Germany at the Olympics

Last updated
Germany at the
Olympics
Flag of Germany.svg
IOC code GER
NOC German Olympic Sports Confederation
Website www.dosb.de  (in German, English, and French)
Medals
Ranked 4th
Gold
317
Silver
318
Bronze
320
Total
955
Summer appearances
Winter appearances
Other related appearances
1906 Intercalated Games

––––

Flag of Saar (1947-1956).svg  Saar (1952)
Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg  United Team of Germany (1956–1964)
Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany (1968–1988)
Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany (1968–1988)

Athletes from Germany have taken part in most of the modern Olympic Games held since 1896. Germany has hosted three Olympic Games, in 1936 both the Winter and Summer Games, and the 1972 Summer Olympics. In addition, Germany had been selected to host the 1916 Summer Olympics as well as the 1940 Winter Olympics, both of which had to be cancelled due to World Wars. After these wars, Germany was banned from participating in the 1920, 1924 and 1948 Olympics.

Contents

While the country was divided, each of the two German states boycotted one of the Summer Games. In 1980, West Germany was one of 66 nations which did not go to Moscow in protest at the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan, and in 1984 East Germany joined the Soviet Union and several others in the boycott of the Summer Games in Los Angeles. In 1990, East Germany and West Germany would reunite, with Germany once again competing as a single full sovereign state since the 1992 Olympic year.

The IOC currently splits German results among four codes, even though only the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1968 to 1988 had sent a separate team to compete against the team of the German NOC that represented Germany (GER) since 1896.

German post-WW2 division until 1990

After German organisations had been dissolved by the Allies in 1947, in 1950 the IOC recognized the reorganized Nationales Olympisches Komitee für Deutschland for all of Germany, based in (West) Germany.

Due to the Cold War, an East German state (German Democratic Republic) was created in October 1949, and a separate National Olympic Committee (NOC) for East Germany was established in 1951. It was not immediately recognized by the IOC, which until 1965 required that athletes of the NOC of East Germany join the German team represented by the West Germany-based NOC of Germany. This team, which competed together from 1956 to 1964, is nowadays called the United Team of Germany (EUA, "Equipe Unifiée Allemande"), but was Germany (GER) then. As a result of Germany being divided, from 1968 to 1990 two independent teams competed in each of the Games; the original designations were GER for the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and GDR for the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). In 1980 the West German code was changed to FRG (which is currently also applied by the IOC in retrospect). After the GDR ceased to exist in 1990 and its states joined the Federal Republic of Germany, Germany once again was represented by a single team, designated GER.

Additionally, in the early 1950s the French-occupied Saar had its own NOC and competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics before joining the German Olympic team in 1956 and the (West) German state by 1957.

Overview of Olympic participation

Timeline of participation

Olympic
year/s
team
1896–1912Flag of the German Empire.svgGermany (GER)
1920–1924denied participation after WWI
1928–1932Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).svgGermany (GER)
1936Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg
1948occupied country after WWII:
former German Olympic Committee
was dissolved
1952Flag of Germany.svgGermany (GER)
Flag of Saar (1947-1956).svg Saar (SAA)

Flag of East Germany.svgEast Germany
did not participate
1956–1964German Olympic flag (1959-1968).svg United Team of Germany (EUA)
1968–1988Flag of Germany.svg Germany(FRG)Flag of East Germany.svg East Germany (GDR)
since 1992     (GER)

Germany at the Summer Olympics

  Host country

Germany at the Winter Olympics

  Host country

Medals by Summer Sport

  Leading in that sport
SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Canoeing (slalom) pictogram.svg  Canoeing 36212683
Equestrian pictogram.svg  Equestrian 32151461
Rowing pictogram.svg  Rowing 24161555
Athletics pictogram.svg  Athletics 20303787
Cycling (road) pictogram.svg  Cycling 15171749
Gymnastics (artistic) pictogram.svg  Gymnastics 15121441
Swimming pictogram.svg  Swimming 14183163
Shooting pictogram.svg  Shooting 109524
Weightlifting pictogram.svg  Weightlifting 67922
Wrestling pictogram.svg  Wrestling 5131129
Fencing pictogram.svg  Fencing 57921
Boxing pictogram.svg  Boxing 491124
Field hockey pictogram.svg  Field hockey 43411
Tennis pictogram.svg  Tennis 36211
Sailing pictogram.svg  Sailing 35715
Judo pictogram.svg  Judo 341522
Diving pictogram.svg  Diving 281222
Volleyball (beach) pictogram.svg  Beach volleyball 2114
Triathlon pictogram.svg  Triathlon 2103
Modern pentathlon pictogram.svg  Modern pentathlon 2013
Handball pictogram.svg  Handball 1214
Open water swimming pictogram.svg  Marathon swimming 1214
Water polo pictogram.svg  Water polo 1203
Football pictogram.svg  Football 1146
3x3 basketball pictogram.svg  3x3 basketball 1001
Table tennis pictogram.svg  Table tennis 0459
Archery pictogram.svg  Archery 0325
Taekwondo pictogram.svg  Taekwondo 0112
Golf pictogram.svg  Golf 0101
Rugby union pictogram.svg  Rugby 0101
Totals (30 entries)212219255686

*This table does not include two medals – one gold and one silver – awarded in the figure skating events at the 1908 Summer Olympics.

