Colombia first formally participated at the Olympic Games in 1932, and has sent athletes to compete in all but one edition of the Summer Olympic Games since then, missing only the 1952 Games. Colombian athletes have won a total of 34 Olympic medals (five gold, thirteen silver and sixteen bronze) in eight different sports, with weightlifting and cycling as the most successful ones. Colombia is the third most successful South American country at the Olympic Games, after Brazil and Argentina respectively. The Colombian Olympic Committee was created in 1936 and recognised by the International Olympic Committee in 1948.[1]
Shooter Helmut Bellingrodt won the country's first Olympic medal, a silver at the Munich 1972 Olympics. Weightlifter María Isabel Urrutia became the first Olympic champion representing the country at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. BMX rider Mariana Pajón is the most successful Colombian Olympian, with two golds and one silver.
A Colombian delegation attended the Olympic Games for the first time in the 1932 Summer Games in Los Angeles, with only one athlete: Jorge Perry. Perry sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee in January 1932 in which he introduces himself; described Colombia as "a little South American country aiming to grow its sporting structure and willing to be part of the olympic movement", and expressing his desire to take part in the then upcoming competition.[5] The following month, Perry received an answer from the IOC. Fearful of being rejected, he slowly opened the letter. But surprisingly for him his request not only was accepted, but also help was offered for him before and during competition. On July 30, 1932, he paraded in the opening ceremony representing a country not affiliated to the IOC back then.[6] He competed in the marathon, but after ten kilometers was unable to finish and the race was won by Argentina's Juan Carlos Zabala. Fourteen years later in 1946, Colombia's first olympian dies in Bogotá, 4 days after suffering a motorcycle accident near his native Samacá. For the 1936 edition of the Games, the Comité Olímpico Colombiano was already created and sent five athletes to compete in Berlin. After the controversial decision to replay a football match between Peru and Austria (after an adverse result for the Austrians), the Colombian delegation left the olympic village as a sign of support to the Peruvian team.[7] After the conclusion of World War II, the 1948 London Olympics were held and the Colombian contingent for the first time included athletes from sports other than track and field, taking part in fencing and swimming.[8][9] Due to financing problems and a then ongoing violent period, Colombia did not take part in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.[10] For the Melbourne Games in 1956, the Colombian team expanded from a few competitors to 26 athletes, sending cyclists and weightlifters for the first time.[11] Colombian athletes continued participating at the Olympics since then without missing a Summer edition of the Games, sending females athletes to compete for the first time at the 1968 Summer Olympics held in Mexico City.[12][13]
Despite being a US historical ally, Colombia did not support the US-Led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics.[16] Initially the then President of ColombiaJulio Turbay supported the boycott, but the then president of Comité Olímpico Colombiano Fidel Mendoza did not abide the president's order and gave green light to 23 Colombian athletes to participate.[17] Competing in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, shooter Helmut Bellingrodt won his second silver medal in the same event he won his first medal back in 1972, making him the first Colombian athlete to won two olympic medals; his medal was the only one the Colombian contingent won at those Games.[18] At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, another Colombian boxer won a bronze medal: Jorge Eliécer Julio made it to the Bantamweight category semifinals and faced Bulgaria's Aleksandar Khristov; the Colombian was seen as dominating his opponent, but in the end three out of five judges declared the Bulgarian as winner of the bout, prompting protests from fans who were attending the boxing competitions at that moment.[19]Ximena Restrepo became the first Colombian woman to win an Olympic medal, by winning a bronze medal in the women's 400 m. at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. She found out she won a medal minutes later after crossing the line. Her 49.64 seconds mark still stands as the South American record for that event. Ximena Restrepo became the first Colombian woman to win an Olympic medal, by winning a bronze medal in the women's 400 m. at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. She found out she won a medal minutes later after crossing the line. Her 49.64 seconds mark still stands as the South American record for that event.[20] The country failed to win a medal at the 1996 Centennial Olympics in Atlanta, although marathon runner Carlos Grisales ranked eleventh in the men's event, the highest position a Colombian athlete has ever achieved in an olympic marathon race so far.[21] The story was different four years later in Sydney 2000, as Weightlifter María Isabel Urrutia won the nation's first olympic gold medal at the 75 kg. category. Urrutia lifted the same weight than silver and bronze medal winners Nigeria's Ruth Ogbeifo and Taiwan's Kuo Yi-hang respectively, but she won gold due her body weight being less than that of her rivals. Señal Colombia broadcast her victory and when the event ended, the narrators mistakenly believed she won bronze as they saw on screen the results of the clean and jerk phase. Seconds after, the final results were screened and they realized their error and Urrutia's accomplishment.[22]
At the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Colombia won four silver and one bronze medals. Mariana Pajón added silver to her two previous golden medals earned in BMX racing, achievement that made her the first Colombian sportsperson to win three olympic medals.[40]Sandra Lorena Arenas became in the first race walker from the country to win an Olympic medal, as she ranked second in the women's 20km. event.[41]
Colombia competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's sixteenth appearance at the Olympics, except the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.
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The VII Bolivarian Games were a multi-sport event held between February 17 - March 3, 1973, at the Estadio Revolución in Panama City, Panama. The Games were organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization (ODEBO). Ecuador was the only eligible country not to send a delegation because of "internal problems".
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Colombia competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics. The country sent 68 athletes to compete in 15 sports, making this Colombia's largest ever delegation to the Olympics.
Colombia competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's eighteenth appearance at the Olympics, having not competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.
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Mariana Pajón Londoño ODB OLY is a Colombian cyclist, two-time Olympic gold medalist and BMX World Champion.
Colombia competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's nineteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics. The Colombian Olympic Committee sent the nation's largest ever delegation to the Games, with 147 athletes, 74 men and 73 women, competing across 23 sports.
Luis Javier Mosquera Lozano is a Colombian Olympic weightlifter. He represented his country in the Men's 69 kg Weightlifting competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics on August 9, 2016, winning the bronze medal. He initially finished fourth behind Izzat Artykov, who was later disqualified for failing a performance-enhancing drugs test. He received his bronze medal on March 28, 2019.
Jhonnatan Botero Villegas is a Colombian mountain bike racer. Among his most important achievements are the team gold medal obtained at the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games and the fifth place in mountain biking at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
Pedro Causil is an inline speed skater and (ice) speed skater.
Francisco Antonio Mosquera Valencia is a Colombian weightlifter, World Champion, three-time Pan American Champion and Pan American Games Champion competing in the 62 kg category until 2018 and 61 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories.
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Jimena Leguizamón Leal is a Colombian competitive swimmer. At the 2022 Bolivarian Games, she won gold medals in the 200 metre backstroke and 4×100 metre medley relay and bronze medals in the 200 metre individual medley and 100 metre backstroke. At the 2022 World Aquatics Championships, she placed sixteenth in the 200 metre backstroke and became the first female Colombian swimmer to reach the semifinals stage of competition in the event at a FINA World Aquatics Championships. She won the silver medal in the 200 metre backstroke at the 2021 Junior Pan American Games and two gold medals and two silver medals in individual events at the 2022 South American Youth Games.
Jhor Esneider Moreno Torres is a Colombian weightlifter. He won the bronze medal in the men's 96kg event at the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships held in Bogotá, Colombia. He also won the bronze medal in the men's 77kg event at the 2015 Pan American Games held in Toronto, Canada. He is also a two-time gold medalist at the Pan American Weightlifting Championships.
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