The Judo competition at the 1972 Summer Olympics was the return of the sport following its absence at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Medals were awarded in six weight classes, and competition was restricted to men only. Among the highlights was Wim Ruska of the Netherlands winning gold medals in both the heavyweight and open class competition, becoming the first judoka to win two Olympic gold medals.
The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, was the 12th Olympic Championship. Games were held at the Makomanai Ice Arena and at the Tsukisamu Indoor Skating Rink. The Soviet Union won its fourth gold medal. The United States won the silver, while Czechoslovakia won the bronze. Canada did not send a team to the event for the first time since ice hockey was first competed at the Olympics in 1920, instead competing with and defeating the Soviets in a competition later that year known as the Summit Series. Canada would not send a men's hockey team to the Olympics until 1980.
Ragnar Skanåker is a Swedish competitive pistol shooter who was a world-class shooter for an extremely long period. His international breakthrough came in the 1972 Olympics, where he won the 50 m Pistol event. He is mostly associated with this event, the only one in which he has won Olympic medals, but he also won the 1983 World Championship in 10 m Air Pistol and, surprisingly to most, the 1978 World Championship in 25 m Standard Pistol, with a new world record. Skanåker's Swedish record in 50 m Pistol is 583, later a world record qualification in 2014.
Sweden first participated at the Olympic Games at the inaugural 1896 Games, and has sent athletes to compete in every Games since then with one exception, the sparsely attended 1904 Summer Olympics. Sweden has earned medals at all Olympic games except for two, the 1896 Games and the 1904 Games. The only other nation having earned medals at every Olympic game since 1908 is Sweden's neighboring country Finland.
Bernt Assar Rönnlund was a Swedish cross-country skier. Rönnlund's biggest success was at the 1962 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Zakopane where he won two gold medals and a silver (50 km). As a result, he earned the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal that year for his championship successes. Rönnlund was the anchorman of the Swedish 4 × 10 km relay team at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, bringing the team from fourth place to victory. Rönnlund also won the Vasaloppet in 1967 and the 50 km event at the Holmenkollen ski festival twice. For his cross-country skiing successes, Rönnlund was awarded the Holmenkollen Medal in 1968.
Sven-Åke Lundbäck is a former Swedish cross-country skier. He competed at the 1972, 1976 and 1980 Olympics in the 15 km, 30 km and 4 × 10 km events and won a gold medal over 15 km in 1972. He was close to a bronze medal in the 4 × 10 km relay in 1972, but fell near the finish; he had another fourth place in the relay in 1980.
Björn "Lurch" Andersson is a former Swedish handball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Dan Eriksson is a former Swedish handball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Lennart Eriksson is a former Swedish handball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Johan Fischerström was a former Swedish handball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Thomas Persson (Bengt Thomas Persson) (born 14 February 1947 in Helsingborg, Sweden) is a former Swedish handball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich, Germany.
Rolf Göran Claeson is a former speed skater from Sweden.
Georg Gustaf Wilhelm von Braun was a Swedish horse rider who competed in the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics. In 1920 he and his horse Diana finished eighth in the individual eventing competition and won a gold medal with the Swedish eventing team. Four years later he finished 19th in the individual jumping and was a member of the gold medal-winning Swedish team. He did not receive any medal for that at the time, but is listed as a gold medalist for that too on IOC's site.
Kjell Gunnar Isaksson is a retired pole vaulter from Sweden, who broke the world record several times in 1972.
John Albrechtson was a Swedish sailor. Between 1968 and 1978 he won one Olympic gold medal and three gold, one silver and one bronze medals at the world championships.
Poul Richard Høj Jensen "PRHJ" is a Danish sailor, boatbuilder, sailmaker and Olympic champion. Høj Jensen lives with his wife Sophia alternating in Burnham-on-Crouch and Freetown, Antigua and Barbuda.
Rolf Peterson is a retired Swedish sprint canoeist. He competed in the K-1 1000 m event at the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Olympics and won a gold medal in 1964 and a silver in 1972, finishing fifth in 1968. At the world championships Peterson won two gold and one silver medals in K-2 events in 1970–1971, all with Lars Andersson. He was awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1964 and served as the Swedish Olympic flag bearer in 1968.
Rolf Erik Sören Edling is a retired Swedish épée fencer. He competed at the 1968, 1972, 1976 and 1980 Olympics and won a team gold medal in 1976. His best individual result was fourth place in 1980.
Stig Wennerström is a Swedish sailor. Competing in the Soling class he won a silver medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics and a gold medal at the 1970 World Championships, placing third in 1973.
Peder Fredricson is a Swedish equestrian and Olympic medalist. He was born in Flen in Södermanland. He has won one Olympic gold medal in team jumping at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and three Olympic silver medals, his first in team jumping at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, his second in individual jumping at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and his third in Individual jumping at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He also participated at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, in eventing. In 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, Peder Fredricson with his horse H&M All In won team gold medal with Malin Baryard-Johnsson and Henrik von Eckermann and also a silver medal as individual. Among his top horses, there are H&M Christian K, H&M All In, Catch me Not S, Jumper d’Oase and Thelma Hästak.