Medals by Winter Sport

  Leading in that sport
SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Luge pictogram.svg  Luge 2212943
Biathlon pictogram.svg  Biathlon 20211354
Bobsleigh pictogram.svg  Bobsleigh 169732
Speed skating pictogram.svg  Speed skating 13151038
Alpine skiing pictogram.svg  Alpine skiing 128727
Ski jumping pictogram.svg  Ski jumping 67316
Nordic combined pictogram.svg  Nordic combined 66416
Figure skating pictogram.svg  Figure skating 4239
Cross country skiing pictogram.svg  Cross country skiing 310417
Skeleton pictogram.svg  Skeleton 2316
Snowboarding pictogram.svg  Snowboarding 1427
Freestyle skiing pictogram.svg  Freestyle skiing 0112
Ice hockey pictogram.svg  Ice hockey 0112
Totals (13 entries)1059965269

*This table includes two medals – one gold and one silver – awarded in the figure skating events at the 1908 Summer Olympics.

Combined medals of all German NOCs

Germany has competed at the Olympics under five different designations, including as two separate teams at several Games. Sources vary in how they present the medals won by these teams. The table below shows sourced combinations of these teams, when applied to the main table. Saar competed independently in the Summer Olympic games in 1952, but failed to win any medals. Due to most lists only listing medal counts, it's possible but not certain Saar was included as part of Germany in their calculations.

Medals won by Germany at the Summer Olympic Games between 1896 and 2012 (between 1956 and 1964 as the United Team of Germany and between 1968 and 1988 as a sum of medals of West and East Germany) Medailles Allemagne JO ete 1896-2012.svg
Medals won by Germany at the Summer Olympic Games between 1896 and 2012 (between 1956 and 1964 as the United Team of Germany and between 1968 and 1988 as a sum of medals of West and East Germany)
Medals won by Germany at the Winter Olympic Games between 1928 and 2014 (between 1956 and 1964 as the United Team of Germany and between 1968 and 1988 as sum of medals of West and East Germany) Medailles Allemagne JO hiver 1928-2014.svg
Medals won by Germany at the Winter Olympic Games between 1928 and 2014 (between 1956 and 1964 as the United Team of Germany and between 1968 and 1988 as sum of medals of West and East Germany)

Medal counts:
status after the 2024 Olympics, as of August 13, 2024

Summer GamesWinter GamesCombined total
Team (IOC code)

No.

Gold medal olympic.svg

Silver medal olympic.svg

Bronze medal olympic.svg

GoldSilverBronze medal olympic.svg

No.

Gold medal olympic.svg

Silver medal olympic.svg

Bronze medal olympic.svg

GoldSilverBronze medal olympic.svg

No.

Gold medal olympic.svg

Silver medal olympic.svg

Bronze medal olympic.svg

GoldSilverBronze medal olympic.svg

Flag of the German Empire.svg Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER)1821322025568813104986526731317318320955
Flag of Saar (1947-1956).svg  Saar  (SAA)100000000010000
Flag of the German Olympic Team (1960-1968).svg  United Team of Germany  (EUA)32854361183865196366041137
Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany  (GDR)5153129127409639363511011192165162519
Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany  (FRG)556678120461115133911678294243
Total27450470499141922162155118435496126256171854
Combined IOC codesNo. GamesGold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svgCombined total
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER) [1] 30317318320955
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER) (EUA)373533783611092
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER) (EUA) (FRG)484204604551335
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER) (EUA) (FRG) (GDR) [2] 59 [3] 6126256171854

Hosted Games

For the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, see West Germany at the Olympics.

GamesHost cityDatesNationsParticipantsEvents
1936 Winter Olympics Garmisch-Partenkirchen 6 – 16 February2864617
1936 Summer Olympics Berlin 1 – 6 August493,963129

Unsuccessful bids

GamesCityWinner of bid [4]
1908 Summer Olympics Berlin London, United Kingdom
2000 Summer Olympics Berlin Sydney, Australia
2012 Summer Olympics Leipzig [a] London, United Kingdom
2018 Winter Olympics Munich Pyeongchang, South Korea
2024 Summer Olympics Hamburg Paris, France
  1. Not shortlisted into candidate stage

See also

References

  1. International Olympic Committee: Germany
  2. BBC: Timeline: Olympic Powers
  3. Counting the eleven Games where both East Germany (GDR) and West Germany (FRG) competed as two appearances.
  4. "Past Olympic host city election results". GamesBids. Archived from the original on January 24, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2022.