimbabwe[ZIM]ZIMRhodesiaRhodesiaRhodesia12
 Rhodesia [^]RHO3
Other entriesCode960004081216202428323640444852566064687276808488929600040812162024Total
 Mixed team [^]ZZX^^^3
 Independent Olympic Athletes [^]IOA^^^3
 Refugee Olympic Team [^]EOR^^^3
Total NOCs number1425122228-2944463749--596972839311212192801401591691971992012042042072052063174

Related articles

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on List of participating nations at the Summer Olympic Games, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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